Whether we are talking about health issues or behavior problems, any cat owner will have to deal with some of them at some point. Cats are not hard to be taken care of, they do not need to be walked outside and you just have to provide a few things for them to be happy and healthy. Sometimes, no matter what we do, our feline pets will experience problems, but pretty much anything has a solution and can be managed. Some of the most common cat problems are detailed below.
1. Vomiting. As you may already know, cats need to vomit the hairballs ingested in order to keep their digestive system clean and healthy. It is common for them to eat grass and then vomit, but this can also happen if they ate too much, too quickly or began to play too soon after the meal. If this problem persists or you think it might have other causes, a visit to the vet is needed as soon as possible.
2. Fleas. Those nasty little parasites that feed on your pet's blood are annoying especially for your cat as they make it scratch and its skin gets irritated. A flea treatment including powder and oral medication will kill the parasites and prevent their eggs from developing.
3. Urine spraying. Male cats that have not been neutered are likely to spray with urine; this is a sign of them marking their territory and letting female cats know that males are around, especially during mating season.
4. Nighttime activities. Cats are nocturnal animals, or at least used to be before being domesticated and some of them still like to run around, hunt and play during your sweet nighttime sleep. To make sure your cat sleeping program matches yours, here are some things you need to do:
• Feed your cat before going to sleep at night. This should be their main meal of the day, so they can go to sleep after having eaten a lot.
• Keep your cat entertained during the day; this includes a lot of playing, exploring new toys, areas of the house, watching birds from the window, if it has a lot of things to do during the day, your cat will sleep during the night!
5. Scratching and biting. This behavior might come as a game for the cat, but might leave you with light wounds. Try not to encourage a kitten to play with your hands and feet, instead provide a large variety of toys so it knows that playing does not include aggression. Also make sure you play with your pet at least 10-15 minutes a day and give it enough attention.
6. Furniture scratching. Cats may find furniture as the perfect spot to sharpen their nails, leaving behind unwanted marks on wood. A solution to this can be installing scratching posts in different areas if the house, so the cat is more attracted to them and not to the furniture. If this does not work, spraying the furniture with some strong perfume will drive the cat away.
For more serious health or behavioral problems, better pay a visit to your vet to find out more.
