Furbabies
Cat Care Site
Tips, Tricks And Secrets Of Cat And Kitten Care
Awake At Night | Bathing | Biting, Scratching | Boredom
Cleaning Carpets | Eyes | Feeding - General | Feeding - Fussy Cat
Feeding - Foods To Avoid | Fleas | Grooming | Indoor Cats
Introduce New Cat | Litter Box | Medications | Naming | Plants
Scratching Post | Sun Care | Travelling | When Home Alone
Awake At Night
Give your cat a lively interactive play session just before you go to bed to tire your cat out so he/she will not keep you up all night.
If your cat wakes you up early in the morning demanding food, simply ignore it. Wait until you get up to feed the cat. The cat will quickly learn that you won't give in to its demands.
Make sure your cat has access to a litter tray during the night, or access outside via a cat door.
Try filling your cats bowl with dry food before you go to bed, then if he/she wakes up hungry during the night, there is food available without having to wake you up. Always make sure your cat has fresh water available as well.
Bathing
Always use a specially formulated cat shampoo. Human shampoos can dry out the cat's skin and coat.
Clip your cat's claws before giving him/her a bath, to reduce the chance of you being scratched.
Comb the tangles out of your longhaired cats coat before you bath him/her. Bathing will only make the knots tighter and harder to get out later.
If your cat dislikes water but is dirty, try using a dry cat shampoo that does not require water to lather.
When bathing a longhaired cat, always make sure you dry the cats coat with a hairdryer. Leaving the cat with a cold wet coat will increase the chance of the fur breaking.
Biting/Scratching
If your kitten is biting or scratching your hand when it plays, give it a toy to play with instead.
For furniture scratching see Scratching Post.
Boredom
Hide a few of your cats toys in various locations throughout the house for him/her to find and play with when you aren't around.
Rotate your cat toys. Rather than giving your cat all its toys, give your cat a selection of three or four toys to play with each week. Swap the toys over each week so your cat has variety.
Treat balls will encourage your cat to play with toys. You fill these balls with treats or dry cat food. The ball has a small hole in one side so when the cat bats the toy around, treats fall out through the hole for your cat to eat.
Cleaning Carpets
Always spot test a small area of carpet with the cleaning product you intend to use to check that it won't bleach the colour out of the carpet.
Avoid using ammonia-based products to clean up urine stains. Ammonia is a component of cat urine and will attract the cat back to the same spot again.
Don't steam clean carpets that the cat has urinated on. Steam cleaning will make the urine odour permeate even more.
If your cat is vomiting (or coughing up hairballs), causing bright coloured (orange or red) stains on your carpet, try feeding a cat food that doesn't use colouring or dyes.
Use a cat odour neutralizer on the spot once you have cleaned it up. If there is even a faint smell left, the cat may be tempted to use the same spot again.
Eyes
If your longhaired cat gets tear stains (dark coloured stains under the eyes), wiping its eyes daily with a weak saline solution will help keep the eyes clean and reduce tear stain buildup.
Feeding
Feed food at room temperature or slightly warmed, especially for fussy cats. Feeding food straight from the refrigerator can upset sensitive stomachs.
Feed your cat from a stainless steel or ceramic bowl. Plastic bowls may cause mouth ulcers, feline acne (black/brown crusty formation on the chin) or allergic reactions, especially in Persian cats. Ensure feed bowls are thoroughly cleaned daily.
Feeding a dry diet will reduce the tartar build-up on your cats teeth and decrease dental problems as your cat ages.
Introduce new foods slowly over a period of three to four days. A sudden change in diet can cause upset digestive systems.
Make a disposable bib by cutting the bottom off a coffee filter so your longhair cat doesn't get food all through its fur.
Feeding - Encouraging A Cat To Eat
To encourage a cat to eat, try feeding food from a plate or wide flat dish. Some cats do not like their whiskers being bent when they hit the side of a food bowl.
To encourage a sick cat to eat, try tempting it with small amounts of food (one or two teaspoonfuls at a time).
To encourage a sick or fussy cat to eat, try feeding a food with a strong smell such as tuna.
To encourage a sick or fussy cat to eat, try warming the food slightly in the microwave.
Feeding - Foods To Avoid
Avoid feeding a fish-only or mainly fish diet. Diets containing large amounts of fish can cause yellow-fat disease (steatitis), due to vitamin E deficiency.
Avoid feeding dog food to cats. Dog food can be deficient in protein, taurine, niacin, vitamin A and fatty acids.
Avoid feeding dry foods (kibbles) that are highly coloured. They can make some cats vomit.
Onions break down red blood cells. The cat becomes weak and the conjunctiva and mucous membranes turn a bluish colour. Avoid feeding onions and foods containing onion powder. (Some baby foods contain onion powder).
Raw meat may be a source of parasites and bacteria. If feeding meat to your cat, always ensure it is well cooked. It is better to feed your cat a well-balanced commercial food.
Table scraps should never make up more than five to ten percent of a cats diet.
Vitamin and mineral supplements are not required if your cat is fed a balanced diet.
Fleas
Always use a flea treatment specifically formulated for cats. Many flea products formulated for dogs can be very toxic to cats.
Flea droppings (black specks in the coat) will turn red when they contact water. To distinguish between dirt in your cats coat and flea dirt, use a flea comb to comb some "dirt" out, then put it onto a wet paper towel.
Regular vacuuming will reduce build-up of flea eggs in the environment and reduce the number of fleas on the cat.
