The best cat care for your feline friend!

Providing the best cat care for your pet is essential if you want to have a contented and happy cat. In fact the very first thing you need to ask yourself is "can I Afford The costs involved in caring for a pet"?

Once you are sure that you can finacially look after your pet, it's time to find out what else is needed to look after your new kitty.

Basic everyday cat care like feeding and grooming are dealt with elsewhere on this site, so here we will concern ourselves with the more long term pet care required, and important care issues that arise like Moving home with your pet and Bonding with your new furry friend.

Caring for your feline also include how they feel in the home environement and having young children in the home can prove to be a difficult balancing act to ensure your kitty feels safe and secure and not anxious.

However the benefits to both children and the cat can far outweigh any difficulties.

The Top 3

When you first get your pet the 3 main things you must do for them are:

• Neuter (for a male) or Spay (female)essential if you do not want to breed.

• Vaccination - prevent some very nasty feline diseases, many of which are fatal. Also find out which cat vaccines are available to your pet.

• Worming - a simple pill given regularly can prevent your pet suffering from these internal parasites.

By taking your feline to the vet and getting these treatments done early on you will be avoiding any worries and can get on with getting to know your new feline friend. Pet ownership will require a financial commitment and it is wie to understand what is involved from the beginning.

Kittens

Kittens require special attention and not just nutritionally. Kitten Care also includes socailisation and early training lessons which if carried out correctly will ensure you have a healthy confident and friendly family pet in the future.

Old Cats

Older felines need extra care from their owners too. Stiff joints, loss of appitie and all the other symptoms associated with a senior cat will mean that your pet will need some help to ensure that they end their days in comfort and security.

Seasonal Care

The seasons bring their own problems for our kitties and its up to us to be aware of the dangers and to provide them with the best care for their needs.

Winter Cat Care

Outdoor cats - if your feline lives outside most of the time make sure you provide a warm and dry shelter out of the wind and slightly raised off the ground. They use their body heat to keep warm so the shelter should be small enough to preserve body heat and big enough to be comfortable. Bedding should be kept clean and dry.

Dampness - if your cat comes in with wet fur make sure you dry them off. Who likes to sit in wet clothes? This is probably one of the most overlooked methods of cat care.

Frostbite - if your kitty gets lost or left outside for long periods in very cold weather frostbite can be a real concern. Things to look out for are reddened tissues, scaly skin and even shedding of dead skin.

The paws, ears and tail are the areas that are most affected, so if you see any abnormal signs in these areas during very cold weather consult a vet immediately. Never rub tissue that has been frozen, as it will cause further damage.

Summer Cat Care

Cat fleas - during the warm weather fleas become more of a problem than usual and should be dealt with and preferably avoided by using medication specially designed to treat fleas. Your vet is the best person to recommend the best treatments.

Ticks - Altough ticks are around all year round, your cat is more likely to pick one up during the summer months when the grass is long and they are out and about more. It is important to stay vigilent and check your kitty for Ticks all year round.

Footpads - check the paws for sticky tar or grit, which may have been picked up from the hot pavements. Never use chemicals on your cat, instead use warm water to gently wipe their feet and then perhaps use a little petroleum jelly to provide some protection.

Heatstroke - watch out for symptoms like panting, high temperature, dehydration and a rapid heartbeat. Heat stroke can develop very quickly, so keep and eye on your cat on very hot days and make sure they have plenty of cold water available and shady places to rest.

If heatstroke does occur, cool your cat down by either using a fan or putting them in a bath of cool water and then seek advice from a vet as soon as possible. Remember heatstroke can kill. Making sure your garden is safe for your cat to explore especailly during the summer months will help to prevent dangers such as heatstroke.

Sunburn - felines can get sunburn too. Most cats are sun worshippers and hot sunny days they can be found sleeping the sunniest part of the garden. But beware, you must protect your cat, especially if they have white ears.

Vacations - Going away on vacation is great fun for us but if we don't provide proper cat care for our cats while we are away, your pet may suffer. Choosing a pet sitter who you can trust can be a tricky buisness but it is something that is worth taking your time on to provide peace of mind.

How to keep your pet safe

Cats are naturally very curious animals and like to explore the most unusual places. This does mean of course that they can get themselves into some dangerous situations.

So it is important to try and keep their home environment as safe as possible. The best thing to do is try to put yourself in your cats place, remember of course they are much lower to the ground than us, and try imagine what would get their attention.

Household chemicals - remember to keep household cleaning, chemical products and any poisonous substances like gardening weed killer or rat poison in a locked cupboard. Some cats don't have any problem getting a paw around a cupboard door.

Windows And Balconies - There are many accidents every year where cats have fallen from high places such as open windows. Always supervise your pet when they are near to anywhere they may fall from and if this is not possible then make sure that windows and doors are closed or that the cat is unable to get to them. Injuries from such falls can be awful and can often be fatal

Plants - It may not occur to you but that some plants are poisonous to eat, mainly because we wouldn't dream of eating them ourselves. But our furry friends are not always so choosy and may find the juicy leaves well worth a nibble.

So before buying plants either for your garden or your house, make sure they are non-toxic. As you can see cat care is very much like the care you would give to a young child at home. Before planting any new plants in your cat garden, always check that the planst will not harm your cat if they are chewed or eaten.

Micro Chipping - Unfortunately from time to time our cats may get lost or worse stolen.

It can be heartbreaking knowing that your cat may have wandered off too far and for whatever reason can't get back and no one knows where they live. Identification tags are useful but also have their drawbacks, they can fall off or the collar can get caught and trap the cat.

The sure fire way to make sure that your cat can be identified is to have them Micro chipped. This is a quick procedure, which is carried out at your vet’s surgery. A small electronic chip is inserted under the skin that carries all your cats’ details, which can be read by a special reader, passed over the skin.

First Aid Kit - Make sure that you keep a cat first aid kit in your home, using items that are cat friendly and that cope with the every day scrapes your cat may get into.

Giving Tablets and Nursing - Find out how to give cat tablets without causing stress to either yourself or your cat.

Christmas Cat Care - Tis the season to be jolly. yes but if you don't pay special cat care to certain seasonal dangers then it may turn out not to be so jolly for you or your cat.

Indoor Cats - Even cats that are kept inside all the time have to have special attention paid to their needs. Boredom and inactivity can lead to behavior problems and a unhappy cat.

Moving Home - This can be a very stressful time for your pet and a lot of the moving day truama can be avoided with just a little forward planning.

Doesn't your cat deserve a little pampering as well?

As well as keeping your pet fit and healthy, part of good cat care is to make your cat feel happy and comfortable living as part of your family. So a little pampering may be required, well whats wrong with having a pampered pet anyway? tips on pampering your cat. This can range from how you pick your cat up so they feel safe and secure to giving them those extra special treats like Catnip.

In fact it's just lovely to see your pet really enjoying something you have provided for them, an example of this is a short video clip on our Catnip page of a group of cats enjoying the magical plant in a garden.

We,ve had felines for many years and know just how essential it is to a cats happiness to get as much attention as possible from their human friends. So it's down to you to give as much cat care as possible, to hear that gentle rumbling of a purrrrrr.