These are 6 simple things you should do to keep your cat healthy:
- Feed canned food at meal times. Cats are carnivores not grain eaters. All cats should have at least 2 meals per day of a meat based, moist cat food. Establishing a routine mealtime is important so you can observe your cat asking for food and actually consuming it. Changes in these behaviors warrants closer observation.
- Provide a safe, clean, quiet, large litterbox. Litterboxes should be 2 times the length of the cat in size. Most pet-store varieties are too small, so we suggest going to the building supply store and getting the large Rubbermaid storage containers. We like the 37 gal container. Leave the cover at the store. Cut an opening in the side wide enough for your cat to go through, stopping 4-6 inches from the bottom. Put 1-2 inches of a non-perfumed clumping litter in the box. Keep it in a quiet but easily accessible spot. The rule of thumb is one more litterbox than the number of cats in the household, all in different locations in the house.
- Weigh monthly. Longterm, this is one of the most important things to do. When cats are young adults you will be able to make dietary decisions on a monthly basis and make small adjustments in the diet to keep them at their optimum weight. Weight loss is the cardinal symptom of almost all diseases of cats and often goes unnoticed by owners.
- Play daily. Both cats and their caretakers do not take the time to play daily. Cats ARE social animals and do need daily interactions to stay social. Playing with your cat should be enjoyable for both you and your cat, and allows you to make sure they are acting properly on a daily basis. Most cats will play for short periods of time, so this should be a daily routine. Observing your cat’s movements and interests are another way to verify that it is feeling well.
- Hunt for pellets. Cats are hunters, and tripping over the food dish is not very challenging. The small amounts of dry pellet foods that are fed daily should always be presented in a way that is hard or different to obtain. Simply spreading the pellets around the house and having the cat look for the food is good. A few pellets in the dish with 3 golf balls will make a cat work to obtain each pellet. Putting pellets in things like cardboard boxes, paper towel tubes, brown paper bags, etc will stimulate the cat’s problem solving.
- Control fur. Cats constantly groom and their rough tongue pulls out massive amounts of fur. Controlling the ingestion of fur is important, so quick, daily grooming with a comb or “the Furminator” is vital. Routine use of furball remedies to “prevent” furball build-up is important rather than wait for the vomiting to begin. Furballs can cause vomiting, gastritis, enteritis, or even obstruction. Cats with short hair can have just as many problems as long-haired cats.