How to Take Care of Cats

Cats are pretty easy to feed. Basically, they need fresh water, kibble and wet cat food daily. Change your cat's water twice a day, fill their kibble bowl in the mornings and give them some wet food in the evening. Your cat will tell you what he will and won't eat, so you will eventually find a good food for him. If he is an indoor cat, buy a food that assists with hairballs to reduce the amount of hairballs in your house. Be aware, though, that if you suddenly change your cat's food, as it may throw up all over the house. They have a really hard time with changes in their diets and it can cause them to throw up. Keeping some sort of grassy plant around that they can chew on will help calm their stomach, but it won't reduce the throw up.

Choosing the type of litter to use with your cats is dependant upon the type of litter you would like. The cheapest litter just lays in the litter box and fills up with urine and feces. Scoopable litter takes the urine and puts it into clumps. There are also more organic litters to choose from, as well. Use a disposable bag for your litter box that has the holes in the bottom of the bag. It is designed so that when you lift the bag, unused litter slips through to the bag below it and you just throw away the urine and feces. Scoop out the litter box once a day, and change the bag once a week. Give them a little fresh litter every day. If you are pregnant, do not change the litter as there could be health complications.

Being a nocturnal animal, cats sleep much of the day and are awake most of the night. They hunt at night so they generally wake up as you are heading to bed. If you have indoor cats, they might change their schedule to go with yours since they will not be hunting. They feel safest in high places, so don't be surprised to find them sleeping on top of your refrigerator, book case or the top of a tall cat scratching apparatus.

Cats are naturally curious. They just love to explore around the house, inside of confined areas like boxes, tubes, shirt sleeves and under the blankets of a bed. A cat's whiskers are the width of the widest point of his body. He knows if he can push his face through an opening and his whiskers fit, his whole body will fit. Never cut his whiskers.

Make sure your cat is vaccinated and spayed. Cats can contract Leukemia and also feline AIDS. Make sure they get their yearly booster shots. Having your cat spayed is one of the kindest things you can do. Get it done early to avoid having the cat begin spraying. Cat spray is a mixture of saliva, urine and semen. They spray to mark their territory. Get them spayed before they go into heat. Also, it is your personal choice whether to de-claw your cats. Some states won't allow it anymore. Never declaw their back claws or you leave them utterly defenseless, and once they are de-clawed their days outside are a thing of the past.

Finally, if your kitty has babies, she will want to have them in a dark, secluded place, like the corner of a closet. Set her up a blanket with food and water in there a couple weeks prior to her giving birth so she can get used to it. She will clean her babies. Give your cat a lot of love. Rub their head, behind their ears, down their back and maybe their stomachs. If they knead you, they are reverting back to kitten hood when they would nurse on their mother and associating you with their mother. They may also bump heads with you and do a little love bite on your nose, and maybe even, lick your hair in an attempt to clean it.