A Beginner's Guide on Making a Pet Cat Happy

Do you have a pet cat? Let me tell you some things to make your pet cat happy. If you know your pet better, you will enjoy it better.

Cats have good memories. They remember persons who treat them kindly and those who are cruel to them.  If you kick your cat, it will remember your unkindness and will learn to avoid you.  But if you are good to it, it will think of you as a friend.Happy cats purr, and angry cats hiss or growl.  Most cats "meow" to attract attention.  when they are hungry or when they want to enter or leave the house.  When cats meet an enemy or are frightened they usually arch their backs.  Their fur stands on end and their tails puff up.  That is why angry kittens look larger and fiercer than they really are.

Cats cannot stay healthy by themselves once they are domesticated.  If you want to have a happy, healthy cat, give him a warm place to live, proper food, fresh water and a dry bed.  The bed can be made from a warm, dry box or a basket and should not be placed in a cold, damp basement. Cats catch cold easily and they also get rheumatism quickly if kept in damp places.

Most cats do not like baths, but they are clean animals.  A cat licks a paw and washes its face and head with its wet paw.  The cat uses its tongue to clean the rest of its body.  Although cats can clean themselves this way, they should be brushed often.  Brushing keeps the cat from swallowing loose hair when they clean themselves.

It is a mistake to give cats leftovers including fish bones.  Just like human beings, the amount of food a cat needs depends on the cat's age and size and how hard it plays.  A kitten needs enough food for it to reach full growth.  Cats like meat, fish, vegetables, milk and even cheese and nuts.  You may buy cat food in a local pet shop.  Cat food contains complete nutrients needed by the cat.  They also need to drink fresh water whenever they are thirsty.

Cats can be trained.  They should be taught the house rules.  They should know what things are not to be played with.

Place an enamel or plastic tray in a nook.  Fill the tray with sand. This will be its sand box each time your cat finishes a meal, take it to the sand box.  This is where the cat will urinate and excrete its wastes.  The cat will soon learn to go to the tray by itself.

A cat likes to hook its claws in a chair or a sofa, and then stretch or scratch.  You can train your cat to leave your furniture alone.  Wrap a piece of wood in a soft carpet or woolen cloth.  This can be used as your cat's scratching post.  Take the cat to this post each time it starts scratching.  The cat will soon learn to use the post instead of the furniture.

Most cats live about 14 years but some have reached 20 to 25 years.  Take care of your pet cat and it will live to be a friendly companion for many years.