The Basic Know How’s About Cat Care

Owning any pet is a big responsibility. You must know all the basic steps on how to groom and care for them. This goes for every animal. If you are favouring the feline types, you must know all about cat care.

Owning a cat and having it as a pet is not as easy as bringing home a stray one day and feeding it every day. As a pet, a cat needs more than food for it to be happy and healthy.

Responsible Ownership

Just like you, your cat also has basic needs. If you want them to purr to happily ever after, you’ve got to work hard for your cats to attain it. Yes, caring for cats goes beyond the caring part. You have to know what to do, how to do it and when to do it

Here’s a view of what you should be looking out for as a responsible cat owner.

Food Requirements

Some people feed their cats leftover food. But you have to understand that those foods were intended for humans. It may not meet the needs of your feline friend.

So scrap the idea and look over at your favourite grocery store. Weigh up what would be the best cat food that you can afford and that most cat owners would also recommend.

It will cost you about R150 to R250 (supermarket brands) a month to be able to give your cat the nutrition it needs. It can be affordable. Just make it part of the monthly house budget. Or you can opt not to go to the movies or what about lessening your smoking habits. This way, you will be able to budget the right amount for your cat food.

Shelter Requirements

If you will allow your cat to live with you, you have to make sure that the surroundings will be safe for your pet. It is just like when you have a baby at home, you don’t want anything poisonous and hazardous lying around within easy reach. Be sure to research your house plants as some may be poisonous for cats.

You also have to provide a litter box for your pet. The price for this varies from R100 to about R1300 for the fancier models.

Make life easy for your pets. Provide warmth in their shelters. And add onto it with your care and affection.

Medicinal Requirements

Again, just like a baby, your cat needs to be checked up by their doctors regularly. You have to bring them to the veterinarian as needed, usually on an annual basis. They have to undergo spaying (female) or what is also known as neutering (males). There are also core vaccinations that they will require to remain healthy on an annual basis. Each vaccine will differ in cost so you have to save up for each.

To be prepared, consult with your vet how much the next one will cost so that you can save up for it while you still can. Aside from that, your cat has to seen by the vet for an annual examination.

You also have to keep some allowance for your cats for emergency needs. You really never know when they would be sick or might encounter some accidents. It is better to be prepared for the worst than to be sorry in the end. Look at the various pet medical aids available.

Cat care may be easy to say but definitely hard to do if you are not prepared for the responsibility it intakes. So before you dream of being a care giver to a pet, think hard about it and check your wallet if you can afford it. Cats can be 15-20 year commitments.