For the Love of Pets – Essentials when caring for your cat

Grooming
Your cat will probably keep itself clean. Most cats rarely need a bath, but they do need to be brushed and combed. Frequent brushing helps keep your pet’s fur clean, reduces shedding and helps prevent hairballs in the stomach.

Cat Parasites: Fleas, Ticks, Worms
Prevent fleas with Frontline or similar products. Cats do NOT get TICKS! Vaccinate and worm as recommended by your Vet. Check for ear mites.

Cat Diseases
Feral cats are prone to the HIV virus, which is NOT transmitted to humans but can be transmitted when cats fight and scratch each other.

Scratching

Since all cats need to scratch, be sure to provide a scratching post. If you don’t it may choose your best armchair for scratching. You can make a good scratching post by nailing a piece of old, clean carpet to a post (you might want to rub some catnip on it to encourage your pet to use it). Declawing is a painful operation that robs a cat of an important part of its defences. It is unnecessary; most cats can be trained not to ruin furniture or drapes.

Housing
Cats should have a warm, dry place of their own in the house. Line the bed with something soft – a towel or blanket. Be sure to wash the bedding often. It’s safer to keep your cat indoors; indoor cats have been shown to lead much longer lives. Outdoor cats can get hit by cars, poisoned, hurt in fights, or they may bother your neighbours.

Handling
To pick up your cat, place one hand under its chest and another under its hindquarters. Lift gently. Never pick up a cat by the scruff of the neck (behind the ears).

Litter Box
All indoor cats need a litter box. Clean the litter box daily by removing waste and wet litter, scrub the pan and replace it with new litter weekly. A cat won’t use a messy, smelly litter box; some of them are very fussy.

Behaviour
Kittens and cats are playful and curious. You can buy toys or make them yourself. Your pet would enjoy a cardboard box or paper bag to hide in or a piece of crumbled paper to chase. Most cats love yarn or string but can swallow it and become very ill. It can also get tangled up in it and strangle itself. Tie a piece to a doorknob and let it hang.

Source: The Ark Animal Welfare Society Barbados