Avoid These 20 Common Mistakes in Cat Care | Mistakes Every Cat Owner Should Be Aware

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Avoid These 20 Common Mistakes in Cat Care | Mistakes Every Cat Owner Should Be Aware

1. Removing claws of an outdoor cat
Because of dangers such as other animals and cars, outdoor cats often live less than five years, compared to indoor cats, who live closer to 18 or 20 years, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Mobile, Alabama. Help your outdoor cat protect itself by keeping its claws intact, says Ashley Rossman, DVM, a veterinarian with Glen Oak Dog & Cat Hospital. “They need their weapons,” she says. If your pet ends up getting into a fight with another animal, it could get critically injured if it doesn’t have a way to scratch.

2. Leaving food out
A whopping 60 percent of American cats are overweight or obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. There’s one main drive, says Virginia-based veterinarian Katy Nelson, DVM: leaving a bowl of food out all day. Especially if your kibble brand is high in carbs, your cat will be tempted to overeat. “I put it to my clients like this: if you put an entire cheese pizza from Ray’s Pizza in New York City out on the counter and left me to my own devices, I can almost guarantee that that entire pizza would be gone by the end of the day,” she says. “Whether my body needed it or not, carbs are just not all that filling.” Tack on months or years of eating like that, and it’s no surprise your cat might carry some extra weight. Not only is this bad for your cat, but leaving pet food out could also be making you sick.

3. Sticking with dry food
Especially if your cat can’t handle having its food out all day without over-eating, you might want to consider dishing out wet food for mealtime. “It has better water content, which is better for the kidneys,” says Dr. Rossman. Talk to your vet about how much and how often you should feed your pet. Speaking of your furry friend’s diet… what does catnip do to cats?

4. Avoiding the vet
Even seemingly healthy cats should get a checkup at the vet at least once a year, so don’t let your cat’s fear of crates keep you from keeping up with its health. Your vet might notice kidney disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, or other conditions that you might miss. You should also notify your vet if your cat is displaying these signs of depression. “All of these diseases may show zero or very subtle clinical signs until the disease has progressed significantly,” says Dr. Nelson. “Trust me, it’s worth the trouble to take them in to find a small problem while it’s still small.”

5. Serving high-carb food
Sorry, vegetarians, but you might need to put your personal beliefs on hold for your cat’s sake. Cats are true carnivores, and their systems aren’t designed to digest plant-based food, says Dr. Rossman. She recommends a grain-free, meat-based diet for cats so they can get the protein they need. If you’re concerned about animal rights, consider a brand like Open Farm, which uses ethically sourced proteins. In addition to plant-based food, there are also 11 other foods you should never feed your pet.

6. Making your cat an unbalanced meal
If you want to know exactly what’s going into your cat’s body, think twice before prepping its food yourself. Home-cooked meals often don’t offer your cat all the nutrients it needs, so use a site like balanceit.com for recipes you can feel good feeding your pet, says Dr. Rossman. In addition to using vet-approved recipes, it’s important that you know why you should never feed your cat milk.

7. Skipping vaccinations for indoor cats
Almost every state requires pets to have rabies vaccines unless the vet says there’s a medical reason not to, and just because your cat never ventures outdoors doesn’t mean it’s safe from diseases like rabies or leukemia, says Dr. Nelson. Your cat might make a dash outside, and even supervised kitties could catch Feline Leukemia just by going nose to nose with another cat, she says. “I’ve had clients who found a bat in their house (got in through the attic) and the bat tested positive to Rabies,” says Dr. Nelson. For your sake and your pet’s, follow your vet’s vaccination advice. If your cat is on edge, these factors might be making it cranky.

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