Agree that when a pet lives in the house, life takes on more bright colors and becomes more interesting. After all, “our smaller friends” surprise with their behavior, amuse and touch. I would especially like to mention cats, which not only cleanse the apartment of negative energy, but are also able to cure their owners of many ailments. And how nice it is in the evening, after a hard day at work, to retire with your favorite pet and listen to its purring, which acts on the nervous system no worse than an antidepressant. However, before you get a furry pet, you need to create comfortable living conditions for it. We will tell you further about how to keep a cat in an apartment.
What to feed your cat?
When a cat appears in the house, the first question that arises is what to feed the animal? Pet stores have a huge selection of different cat foods, but you can also feed your pet natural food: boiled meat or fish, some vegetables, dairy products, rice and buckwheat. If your choice falls on factory-made food, then you should take into account the age, sterilization of the animal, the activity of the “fluffy” and the presence of certain diseases. For each individual case, you can choose the appropriate food.
Cat food
When choosing economy-class food to feed your cat, remember that they are made from cheap raw materials!
The health of a furry pet depends on proper balanced nutrition . But many cat owners neglect this rule, mistakenly believing that animals can be fed food from their table.
In order not to risk the health of your pet, you should know how and what to feed your cat.
Feed selection
Expensive and high-quality food is the key to a cat’s health.
When choosing food for your pet, you should always remember that cats are carnivores by nature, so the basis of their diet should be meat and fish products .
If you give preference to ready-made food, such as canned cat food or dry granules, you should not save money and buy cheap and low-quality food . This diet does not contain useful substances and vitamins that the animal needs, but it contains an abundance of dyes and preservatives, which can cause digestive problems.
Healthy food for cats
Fatty foods prepared with spices are not suitable for feeding your pet.
- lean meats ( chicken, beef );
- sea fish fillet;
- offal ( liver, heart, kidneys );
- fermented milk products ( cottage cheese, natural yogurt, kefir );
- porridge ( buckwheat, millet or barley );
- eggs in limited quantities;
- vegetables ( carrots, zucchini ).
Inappropriate food
- fatty pork, lamb, duck meat;
- freshwater fish and canned fish;
- fresh milk;
- food containing salt and spices;
- potato;
- sweet pastries or chocolates;
- smoked or fried foods.
But it is also necessary to ensure that there is always clean, fresh water . It is advisable to boil and filter water for furry pets to avoid urolithiasis.
It is very important to always keep your pet's bowls clean and rinse them regularly in hot water.
How many times a day should you feed your cat?
It is necessary to accustom your cat to a diet from childhood.
Most cats are immoderate eaters, prone to overeating and, as a result, overweight and obesity.
To avoid this, it is advisable to accustom your pet to a diet .
Young kittens are fed small meals five to six times a day . Children are given boiled chicken meat, cut into small pieces, cottage cheese, and once or twice a week a hard-boiled chicken egg or vegetable puree.
Adults are fed two to three times a day , with one serving not exceeding two hundred grams.
It is very important to ensure that your cat has a balanced diet if the animal has been sterilized. Food for such pets must contain all the necessary microelements and vitamins.
Pedigree cats, such as Persians, Britons and Sphynx cats, are especially sensitive to the quality of food and some foods or cheap canned food can cause digestive problems. If your cat exhibits symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea, these foods should be removed from their diet.
What vitamins and vaccinations do cats need?
Cats that live permanently in an apartment need vitamin supplements, which can be purchased at veterinary pharmacies. You can also plant special grass for cats on the windowsill, which they will enjoy feasting on and saturate the body with essential vitamins. And do not forget to regularly visit the veterinarian, who will vaccinate the animal against rabies and viruses.
Toilet issue
As a rule, the cat chooses a latrine for itself, where it can later be placed with a litter tray. The tray should have low edges, into which a special filler is placed (with the smell of wood, sand, etc.). For adult cats, a tray with high sides is suitable so that the contents do not scatter around the apartment.
Estrus.
After a few months (usually between 7 months and a year and a half), the cat will tell the world that “the girl is ripe.” What to do about it? If your cat is not purebred, you need to talk to your veterinarian about sterilizing your cat. If you are going to have kittens in the future, wait for the second or third heat and take the girl to get married. All sorts of pills, drops and various contraceptives are terribly harmful, including cancer complications, operations, etc. If the cat screams VERY loudly, use “Cat Bayun” drops according to the instructions - this is a safe herbal sedative. If a cat’s heats are rare (2-3 times a year) and short-lived (up to 10 days), then you can do nothing about it, breed kittens whenever you want (but not more than once a year). Complete abstinence does not lead to anything good, nor does long, exhausting estrus for the cat; in this case, you need to consult a veterinarian on the topic “how to live further.”
