Cat Care

Taking care of your cat

Basic cat care includes nutrition, training, grooming and exercise as well as a general knowledge of common cat health problems and their symptoms. This will help you provide your feline friend with a high quality of life and catch potential health issues early on.

Cat Care Basics

First, you should get your new kitten from a reputable cat breeder. Many pet shops get their animals from puppy and kitten farms, where breeding standards are much lower. Look for a kitten with healthy, glossy fur, alert eyes, healthy gums and an active, energetic disposition. Get the your pet its recommended cat vaccinations, set it up with identification tags and make sure to get it spayed or neutered.

Kittens should be fed a high-quality, specially formulated food that delivers the nutrients their growing bodies need. Once a kitten reaches adulthood, switching it over to a mixture of quality canned food and dry kibble will meet its dietary requirements.

To encourage your cat to stay active, you should get a good selection of cat toys. However, be warned: though balls of yarn or string are often regarded as classic cat toys, they actually make poor choices because cats commonly nibble on their loose ends and can easily end up choking on them. You should also pick up a scratching post, so your cat can keep its nails and claws sharp and have a place to stretch out.

Other than a daily brushing, cats tend to take care of most of their own grooming needs. The only thing you may need to do as a cat owner is trim your feline's claws, a task which is best left to a professional since vital blood vessels lurk nearby. An untrained hand can easily snip in the wrong place.

Litter box training should take place as early as possible. In most cases, simply leaving your cat in an enclosed place with the litter box following meals and naps should work well enough to convey your message. Make sure to scoop out soiled litter daily and change the litter completely every week or two.

Senior cat care includes being aware of the changing behaviors of older cats as well as sensitivity to their evolving physical needs. First, older cats may stop using their litter boxes, and often show hostility or aggression to other animals in the house. Often, such behavioral changes are reflective of the onset of cat health problems such as disease and hearing or vision loss, which can cause your cat to get scared easily and react accordingly. Changes in activity and sleeping patterns are also common, so a sound senior cat care strategy should include more frequent veterinary visits to make sure your pet is still healthy for its age.

Natural and Holistic Alternatives

Holistic cat care is becoming increasingly popular, as more and more cat owners seek out natural alternatives to chemical- and preservative-laden cat foods and medications rife with side effects. As a consciously directed program, natural cat care includes homemade food and holistic approaches to veterinary medicine. Talk to local cat breeders or your city's SPCA or Humane Society chapter if you're interested in getting a referral to a provider of holistic cat care.

Common Cat Health Problems

In general, if you notice sudden changes in your cat's behavior, such as listlessness or loss of energy, appetite changes, loss of fur, vomiting or confusion, you should get your cat to the vet to be checked out. These general symptoms can indicate a wide range of possible cat health problems, which should invariably be treated as soon as possible.

Some of the most common cat health problems include:

• Hairballs. Cat hairballs are the result of your cat inadvertently ingesting its own fur, which gets trapped in its stomach and must be passed through its feces. Your cat will wheeze and cough if it has hairballs; in general, this is a minor problem and will run its course in a few days.
• Fleas. Parasitic skin and fur infestations usually strike cats with poorly groomed coats. It's important to brush your cat every day to guard against fleas. Symptoms include patchiness of the fur, loss of coat gloss and excessive scratching.
• Worms. These internal parasites come in five variations: roundworms, hookworms, lungworms, tapeworms and ringworms. Loss of appetite and general listlessness are two signs of internal parasitic infections, so be careful – some feline worms can be transmitted from your cat to you.
• Viral and bacterial infections. Your cat should be immunized against rabies as a kitten, but can still be affected by it if you didn't follow the schedule of recommended booster shots. Sexually active cats are at risk of getting feline AIDS, and the feline leukemia virus (FLV) can wreak havoc on your pet's health. Your vet can tell you about the myriad of other potentially deadly infections your cat may be at risk for, depending on its age and where you live.