08 May Cat Care – Housing
The RSPCA advocates keeping cats indoors. Indoor cats are less likely to:
- Wander into unfriendly territory.
- Encounter risks.
- Be exposed to cruelty.
- Sustain injuries from fighting.
- Catch diseases from fighting with other cats.
- Be injured in car accidents.
How to keep your indoor cat happy:
- Provide plenty of toys to keep your cat amused.
- Cardboard boxes with holes cut into them are great for hide and seek games.
- Your cat’s favourite games will be the ones that involve you as she will be able to use her instinctive pouncing behaviour and will release pent up energy by chasing.
- Make sure your cat has a scratching post to distract her from sharpening her claws on your furniture.
- Provide plants such as cat grass to interest your cat and distract her from your pot plants.
- Cats love to bask in the sun; make sure your cat has a nice sunny spot to lie in (however, sun can be dangerous for white cats so be sure to check with your vet)
For those cats that live both indoors and outdoors, one management strategy is to keep them inside from dusk until dawn.
Cats need access to the outside or a litter tray, which will then need to be cleaned regularly. They need to be fed a balanced diet daily and have fresh water freely available at all times. Cats can be very independent but many pet cats enjoy company and playtime.