Tips for cat lovers: how to keep your house clean and your cat healthy

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.

How to get rid of fleas in the house

We'll have to take the matter seriously.

Vacuum every day, including any upholstered furniture, any cracks in the floors and along baseboards. After this, replace the dust container or wash the dust container with warm soapy water.
Wash or replace your cat's bedding and even your own bedding if your cat sleeps on your bed.
Steam clean your carpets.
Comb your pet's fur with a flea comb and use a special product.
At home, spray with an indoor flea spray.

What is caring for a domestic cat?

Caring for a cat requires a lot of effort and patience, but if you study all its requirements, it will not take much time. Still, a pet should not only look beautiful, but also be healthy, and this means everything needs to be provided for its comfortable living at home.

It is worth noting! Caring for domestic cats consists of regular inspection of the fur, claws, ears, eyes, nose, and paws. It is important to maintain all parts of the animal's body in frequency so that they are free from dirt, wounds and other unpleasant manifestations.

Caring for a domestic cat involves maintaining its body in frequency so that it looks healthy and beautiful. Also, special attention should be paid to nutrition; it should be balanced and contain all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. But it is still worth considering detailed information on caring for the animal.

Grooming

To ensure that your pet’s coat is always in perfect order and looks beautiful, you need to purchase special brushes or simple combs. You should not use brushes that a person uses in everyday life, they can cause serious harm to the skin and fur of the animal.

Choosing the right grooming tool can be a challenging task. His choice depends on various factors - the length of the coat, the thickness, the structure of the undercoat, and so on. The structure of the coat can largely depend on the breed of the pet.

Important! In order to choose the right brush for combing the fur of a cat, you should contact a pet store. In this place they will be able to tell you how to choose the right tool, what material it should be made of, what shape it should be, and with what frequency of teeth.

Before you start combing, you should prepare all the necessary tools for this. The following recommendations will help in this matter:

Many pet stores have brushes that are designed only for combing fur. They can also have a massage effect on the skin, thereby stimulating blood flow to the hair roots. When combing, they can remove dirt and particles of dead skin from the coat;
brushes that are intended for massage should have short, sparse, large teeth with rounded ends. You cannot use a brush with sharp teeth for massage; they can easily damage and injure the delicate skin of a cat;
If your pet has long fur, then it is worth purchasing a tangle cutter. Using this tool you can easily remove hairballs without causing accidental damage;
in order to cut off damaged areas of fur or separate tangles, you will need scissors with blunt ends;
powders can be used, but not for all cat breeds. For animals with dark coat color, powder should not be used. If you don’t have special products for cats on hand, you can use baby talcum powder.

Once all the means for combing have been prepared, you can begin the process itself. How to properly care for your cat's fur:

Using a massage brush, it is recommended to collect all shed hair;
Next, using a wide-toothed comb, you need to comb the coat well. They comb the entire coat along the hair growth;
At the end, you need to carefully comb the fur with a fine comb or brush, paying special attention to areas where the fur often gets tangled - the belly area and the pants on the hind legs;
It is advisable to accustom your pet to this procedure from childhood so that he reacts calmly to it and does not show aggression.

Care for eyes, ears and nose

Particular attention should be paid to the eyes, ears and nose. These parts of the head are considered the most important, for this reason they should always be clean. Animals often develop discharge from the eyes and nose, which dries out and turns into crusty, unsightly marks. Over time, bald patches form in place of the marks.

For this reason, it is necessary to regularly perform hygiene procedures for cleaning the eyes, nose, and ears. To ensure proper eye care for cats, it is worth remembering the following recommendations:

For cleaning you should use cotton swabs or balls;
It is recommended to moisten cotton wool with a special solution;
to wash your cat's eyes, you can use a 2% solution of boric acid, regular tea, and warm water;
the area around the eyes is wiped with light movements using tampons or balls in the direction from the inner corner of the eye to the outer;
After this, the treated areas can be wiped with dry cotton balls.

