For happy healthy cat month this year, I’m going to share with you a number of tips when it comes to owning a cat, including the reasons why it’s important to keep your cat indoors. And the best way to keep them indoors, despite how difficult it may be, or how much your cat may want to be outside.
Essentially, keeping your cat indoors eliminates the most common threats that cats are exposed to. Threats that your cat are often exposed to if kept outdoors include ingesting poisons on accident, being attacked by other animals, getting hit by a car, or becoming infected by serious diseases and parasites from other animals as well. Simply keeping your cat indoors eliminates these potentially fatal issues, and is key to leading a longer healthier life for your pet.
That is not to say that caring for a pet indoors is easy or less work for you. Cats living indoors have several requirements for living a healthy happy life. Below are my favorite tips to keeping your feline friend happy and healthy for a long time:
1. Litter boxes:
To know the adequate number of litter boxes needed in your household is easy: one litter box per cat plus one more extra litter box (ie. If you have two cats, you should have three litter boxes). Make sure the litter boxes are kept clean and arranged for easy access in several areas of the house. Every cat may have different preferences in litter; however, I find most of patients enjoy large, open litter boxes with fine grained, unscented litter.
2. Scratching posts and climbing structures:
These artificial structures provide your cat with an appropriate outlet for his or her natural scratching instinct. Giving them a variety of structures in varying heights and in several areas of the house will not only keep your cat entertained, but may save your furniture and carpet from unwanted destructive behaviors.
3. Fresh food and water:
When owning a cat, make sure to provide fresh food and water is self-explanatory, however, for multiple cat households, a make sure to have separate sets of food and water bowls placed in different areas of the house to avoid conflicts at meal time.
4. Toys:
Make time each day to play with your cat using interactive toys to encourage your cat to “hunt.” This will keep your cat stimulated, as well as help you to identify preferred play objects. This is important because normal household objects may be dangerous to cats. (ie. Cats that love to chase and play with string or ribbon but have been known to swallow them which can cause serious illness or even death.)
5. Personal space:
Unlike dogs, cats are not ‘pack animals’ and prefer areas of solitude where they can be undisturbed by others and feel safe, A natural instinct to ‘seek high ground’ for safety and to monitor the household. When owning a cat, providing elevated perches and cat trees can provide cats with the perfect getaway retreat.
6. Owner education and preventive care:
Owning a cat is a responsibility. Make sure that your indoor cats are up to date on vaccines. Although the risk of disease exposure is greatly diminished in our indoor cats, the possibility of your cat coming into contact with disease is still there (ie. Cat getting out, neighborhood cats getting in, visiting friends/pets etc…). Taking your cat to the vet once a year for these vaccines is a good way for yearly examinations to be performed and try to catch diseases early before they get serious. Additionally, nutraceuticals such as daily probiotics, joint, and hairball control supplements can help to maintain your cats digestive, coat, and joint health long term. Check out our Wellnergy Pets cat supplements collection below:
We hope these tips for owning a cat have been helpful and that you and your feline friends will have a cool summer indoor filled with fun times! As always, feel free to reach out to our team on Facebook, Instagram, email, or in the comments section below if you have any further questions. Post your favorite cat pictures and don’t forget to #wellnergypets! Have a wonderful summer everyone!
About the Author:
Dr. Zonram Liao D.V.M. is a Southern California native, and earned his undergraduate degree from University of California, San Diego before obtaining his veterinary degree from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. He is not only a firm believer in the use of supportive care supplements to improve the health and happiness of his patients, but also is a strong advocate of the benefits of preventive care medicine for his patients as well. During his free time, Dr. Liao enjoys spending his time outdoors fishing and hiking, playing basketball, watching movies, cooking, traveling, and trying new foods.