Caring For The Cat

Feeding

It is recommended that you use a good quality, dry cat food throughout the life of your cat. You can supplement this with canned food, especially when the cat is young and needs more protein for growth. Feed adult cats at least once a day.

Feeding Frequency

  • Cats over 6 months - feed two times a day
  • Kittens: 6-12 weeks - feed four times a day
  • Kittens: 3-6 months - feed three times a day

Identification Tag

Make sure your cat wears identification, even if you never let it outside. Agile and clever, cats sometimes manage to get outside by themselves. Provide the animals with a comfortable, expandable collar and an attached identification tag with your name, address and phone number on it.

Have your veterinarian microchip your cat - a tiny implant under the skin which can be electronically scanned and read to reveal an identification number if your kitty is ever lost.

Litter Box Training

When food is left down, a kitten will nibble all day long rather than eat distinct meals. Random feeding makes for random litter box use. A kitten often feels lost and it might answer nature's call wherever it happens to be. Once this behavior is habit, retraining is a long and difficult process.

You should train your kitten to go to the litter box right after each meal by placing the box near, but never next to, the meal area and praising use of the box. Don't take the cat to the box as this will not teach him / her to seek the box out on their own.

Clipping Claws

You should plan on clipping the cat's nails every two weeks. This will save a lot of wear and tear on the house until you can train the cat to use the scratching post. If you have never clipped a cat's claws before, have your veterinarian demonstrate the proper procedure.

Scratching Posts

This is your first line of defense against the unwanted destruction of furniture. Get a good, sturdy scratching post covered in rope, sisal, or carpet backing. The post should be at least three feet high. Place the post near where she sleeps or next to the furniture under attack.

When the cat begins to scratch things she shouldn't, do not scold: redirect the scratching behavior to the post. Hang toys off the post and praise the kitty lavishly when she uses it.

Advice: Declawing is painful and unnecessary. The cat uses his claws to defend himself, climb, make quick escapes and mark territory. Use of the claw is part of a cat's normal exercise pattern of their feet, forelegs, backbone, and shoulders.

Where to find the Purrfect Cat?

Your local animal shelter or humane society is the ideal place to look for a cat. Your new cat will often come with all her shots and will be already spayed or neutered. Many older cats are litter box trained and are accustomed to children and other pets. If you don't find the perfect cat at the shelter, they can refer you to a responsible rescuer in your area.