There’s no denying that we all love our pets and when it comes to cats, well, they’re just so hard not to love! We’re all guilty of doing things for our cats that we swore we would never do before we owned one - uh oh, are we becoming crazy cat people?! They’re a part of the family and there’s no shame in loving your cat and allowing it to live its best life.
Keeping Your Cat Healthy
As the owner of a cat, it is your responsibility to keep your cat healthy. Your cat isn’t capable of doing this by itself and to give your cat a healthy and long life, it’s so important to put its health first.
As soon as you become a cat owner, your first move should be a visit to the vet. It’s great to get the cat used to visiting the vet but you also want to ensure your cat is de-sexed and up to date with vaccines. These are the first two crucial steps to caring for your cat’s health and should never be overlooked.
The best and most cost-effective way to take care of your cat’s health is by keeping it indoors. Simply by allowing your cat to become an indoor cat, you are significantly reducing the risk of many health conditions and risks faced by cats who spend time outdoors.
Sadly, we see a lot of loved cats hit by cars. They don’t have much road sense and allowing your cat to roam the neighbourhood freely is putting it at great risk of being hit by a car, causing serious injury or death.
Cats are known to fight and those fights often result in an injured cat with an abscess and most likely a trip to the vet.
Outdoor cats are known to roam through neighbours’ yards and often visit yards with dogs. Not all dogs are dangerous to cats, but when your cat is allowed to roam free, nothing is stopping it from going wherever it wants and, one day, it could choose the wrong yard and get attacked by a dog.
Interacting with other animals will increase the chance of your cat contracting worms, ticks, fleas and diseases. These are easily avoidable when your cat is kept indoors, saving you from expensive treatments.
We know this all sounds serious and not much fun, but if you really do love your cat and you want to give it a long and healthy life, using these precautions, particularly keeping it indoors, will make a huge difference. But this doesn’t mean your cat needs to be bored indoors, keep reading and learn how to keep your cat happy at home!
Keeping Your Cat Happy at Home
Cats can be very happy indoors as long as they have food, water and a litter tray. But we all know our cats like some extra entertainment and a comfortable place to rest.
A few simple ways to keep your cat entertained and active indoors can include:
Cardboard Box - An empty cardboard box left lying around the home will provide your cat with endless entertainment. Whether they make it a safe and dark place to rest, or they have some fun jumping in and out, or if you put a few holes in the box for them to swipe their paw out of, your cat will LOVE you for giving them an empty box to call their own!
Playtime - It’s so important to have that bit of time each day with your cat to play together, whether it’s swinging around a toy or winding up a toy mouse, your cat will love having that time to play with you and it’s also great for YOUR mental health!
TV - Yeah, we said it… cats love TV! Youtube birds or mice or whatever your cat fancies and you’ll be surprised how entertained they will be by watching all the action! This is great for older cats who aren’t as active but still need some stimulation.
Scratching Posts - These can be a great way to avoid your cat ruining your furniture.They will love climbing on it and when you pop it near a window it will give them a high vantage point to sit and watch the entertainment of the outdoor world!
Toys - Stock up on a few new toys for your cat to play with and for you to use when playing with your cat.
Providing your cat with some enclosed spaces to hide in and comfortable bedding will also keep them content at home while you’re away. Cats love hiding and going into dark spaces, allowing them to rest comfortably and get away from humans/other pets for a rest. I don’t think any of us could argue that our cats love a good nap or two. Your cat will love you when you get them a comfortable bed or space to call their own while snoozing, especially moving it into a nice sunny spot for them to sunbathe!
Keeping Your Cat Safe
We can’t reiterate this enough, the number one way to keep your cat safe is by keeping it indoors.
If you think your cat might like some time outdoors, buying a harness and taking it for a walk in your backyard or the neighborhood can be a safe way to spend some time outdoors. Or, an outdoor pet enclosure can be great fun for your feline friend too!
Lastly, when you make that first visit to the vet to get your cat desexed and vaccinated, remember to also get a microchip. Worst case scenario is that your cat escapes and you can’t find it, but at least if someone else finds it or it ends up at a shelter or vet, they will immediately be able to determine who owns the cat and get in contact with you ASAP.
What did we tell you? There are so many ways to love your cat even more! We all love our pets and want to give them the best and longest life possible and by implementing some of these small changes you can give your cat a healthy, safe and most importantly HAPPY life!
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