Place for the cat to rest and sleep
As with the toilet, the cat also chooses its own place to sleep. Moreover, she may have several places in the apartment for relaxation. Cats love cozy pillows and baskets to rest on. If she chose another place for herself, then simply put the bedding there. And don’t be surprised: cats can sleep on cabinets and mezzanines, on the TV and on kitchen drawers. You can also purchase a special house for your pet.
Communication, behavior, games.
The cat is a sociable and gentle child. She is used to the fact that if she asks to be held, they take her and scratch her back and belly. For this she purrs and shows her pleasure in every possible way. It is useful to scratch the belly, saying a key phrase like “ah-ah, scratch the cat’s tummy.” This will be very helpful in the future at a veterinarian’s appointment when he needs to palpate the cat’s belly. If the cat is not accustomed to the fact that scratching its tummy is pleasant, then it will have to be restrained (“the orderlies rushed in and fixed us”) If the cat does something clearly wrong, then there is a command “FFFFFF!”, By which the cat is carried away from its place in far. In particular, decent cats do not put their paws on the kitchen table while there is food on it, in no case steal from plates, and do not flirt with their owners to their claws. In these cases, decent cats and cats are taken down to the floor, lightly patted on the ears and told them a menacing “Fffff!” Cats love to play with paper balls, fur mice, sticks-with-feathers, balls-with-bells, and in general anything that she can find on the floor or unscrew on her own. Cats love to jump up and down the climbing frame and lie on top. Almost certainly, the cat will come to the pillow in the morning (if she is not already sleeping there, having evicted your head), poke her nose in your ear and purr deafeningly, demanding to play with her urgently. Enjoy.
How to organize leisure time for a cat?
To make friends with a cat, you need to pay enough attention to it. Therefore, try to devote at least 20 minutes a day to playing with your pet. For games, you can purchase animal toys, rattling balls or a wind-up mouse. Cats really like the light from a laser pointer. Remember that an animal is very sad without its owner, so if you are at work all day, it is better to get two pets at once, which will be much more fun together.
Cat care
To keep your pet healthy and beautiful, you should care for it using the following procedures:
- Bathing once every 2-3 months or as needed when it gets dirty.
- Brushing, which cats really like and allows them to keep their fur in a well-groomed condition.
- Nail trimming, especially if there are small children in the house. This “event” should be held once every two weeks.
- Ear cleaning is carried out for prevention as they become dirty.
And finally: ensure the safety of your pet and clean regularly so that your cat does not inadvertently swallow a small part that suddenly ends up on the floor. Open windows are another danger for cats, so keep an eye out for this.
We hope that our advice will be useful to you, and that your life together with your cat will be fun and hassle-free.
Caring for a cat's fur, ears, eyes and claws at home
You should brush your cat regularly. This is an important part of caring for your pet.
Cats spend a lot of time on their hygiene and are able to take care of the cleanliness of their fluffy coat themselves. But this does not mean that the pet does not need additional care. After all, animals are not able to clean their ears and eyes
- It doesn’t matter whether your pet’s hair is long or short, it still needs to be brushed regularly. Long-haired cats comb three to four times a week, this will protect their fur from tangling and tangles forming on it. For short-haired cats, this procedure can be performed less frequently, once or twice a week.
Caring for and combing a cat's fur.
- Most cats hate water, so bathing your pet frequently is not recommended . If the animal does not go for walks outside, then there is no need for water treatments at all.
- Clean your pet's ears and eyes once a week with a cotton swab or soft cloth.
- The animal's claws are trimmed once or twice a month with special tweezers or scissors for cat manicure.
The animal's claws should be trimmed using special scissors.
All procedures should be carried out when the animal is in a calm state, so as not to cause pain or injure the pet with a sharp object.
Active games and walks in the fresh air
A cat's health also depends on physical activity and outdoor games. often play with your pet , and when this is not possible, provide him with a variety of toys.
Owners who keep a furry pet in an apartment should preferably take it for a walk at least once a week . To prevent the animal from running away and getting lost, it should be accustomed to a collar and leash from childhood.