When treating for fleas, it is important to kill the adult fleas on the cat or kitten, treat the bedding, the surrounding environment and any other pets at the same time.
Grooming
Avoid using a slicker brush on your longhaired cats coat. It will pull out the soft fine undercoat leaving the coarser top coat and guard hairs.
Begin grooming your cat when it is a young kitten. It will be much more likely to accept grooming later on.
Cornstarch or baby powder brushed into the fur of longhaired cats helps to reduce knots and tangles.
For cats that dislike being groomed, several short grooming sessions during the day are better than no grooming sessions.
If your cat or kitten dislikes being groomed, distract them with a toy or food while you groom them.
Place a piece of old pantyhose over the head of your cats brush, and let the bristles poke through. After grooming, pull the pantyhose off to remove all the hair trapped in the brush.
Regularly trimming your cats claws will reduce damage to furniture and curtains and will also decrease the severity of scratches if your cat or kitten tries to claw you. Outdoor cats often wear down their claws on concrete so their claws may not require clipping.
To get your kitten used to the hairdryer, try using the hairdryer to bounce a ping-pong ball for your kitten to play with.
Try grooming your cat or kitten just before dinner. If the cat or kitten behaves they will get their dinner sooner. They will quickly learn to accept grooming so they get dinner sooner.
When cutting knots out of your longhaired cats coat, always put a comb between the cats skin and the knot. This will reduce the likelihood of the cat's skin being cut. Regular grooming will reduce the chance of knots developing in the first place.
Wiping your shorthaired cats coat with a chamois or silk cloth will give it extra sheen and make it shine.
See also Bathing.
Indoor Cats
If your indoor cat wants to go outside, take it for a walk on a lead and harness. It will stay safe from harm, but can still enjoy the great outdoors.
Put a mesh screen up on one or two of your windows to allow your indoor cat access to fresh air without the risk of him/her escaping.
Introducing New Cats
Bath the new cat with the same shampoo you use on your existing cats. If all the cats smell the same, they are more likely to accept each other.
Keep the new cat in one room for the first few days. When you let the new cat into another room, allow the existing cats into the room the new cat was in so they can get used to its scent.
Litter Box
Avoid using clumping litter. It can cause a blockage in the cat's intestines if a cat or kitten decides to eat it.
Avoid using hooded or covered litter trays. Ammonia can build up in the hood making the cat less likely to use the litter box.
Give kittens a litter tray with low sides. Kittens may have trouble climbing into an adult cat litter box with high sides.
Ideally there should be one litter box for each cat in the house plus one extra litter box.
If your house has more than one level/storey, put at least one litter box on each level to reduce the chance of your cat having accidents in the house.
Litter tray liners may make the litter box easier to clean, but many cats don't like litter liners so avoid using them if possible.
Odours can be reduced by mixing baking soda in with the cat litter.
Some cat litters can be sharp and hurt the cat's paws when it stands in the litter. If your cat is reluctant to use or refuses to use the litter box, try a softer litter.
Use unscented cat litter. Some cats are put off by the smell of scented litters.
When trialling a new cat litter, place two litter trays next to each other, one containing the old litter, the other containing the new litter. Then let your cat show you which litter he or she prefers.
Medications
Hide your cats tablets or pills in a small square of cheese, then feed it as a treat.
Naming
Choose a short name that your cat can easily recognize for every day use.
If you want to use a longer name, also choose a short name for calling your cat each day.
If you have more than one cat or another pet, make sure the names sound different so the cat can recognize who is being called.
Make your cats name unique such as using an alternative spelling of a common name, choosing a name that suits the cats coat colour or naming your cat by its personality.
Remember, you don't have to find a name straight away. You can leave your kitten without a name for the first few days while you decide.
For cat name suggestions, see our Cat Names Directory.
Plants
If your cat chews houseplants, provide a catnip, catmint or oat-grass plant for your cat to nibble at instead. Many houseplants are poisonous to cats.
To prevent your cat digging in pot plants, cover the soil with a layer of stones.
Scratching Post
Cover the corners of your furniture with double-sided tape to prevent your cat from scratching it.
Don't throw away your scratching post when it starts to look threadbare. That is the way your cat has "styled" it to look. It is a way of showing that this is their territory.
If your cat is scratching your furniture or curtains, place a scratching post near the area where your cat or kitten is scratching. Redirect the cats scratching behavior to the scratching post.
If your cat likes to scratch your carpet in a particular place, cover the area with a carpet offcut or carpet mat. The cat can still scratch the area it likes without damaging your carpet. The mat can be easily moved when people visit.
Regularly trimming your cats claws will reduce damage to furniture and curtains.
Sisal covered scratching posts may look nicer than carpet covered posts but cats claws tear through sisal easier than carpet. Carpet posts will last longer.
To discourage your cat from scratching your furniture, cover the area with thick plastic.
Sun Care
Applying pet sunscreen to the nose and ears of white cats will prevent sunburn and reduce the likelihood of the cat developing Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Travelling
Don't leave your cat alone in the car for long periods, especially during hot weather.
Make sure the cat is allowed to use its litter tray before the trip begins.
Make sure your cat is secured in a cat carrier. Cats feel safer in a carrier and having your cat secured also makes it much safer for the driver.
Stop regularly to allow the cat to use its litter tray or place a small litter tray in one corner of the cat carrier.
When You're Not Home
Turn the radio or TV on when you leave the house. This will muffle outside sounds that the cats are not used to, and will also provide human voices for the cats to associate with safety.
See also Boredom.
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