The healthy cat: 7 tips for keeping your kitten healthy & happy

So, you’ve taken the leap and picked up your first kitten – how exciting! Cats are a wonderful companion as well as being fiercely independent. With the right care, love and training, you will certainly have yourself a wonderful feline friend that is happy to call your home their home, too.

Taking care of a cat doesn’t have to be a chore: all you have to do is regularly groom them, provide fresh food/water, get quality cat insurance in Australia and a few other tips and you will have a healthy, happy kitten at your side!

Let’s take a look at some tips to make this happen.

1. Groom your cat regularly

Regardless of the length of your cat’s fur, they will benefit from regular combing or brushing. It helps remove the dead hair from their coat so that they don’t accidentally ingest it when grooming themselves! It also provides the opportunity to recognise any changes to the cat’s body. If there are any lumps, bumps or abrasions, you should immediately take your kitten to the vet.

1. Clean their teeth!

Cats, like us humans, can develop tartar on their teeth, which can cause tooth decay and gum disease. This bacteria can also enter your cat’s bloodstream, thus causing other cat medical problems. However, your cat may not want you to brush their teeth for them, in which case it might be a good idea to occasionally take your cat to the vet to have their teeth cleaned. It may not seem like a big deal, but it’s something you should do every so often to ensure that their teeth won’t cause them any other health problems down the track!

1. Make sure there are enough litter boxes

Typically, you should have one litter box for each cat plus one extra. So, if you have three cats, you should have four litter boxes (just to be on the safe side). You want to encourage good litter box habits by keeping their litters clean. This may mean scooping up the old litter more than once every day. Regular litter cleaning will also help you notice any changes in your cat’s stool or urine, both of which could indicate health problems.

1. Keep on top of where your cat urinates

Your cat may decide to urinate outside their box if the litter is dirty. You should try cleaning it and seeing if your cat continues this behaviour – it may mean they have a urinary tract infection or some other medical problem that requires vet attention.

1. Get them on the scratching post

This will prevent your furniture from unwanted damage, but it will also help your cat grow their muscles and maintain fine claws. Regularly post-scratching helps remove old, unwanted layers from your cat’s claws. Besides, you don’t want them scratching up your nice carpet or a brand new coat – it can be very frustrating!

1. Keep their water fresh

Because cats, like us humans, don’t want to drink old, dirty water every day! If your cat won’t drink from their bowl, provide them with a tall glass of water, as some cats like to hunch over when drinking. You can also get them a cat fountain.

1. The cat carrier is your car’s best friend

If you have to take your cat to the vet, be sure to use the cat carrier (the same goes when moving home). Cats shouldn’t be able to roam freely in a car – it can be dangerous for the both of you!

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