18 important information before adopting a cat

Find out how to properly prepare your home for your cat’s arrival

Adopting a cat is a decision that can bring a lot of joy and companionship. However, before bringing a furry feline into your home, there are several important aspects to consider. From preparing the environment to spending quality time with the animal, every step of the adoption journey requires care and attention.

“Cats give the ‘false’ impression of being more independent, but, like other pets, they need care in relation to their health, safety and well-being”, explains Ana Elisa Arruda Rocha, veterinarian and teacher of the Medicine course Veterinary at UniCuritiba.

PrepareI walk home to the new pet

Playful, fun and full of energy, the cats They need much more than affection. Before having a pet, you need to analyze all the responsibilities and expenses related to the new family member. The first aspect is to check whether the family has the time and willingness to dedicate themselves to petunderstanding your kind.

Veterinarian Ana Elisa Arruda Rocha reminds us that it is essential to prepare the environment and have the necessary infrastructure in place so that the animal feels safe and welcomed. Additionally, caring for a puppy can be difficult during the adjustment phase. “It’s important to embrace the new pet for preventive advice. The vet is a great ally at this time and helps to clarify all the doubts of the owners, as well as providing the necessary information for a good relationship, “he warns.

In this sense, take a look at the 18 tips below to make it easier to adapt and live with your new cat!

1. Financial resources and time

Evaluate the financial resources and time you will have available to care for the cat. The life expectancy of these pets they are 15 to 20 years old.

2. Essential supplies

Get everything you need to welcome a cat into your home: a comfortable den or kennel, scratching posts, climbers or shelves, age-appropriate food, litter tray and bowls for food and water.

3. Waste box

Having a sandpit for every cat in the house and one more. The boxes must be spacious, deep and with sufficient substrate for the feces to be buried. Choose sanitary sand that is as similar to natural sand as possible.

4. Water and food

Always keep fresh, clean water available. Choose food and water bowls with wide mouths. Cats don’t like to touch the edges of their whiskers while drinking or eating.

5. Proper nutrition

Offer adequate food to cats, remembering that they are carnivores. Invest in wet foods (cat pates) and animal-based proteins, such as chicken breast and beef. It is important that, from an early age, they get used to the different consistencies of food. Don’t offer only dry food.

6. Periodic exams

If you already have a cat at home, before bringing them together it is important to carry out tests to identify any diseases that can be transmitted between them. Leave the “new” cat in quarantine and gradually adapt to it.

7. Joint adoption

Bringing multiple cats together in the same environment can cause stress and difficulties in adapting and relating to each other. The advice for those who want to have more than one cat is to adopt together animals that already get along, encouraging the coexistence of this group.

8. Toys and snacks

Usage toys and snacks to help with the development of your pet. Puppies learn better and faster. Socialization should occur predominantly within the first four months of life.

9. Forms of identification

Equip yourself with a microchip or collar with identification tag and contact details.

10. Transport box

Get a carrier to take your cat to the vet, during trips or outings.

11. Blocking the escape route

Block your cat’s access to possible escape routes or dangerous places, such as shelves with cleaning products, potted plants or electrical cords.

12. Talk to your vet

Talk to the veterinarian on food, behavior, well-being, vaccines, flea treatments, deworming and neutering.

13. Rest places

Maintain options for resting places around the house. Adult cats sleep up to 20 hours.

14. Have scratching posts and shelves

Scratching posts and shelves These are important items for anyone living with a cat. Without this, it tends to scratch sofas, bookcases, curtains and ends up climbing in inappropriate places.

15. Protection on windows and balconies

Install protections on windows and balconies. Active and curious, cats are easy to climb and can fall from high places.

16. It’s time to pay attention

Take some time to pay attention and play with your cat. Simple toys, such as paper balls and cardboard boxes, are great resources for storing food pet happy and healthy.

17. Contact with nature

Let your cat play outside, walk on the grass, explore the environment. Contact with nature is very important. Choose quieter times of the day for the walk, on a leash and away from predators.

18. Adopt habits early

Adopt all these habits from an early age, preferably before four months of age.

Unconditional love

According to the UniCuritiba professor, the advantages of having a cat are many. Starting from loyalty to owners and positive effects on health. “They are affectionate, sociable, clean and usually quieter,” comments the vet.

The benefits also extend to physical health and mental of tutors. The presence of a cat in the house reduces cortisol levels, a hormone linked to stress. The “therapeutic” effect includes improving sleep quality and controlling blood pressure.

A study from the University of Minnesota shows that cat owners have a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who do not live with cats. They also decrease anxiety and stress, reveals an article published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

“If you are well prepared to receive the pets and aware of the expenses and responsibilities, tutors will have numerous advantages in living with these pets”, concludes the UniCuritiba professor.

For Marlise GrothMem

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.