How To Be A Responsible Cat Owner

by: Peter Garant

Now that you have a cat or several cats in the house, you need to think about how you can be a responsible cat owner and provide for the needs of your cats. This means that you have to think about the cats' living conditions, feeding, grooming, and clean-up.

Regarding your cat's living conditions, this will be largely influenced by your own lifestyle. If you live in an apartment in a city, then your cat should live solely indoors. If you live in a farm, then your cat may live solely outdoors or live both indoors and outdoors. When your cat lives solely outdoors, it must be provided with some form of shelter, such as a barn. What you should not do is to keep a cat inside a cage. This will drive your cat crazy. Cats treasure the freedom to move freely.

When it comes to the food of your cat, you may give free-choice feedings or scheduled feedings. If the cat is given free choice, it will feed every few hours. This is usually for cats who lead active lives. But if the cat is facing an obesity problem, then scheduled feedings should be best. You must also remember that cats are genuine carnivores. They are natural hunters. They will not survive on a diet of grains and vegetables. In fact, they don't need these types of food. They only need meat. Their bodies require a greater amount of protein than any other mammal. You may opt to give your cat canned cat food or dry food. The canned food tastes a lot better but the dry food is advisable for the cat's teeth. You may alternate the use of both types. What you should avoid is giving your cat cow's milk. Cow's milk has proteins that are too large for the cat to digest. This milk will make your cat suffer from diarrhea, vomiting and intestinal upset. At all times, there should be fresh clean water available to your cat.

Cats usually take care of their own grooming so the owner need not worry about this aspect. Cats like to clean themselves using their rough tongue. Although, the owner can help comb his cat when the breed has long hair. When the cat stops grooming itself, then that is the time that the owner should worry. The cat may not be feeling well.

Cats like to eliminate in relatively clean places. In fact, you will find outdoor cats digging the ground before releasing their waste. Afterwards, they cover their waste. For indoor cats, the owner should provide a litter box. This box should be changed and cleaned every week because when the cat finds that the box is not clean enough, it will find other places to take care of its waste. This is certainly a bad and smelly news for the owner.