How to Provide 202
How to provide the items your cat needs 202
Read that page first. Collar and ID This is especially important for outdoor cats. Use a commercial cat collar with an easy-release elastic to prevent the cat from strangling itself if it gets caught. When you fasten it, leave space enough for one of your fingers between the collar and the cat's neck. Add a tag with your name and phone number. Or have the vet install a microchip behind the ear with ID information. Any outdoor cat will also need to wear its rabies vaccination tag. If you walk your cat on a leash then replace the collar with a harness that will fit over the cat’s body and between the front and rear legs. This won’t have the easy- release feature and yet it won’t strangle your cat. Attaching a leash to a quick- release collar won't work. The elastic will stretch and the cat will run away. You can buy an "H" shaped harness, but I prefer the "8" shape because it's more easily adjusted and the cat cannot get out of it. If you walk your cat on a harness, you must understand that you will have to follow where your cat wants to go until you train it. See my page on How to train a cat to do good things. Comb and/or Brush Buy the commercial cat kind. I use a flea comb even though we live in an area that doesn’t have fleas. I also use a wire brush. I comb and brush the cats at least weekly during most of the year. During the time around the spring equinox, it seems cats shed more, so I comb them more frequently. Long hair cats need more brushing than others. Start when the cat is young, do it in short sessions, and offer a treat afterwards. Don't wait until the coat is matted. I find it easiest to pick up my cat and place him or her on a table to brush him. Other people prefer to brush a cat on their lap. To pick up a cat, place one arm behind the front legs and the other arm in front of the back legs. That way the cat’s body is fully supported. Then place him or her on a table that's a comfortable height for you. Brush in the direction the fur lies. If needed, brush again in the opposite direction, but most cats don’t like that. Hold the cat up by the front paws while the back paws are on a surface, and brush the belly area. While you're brushing, look for any changes in the cats skin and coat. An additional idea is to use a rubber slicker glove which you wear over your hand to brush the cat's hair. I keep one by my chair and give the cats a rub down when they come onto my lap. You can use a soft toothbrush around the cat's eyes, nose and mouth, if needed. The more loose hair your brush off your cat, the less likely they will be to swallow the hair and then throw it up as hairballs. Tooth brushing is a good idea, especially if your cat is still young. Buy a cat toothbrush and pet toothpaste, or buy a finger brush that fits over your finger. Don't use human toothpaste. Leave the toothbrush and paste laying around so your cat becomes familiar with its smell. Lift up the cat's lip to access the teeth. Brush your cats teeth in very short sessions. You will be preventing infections which would move from the cat's mouth to its entire body and will also be preventing eating problems caused by painful or loose teeth. Most cats don't need to have baths. They do an adequate job themselves. But there may be a time when your cat comes home really filthy or smelly. If you choose to give your cat a bath, place a towel at the bottom of the sink, so it feels less slippery to your cat. Don't use the spray to deliver water. You can try to use a hairdryer to dry your cat afterwards, but your cat may freak out at the loud sound. Scratching posts You can buy one at a cat supply store or make one out of a post securely attached to a base and covered with thick sisal rope. Make sure the post is sturdy enough that it won't topple over. Rough rope is better than using carpet pieces, because you don't want the cat to associate scratching with other carpets in the house. Also, you may need to replace the post as the cat grows and can no longer stretch up to scratch on it. I found a wonderful sturdy commercial cat tree with several levels for my several cats. I keep it by the window so my cats can watch the little beasties outdoors or look at the indoor activities from a vantage point. This is a vertical surface, so you’ll also need to provide a horizontal surface using a commercial scratching box of corrugated cardboard. Or buy a very rough welcome mat and welcome your cats to scratch at it. A third suggestion is to place a log on the floor in your home. Try to find one that's not full of bugs. It should be about two feet long. Flatten one side a bit, just so it won't roll. I tried that and the cats ignored it royally, even after I had sprinkled catnip on it. Rubbing catnip into the scratching areas on a regular basis makes it more appealing than the sofa. Place both scratching areas near the places where the cats are attracted to your furniture. You'll also want a claw clipper or claw scissor to keep the cats claws shorter. For suggestions on clipping claws, see my page on How to maintain the best daily care for your cat
