Many vets recommend keeping cats indoors. It stops them from being stolen, run over, and wounded in fights with other animals. It also reduces their risk of disease, and it’s the end to administering poisons to control fleas and worms. Cats are very territorial animals so respond well to having a safe, secure indoor home.

 

If you keep your cat indoors, make sure none of your pot plants are toxic to pets as they are bound to snack on them. Although carnivores by nature, they like to nibble on grass. It helps them bring up hair balls and anything else they can’t digest properly. Eating grass helps to prevent intestinal blockages. Grandma was right – better out than in!

 

Buy two or three small pots, some potting mix and some grass seed and grow your own. Trim it with scissors when it gets too long, and keep the pots rotating. They look very decorative on the windowsill, and the small investment of time and money could save you an expensive vet’s bill. More importantly, your cat will love you for it.

 

Some cats have claws that don’t fully retract. If you have a cat that catches its claws on clothing and furniture, it’s a simple job to blunt the ends. Gently squeeze the paw and the claws will pop out. Nip off the points with your nail clippers (just the points, no more) and no more snags. Done every couple of weeks, your cat soon gets used to it.

 

People who have cat allergies are generally affected by a component of cat saliva which is found on cat hair because they lick themselves clean. If you have a friend who is allergic, it’s a good plan to vacuum before they arrive, get all the cat fur off at least one chair, and give your cat a wipe over with a damp cloth to remove any loose fur and excess saliva. As long as the cloth is damp, not wet, cats rarely even notice they’ve been “laundered”. I keep a toweling mitt for the purpose.

 

A lot of cats don’t like being brushed. The one brush that I have found that rarely fails to please is the humble scalp brush – those round brushes with soft plastic bristles made for humans. They only cost a few cents. They are easy to use, and it’s a rare cat that doesn’t like them. I’ve tried all sorts of expensive alternatives, but they prefer the cheap one not intended for animals. Isn’t that typical of a cat!