Cat Health
The health care for your cats section is a general advice area that has specific information on the importance of vaccinating your cat, the diet of your feline friend as well as information on the kitty litter and grooming of your cat.
Vaccination and Worming Schedule
All cats should be vaccinated, even strictly indoor ones. Cats may escape. Some diseases use mice, fleas, or other insects as vectors and do not require the presence of other cats. Natural disasters: consider earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., may let your cat out of the house.
A vaccine for ringworm has just come on the market in the US. It is said to be good for both treatment and prevention. It may or may not be available in your area, and it is very new, so there is not much data on its effectiveness. You may want to ask your vet about it if ringworm is a problem in your area.
What Your Vet Should Check
On a standard annual physical/examination, your vet should check:
- teeth for tartar/gum swelling
- ears for ear mites and other fungus problems
- body for ringworm (with black light)
- standard bloodwork
- fecal exam for worms
- booster shots for rabies, FeLV, panleukopenia, rhino&co, etc.
- eyes for normal pupil response and normal retinal appearance
- weight, heart rate, temperature
Cat Food and Diets
Dog food is not suitable for cats since it does not have the correct balance of nutrients. Cats need much more fat and protein than dogs do and will become seriously ill if fed dog food for an extended period of time.
You can feed your cat in one of two ways. One is to put down a set amount of food at specific times of the day. This is necessary if the food will spoil (canned food, for example) or if your cat will overeat. Some cats *do* overeat, do not be surprised if this is your situation. Put it on a fixed schedule to avoid weight problems.
Do *not* assume a cat will only eat what it needs: if it starts putting on too much weight (check with your vet), give it two feedings a day, putting down half the recommended daily amount each time.
The other method (called "free-feeding") is to leave food available all the time. The food must be dry to avoid spoilage. There is no preference between the two; it will depend on your cat and the food you give it.
Visit the section on cat nutrition for more information.
Litter
Beyond making the litter box readily accessible to your cat, there is some consideration as to an aesthetically pleasing placement. Utility closets that the cat can always access are useful.
Laundry rooms work well, bathrooms less well (especially in guest bathrooms). One suggestion is to build a chest with an entrance at one end big enough to contain the cat box. The chest can be displayed like furniture and yet be discreet. If you can't build a chest yourself, it should be relatively easy to saw an opening in the side of a pre-made chest.
Trimming Claws
As an alternative to declawing and to help stem the destruction from scratching, many cat owners keep their cats' claws trimmed. This is easiest if you start from the beginning when your cat is a kitten, although most cats can be persuaded to accept this procedure.
Use nail clippers available at pet stores. Look for the guillotine type (don't use the human variety, this will crush and injure your cat's claw) and get blade replacements as the sharper the blade is the easier this procedure is.
Grooming
Start early with your cat. The younger it is when you begin grooming it, the more pleasant grooming will be for it. A cat that fights grooming may need sedation and shaving at the vets for matted fur; it is well worth the time to get your cat to at least tolerate grooming. Start with short sessions.
Stick to areas that it seems to enjoy (often the top of the head and around the neck) first, and work your way out bit by bit. Experiment a bit (and talk with your vet) to find the brush and routine that seems to work best with your cat. Even short-hair cats benefit from grooming: they still shed a surprising amount of hair despite its length.
Bathing
You should not ordinarily need to bath a cat. Cats are normally very good about cleaning themselves, and for most cats, that's all the bathing they will ever need. Reasons for giving them a bath are:
- The cat has got something poisonous on its fur
- It doesn't take care of its coat as normal cats do
- You are allergic and need to bathe it to keep allergens down
- The cat is a show cat and about to be shown
- You are giving it a flea, tick, or lice dip
- It is unusually dirty for some reason (perhaps bad weather)
Playing
Most cats will love playing with you. There is the usual string or ball chasing; a few will even retrieve thrown items. "Hide and seek" and "Peekaboo" are also popular.
Cats commonly display interest by dilating their pupils; look for this to see what catches its attention. Try a small pencil flashlight or a small laser light for a game of "flashlight tag". Cats love to chase the light across the floor, over furniture and up walls. The lower-wattage laser pointers (0.1mW or less) are quite safe for something like this. It would take many days of non-stop direct exposure to the beam to even *start* to do any damage to eyes.
Cats will often display behavior commonly called "elevenses," since it seems to occur most often around 11PM. This consists of the cat's eyes dilating, its tail poofing out, and alternating between hopping sideways and racing all over the house. Your cat wants to play. Take it up on the challenge. Chase after it, play hide and seek. This can also be useful; playing with a cat just before bedtime reduces the chances of your cat wanting to play with you at 3AM.
Cat Safety in the House
Besides some of the more obvious things like electrical cords, here are some other things to watch out for:
- Recliner chairs. Many cats will go underneath these chairs as a hiding or resting place. Cats that are caught in the mechanism when the chair is opened or closed can be seriously injured or killed.
- The dryer. Many cats find the small enclosed space with warm clothing especially inviting. Check your dryer before turning it on; your cat can be killed this way. A little aversion therapy: if you see your cat slip in, close the door and bang on the top of the dryer for a few seconds. Let the cat back out.
- Drapery and blind cords. Most cats love to play with the cords; unfortunately it is easy for cats to be entangled and strangulated. Coil the cords up to the top of the window and pin it there with a clothes pin or clip.
- Bags with handles. Cats can become stuck in the handles and panic. If this happens when you are not at home, the cat may injure or kill itself. Keep such bags out of reach of the cats, or cut their handles off.
- Stove tops. Gas or electrical stoves can present problems. One preventive measure is to obtain burner covers, available for both kinds. Most cats will stay away from anything that is actively hot, but you may wish to train them away from the stove by spraying with water, or trying other measures used to keep cats off the counters.
