Best Cat Advice and Tricks for New Owners
Cats. They are one of the two most popular pets to have, known for being a little too serious in comparison to dogs. Although animals have different personality characteristics, most cats tend to be genuinely independent, and they know how to take care of most of their personal needs.
Most cats may not need their owners to be continuously attentive to their behaviour, at least, not after training them within the first weeks/months, whether it is cleaning themselves, going to the bathroom, and even playing or the amount of attention they need. It doesn’t mean that, though, they’re not nice pets.
As a cat owner myself, I can tell that I love my cats and they also love me back, but it wasn’t as easy as I planned to get to know them and take the right steps to make things easier for both of us. I had to do a lot of study and planning there.
Being a cat owner is a change of lifestyle that may be daunting depending on how familiar you are with animals and how accustomed you are to the duties. It’s also something wonderful, of course, which will certainly make your life a happier experience. You will certainly enjoy the process of bonding with them if you are like me, someone who loves the company of animals, even when they are quiet and independent.
But first of all, you should know few things in advance before even considering having a cat. And I’m going to tell you about them so you don’t get caught by surprise…
The Function of Prep
Cats need a room where they can take care of their needs, as opposed to dogs that you can take out for a walk and let them do their thing while you tend to your business. So, as described here, I think the first thing you should have prepared is a litter box.
The box should be put free of interruptions in a quiet spot, with enough sand (litter) for the cat so that you don’t need to worry about creating a mess for him or her. A special scoop, which normally comes with the litter box and cat litter, will also be required. Without much effort, this scoop will encourage you to clean out the mess and you should do it at least once a day.
By making him walk on the sand, feeling it with his pawns, the best way to train your cat is to realize that this is the place inside your house with such a texture. Instinctively, they search for places like that, so ideally, right away, they’ll understand. If not, when the time comes, you should still attempt to move your kitten into the litter box.
The second thing, though not as important and urgent as the first, is to have a tool that provides a scratching place for your cat. They need a spot, more popular among young cats, where they can just scratch to the content of their hearts. Since that’s the way they hold their claws, this is something you can not stop.
You will not only provide them with a secure room to work their claws in by getting a scratching pole, but you will also eliminate the possibility of suffering from a cat’s rampage while you are not around.
A spray bottle is the third significant object to have! When they do something bad, Cats don’t understand very well and sometimes we just scream at them to try to make them understand that what they did was wrong. Some cats can jump on areas that they’re not supposed to jump on, or do stuff that may be considered bad. The spray bottle becomes your best friend if they do.
However, why does it work? Yeah, believe it or not, if you start shouting at or hitting your cat (I hope you don’t!), your cat’s going to start treating you as an adversary in the future, keeping a grudge toward you. If you use a spray, not only will they understand it because they hate sprayed water much more than loud shouting, but instead of you, they’ll also see the bottle as the enemy! Without ruining the bonding process, this is a perfect approach to have with your cat.
Other things you can buy, of course, include laces, belts, and other things. Some cats might enjoy going outside, as described on this website, and getting a lace or a belt would greatly reduce your stress and the challenge of an outdoor adventure.
Besides that, depending on its age, you can do research on diets, types of cat food, and how to take care of a cat. This is very significant, given that, compared to kittens, senior cats need a different approach.
What you want to and should not do
If your cat is too young to eat anything strong, please don’t just give it whole milk as a meal, for goodness sake! We, as livestock, are not made to handle whole milk, and neither are many other animals. To stop stomach problems, you should add some water to it. Believe me, I’m speaking from experience. To the milk and water combo, you should add some food and make sure that the food is soft enough for them to consume without choking.
While cats can be very independent, when they do not see their owners for a long time or when they visit unfamiliar locations, they easily get nervous. At least once a day, you can try to pay attention to them to make sure they are not acting odd, salivating too much, or not feeding. These are signs implying that there may be something wrong.
Buying a cat some basic toys is one perfect way to help them deal with isolation if you are someone who works on a daily basis. Another choice is to purchase CBD items in case they get too nervous, to assist them. This is called anxiety of separation, and it is much more common than you would believe.
When it comes to cats, there are a lot of best practices, so you should usually strive and make them comfortable and enjoy them while maintaining a lot of patience and the will to learn. In reality, that is the hidden tip for succeeding for the first time in the whole adventure of owning a cat!
