What You Need As a Cat Owner

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If you follow my Instagram account, you probably already know about Rocky. She is our super adorable tortoise kitty. We got her last spring after a giant hailstorm in our neighborhood that was strong enough to knock out house and vehicle windows plus just about everyone had to get brand new roofs.

Little baby rocky and her two sisters were found outside someone’s front door but no momma anywhere. After a couple days of hoping the mom would show up, she never did. So my neighbor across the street took in these weeks old kittens and fed them around the clock. The whole street chipped in trying to help her make sure they survived. So long story short… we kept one of the kittens.

Here Rocky is as a kitten getting a sink bath with her sister…

Here she is nowadays… Livin’ the life!

So what does it take to keep this cat healthy and happy and safe? There’s things to think about like food, comfort, vet visits, and playtime.

Food & Water

When Rocky was a teeny tiny kitten with no momma, she was fed specific formula milk for kittens that have lost their mother. It’s called Kitten Milk Replacer. There are certain steps to move a kitten to wet food and then to dry food. Once we did move our cat to dry food, we have kept her on it since. Occasionally, we give her treats and catnip. Eventually, when she gets old, we’ll probably have to put her back on wet cat food.

Regardless of what type of food your cat will be eating, you’ll need a feeding and watering station. So you will need a food bowl and a water bowl. We also have a Tupperware type canister that I pour the cat food in so it doesn’t go stale. There are lots of options for a feeding station for your fur ball and some of these are automatic feeders which is handy especially if you will have to be gone overnight. Be sure to clean the food and water bowls frequently to get rid of bacteria. I usually put in fresh water each morning.

Comfort

Cats can be one of the most relaxed animals on the planet. They can sleep just about anywhere – like stretching across a computer keyboard. Still, they seem to have their favorite places to nap and can be picky about how they are petted or played with. And if their litter box isn’t clean they might feel more comfortable using the bathroom somewhere else. Eew.

You’ll obviously need a litter box. There are many choices for a litter box but what we spent the extra money for was an automatic setup called the PetSafe ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter Box. This was the best money we ever spent on any pet. Ok, it was more for my sanity and to keep my gag reflex from going nuts. It is sooo easy to clean up the litter because you just purchase litter trays that are disposable. Totally worth the money!

If you are planning on having a cat, be ready for her deciding her favorite places to nap. You might try purchasing a cat bed or hut or might find that she just wants to lounge on dining room chairs every day. Rocky seems to have several nap locations throughout the house that she rotates through each day. There’s the morning spot which is in a papasan chair. The mid morning spot on a dining room chair. Afternoons are spent either outside or on the poof in the picture above(her fav spot). And during the evening or night, she sleeps on the end of my bed. There are plenty of other places she sleeps in our house but that’s her main routine. If that’s not enough sleeping spots, we’ve been considering getting her a cat tree for her to play on and sleep on.

Safety

Cats can be sneaky. Our cat loves to go outside and chase anything from snakes to bugs to frogs and more. So it’s important to make sure your cat has a collar and way a person can contact you in case she get lost. We just finally purchased our cat’s collar and engraved tag while we were at PetSmart. After purchasing a tag we took it to their TagWorks machine near the checkout lanes(don’t forget you’ll need your receipt for the activation number) and made a cute little “name tag” for Rocky…

You will also want to make sure there are no plants or animals that can harm your kitten in your home. Also make sure to keep sharp items put away, always put knives and forks in the dishwasher facing down, and leave windows shut that your pet could fall out of. And make sure your cat’s vaccines are up to date as well as any heartworm or flea&tick medicine.

Vet Visits

Don’t skip vet visits. And remember to spade or neuter you pet. This is so important to keep the pet population down. Vet visits can help make sure you cat could stay healthier for a longer time. It is also a good way to remember to get the yearly vaccines such as rabies and to help remember to keep up with medicines like heartworm or flea&tick.

Playtime

One of my favorite things about having a cat is playtime! Rocky has slowed down just a little, but she still gets the zoomies where she sprints from here to there all over the house. Sometime we’ll be getting her a cat tree but we do have lots of toys for her to play with like a stuffed bumble bee that we put catnip in to just pieces of yarn. She loves to chase this stuff.

Because Rocky is mainly an indoor cat we try to make sure she gets plenty of exercise. Luckily, there are 5 of us that keep her busy! My kids will run circles around the kitchen island with our cat chasing behind them until she is worn out. I’m sure she does get plenty of exercise and definitely gets plenty of cuddling as we all love giving her attention.

These are just some of the important things you need as a cat owner to take good care of your furry baby! Be sure to speak with your vet about the best food, medicine, safety and more for your cat.

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