Cat health usually only crosses your mind when your cat is sick, which is most likely hardly ever.

Although cats are a much lower maintenance animal than dogs, there are some simple steps you can take keep your cat healthy.

#1. Clean the litter box: No, I don't mean just scooping the poop. When was the last time you washed it out with soap and hot water? A cat's litter box is one of the most neglected areas of the home.

#2 Clean the water bowl: Again, clean this out with hot soap and water. Putting clean water into a dirty bowl make the water dirty. Although you cannot see it, you can often feel a bio-film forming inside your cat's bowl. Bio-films are the slippery coating you feel. Bio-films are a great place for bacteria to live and thrive.

#3 Feed hard food: Although your cat prefers that nice soft food with lots of gravy, so your cat's health a favor and feed dry hard food. Dry food helps keep the amount of tartar on your cat's teeth down and helps to simulate the gums keeping them healthy.

#4 Foreign bodies: Don't let sewing kits, dental floss, or other types of strings laying around. Cats will eat these and can die very quickly if the string becomes trapped in the intestine. A peice of dental floss may seem innocent but can lead to large vet bills.

#5 Microchip your cat: You have the latest technology in your computer, put some in your cat. Microchips are a great way to recover lost pets. Almost all vet clinics and pet shelters these days have the technology to read the chips.

#6 Vaccinate your cat: If your cat goes outside or even thinks about going outside get them vaccinated. Diseases like Feline Leukemia are deadly and very prevalent in feral cats. Don't take a chance if your cat accidently gets lost.

#7 Stop behavior problems early: Behavior problems are the number one reason why cats are given over to shelters by their owners. The sooner you correct a behavior problem, the easier it will be.

#8 Check your cat's teeth: Check the back teeth called molars. These are the areas that plaque and gum disease can become really bad in cats. Try and check those back teeth out once a month.

#9 Give your cat a physical: No you don't have to do a complete physical or even be an expert to do it. Just look your cat over closely every couple of weeks so you know what 'normal' is on your cat.

#10 Clean the litter box: Did you get around to cleaning that litter box yet? Do it now before another Seinfeld rerun distracts you.

If you like this article let me know.  Check out my website about cat health.