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Cat Tips

Here’s some helpful cat tips, from the lovely people at the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.

Cat Tips

Cat Tips

  • Give your cat a stimulating home environment. This is particularly important if it is an ‘indoor’ cat. Think three dimensionally by providing comfy sleeping places high up as well as offering a variety of different level shelves for the cat to climb on.

  • Cardboard boxes with a hole cut in the side, as well as paper bags, make great cheap toys for your cat, and can be easily replaced.

  • Cats can be trained too! Clicker training is a kind and fun method of training your cat all sorts of tricks (see book section of the APBC web site).

  • In multi-cat households make sure that there is enough space for each of the cats to have some privacy. All cats like to have their own space.

  • Do not assume that cats in the same house are happy to share their food bowls. Provide a choice of feeding locations – some cats prefer to eat on the ground, others in a high location.

  • Do not tell your cat off if it is having toileting problems as this may make the problem worse. Take it to the vet for a check up.

  • Never force a cat to interact – they like to feel in control.

  • Hide dried food around the house for your cat to find during the day or provide it with a special activity ball so that it has to ‘hunt’ for its food. Cats need to hunt so make sure that suitable games are available to cater for this instinct.

  • Use fishing rod type cat toys to play with your cat or kitten and not your fingers as you may get scratched! Remember that adult cats need to play too – so play regular games with suitable toys.

  • A coir door mat securely fixed to an upright wall makes an ideal scratching post and helps to keep your cat’s claws healthy. Spray or rub some ‘cat nip’ on it to make it even more attractive to your cat.