What Every Indoor Cat Owner Must Know To Give Their Pet A Happy Life
If you live rurally, keeping a pet cat that comes and goes as it pleases won’t do any harm.
For people who live in more urban areas where busy roads pose a risk to cats’ safety, keeping your cat indoors makes sense. You may feel uneasy about containing such an independent and curious animal
But there are plenty of ways you can make your cat’s life as enriching and enjoyable as possible, all from the safety of your home.
Top 5 Tips To Keep Your Pet Cat Happy
Keeping pets happy is not a surprising or time-consuming endeavor. They are usually the closest to your heart. As a result, here are a few simple tips that can actually make them feel content. For the happiness of your pet, I have listed some tips that will keep them away from all sorts of unhappiness:
1. Cover The Basics
Your home needs to cover all the necessities for your indoor cat to have a positive routine. Here are a few examples:
- Provide comfortable bed options around your home. Cats sleep at least twelve hours on and off each day, so good napping spots are essential;
- Ensure that you have nutritious food suitable for your cats’ age ranges and dietary needs;
- It’s advised that you have as many litter trays as cats plus one extra to avoid quarrels for the toilet. Make sure these are always accessible so there are no accidents elsewhere in your home;
- Cats need to stay hydrated just as much as any mammal. You may rarely see your cat drinking from their water bowl, but this doesn’t mean you should let them go thirsty. Wet food can offer some hydration, but the best way to encourage your cat to drink is to invest in a cat fountain. Cats evolved to prefer running water for hygiene reasons, which is why these fountain bowls work so well.
2. Provide More Than Enough Enrichment
Believe it or not, cats can grow bored of certain toys if they’ve been available for too long, so every now and then, switch out your cat’s toys to keep them entertained.
Puzzle feeders are great for making a game out of mealtimes and preventing fast eaters from finishing their food too quickly to chew properly. Scratching posts and climbing towers make for ideal places to hide and play.
Cats love being able to curl up somewhere secret for an undisturbed nap, and small, high-up places make perfect locations for cat nests.
3. Stay On Top Of Your Cat’s Medical Needs
Just because your cat doesn’t go outdoors doesn’t mean they don’t need regular vet checkups. Keep their vaccinations updated and pay attention to changes that might hint at illness.
Make sure you have adequate cat insurance to protect your cat from unexpected illness or injury. Although indoor cats are less likely to be hit by a car or hurt by another animal, they can still have medical trouble. Prepare for this possibility in advance.
4. Try Harness Training For Outdoor Exploration
If you want to be bold, try training your cat to wear a harness. Eventually, you may be able to encourage them to come for short walks outside for some fresh air and new enrichment. Not all cats enjoy this, but it’s worth testing out.
While allowing a cat to have total freedom for outdoor access is the ideal scenario, it isn’t the most common. For the safety and health of your cat, sometimes it is better to keep them indoors.
By making the right changes and providing everything your pet needs, you can give your cat a fulfilling life indoors.
5. Identification Card
Believe it or not, each indoor cat must be outfitted with a visible and collar identification card. Whether you like it or not, your cat sneaks out of your house every now and then. And what to do when they get lost in a completely different block?
This is where the pet identification card comes into use. People will have a look at it and locate your pet in your house. Additionally, cats are an indispensable part of your house. So, creating an ID card is essentially important for them.
How To Know Your Cat Is Happy: Signs That Say It All
An outdoor cat generally has nothing to worry about- he is chasing mice, basking in the sun, and frolicking in the backyard grass. But that’s not the case with an indoor cat. It is difficult to depict whether they are actually happy or not. So, if you have a cat and are unsure whether it is happy or not, check out these signs:
-
Tail Wagging
One of the most common signs a happy kitty shows is by wagging her tail. Notice whether she has a straight tail, the tip of which is curved to the left and right. If it is so, chances are she is more than happy.
However, if your cat has puffed out her tail like the bottle brush, she is most likely upset. Moreover, a tail that goes back and forth immediately indicates that she is certainly angry.
-
Willing To Snuggle
Cats are an in-born attention seeker. But check whether your pet cat constantly wants to be snuggled the moment you walk in the door. A happy kitty also paws on the ground to ask you to rub her belly.
If you truly want to keep your cat happy and content, do as they want it. Snuggle them and love them- so that they do not feel abandoned.
-
What’s In Her Dish?
The next thing to inspect is whether your indoor cat is picking at every bite or whether she is a voracious consumer. A happy kitten is most likely to enjoy mealtime, and she usually completes her food on time.
On the other hand, if your cat is showing irregular food habits and wasting food, she is most likely unhappy with you. In such cases, you might ask the veterinarian how to deal with it.
Conclusion
It doesn’t take much to make a cat happy: they just need proper food, water, and a lot of attention! Besides, they might also need a clean place ot litter, a sense of security, and on-time vaccinations and medicines.
If you think you will be able to provide your indoor cat with such facilities, go ahead and adopt one. Also, check out these signs to inspect whether or not she is enjoying her time at your house.
With this, I bring my article to an end. Don’t forget to share this article with cat owners!
Read Also:
