Want To Be the Best Cat Owner? 5 Tips for Pawsome Fur Parents

Have you set a New Year’s resolution to be a better cat owner in 2022? Keeping our furry friends happy isn’t always easy. Cats can sometimes drive their owners crazy with their nighttime habits and choosy eating routines. But, with the right approach you can be a pawsome fur parent, not just this year but every year. Read on for Cat in a Flat’s 5 tips to becoming the best cat owner you can be in 2022! 

How to choose the right cat

The first step to becoming the best cat parent is to make sure you choose the right furry companion. Even better, why not adopt a feline duo? Adopting two means your kitties can form a bond from kitten-hood, and keep each other company when you’re busy or away from home.

You can choose to adopt from a recognized animal shelter, or buy a cat from a breeder. If you choose to buy, do your due diligence and research your chosen breeder thoroughly. This is essential for the world’s best cat owner! You don’t want to support kitten mills by buying from unethical breeders, so make sure any breeder you consider has a good reputation and practices safe and ethical breeding. 

Whichever option you choose to go with, pay attention to the cat’s characteristics before bringing them home. Different breeds have different personality traits, and you can ask breeders for more information on what these are. If adopting from a shelter, spend time at the shelter watching the kitties and learning about their different personalities. You can tell a lot just by observing. Some cats will be more playful, while others are calm. Some will be friendly and others more timid. Don’t rush the process. This way you’ll bring home the purrfect companion! 

How to find the right vet for your cat

Any great cat parent knows that having a reliable veterinary on call is a must for your fur friend’s well-being. A good vet isn’t just necessary for when your cat is sick or injured, yearly check-ups are important to help keep your feline healthy. 

From the beginning, find a vet you can trust. If possible, they should be in the area near where you live. Our furry friends hate change and having to travel across town for a visit to the vet can be very stressful for them. Some vets have emergency wings that are open 24-hours a day. If this isn’t the case with your vet, ask them for a recommendation on where to take Mr Whiskers if there’s an emergency outside of their usual business hours.

In order to be the best cat owner you can be, you’ll want to take your fur friend in for annual check-ups. Remember, preventative care is always better than waiting until something is seriously wrong. If you adopt a kitty, introduce them to the vet early on and get a general check-up to make sure they are healthy. 

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Find a reliable cat sitter

Even the best cat owners can’t possibly be around their felines all the time. This is where a reliable cat sitter comes into the picture! Don’t wait until right before you go off on a trip to try to find a cat sitter. Start looking with plenty of time to spare so you have a lot of options to choose from and aren’t rushed into making a decision.

Tip: Once you find a cat sitter Mr Whiskers likes, try to hire the same person every time. This helps your furry friend to form a consistent bond with their cat sitter.

Make sure your furry friend is in good hands by taking a look on Cat in a Flat at the amazing 5-star sitters in your area! Not sure what to expect when hiring a cat sitter? This blog post tells you everything you need to know. 

Prepare your home for life with a cat

As the world’s best cat owner, you’ll want to make sure your fur friend feels safe and happy in your home. Here are a few tips to help you prepare your home for a new kitty: 

• Set out enough litter trays. The general rule is one litter box per cat, plus on more. If you live in a small home and only have space for one littler tray for your kitty, don’t worry. Just make sure to keep it clean—dirty litter boxes can cause stress in cats and lead to painful ailments like cystitis. 
• Invest in scratching pads. Kitties will scratch anything, including your furniture, so it’s important to have plenty of scratch pads and posts around to help deter that. As a stellar cat owner, you shouldn’t skimp on good scratching posts for your kitty. 
• Set out good bedding. Your cat may prefer to sleep on you, but since you don’t sleep nearly as much they do, you’ll need to offer your furry friend some alternative snooze spots too. Make sure they have plenty of comfortable beds and elevated napping spots from which they can survey their kingdom. 
• Keep food and water separate. You’ll want to create a stable food environment for your fur friend from the start. This means feeding your cat a mix of good quality wet and dry cat food and keeping food and water bowls separate. 
• Cat proof your home. Your new fur friend is clever and will get into everything. So, make sure to get rid of poisonous plants and secure your windows before bringing your kitty home. Some toys can be dangerous for cats to play with unsupervised, so you’ll need a dedicated storage spot for these too. 

The best cat owners spend quality time with their cats

The greatest gift you can offer your kitty is to spend time with them. Not only will this strengthen your bond, but it’s sure to snag you that award as best cat owner ever! It’s natural to be busy with work, family, and daily life, but make sure you set aside time every day just for your cat. This can mean petting and cuddling your fur friend, playing with your cat, or including your kitty in your daily routine. A cat’s purr is also known to reduce stress, so spending time with your happy fur friend has benefits for you too! 

Taking care of your cat should be a part of your daily quality time together. Although they are independent creatures, your kitty still needs basic essential cat care. Keep a checklist and remember to: 

• Clean the litter box once or twice a day.
• Refill their water bowls once a day (or invest in a pet water fountain).
• Create a feeding schedule and feed your cat twice a day.
• Help your cat with basic grooming by brushing their fur, clipping their claws, and cleaning their ears and teeth. 
• Stick to a daily playtime routine.

The secret to being the best cat owner

We’ll let you in on a little secret: the main way to be the best cat owner in the world is to love your cat! Take time to understand his or her quirks and get to know their unique personalities. Love your cat by investing in their happiness. A happy cat means a happy cat parent! 

Looking for more information on cat care? The Cat in a Flat blog can help! Check out our articles on how to tell if your cat is happy or unhappy, and amazing (and informative) facts about cats.