Cats own the title of the world’s most popular companion animals and national “Respect Your Cat Day” is the purr-fect occasion to pay homage to all fabulous felines.
Having respect for your cat is all about responsible pet ownership. You need to make sure that you understand your pet’s inherent traits and make every effort to support natural feline needs.
Example: For cats, the need to scratch is a natural one. It’s up to the pet parent to provide proper scratching surfaces. If you don’t provide for this inherent trait, your cat can’t be blamed for scratching furniture around the house. Large recycled corrugated surfaces emulate tree bark that cats love.
Declawing is not the answer. This practice, which involves amputation of the first joint on every toe, is very painful and brings on other behavioral problems such as not using the litter box because the litter can hurt a cat’s tender paws as a result of such surgery.
Cats are much safer if they have an indoor lifestyle to keep them away from traffic and predators. Respect for your cat’s safety is great but it’s equally important to compensate for such a lifestyle by ensuring your feline has plenty of toys to provide both mental and physical compensation.
You owe it to your pet to spay and neuter to prevent unwanted litters. Apart from the problem of adding to pet overpopulation, having too many litters can take its toll on your pet’s health.
Cats need an annual wellness checkup at the veterinarian. They are very good at masking illness and it is up to every responsible pet owner to monitor their health on an ongoing basis. A wellness checkup is a preventative step and way of catching any possible life-threatening issues such as diabetes and kidney failure before they become full-blown problems.
It’s important to understand that your cat’s needs change with age and adapt her lifestyle accordingly. Just like people, cats slow down and suffer from age-related aches and pains. Simple changes like a change in diet, help with daily grooming and even providing pet steps so your kitty can continue to access her favorite snooze zones independently can make a huge difference in her quality of life.
And even indoor cats should be microchipped and wear a collar such as these cute Sergeant’s collars with up to date ID.
Feline companionship is a life-long commitment and understanding your cat’s basic needs goes a long way in enhancing the human-animal bond. And, in a nutshell, that’s what respect is all about.
-Photo Credit: By Enchanted Home Pet