When you are "adopted" by a cat, you accept certain responsibilities for your new feline family member. While cats are independent creatures, they also need humans to set up an environment which is safe and healthy. You want to have a home which is safe for exploration, so your cat can satisfy its natural curiosity. Some things you do to protect your cats are common sense, such as keeping poisonous items locked away from your cat's explorations. Other precautions are not as well known. These include keeping some human foods away from cats, keeping your cat away from poisonous plants, keeping your cat indoors and making sure your cat doesn't eat too much and become overweight.
Instructions
Keep a Cat Healthy
1. Keep poisonous objects locked away from your cat. If it is a naturally curious cat, don't leave the bug spray, bleach or food items within reach. Store all dangerous items in a cabinet that has been fitted with a child-safety latch. If your cabinets have pull handles, you can wrap a short bungee cord around the handles, making it difficult for your cat to pull the cabinet door open.
2. Cats are vulnerable to poisoning from some human foods, such as onions, tomatoes and coffee grounds. We know that milk, cheese and chocolate are bad for cats. Your cat can become seriously ill (or die) if it nibbles a piece of onion that fell to the floor. Other human foods which are dangerous include grapes, raisins, alcoholic beverages, baby food, canned foods, eggs, nuts, human vitamins, root plants, such as potatoes, mushrooms, canned tuna (for human consumption), sugary foods, table scraps, yeast dough, moldy or spoiled foods, marijuana and tobacco. Do everything possible to keep your curious and hungry cat away from these foods. The same goes for house plants. Other poisonous plants include garden plants, shrubs, trees, ornamental plans and plants in moist or wooded areas. The list is large and includes every plant.
3. It's safest to keep your feline indoors. So many people believe that it's cruel to keep a cat indoors, but the dangers to cats who are allowed to roam outside are many. For starters, cats can be exposed to many of the dangerous plants, trees and shrubs. It can be run over, poisoned by radiator fluid or get into a fight with another cat and come home with painful injuries, which can lead to infection. In addition, cats who are allowed to roam outdoors experience increased stress, which can make them sick and shorten their lives.According to Dr. Robert Holmes and Dr. Leslie Larson Cooper, every time a cat is facing a fight, it releases "fight or flight" hormones, which helps it respond to the dangers it is confronting. If the exposure to danger is prolonged, the cat's fight or flight response is destructive instead of protective. It will begin to experience a breakdown in its body system, which will lead to increased illness and early death. In general, cats are happier living indoors.
4. Your indoor cat will have less opportunity for exercise, which can lead to an overweight issue. You can take some easy steps, which will keep your cat slim and fit. First, don't keep the food bowl filled to the brim all day long. Even though your cat is a nibbler, it won't starve if the bowl is empty at times. This might be the most convenient way for you to keep your cat fed, but it's not healthy. If necessary, put the bowl away after meals. If your cat is one of a multi-cat household, buy more than one bowl and feed each cat in a separate room and put all the bowls away after meal times. This does require more attention, preparation and work for you, but the end result is worth it. Good weight control cat foods are sold at pet stores and in grocery stores. Look for the higher-quality foods and check with your cat's veterinarian.
5. While you are ensuring that your cat isn't eating too much, make sure it is getting plenty of exercise and play. Pam Johnson-Bennett, a feline behaviorist, says you can find inexpensive kitty toys, such as a fishing pole toy. Some of these toys come with feathers attached--great for hunting prey games. Just be careful that you don't leave the toy out for your kitty to get tangled up in. Keep the toys put away until you have a play session. Other wonderful cat toys are toy mice. Any toy that will entice your cat to use its hunting and stalking instincts has great exercise potential. You want to make its weight-control efforts fun. When you realize that your cat can easily sleep for 18 hours out of a 24-hour day, you begin to see the importance of exercise, play and fun.
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