5 Mistakes to Avoid Making With Your Cat

Cats are glorious creatures and they can keep their owners amused for hours. We pamper our feline friends, we cater for their every mood swing and we always make sure their favourite pet food is in the cupboard. However, there are certain things that cat owners should avoid doing so their pets stay healthy and live long and happy lives.

Below are a 5 tips that may well help you keep your beloved moggy happy but more importantly healthy!

Should You Let Your Cat Roam Freely if you Live in Town?

If you live in a busy town, you may be tempted to let your cat outside so they can roam around to their heart's content. However, although cats do love going out and investigating everything that's going on in their neighbourhood, if there is heavy traffic, a busy or even a quiet road nearby, your pet is at risk of being hit by a car. There's also the risk of your moggy upsetting your neighbours and this is especially true if they use the neighbours beautiful flower beds as their litter tray!

Cats are quite content to live as indoor pets and if fact relish being pampered by their owners when they do. Knowing they are safe gives you lots of peace of mind. Many cat owners do insist on never letting their beloved feline friends outside for this very reason. The one thing to bear in mind is that even if you never let your cat out of the house, you still need to make sure they have all their vaccinations. This is because you may inadvertently bring in a few nasty bugs back into the home with you which could prove deadly to your pet!

Never, Ever Punish or Frighten Your Cat

Cats are very sensitive creatures and once they've formed a strong bond with their owner this can be ruined if your cat is scared in any way at all by you yelling at them or punishing them. This may well leave them feeling frightened of you. Punishing your cat or shouting at them will not change their behaviour but it will affect how they react to you! The best way to shape a cat's behaviour is by treating them kindly and by offering them lots of treats and praise when they're being good.

If a cat feels stressed they are more likely to develop some form of illness, you need to remember that our feline friends love calm environments which means they will be relaxed and happy which in turn means they are healthier and more content creatures all round.

Never Overfeed Your Cat

One of the things that many pet owners have a tendency to do is overfeed their cats which can be likened to almost killing a beloved pet with kindness! Spayed and neutered cats tend to put on the pounds anyway so if fed too much, the next stage is obesity which is extremely bad for their health. Most vets would advise feeding a cat only what they really need otherwise owners could be unintentionally shortening their pet's lives.

When cats are overweight or obese, their lives are made much more uncomfortable and health-wise they can suffer from feline arthritis which is one of the conditions that can make their lives quite miserable. Other weight related illnesses include the following:

• Diabetes
• Heart conditions

It is far better to feed your cat a good quality cat food and only enough to suit the amount of exercise they get. You should never be fed titbits because you love them which could end up causing them to become overweight and suffer from the conditions mentioned above. Owners have the power to keep their feline friends in tip top condition because puss can't go and raid the fridge for leftovers themselves!

Never, Ever Use Any Products for Dogs or Other Animals on Your Cat

It goes without saying that any products, medication or other products which have are specifically formulated for use on a dog or any other animal should never, ever be given to your cat. Certain veterinary medicines like Tylenol can and will kill a cat! Other products that could prove deadly to your cat include the following:

• Aspirin
• Flea treatments that are not specifically formulated for use on felines

Cats are extremely sensitive to a lot of things which means you should never give them anything other than products specifically formulated for use on felines because if you do, you could end up killing your cat. The other thing to bear in mind is that if a product is okay to use on adult, mature cats, this does not mean they are safe to use on kittens – if in doubt the rule of thumb is don't"".

Never Forget to Clean Out Your Cat's Litter Box

This is another huge no-no which many cat owners sometimes do whether it's because they were too busy or because they simply forgot! However, not cleaning out your cat's litter box could lead to all sorts of problems with your poor cat deciding to do their ""business"" behind a wardrobe, in a corner of a room or somewhere else. You could then find it hard to make them use their litter trays again!

However, you cannot tell your cat off for doing this because if their litter tray is dirty and smelly, there's no way they are going to want to use it again. By cleaning out their litter tray twice a day if needs be, you make life a lot more comfortable for your pet and yourself – even if it is not the nicest of jobs, you have to do it. The bonus is that if your cat is ill or has a bad stomach you will spot the problem that much quicker which allows you to get them to the vet earlier rather than later.

Conclusion

Keeping your cat happy and healthy means making sure they are fed a good quality diet that suits the amount of exercise they get every day and their age. Interacting with them as often as you can means you will form a strong bond with your feline friend. Grooming and petting them is also a great routine you should get into because it allows you to check them over to see if they have any lumps, bumps or injuries which would need to be treated. If you bear these five tips in mind when looking after your furry feline friend, they will reward you with their love and affection for years to come.

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