What do cats need to be happy? Cuddles? Extra brushing? Lots of catnip? Wet food all day long? It’s not always easy to understand what a cat wants, but as long as you provide the basics, your cat should be happy. Every cat needs food, exercise, and veterinary care to be healthy. They also need to satisfy their instincts for hunting, climbing, and scratching. Here are ten things you can do to keep your cat purring.
Ten Things Every Indoor Cat Needs
1: Interactive Play
Cats are hard-wired hunters, and even indoor cats need to engage in hunting behaviors like stalking, pouncing, and biting. When your kitty pounces your ankles, it’s because they want to play. Cats love to test their athletic skills on unpredictable targets, so when you wriggle a toy erratically, or toss it in a random direction, your cat gets excited about the new challenge. Plus, interactive play helps you build a closer bond.
2: Entertainment
Cats are pretty good at finding their own entertainment. Whether it’s batting a piece of trash around the house, bird-watching, or testing out cardboard boxes, cats can usually find the mental stimulation they need to keep from getting bored. However, if your cat is acting out by destroying your furniture or chomping on your houseplants, they might need more stimulation and time spent playing. Try adding some new toys into their rotation and get a plant just for your cat, like wheatgrass, to help prevent boredom.
3: Comfortable Beds
Even if their favorite place to sleep is on your bed, every cat needs a comfortable bed of their own. When they’re young, they’ll sleep most anywhere—on a pile of freshly folded laundry, on your bath mat, or curled up on a couch pillow. But when cats get older, it’s not so easy for them to jump up onto your bed or the couch. Make sure your cat has a clean, safe, comfortable place to sleep that’s also easy for them to access.
4: A Place to Perch
Every cat needs a place to perch up high, for several reasons. Cats feel safe when they’re up where no one can reach them. A high perch also gives them an opportunity to survey their territory and keep an eye on the activity of the household. If there are other pets around, a high perch will let cats assert their dominance, or simply take a nap undisturbed. Add a weight-bearing shelf or a cat-tree.
5: Somewhere to Scratch
Cats use scratching to keep their claws healthy, to express excitement, and to mark their territory with the scent glands in their paws. They’re not usually trying to be destructive when they sink their claws into the back of the couch—it’s a normal, instinctual behavior. However, sometimes cats do get destructive when they’re feeling stressed out. It’s their way of letting you know they need attention.
6: Grooming
Although they’re known to be meticulous self-groomers, combing and brushing is good for your cat’s health and happiness. When cats form a bond they groom each other, so when you brush your cat’s fur, you’re demonstrating how much you love them. Plus, the more loose fur you can collect on a brush or comb means the less fur your cat might end up swallowing. To help prevent hairballs, regular grooming is a must.
7: A Nutritious Diet
Whether it’s wet food or dry, your cat’s food should be high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Most commercial cat foods are formulated to provide the high-protein, high-fat diets cats need. As long as you’re feeding your cat the right amount of food, and making sure they get enough exercise, they should be able to maintain a healthy weight.
8: Daily Exercise
Even if it seems like they spend most of the day sleeping, cats do need exercise. Daily exercise keeps their joints and muscles healthy, and helps prevent obesity. It also provides some of the entertainment and interactive play that cats need to satisfy their hunting instincts.
9: A Clean Litter Box
Try to get into the habit of scooping your cat’s litter box every day—this will make your cat both happier and healthier. Cats like to be clean, and none of them want to have to step on clumps of their own waste. Litter boxes can also harbor parasites, bacteria, and viruses if they don’t get cleaned. Daily scooping will help prevent urinary tract infections and keep germs from getting tracked around your house.
10: Veterinary Care
Every cat needs a yearly checkup to make sure they’re in good health and up to date on all their vaccinations. Cats also need yearly dental exams to check for signs of gum disease and tooth decay. A healthy cat is a happy cat, so it’s important to keep up with your pet’s veterinary care.
Dedicated Cat Care in Gilbert, Arizona
Anasazi Animal Clinic is a full-service veterinary center, and we’re here to provide the care your cat needs to be happy and healthy. Whether it’s a dental checkup, vaccinations, or a special diet, we can help. Give us a call at 480-497-0505 or send us a message to schedule an appointment today.
Photo by Michael Sum on Unsplash used with permission under the Creative Commons license for commercial use 6/16/2024.