Provide a changing selection of commercial cat toys. But cats also like some common items that most houses have, like paper sacks, empty boxes, empty spools from paper products or empty spools of thread. Don’t let them play with the thread, or any stringy things. Even an ice cube on the kitchen floor will provide a furry hockey player with a toy. One of my cats delights in the ice play and another goes looking for pens and carries them around. Toys you can maneuver are the ones most likely to be effective for the longest time. One is the fishing pole type. Get a thin stick over a foot long and attach a string at the end with some light weight item hanging from it. Feathers or folded paper work well. Cats are attracted to moving objects, so tease them with it and they’ll play. Stack a few strong cardboard boxes and tape them together with duct tape or something else sturdy. Cut out a few windows and a door and get you camera ready for recording the entertainment. A heavy wooden ladder will also amuse your cats. Place it in an area where your cats can climb up and down it or jump from it. Window sills give your indoor cat a chance to watch the action outdoors. Place a bird feeder just outside the window and you'll be amazed by your cat's long attention span. This year, I bought a Christmas gift for my cats. It was an electric tabletop fountain, the kind that is supposed to provide a relaxing sound for humans. Cats like to drink running water, so the fountain provides that and gives the cats something to paw at. Cat Carrier Buy the commercial ones, either high impact plastic or the official soft sided ones that airplanes allow. Check for restrictions from the individual airline carrier before you buy it. Use either kind whenever you’re transporting the cat in your car or in an airplane. A friend of mine brought me my first cat, Itty Bitty, from a shelter in Houston. They both flew from there to Portland, Oregon, with a stopover at Dallas. We had lunch with a mutual friend there and then drove three and a half hours to my home in Bend. Itty was in the carrier all this time and the carrier stayed dry. We put her in a safe room at my home and she went to the litter box fairly soon. You can browse through images of Itty Bitty by clicking on my page, Oder cards and prints. If possible, find a carrier that opens from the top. It's much easier and less traumatic to put the cat inside and get it out. Buy a carrier that isn't much larger than your cat so the cat will feel secure inside and won't be jostled around when carried. A sleeping place You can buy a commercial cat bed but don’t be disappointed if your cat pays no attention to it. I have a few around the living room and my cats take turns using them. A cat will sleep where ever it wants to. Any sofa, chair, towel, blanket, basket, pillow, or pile of dirty smelly clothes will attract the cat. Your cat may like its carrier. It will like your lap, too. I returned home from a carpet store with a 16 inch square sample of carpeting. I put it under my dining room table to see if it would look good. One of my cats gave me a grateful look and settled down on it immediately. Well, that helped me decide. I forgot about the table and chairs. It looked good enough with my cat on top of it.
Pick one out before you need it. Ask your friends who they like, or choose the one that’s closest to your home in case of an emergency. Keep the phone number handy. Cat door or baby gate These are optional. They are useful to give the cat a chance to be separate from dogs or toddlers. The cat will jump over the baby gate easily while the dog will be left panting on the other side. In the case of the cat door, you'll have to train the cat how to use it. Prop it open a bit at first so that your curious cat will want to explore what's on the other side. Slowly reduce the amount that is propped open after you see the cat trying the door. Some of these doors are made so they can be locked at night, so your cat cannot go out. Others are made to work only with the collar your cat wears, so other cats can't use it to come into your home. Frankly, your cat will be safer in your home. An alternative which includes being both inside and out, is a screened porch, with the roof closed. To add this on to your home you may need a permit from your local planning and zoning commission. I’ve had one in various homes and they’re wonderful. After one of my cats pulled the screening away from the wooden post, I made sure the workmen made it safer by winding the screen around the post twice. Lizards and field mice came in through the tiny openings at the bottom, which was OK. I kept a window open between the house and the screened area when the temperature was good. Then the cats could go in and out on their own. I had shelves for the cats to jump onto and a ladder. I kept an extra litter box and a water bowl there, too, but no food. It was also a nice place for plants and for me. I’ve tried to mention the less expensive ways to provide for your cat, but there will be times when you’ll want to splurge. |
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