Caring for your cat
by B.R-W. (cat-lover)
I have written this piece as the result of having been asked advice by many friends about the care of their cat(s). I’m an artist, not a professional cat-lady, but do find that the questions I’m asked are easily answered if a bit of background knowledge and experience is applied. I have owned a cat all my life and learnt a good few lessons, as well as keeping abreast of current thinking on the subject of cat-care.
A cat is not a dog. A cat is a territorial animal and therefore will be greatly unsettled by being asked to stay in some place other than its home when its owners are away. My advice to cat-owners who must travel away from home is to ask a friend/or house-sitting service to take care of the cat in its own home.
By all means, leave instructions that the cat must stay indoors if the environment around the house is unfriendly e.g. a busy road. But friendly stroking and chatting in a calm quiet manner are what a cat appreciates. Keeping it indoors at night provides a measure of prevention against cat-fights/accidents.
Cats are by nature fastidiously clean. If the great outdoors is where they go to the loo, then they will take time to choose a spot unsullied by other cats, and they will cover up what they deposit. (Some gardeners are understandably displeased by this!) Indoors, the litter tray should be kept clean and emptied of cat deposits - by picking out, or replacing the entire tray of litter - so that it is clean when the cat goes to use it again.
Male cats are not easy to domesticate and having a male kitten castrated at the age of six months or so, is the easy answer. If you don’t want your female kitten to reproduce, then spaying is essential: she is sure to find a lusty suitor before she has time to mature! Thereafter, keeping your cat’s immune system in working order is essential by regular injections at the vet, and also deterring skin/fur/intestinal pests by use of a monthly spot-on (the back of the neck) application.
Food for a cat is a matter of the owner’s preference, but many of the pellet foods currently available have the advantage of reducing the smell of cat food in the house; there is hardly any wastefulness as it won’t deteriorate in the cat’s bowl when left exposed to the air/heat, and the cat’s litter-tray deposits are minimised because the food is less bulky to digest. If this form of food is chosen, there is no need for any other type, not even scraps from the human table! Fresh clean water, of course, must always be available to all animals, especially cats. It’s thought that the proverbial saucer of milk is no longer suitable for a cat’s digestive system.
Remember, a happy cat makes a happy home.
