Are you ready for your first Cat? Being a first-time cat owner is exciting, but it’s also a big responsibility, and being the owner of a cat is a very different experience to enjoying playing with – or relaxing with! – a friend’s cat, and then going back to your own, cat free home. Do you know what to do when you’re faced with cat vomiting and diarrhea? Which kitchen ingredients could be toxic to your new pet? Where will your cat sleep?
Today we’re taking a look at some of the ways you can get ready, so when you bring your new cat home from the breeder or the rescue centre, you’ll feel confident that you’re providing it with the best possible home.
Table of Contents
Health and Fitness
There are lots of different things you can do to help support your cat’s health. Food is an important aspect of this: cats need different combinations of nutrients at different times of their lives, and even more specialised diets if they’re overweight, underweight, or suffering from certain health conditions. Making sure you know what your cat needs, and are able to provide for those needs means you’re more likely to have a happy, healthy cat!
You should also make sure you’re registered at a vet – as well as someone to take your cat in a health emergency, they provide the vaccinations that will help keep your cat safe as it roams, register their details and microchip your cat so if it gets lost it can be reunited with you, and spay or neuter your pet if needs be. No matter if she is a little Siamese kitten or a large Maine Coon, all cats should be microchipped.
Environment
Moving house for humans is often held to be among the most stressful possible life events, contending with bereavement and divorce. For cats, who have no control over the process, but are simply dropped into a new home without consultation, it must be even more stressful, and they need time to feel secure and happy there.
If you can, it’s worth preparing a whole room for your cat – one it can inhabit alone, without interruption. Provide dedicated spaces for food and water, and for the litter tray – as far from the food tray possible. Keep an eye on your cat’s eating and drinking habits, as some are reluctant to drink from a static dish of water, and you might need to provide a water fountain.
It’s also important to provide at least – and preferably several – options for places to sleep. Scatter blankets, cushions and boxes so your cat can choose somewhere it feels comfortable and safe to sleep. You can also include multiple levels for your cat to explore. Many cats like to climb, and being able to view potential threats from above helps them feel secure.
With this solid foundation of security, your new cat will be quicker to relax and embrace it’s now home, and you!
