Three aspects to consider when having a pet cat

By Kenny Ng Cheng Han

 

Mimi’s constant purring in the middle of the night woke me up. When I open my door, I wonder what she wants but she walks away. This is the life of having cats as pets, they think they are the bosses and we humans need to fulfil their every need.

As we are their “servants”, it is important to address all their basic needs in order for them to have a healthy and happy life. There are three aspects that are required for new cat owners to keep in mind:

1) Vaccination
There are many different types of vaccination jabs available and it is best to ask a veterinarian what suits your cat best according to their age, gender and breed. I once had two four-month old stray kittens that started to regurgitate everything they ate due to a virus infection. I was advised to have them vaccinated in order to prevent such problem from resurfacing.

 

2) Litter training
If you bought your cat from the pet store, most likely, you would not have to litter train them as they would have already been properly trained. If not, you have to slowly introduce your new feline friend to the litter box by placing it inside the box so that it gets used to the smell and feeling of a filled litter box. It might not be instant but they will gradually get accustomed to the litter box.

 It is a different story with an outdoor cat. Most cats are primed to scour the neighbourhood in search of the perfect spot to do their business and such areas are usually the one with soft digging materials such as sand or soil.

3) Food
Cat biscuits are the way to go for domestic cats. However, you need to remember that there are a variety of biscuits in the market and it differs according to the age of your cat. If a fully-grown cat eats biscuit meant for kittens, it will fall sick from insufficient nutrients and calorie intake.

 

Public relations and marketing major Lim Yuen Mun, 21, encountered this problem before.

 

“I kept buying the exact same packet of biscuits for my cat, Miu Miu, for an entire year while she was growing up. During the later stage of that year, Miu Miu started to look lethargic, passive and skinny. Upon further inspection at the vet, it was confirmed that my cat’s diet was wrong because I’d bought biscuits that were made for cats below eight-months old.” she said.

Now that you know the basic needs to having a happy cat, here’s hoping it stays that way.