11 Effective Tips and Guide for New Cat, Kitten Owners

(Last Updated On: October 10, 2021)

Guide for new cat owners helps them a lot. Care for a cat is natural. You will be benefitted from some basic cat care advice for improving your cats’ quality of life and health.

11 Effective Tips to Guide for New Cat and Kitten Owners

Here you will get 11 effective tips to guide new cat and kitten owners:

1. Place for dining

Cats dislike eating and drinking close to their litter box. They’re such meticulous beings! Keep food and water in a different area from the boxes if you have the space.

2. Meal size and portion

Follow the suggested meal portion sizes. If you’re unsure, get advice from your veterinarian. Many cat owners either overfeed their cats, which may lead to obesity, which can lead to illnesses, or they underfeed their kittens, which can lead to malnutrition.

3. Toys and Play

Make sure your kitties have toys to play with. I’ve met a lot of folks who insist that their cat will not play with toys (any toys!) until I get her an interactive or catnip toy. It gives me such joy to watch a cat completely immersed in play with a new toy – and it doesn’t take much to guide new cat and kitten owners!

4. Groom and Trim

Trim your cats’ nails on a regular basis. Of course, it’s safer for you, your kids, your dogs, and your other cats. I also advise trimming them to avoid having a claw become trapped on anything, such as a carpet or a fabric sofa, only to have the claw torn off as the cat attempts to free himself. My cat’s nails did become entangled in a rug, and he had to have it removed.

It wasn’t even a long time, but things happen. Claws that have grown excessively long have also resulted in ingrown claws. This is not only inconvenient for your cat, but it can also lead to infection. If you are unable to trim your cat’s claws yourself, hire a professional to come to your home or take your pet to a veterinarian for a nail trim.

5. Consult Vet

Take them to the vet for frequent checkups, which is one of my pet peeves. Please! Younger, healthier cats can come in for a wellness check once a year. Senior cats (7+ years) and cats with health issues or history should visit the veterinarian every 6-12 months. I could go on and on about this crucial part of cat ownership.

Vets draw blood and occasionally urine from older and senior cats to ascertain vital information such as liver and kidney parameters. Most importantly, going to the vet on a regular basis is being proactive. As a consequence of an exam, many illnesses and health issues are detected early enough to be treated.

6. Health issues

You claim that your cat is healthy, despite the fact that he hasn’t seen a veterinarian in over three years. We can’t tell if our animals are healthy just by looking at them as laypeople. Every area of the body is examined and/or palpated during a visit to the veterinarian.

Veterinarians look for abnormalities in the eyes, ears, and mouths, as well as the need for dental work. Bad teeth and/or gums, if left untreated, can lead to illness from bacteria that travels. Veterinarians will inquire about your cats’ feeding and drinking habits, as well as any behavioral changes that may be caused by a health problem.

7. Cleanliness

Make sure all of your cat’s food and water dishes are clean! This may appear to be self-evident, but you’d be shocked. Have you ever observed an orange residue at the bottom of your cat’s water bowl or around the sides? That residue, well, that’s dirt. To keep your cat’s water fresh and clean, change it at least once a day.

When you’re pushed for time, it’s easy to pile new food on top of old, crusted-over food every now and again. Don’t do it! Bacteria can be found in stale, uneaten food.

8. Take care of Safety

Cats are inquisitive and lively creatures. Keep hairbands, thread, and rubber bands out of their reach! For example, an ingested piece of thread can become stuck in the intestines, which is quite hazardous!

For the same reason, keep wands and string toys stowed away – don’t take any chances. There is a number of people who have had to pay thousands of dollars for surgery as a result of swallowed objects being stuck.

9. Keep away from the vehicle

Never let your cat operate your vehicle. Okay, as you get to know me more, you’ll see how vital it is for me to interject comedy every now and then to guide new cat and kitten owners.

10. Litter box

Make sure your litter boxes are kept clean. Using high-quality litter, whether clay or clumping, is one method to ensure this (traditional sand or a more natural material like corn or wheat). Have you ever considered scooping the garbage box with a shovel and pick?

It does not have to be like this! When using clumping litter, you want the waste to clump together rather than breaking up into little bits that end up in the box. When you use the low-quality litter, this is more likely to happen.

I recommend using a lot of litter, especially if you’re using a clumping type. This will aid in the removal of clumps from the box’s bottom and sides without the need to dig and scrape. There is so much nice litter of all kinds out there that you won’t have to waste your time digging up a litter box.

Another approach to keep your litter boxes clean is to completely empty them once a month for clumping and once a week for clay, scrub it clean, dry it, and start again. This will undoubtedly aid in keeping your boxes clean and make scooping much simpler!

When you keep adding clean litter to old litter, the dirty litter merely sinks to the bottom, increasing the need to pick and dig since the old, dirty remnants adhere to the sides and bottom. And your cat will be grateful for the time and effort you put into keeping his box clean!

11. Love and kiss

Kiss your pets every day. He or she will feel appreciated, and I guarantee you will feel better about your day as a result.