Caring for a cat is easy.
Cats are very good pets as they don’t require as much attention as other options such as a dog.
Caring for a cat is much easier than caring for a dog.
You don’t have to walk the cat and you don’t have to deal with it barking at everything that happens to walk by your home.
Young cats are extremely playful and you can interact with them when you want to. However, most cats are content to play with toys or to be independent.
This doesn’t mean that cats aren’t excellent companions though. They can be silly at times and they often enjoy curling up on your lap and purring.
Your cat won’t come running when you are home at the end of day and knock you over. They also don’t lick or bite so you won’t have to worry about how they will interact with others when you have company.
Cats always seem to be able to tell when you need some comfort.
Taking care of a pet can help a child to become more responsible but some pets just come with too much time required.
A cat makes a perfect choice for children because they tend to take care of themselves.
As long as they are given sufficient food and water they will remain happy.
Cat Food
In order to keep your cat or kitten healthy, you need to choose quality foods that will provide him with nutrients he needs.
Caring for a cat depends alot on its food.
But, what are they? You can’t just give your cat any type of food that is available. There are several things you should do to improve your cat’s nutrition.
Kitten Food
During the first few weeks, the food will come from mom cat. But, when he begins to reach the age of four to six weeks, he needs to supplement his foods with canned kitten food or you can provide him with dry cat food that is softened with water.
At eight weeks, he should be weaned from the mother and eating kitten food solely. The breeder at this point can allow him to be adopted and should provide you with some of the food that he is eating.
If you plan to switch brands, you can do so but make sure that you mix the food together until he is used to it.
Growing kittens will eat a good amount of food. They are growing very fast and need it. They will eat more than once a day.
They are likely to eat up to four smaller meals until they are six months old. You should give him plenty of clean water as well. Remember, kittens have smaller stomachs and need smaller amounts but use a lot of energy nonetheless.
As Your Kitten Gets Older
At six months, the cat will begin to taper off in growing. He will likely be less active as well.
This means you can cut back to feeding him to two or three meals a day. You should not change from kitten food to adult food since he is still growing.
At a year, you can provide him with adult food. Adult cats will eat when they are hungry so you can simply leave a dish filled with dry food for him.
But, if he overeats and becomes overweight, he will need to be limited to eating twice a day instead. If you give him canned food, you can still offer dry food as well. Canned food should not be left out all day.
What Kind of Cat Food?
To purchase cat food, you should look for the types that have protein sources in the first few ingredients that are listed.
You should make sure that the food is well balanced too. If the cat has problems that are health related look for foods designed to help with these conditions.
Many cats will enjoy both wet and dry food. But, some are finicky about it. If your cat does not seem to like dry cat food, moisten it or provide him with regular check ups at the vet to keep his teeth clean.
Providing well balanced food for your cat will allow him to live a healthy, long life.
Indoor cats will have to be trained to use a litter box but most of them learn very quickly so you won’t have to deal with cleaning up such messes around your home. However, you need to clean the litter box regularly because cats do not like to use a dirty litter box.
Caring for a cat waste is easy with a litter box.
Cats are clean animals as they spend a large amount of time grooming themselves each day.
In the majority of cases, cats lead a very happy and long life without too many problems. They don’t cost very much because cat food and litter are very cheap.
They don’t require as many vet visits for routine shots either like dogs do which can become quite expensive. Caring for a cat is less expensive than caring for a dog.
For those that have problems with mice, cats make a great natural system for taking care of them. This means you won’t have to deal with messy traps or dangerous poisons around your home. Many cat owners claim they haven’t come across a mouse in their home for years with this line of defense.
Cats are very precious and beautiful animals as well.
They have a gentle hum to them that can be relaxing for humans. They have coats in all colors as well as eyes that are very shiny and bright.
Each cat has their own personality and you just can’t help but adore them.
There are many breeds of cats if you want a particular kind but some of the most beautiful cats are those that are mixed breeds.
Cats are very smart animals too so they will quickly catch up to what you like from them and what you don’t based on the praise you give them.
Contrary to popular belief, cats are obedient and they want their owner’s to be happy with them.
They will learn fast that you don’t like them scratching on the furniture or putting their tail in your face while you are sleeping.
Caring for a cat is much easier than carrying for a dog.
You will need a great deal of commitment in order to own a cat as they do require some care (although not as much as dogs!) and can live as old as 15 years (or even longer in some cases).
Cats require feeding (daily), care and ‘play time’ on a regular basis. You will also have to take into consideration, before getting your cat, that you will have vets’ bills to pay for annual vaccines, worming and if treatment is required for any illnesses.
These bills can sometimes be very costly, but you can purchase insurance for pets – it may be a good idea to ‘shop around’ to get the best deal.
Before getting your cat, you should purchase bowls for food and water, a collar (if you want the cat to wear one), a bed (or pet quilt), a few suitable toys, and some food.
A kitten should be fed throughout the day 4 times with a small amount of food each meal, reducing to 3 times a day at 3 months old, then at 6-8 months 2 meals per day. Older cats (over 12 months) should only be fed twice in the day (usually morning and early evening).
Cats groom themselves, but using a soft brush on the cat, especially the long haired variety, will help to cut down the number of hairballs in the cat’s stomach, which are caused by them licking / grooming themselves.
If you decide to have a cat-flap fitted to your door in order that the cat can come and go as it pleases, you will have to train it to use the flap. You can use tit-bits to entice the cat to go through the flap, when it is fully open.
Start by opening the flap fully, just showing the tit-bit, then next time close the flap a little bit and keep on doing so until the cat realises that the flap will open with a small push of the head.
Cats like to sharpen their claws on most household furniture! Suites, corners of walls (thick paper), carpets.
Invest in a scratch post there are many to choose from. When the cat starts to scratch, lift the cat and place him/her next to the scratch post, they will soon get the message and use the post instead of the furniture.
If you are concerned about your cat going missing, or it being involved in an accident, you can have a micro-chip (approximately the size of a grain of rice) inserted into the back of the cat’s neck. The chip contains information, which can help to identify the cat as belonging to you.
It is often said that ‘a cat looks after itself’. This is obviously not really true, but they do have a more independent nature than some other domesticated pets. That said, they still make ideal companions when they ‘allow’ you to be their friend.
Cats are not human but caring for a cat is way easier than caring for a dog.