It is worth paying attention to your pet’s nose; the nostrils should be clean without traces of discharge. If suddenly he recently had a cold, during which he sneezed with snot, then in these cases it is necessary to clean the nose. For cleansing, you can also use a cotton swab or ball soaked in warm water. The nostrils are carefully wiped with light movements, it is important not to harm the animal.

Treating a cat's ears should be done correctly; to do this, you will need to study the following tips:

the animal’s head must be fixed in a straight position;
the ear is carefully turned inside out;
Using a cotton swab, which is pre-moistened in a special product, soapy water, hydrogen peroxide or lubricated with Vaseline, you need to carefully wipe the inner surface of the pet’s ear;
It is recommended to clean and inspect your cat's ears daily.

Features of dental care

For many, cleaning the teeth of cats and kittens will seem like a strange activity, but veterinarians advise carrying out this procedure regularly. It will help prevent such an unpleasant phenomenon as the formation of tartar deposits. This unpleasant condition, unlike caries, bothers cats quite often.

Interesting! Most often, stone formations appear on the surface of the lower and upper canines, on the first upper molars and small molars. For this reason, it is important to pay special attention to cleansing these areas.

The formation of stones on teeth can occur due to the following factors:

due to bacterial growth;
precipitation of calcium hydroxyapatite. This substance is part of cat saliva;
food residues that turn into plaques.

Preventing the formation of tartar on your teeth is not so difficult; the easiest way to clean it is to use special toys. The pet must constantly play with them and chew them. Good options would be products made from rubber, fabric, and rope. It is advisable to include hard food in the menu, for example, bones, pieces of meat, so that the animal can gnaw and actively chew them.

To clean your teeth yourself, you will need to prepare a toothbrush and a non-sharp wooden stick (for examining the oral cavity). The cleaning process works like this:

It is recommended to sit the cat on the table; it must be held by the scruff of the neck, and a second person must hold the front and hind legs;
Next, prepare your toothbrush;
Clean the upper and lower teeth on both sides. During this procedure, special attention is paid to the area around the gums;
When cleaning, movements can be done from top to bottom or from side to side;
If the animal begins to bleed sharply from the gums, it is recommended to stop this procedure;
If the cat refuses to clean its teeth with a toothbrush, then it can be replaced with a finger that is wrapped in a soft cloth.

Nail care

Caring for a cat's claws is considered important when keeping a cat at home. They should not be too long or sharp, because during active games the animal can harm the owner and children. For this reason, they need to be trimmed periodically.

Tips for trimming nails:

It is recommended to trim claws no more than twice a month;
for trimming you need to use a nail clipper or nail clippers;
Before starting the procedure, you need to thoroughly wash your hands and treat the instrument with an alcohol solution;
then lightly press on the area of the paw pads and force the cat to release its claws;
It is recommended to cut off the tip no more than 2 mm, otherwise important blood vessels may be damaged;
If necessary, the cut ends can be slightly filed with a nail file.

cat litter

Cat litter is an important requirement when keeping an animal in an apartment or house. The pet must know where to go to all its needs and fulfill them in only one place. Some cats quickly learn to use the litter box, while others, on the contrary, may not immediately understand where to go to the toilet.

Important! You should not hit or scold your pet if he has done his business in the wrong place. He may not know where the tray is installed. It’s better to show him his place of toilet, put a piece of paper in it, which you have previously soaked in the animal’s urine, and gently explain that this is where he will have to relieve himself next time.

In order for your cat to quickly get used to the tray, it is worth studying the following important recommendations:

It is worth setting up the animal’s toilet in a secluded place, but the pet must have free access to it;
Many cats have a habit of digging up litter in the litter box, which can spill around the litter box. In these cases, it is worth installing the tray in a closed box, for example, in a toilet;
You should choose the filler with special care. Cats with long hair will benefit from large granules that do not stick to the fur;
the height of the filler layer must be at least 5 centimeters;
Special fillers that absorb and retain moisture and also eliminate unpleasant odors will be especially convenient;
It is recommended to promptly clean the tray and change the filler;
When washing the tray, do not use detergents with a strong smell.

