As pets, cats are always a great choice, except that they can get a little pricey. Medical expenses, toys, food and cat litter can quickly add up. The following article will teach you what you need to know about caring for a cat.
Deter your cat from chewing on inappropriate things by using bitter apple. If your cat still insists on chewing your cords, try to cover as many of them as possible. Loose cords can be bundled and tucked inside old paper towel rolls. Any electronic item not in use should be stored away where the cat can’t get to it.
You should never allow your cat to be bored all the time. Although you may believe that cats just lie around, this isn’t the case. They need their exercise. Unfortunately, a lot of cat owners neglect this. Cats that are bored may develop obsessive compulsive disorders, depression, or other issues that can harm their health. Give them plenty of room to exercise and a wide selections of toys. An indoor cat needs a good scratching post.
Cats are usually more active during the night. The result is that cats prefer to be more active during the night. Close your bedroom door if your cat is driving you nuts at night. This will keep the cats away while you’re trying to sleep because they won’t be jumping all over you.
Make sure that you have a good tablecloth for your kitten. Often, a cat will remove food from his bowl to eat on the side. This habit means you will end up with cat food on the floor to clean up. Simply place a cloth placemat that will grab at the food under their plate and then shaken out over the trash. You can put a vinyl one underneath that can be picked up wiped down easily if you prefer.
Always watch a kitten around small kids. If the child is younger than 5, don’t leave them alone with a kitten. They don’t know what harm they can do. When children get a little older, they develop the skills needed to be around small animals.
Speak with friends and family when you have difficulty with your cat. Though you want to handle problems on your own, you may require advice from others who own cats. You can find several cat forums online where you can ask questions, or you can choose to simply call your vet for advice too.
You should never punish your cat for not using the litter box. Usually, this sort of thing happens when the box isn’t being tended to properly. Punishing your cat will make it afraid of being close to you.
Keep old, worn scratching posts. Cats tend to enjoy a scratching toy more after they’ve gotten comfortable with it and made it their own. Ditching the structure may alienate your cat, making it more likely to turn elsewhere in your home for its scratching needs.
Frequent or misdirected urination may warrant a trip to your vet’s office. This is likely to be something that should be looked after. Take the cat to the vet if it stops using the litter-box and let the vet diagnose the problem.
Think about the extra work before buying a long-haired cat. While long, silky hair is beautiful on a cat, the same fur appears far less beautiful covering your floor, dark clothing, and furniture. Unless you are prepared to do more cleaning, don’t buy a long haired cat. Not to mention cats that have long hair are more prone to getting issues with hairballs.
Do your best to keep your cat as healthy as possible and take it to the vet regularly. Just like kids, kittens must have wellness checks and immunizations periodically to keep health issues and diseases from coming up later. A cat is a member of the family, and therefore, is entitled to the same treatment as other loved ones.
Cats are one of many pets that are pricy to care for. Cats have complex requirements, which leads many people to compare their needs to those of a small child. Fortunately, now that you are more informed by the knowledge presented here, you can save money and enjoy a better cat.