General Cat Care

Congratulations! We all know you’ll be excited to possess your new cat in your home. We tend to encourage you to browse our directory of adoptable cats in your space or use our shelter finder to begin your search. Read on for helpful tips for brand-new cat folks, and for those wanting to brush informed their pet care skills. Feeding We advocate getting high-quality, brand-name kitten or cat chow. Your doc can assess your new cat or kitten and verify the simplest diet. Factors like age, activity level, and health create a distinction in what and the way abundant a cat ought to eat. Cats need Laurine, an important  acid, for heart and eye health. The food you decide on ought to be balanced for the life stage of your cat or kitten. Properly balanced foods can contain Laurine. You will give contemporary, clean water in the least time, and wash and refill your cat’s water bowls daily. Treats ought to be no over 5-10% of the diet. Many people feed baby food to a cat or kitten United Nations agency is refusing food or not feeling well please scan labels carefully: If the baby food contains onion or garlic powder, your pet may well be poisoned. Take your pet to your doc if signs of eating disorder, diarrhea, projection, or lethargy continue for over 2 days. Please visit our individuals' Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet's page for a listing of out-of-bounds things, moreover as our Cat Nutrition Tips page for a lot of data.

Grooming

Most cats keep comparatively clean and infrequently would like a shower, however, you ought to brush or comb your cat frequently. Frequent brushing helps keep your cat's coat clean, reduces the number of shedding, and cuts down on the incidence of hairballs. Please visit our Cat Grooming Tips page for additional info. 

Handling

To pick up your cat, place one hand behind the front legs and another beneath the hindquarters. Ne'er acquire a cat by the nucha of the neck or by the front legs. 

Housing

makes sure to scrub the bedding usually.outside cats area unit in danger of trauma from cars, or fights with alternative cats, raccoons, and free-roaming dogs. Coyotes area unit noted to eat cats. outside cats area unit additional doubtless to become plagued with fleas or ticks, additionally as contract infectious diseases.

Identification

If allowed outdoors, your cat should wear a security collar associate degreed an ID tag. a security collar with an associate degree elastic panel can permit your cat to interrupt loose if the collar gets caught on one thing. And for each indoor and outside cat, an associate degree ID tag or associate degree planted semiconductor unit will facilitate make sure that your cat comes back if he or she becomes lost.

Litter Box

All indoor cats would like a litter box, that ought to be placed during a quiet, accessible location. during a multi-level home, one box per floor is suggested. Avoid moving the box unless completely necessary, however, if you need to do this, move the box simply several inches per day. confine mind that cats will not use a mussy, malodorous litter box, thus scoop solid wastes out of the box a minimum of once daily. Dump everything, wash with a light detergent and refill a minimum of once a week; you'll do that less often if victimization clumping litter. do not use ammonia, deodorants, or scents, particularly lemon, once clean up the litter box. If your cat won't use a litterbox, please talk over it with your medico. generally, refusal to use a litter box relies on a medical condition that needed treatment. Please visit our Litter Box issues page for a lot of info.