Nutritional Features

Pets are especially demanding when it comes to nutrition; nutrition is largely the basis of their health. If your pet doesn't like the food, he won't touch it, even if he's very hungry. For this reason, you should be especially careful when choosing food for your pet; it should not only be to the animal’s taste, but also contain many useful components.

The diet of an adult cat should contain the following healthy foods:

lean meats - chicken, turkey, rabbit, beef;
sea fish fillet;
the menu should include various offal products - liver, heart, kidneys;
fermented milk products - cottage cheese, kefir, natural yogurt;
Once a day you can feed your cat porridge made from corn, buckwheat, barley and millet cereals;
eggs can be given in limited quantities;
vegetables - zucchini, carrots.

But products from the following list should not be on your pet’s menu under any circumstances:

fatty meats - pork, duck, lamb;
freshwater fish, canned fish;
fresh milk;
food containing spices and salt;
potato;
sweets, baked goods;
smoked meats;
roast.

It is worth noting! The cat must have free access to water. It is worth placing a cup of water next to the bowl; the animal should drink every day, the liquid prevents kidney problems.

You should feed your pet strictly at the same time every day. To prevent overeating, which can subsequently cause obesity, he should eat no more than three times a day.

What to do if you have allergies

It is not necessary to give up your pet unless the allergies are too severe.

Keep your cat out of your bedroom and buy hypoallergenic bedding.
Buy an air purifier with quality filters.
Use an anti-allergen indoor spray.
Avoid carpets, heavy curtains and furniture with fabric upholstery.
Clean your home often. It’s even better if someone else does the cleaning so that you don’t inhale dust that contains allergens.
Consult your doctor about appropriate medications.

Nutrition for pregnant and lactating cats

In order for cats to feel good during pregnancy and not have any health problems, special attention should be paid to their nutrition. The menu should be balanced, it should contain all the necessary vitamins and substances to strengthen the immune system.

Dietary recommendations for a pregnant cat:

You shouldn’t suddenly change your diet; your pet can be given the same foods and feeds that she was used to eating before pregnancy;
Additionally, you can include food specifically for pregnant cats;
Veterinarians do not advise giving fish to animals when carrying kittens. But if your pet demands fish, then you can give her a small piece, but only boiled;
from natural products you can use veal, chicken, broth, some boiled eggs, dairy products (kefir, natural yogurt, cottage cheese), cereals, boiled vegetables;
Additionally, you can give vitamins for pregnant cats.

Dog walking

According to the new regulations, dog walking is allowed when:

the dog walks in a specially designated area;
she is not allowed off leash in public places (children's and sports grounds, driveway areas of hypermarkets and kindergartens, schools, courtyards of residential areas, etc.);
if she is tied to a leash and has a muzzle on her (this applies to dogs of an aggressive breed (for example, fighting dogs);
a citizen walking a dog must be sober;
representatives of heavy breeds of dogs (for example, fighting varieties) are walked by a citizen who is already 14 years old.

In some places not intended for walking dogs, there may be a prohibiting sign or sign. The frequency of walking dogs should be at least twice a day.

Using hidden trays

Mal Mower/BuzzFeed

The advice is quite strange, but we’ll voice it too - maybe it will be useful to someone. So: it is advised to use “secluded trays”, hidden from prying eyes. For example, this one: a girl sits and smiles, not knowing that she is sitting, in fact, on a cat's litter box.

As an experienced cat lover, it is not clear to me how the owner combats the smell in the hallway. Even if you quickly clean everything up, the smell will still remain, and not in the restroom, but, in fact, in the living room. Not a very pleasant neighborhood...

