Tag Archives: cat safety

Cat Care, General Health

Easy Ways to Keep Your Cat Healthy

February is National Cat Health Month! Kitties are known for being easy keepers. However, Fluffy is quite small and fragile, and she is susceptible to illness and injury. A Georgetown, IN veterinarian offers some tips on keeping your feline buddy healthy and purring in this article.

Good Food

It’s probably no surprise to find proper nutrition at the top of the list. Making sure that Fluffy is getting high-quality food will go a long way towards keeping her healthy. Ask your vet for specific advice, including tips on portion sizes, feeding schedules, and reading labels.

Veterinary Care

Kitties are quite independent, but they still need regular veterinary care. We advise getting Fluffy microchipped and spayed or neutered, and keeping up to date with her exams, vaccines, and parasite control. Also, if you notice anything that could be a sign of illness, don’t wait to see if it resolves on its own. Call your vet immediately.

Clean Litterbox

Dirty litterboxes look and smell bad. They’re also germ magnets! Ideally, you’ll want to scoop Fluffy’s bathroom out daily, and change the litter every week or so. If you have more than one cat, avoid overcrowding by giving each furball her own box.

Keep Kitty In

Although Fluffy may love to run and play outdoors, she’s much safer inside. As soon as your kitty sets her paws outside, she’s exposed to some pretty serious risks, such as traffic, wild animals, and weather.

Catproofing

Our feline pals are very playful, which is one of the best things about them. However, that mischievous streak can get them into serious trouble! Cats don’t know (or care) what is and isn’t safe for them to play with. Keep anything that could be dangerous out of paws’ reach. This includes items with strings or threads, chemicals, medicine, and small or sharp objects.

Climate Control

Did you know that cats can overheat very quickly in summer? Fluffy can also get very sick if she gets too cold. Make sure she always has a comfy shelter. If you leave her home alone, keep the climate control on.

Love

Fluffy’s mental health is also important! Keep your kitty happy and purring by providing things like scratching posts, comfy beds, toys, treats, boxes, and lap space.

Do you need to make an appointment for your feline friend? Contact us, your Georgetown, IN veterinary clinic, today!

Behavior, Cat Care, General Care

Keeping Fluffy Out of the Tree

Are you putting up a tree this year? If so, you may find yourself trying to keep your kitty from destroying it! For Fluffy, trying to climb holiday trees is an important annual tradition! There are some things you can do to make sure that both your tree and your pet make it through the holidays unscathed. In this article, a Georgetown, IN discusses keeping Fluffy out of the tree.

Choose The Right Spot

Picking the right spot for your tree is very important, not just for the overall look of your home, but also because of kitty shenanigans. Don’t put the tree near anything Fluffy could jump off to reach it, like a desk or chair. That’s just making it easy for her!

Get An Artificial Trees

Synthetic trees are much harder for kitties to climb than real ones. Consider getting a fake tree this year.

Decorate Carefully

Avoid putting flashy and/or fragile ornaments on the bottom of the tree. Keep delicate decorations, tinsel, and lights on the top part of the tree, well out of paws’ reach. Put just a few sturdy, unbreakable ornaments on the lower branches.

Provide Kitty Entertainment

If you make the rest of your home fun and exciting for your cat, she may not find the tree quite as tempting. Offer Fluffy lots of fun toys to play with, and spend a few minutes a day playing with her. In fact, you can even give your feline pal some of her gifts a bit early. A fun session of Catch The Squeaky Toy will hopefully satisfy your pet’s urge to make mischief, and tire her out a bit.

Add Support

Choose a tree with a sturdy base, so it won’t wobble or topple over on your furball. You may also want to secure the top to your wall or ceiling with fishing line. This won’t show, but it will provide extra support.

Training

When you see your kitty looking at the tree with a gleam in her eye, stamp your foot, clap your hands, or bang two pots together. This won’t hurt Fluffy, but it will startle her a bit, and may make her reconsider the benefits of getting too near the tree.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at The Animal Hospital of Lanesville, your Georgetown, IN pet clinic. Please feel free to contact us anytime!