How to help a house cat live longer?
Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at
2:12 am
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First is lots of love, respect, and understanding. By that I mean, you have a cat with certain needs. Respect those needs, and understand why your cat does what he does. For example, I have a five year old hyper tabby cat who because of winter, doesn’t have access to the porch anymore. She’s getting more hyper, so I give her more toys, spend lots of time playing with her, and finding ways to keep her mentally active. It keeps her happy, but also less destructive.
Second is food. Feed a high quality, wet, grain free food, and it will reduce your cats chances of kidney disease, diabetes, urinary tract infections, and stones. These are all big killers in older cats, and most of it is caused by food. There’s a reason that kidney disease first became a major killer in the 70′s, and that is when the first push of indoor cats on dry cat food happened.
Other than taking them to the Vet’s when it’s necessary, there really isn’t anything you can do. I’ve had many cats for 50 years. One lived to be 17, one died at a year. Just do the best you can.
my cat lived till 23 years, she died two weeks ago of old age and wasn’t ill a day in her life right up until the week she passed away
my advice is lots and lots of love.. food, warmth and protection and treats…. and you cant go much wrong
The most important way to help your kitty live longer and happier is the nutrition in his food and making sure it is high in protein and is made of real ‘meat’ products. Of course neutering is on the list. Keep your kitty ‘slim’ and active, fat cats are more prone to diseases and bad health. Keeping his teeth healthy and brushing them will help add the years to your feline, especially as he grows older. Keep his mind AND body active by supplying him with cat toys and trees for him to climb and hide in. Provide him with a warm comforting place to sleep and remember they sleep up to 18 hours a day. Being a good parent includes keeping his area and environment clean and odor free. Giving him the loving attention he deserves each and every day, pets, love and attention to play time. Because your kitty is part of the family, he will live longer if you are there for him in every way possible. Finally building a good relationship with a qualified vet can extend the life of your kitty for many years to come.
Much of is probably genetics, but you can increase your cat’s chances of living a longer, healthier life by feeding a raw diet or a high-quality canned food.
http://catinfo.org/