Hygiene procedures

Caring for a cat involves regular inspection of the ears, which should always be clean. If an accumulation of dirt is detected in them, it is removed using a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide. If discharge, especially of the purulent type, appears in the corners of your pet's eyes, you should show him to a doctor.

Nail trimming is another important procedure that is recommended to be done every two weeks. You need to get used to it from an early age, because animals do not really like such events. There is a special tool for this purpose - a nail clipper, but you can also use ordinary nail scissors. It is important not to touch the blood vessels located close to the edge of the claw. If this does happen, do not be alarmed; the bleeding can be quickly stopped by pressing a cotton pad to the claw.

Water.

How much water does a cat need? The amount of fluid a cat needs depends on its weight, activity level, health and nutritional status, but the average is approximately 150-300 ml per day. Some animals can be very picky about the water they drink. Their desert-dwelling ancestors got most of their fluids from prey, Catster recalls, which is why domestic cats don't have the extreme thirst that dogs or humans do. Feed your cat a combination of wet and dry food to ensure she gets enough fluids.

Castration of cats

Veterinarian tips for caring for cats:

Veterinarians advise castrating an animal at 9-10 months. If castrated earlier, the animal may develop problems with the urethra. It is necessary to castrate before the first mating.
If you operate on the cat later, it will not help; after the operation, he will still want the cat. Because the sex hormone in cats is also produced by the pituitary gland and, if mating has already taken place, then the sex hormone will not escape from the cat’s body.
After the operation, take good care of the cat, do not let him lick the stitch, put on a special circle so that he does not reach it. Let him drink more regular fresh water.
Feed him food that is easy to digest; heavy food after surgery and lack of water in the cat's body can cause urolithiasis and obesity. Such procedures are done at the request of the animal’s owners; if you want offspring, you don’t have to do it.

Not only dogs are man's best friend, but cats too.

When to pay attention to health

It is recommended to regularly show a domestic cat to a veterinarian for preventive examination and vaccination, even in the absence of obvious signs of disease. Cats can suffer from a variety of diseases: kidney, bone, gastrointestinal, heart, and they can also experience injuries. There are a number of symptoms that require immediate medical attention:

decreased activity and loss of appetite;
repeated vomiting or diarrhea;
temperature increase;
the presence of mucus or blood in the urine and feces;
copious amounts of saliva;
Excessive discharge from the eyes and nose.

A balanced diet consisting of high-quality, preferably natural food and vitamin supplements is of great importance for a cat’s health.

Visits to the veterinarian.

Once you bring your new cat home, take her to your veterinarian as soon as possible, along with any records you were given of her previous care. Depending on this, she may need some vaccines as well as a general health checkup. You may want to ask your veterinarian for more specific advice on keeping your cat healthy than the general information provided here, and also ask your veterinarian if you have any questions about your pet's health. Veterinarians will help you solve both large and small problems.

By lovingly caring for your cat, you can help her be healthy and happy for years to come with proper care.

Physical activity.

Does your cat need exercise? Undoubtedly! She may seem like she likes to sleep most of the day, but by regularly playing with your furry beauty, you'll provide her with mental and physical stimulation and keep her healthier and happier. Playing can also make the environment more relaxed for you, especially if your cat demands attention or starts ruining things because she has nowhere to put her energy. You don't need a treadmill to give your pet her cardio workout. Hide treats around the apartment, “shake” toys on a string in front of her that she can hunt for, place a cat climbing tree at home - and you can be sure that your cat will get the necessary physical activity.

Feed.

How much food to give your cat? First you need to choose high-quality food. The feeding recommendations on the food packaging can help you determine the amount of food your cat needs. Consider the age of your pet. Kittens, adult and senior cats have different nutritional needs. According to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, some animals may have special nutritional needs due to illness or food allergies. Keep a close eye on your cat's weight and try not to overfeed her. Obesity in cats is a serious problem! You can always contact your veterinarian who can advise you on the best food and portion size.