Tips And Tricks All Cat Lovers Should Know

Cats are truly very finicky creatures; however, they can make great pets. You'll need to understandhow to feed and groom your cats, and the tips contained in this article will help you get a handle onthat.

Grooming is an essential part of your cat's care. Just like dogs, cats require regular brushing and de-tangling. Such practices help keep cats' coats clean. Having a clean fur coat helps reduce theamount of hairballs that get spit up around the house. Cat grooming will not only keep kitty lookinggreat, but it will also help to reduce the effort spent picking up cat hair around the home.

Cats love to squeeze into tiny spots. If they have a collar on, this can be dangerous. A collar that is abreakaway model will detach itself if it gets pulled on. This could save your cat's life if the collar getscaught in some branches.

If you have an outdoor cat, make sure he is fitted with a tag and collar. Cats can get lost, and theyneed a tag to be found. The tag needs your phone number and cat's name at the minimum.

Microchips are an increasingly popular form of pet protection. Even indoor cats can decide to runaway at a moment's notice, escaping through an open window. Tags and collars can help you catreturn home, but cats can wiggle out of them or risk injury by snagging them on a tree branch orbush. Microchips are as small as a rice grain and have all of your important contact information.Most shelters and veterinarians can scan your pet to read the information on the chip, and the chipcannot be lost since it is beneath the skin.

You may be able to find a better deal on your cat's prescription online instead of purchasing themfrom your veterinarian. In an emergency, this won't be much help, of course. If you are buying catmedicine often, you can usually save up to 50% online.

If you're thinking about raising an outdoor cat, you should strongly reconsider. This can put your catin an unsafe position. Your cat may pick up some fleas, or worse. Other animals, cars and people canhurt your cat. If you need to let your cat out of the house, be sure it's in a safe place.

Don't punish cats for making messes outside the litter box. The major cause of such accidents isusually because the litter box hasn't been given the proper care. Your cat will become afraid of you ifyou punish it or scold it too often.

Acclimate your cat to a cat carrier. Understand that cats don't react to punishment as well as dogs.

Encouragement is usually a much better option. Put their favorite toy and blanket in a carrier. Leaveit somewhere they always go to. The cat will enter it on its own. This makes transporting mucheasier.

While a torn up scratching post might look unattractive, do not get rid of it. You may believe that it'sin terrible condition, but cats typically prefer it this way. By removing the old item and replacing itwith a new one, your cat may try to find another item to scratch. This could end up being furniture.

You need to buy some quality food for your cat. Pay attention to the ingredient list on any food youfeed them. Protein needs to be one of the very first items on the list, while fillers like corn and othergrains should be avoided. Any foods with non-protein sources, such as corn, should be avoided. Catsare meant to eat meat, and that means that they need to have foods that are high in protein.

Consider buying your cat a special drinking fountain. Your cat will prefer drinking from runningwater since this is a natural behavior. The drinking fountain will look more inviting than a waterbowl. Really, there are many cats that would much prefer to drink from a running sink faucet asopposed to their own bowl. A fountain keeps the water moving without letting any go to waste.

Is your cat shedding like a madman? When a cat sheds a lot, brushing is very important. The more acat sheds, the moor they should be properly brushed. Brushing will also keep their coat in goodshape.

If kitty stops using its litter box, pay attention. When cats are suffering from something, they mayend up going to the restroom randomly outside of their box. Bladder troubles, kidney ailments, orinfections can all cause this sort of behavior. Call the vet if your cat refuses to use the litter box.

When a dog wags its tail, the reason is because it is happy for some reason. Cats wag their tail for adifferent reason. A cat that is flicking its tail is either feeling threatened or predatory and isconsidering his next move. Likewise, if you are holding your cat, and he suddenly starts to wag histail, you may need to let him down to avoid swats or scratches to yourself!

Avoid leaving a declawed feline outside unattended. The cat will have difficulty playing with otheranimals and may get hurt. Indoor cats are the only ones that should ever be declawed. It isimportant to note that if you are declawing a cat, only the front claws on the cat should be removed.The back claws are left because these won't scratch your furniture or floors.

You should never let your cat use meds that were designed for people. Go to a vet if there areproblems, don't self diagnose. Giving cats medication meant for humans is very dangerous and couldeven kill them.

While having a cat as a pet may seem strait forward, it can take a lot of time, love, and money for vetappointments, toys, and food. Make use of the excellent advice provided here to ensure you aredoing all you can for your cat. Your thorough research will result in a good experience for both youand your cat.