Recent data research shows that pet cats kill about 390 million animals per year in Australia, most of which were native species. No matter how much you love your felines and let them roam outside, it is also important to protect native wildlife.
Keeping cats inside the house can actually be in the best interests of the cat as well as the environment. Felines may be at risk of being injured or killed by a vehicle outside. Other animals can also prey on cats, such as venomous snakes, monitor lizards, urban foxes and dingoes.
Here is a list of ways you can make your home a happy and safe place for your cat.
- Have one litter tray per cat, plus one (three litter trays for two cats), in different locations and quiet areas of the house. Scoop out the feces and urine soiled litter at least on a twice-daily basis.
- Regularly groom your cat with a grooming brush which will feel like massaging them. It will prevent hairballs and matted fur.
- Consider giving your cat some natural food such as raw chicken drum sticks. Raw meat provides cats with a sense of possession.
- Cats need a vertical space, so consider providing them a ladder or other objects to let them climb.
- Set up several cat baskets with a soft blanket or igloos. They love multiple points of safety and seclusion.
- Cats have a higher thermoneutral temperature than dogs, so they often seek out warm places. Baskets can be places near the heater.
- Keep your windows with fly screens to keep your cats inside.
- Provide scratching towers for exercise and to satiate your cat’s desire to sharpen its claws. That’s better than letting them scratch on your furniture.
- Consider installing an outdoor cat enclosure to give your car an outdoor experience but without any risks.
- Provide cat toys to get them entertained. Cats surely love some ping pong balls, and even a scrunched up paper.
- Puzzle feeders that hide food is also a fun toy for curious cats to help them recreate their hunting behavior of searching for food.
- Some cats like to watch TV. Play some special videos on YouTube for a cat audience, which they can find mesmerizing and entertaining.
- Last but not least, give a generous amount of your time to pet and play with your cat!
You might want to read:
– Doris Bigornia keeps her cool while her cats get into a huge fight during live TV
– FDA recommends cats and dogs practice social distancing, too
– Cats are talking to you with their faces, study shows
