Creating a Healthy Cat Environment

There are many good reasons for keeping your cat or cats inside these days. The outside world has changed dramatically in recent decades, and unless you live out in the countryside things can be much more dangerous for our furry friends.

Your cat is at risk of passing cars, fighting with other cats that are close by, getting diseases passed on by other cats. And that is just to name a few. The risks are many.

If you prefer to keep your cats inside then here are some helpful hints and tips.

The first thing to consider when setting up a ‘cat friendly’ home is to think about what their natural environment looks like. There would be lots of things that stimulate their senses including sight, smell and taste. You would see lots of greenery, water, live prey, challenging climbing structures.. and an ever changing environment.

So it is important for you to consider all this when you are making your home more cat friendly. If not properly thought out – indoor cats can develop physical and mental problems which are associated with their sedentary lifestyle. Things like over-grooming, eating disorders and urinary tract disease.

When you are creating your cat friendly home – here are some simple ways to make your home more interesting for your cat. Place items in the home such as food and water. Be sure to have a litter tray available. Scratching posts always go down well and can avoid your furniture getting scratched up as well!

Cats also love watching outside action from a safe vantage point. If you can provide your cats with a nice warm sunny windowsill to sit on and watch the action outside – they would appreciate this very much.

On the topic of safety – it is interesting to note that some cat experts do not agree with cat doors. While they may seem like a great idea for giving your feline a good sense of freedom – it can often cause mental stress to your cat. The reason is because your cat will see the cat door as a weak point in your house security. Your cat will come to recognise the sound of the cat door opening and closing. If will be constantly monitoring the door to ensure intruders aren’t entering their territory. So you may want to rethink the cat door idea.

Also, don’t brush off the idea of having two cats if you only have one. Providing a mate to play with is extremely beneficial to your cat – especially if you have a day job and have to leave the cat alone regularly. Cats get bored, just as we humans do – so consider getting them a buddy!

We have discovered some of the ways that you can create a healthy cat environment for your cat. There are many more that we haven’t covered here, but you can find the remaining tips and tricks in my FREE eCourse available to the right of this page. Sign up now!