Kitty Kats

I have a tip to share about bathing cats. Many people may think, as I used to, that you have to put your cat in the tub, get it soaking wet, shampoo it and dry it with a towel! I used to do this as a kid as I didn't know better.

Later on, I developed my own method which is much easier and less "traumatic" for the kitty kat. I will wet a wash cloth and wipe the cat down, then put soap on the wash cloth and rub it clean, then I take another wet washcloth and clean off the soap. The cat doesn't mind as much. And I make sure to use lukewarm water so as not to startle the cat with water too cold, or water too hot of course.

I like to talk to my cat with a calm, reassuring voice while doing so, to let him/her know that it's okay and help it to relax. I only bathe the cat when necessary though because cats keep themselves clean by licking their fur. lol.

Brushing and grooming

I have a short hair cat, so I don't need to do a lot of grooming, but I do brush its fur about once a week or even daily. The cat also likes the attention and the massage-like feeling as well.

Feeding cats

I feed my cat dry food. Never give a kitten wet food, as it will get diarrhea. Kittens need dry food and water and not milk although in cartoons you see cats getting milk. My cat is older and usually older cats need wet food because their teeth are older but my cat will not eat it! He will only eat tuna fish or soft cats treats.

Don't eat cat food!

Lol, of course this is obvious. But some people find cat food like cat treats to smell yummy. Why I don't know. I decided to try tasting a cat treat one day, out of curiosity. It was ok but when I chewed it, which I never thought I'd do, haha, it was yucky!! So I spit it out and washed the rest down with a glass of water.

This kitty kat was an indoor cat it's whole life, until I brought him to my parent's house. His name is Lenny. He met Maurice, my Mom's cat and they had an interesting time getting to know one another! Maurice is an outdoor cat with a yard, and a neighborhood full of kitty friends. I thought it would be nice for Lenny to go outside, so I let him. And he had a ball!

Maurice actually showed Lenny how to go out and helped watch over him so he wouldn't get lost, and helped him get back home. I observed Maurice leading Lenny outside, urging him to follow. Lenny did. They had fun, and when I went for walks down the street, they would follow me which was so cute! Lenny was a chubby cat, and he eventually lost three pounds, so I think it was great for him. But one day I came home and Lenny was gone. He got lost and disappeared.

There were coyotes in our town. Lenny may not have gotten away, sadly, while Maurice was a veteran of the outdoors, but still, I think my Mom should have kept them inside. I was very upset that Lenny was gone and my mother cried a lot. So, be careful about that.

Cats need a lot of water, especially in the heat, so make sure they get plenty of it. A good idea you can do, is get a special water dish that keeps refilling. These can be bought online or in a store like Walmart. Some have a waterfall type action which cats love.

Playing with cats and affection

Cats like time alone to sleep for hours, but they also want affection and will starve emotionally if they don't get it! Make sure to pet your cats and spend time with it, or let it sit with you while you read or watch tv. Cats make good comfort animals if you're sad or lonely, they will come to you as they sense that. Cats make great pets!

To the right is a picture of Maurice, when he was younger. He is close to 13 years now and sheds a lot. I am extra gentle with him. He also meows a lot because he likes to talk, or he wants food, attention, or to go outside.