Cats bring so much joy to their pet parents, it’s easy to understand why they would want to bring home as many cats as possible. However, the pet parent’s cats may feel differently. Before bringing more cats into a home, pet parents should consider the following:
When in doubt, pet parents can consult their vet about adding a new cat to the home.
On average, it can take anywhere from two to six weeks — or longer — to acclimate multiple cats living in a home. However, there’s no exact time frame and each situation is different. For example, introducing a kitten into the home may take less time because the kitten will be submissive to the adult cats. On the other hand, introducing a new adult cat can take longer because they may view the current cats as a threat and vice versa.
Prior to bringing the new cat home, pet parents should set up an area for the new addition in a small room — such as a bedroom or bathroom. This area should have a place for the cat to hide, a cat bed or towels, food, water, and a litter box.
When the pet parent gets home with the new cat, they should immediately take the cat to the area set up for them. The new cat should not immediately be introduced to the current cats. Once the cat is released into their new area, they can begin to explore. The new cat and current cats will be able to meet through the door and begin smelling each other.
Socializing cats is a form of cat training and should be done slowly and carefully. As the new cat becomes comfortable in their surroundings, the pet parent can begin letting the cat explore other areas of the home one room at a time. During this time, the cat should be supervised. Also, pet parents may want to place the current resident cats in a separate room while the new cat is first exploring the home.
If none of the cats are displaying aggression, the pet parent can begin introducing the cats without a barrier. Pet parents can also try using pheromone diffusers, Composure Chews, and sprays in the home to help calm the cats. In some cases, the cats never acclimate to each other and the new cat may need to be rehomed.
Also, it’s important the pet parent and other members of the family don’t try to force the new cat into being held or pet. The human family members should be quiet and calm, and give the new cat space. It's important to not overwhelm or frighten a cat that was just taken in.
It’s possible to have many cats living harmoniously in one household. The key is for pet parents to adequately assess their situation and know their cats' personalities. When in doubt, pet parents can contact a vet to ask their cat questions.
Since house cats don’t have to spend any energy hunting and searching for food, pet parents must engage their cats with exercise.
Pet parents may need to try a few different exercise methods before they find one that motivates their cat. Younger cats are typically more active and eager to play. On the other hand, older cats may need more convincing.
As mentioned above, the lack of hunting for food is one of the primary causes of obesity in house cats. One way pet parents can trigger their cat’s hunting instinct is to stop putting dry food in a bowl. Instead, pet parents can invest in puzzle feeders. These types of feeders require a cat to work for their food.
Some pet parents may think it’s cruel to make their cats work to get their food. However, puzzle feeders benefit cats in a multitude of ways. For one, the puzzle feeder encourages exercise. Second, these feeders trigger instinctive behaviors and stimulate the cat’s mind.
Cats prefer to be in elevated positions so they can have a bird’s-eye view of an area. Cats feel safest when they’re up high, which makes cat towers a must for the home. Pet parents should provide their cats with several cat towers throughout the home; climbing them is a great exercise for cats.
In addition to cat towers, pet parents can provide their cats with toys that encourage physical activity. It’s important for pet parents to invest in a variety of toys because cats will get bored and lose interest in the same toys. Rotating the toys and only having a few out at a time will prevent disinterest.
The following cat toys are excellent exercise toys:
If pet parents really want to get creative, they can make an agility course by incorporating cat towers, perches, and toys. However, if a pet parent has a very skittish cat, they may want to avoid toys that might scare their cat — such as electronic toys or noisemakers.
Another exercise option for pet parents is to allow their cats to explore outside. Cats can be trained to walk on harnesses and leashes. However, when trying this method, pet parents will need to be patient. Many cats, especially older cats, may be intimidated by the harness and the outside world.
Harness training can begin slowly inside the home. First, pet parents should introduce the harness and leash by setting them next to their cat and giving the cat a small reward. Next, the pet parent can attempt to put the harness on their cat. Once the harness is on, the pet parent will reward their cat.
Once the cat is used to wearing the harness, the pet parent can begin to take their cat outside. Pet parents can try to reward their cats when they go outside, but usually cats are too distracted by the new surroundings to acknowledge the reward.
Typically, the cat will be very cautious and will slowly sniff and explore their surroundings. If they get scared, the pet parent should immediately bring them back inside and remove the harness.
Every cat is different and not all cats will adapt to the harness. This training should be done gently and not be forced. By forcing the cat into a harness and making them go outside, pet parents could cause the cat a lot of unnecessary stress.
The primary cause of obesity in cats is overfeeding - leaving food out all day and not practicing portion control. An overweight cat should be on a specialized diet and pet parents will need to work closely with their vet to make sure their cat is getting the proper nutrition. If a cat is morbidly obese, they may need to be on a prescription diet.
Pet parents may also want to ask their vet about nutritional supplements for their cats.
Every cat is different, and their age, health, and abilities can help determine which exercises to try. However, establishing an exercise plan doesn’t have to be stressful for the pet parent or cat. Many of the exercise options provide the pet parents with bonding opportunities.
A cat's body temperature is naturally higher than a human's. In the summer months, this temperature goes even higher, and they become more sensitive to heat than humans. Here's how to keep cats cool in the summer heat.
A cat can't cool down without water. Some signs of dehydration are dry mouth and nose as well as lethargy. By the time dehydration sets in, there could already be some danger for their kidneys and urinary tract. To avoid dehydration, the following steps should be taken:
Even with fur, cats can sunburn. Surprisingly, cats are especially sensitive to ultraviolet rays. The skin underneath their fur does not produce melanin to protect them like human skin.
Short-haired cats and white cats are the ones most at risk of sunburn. So, it's advisable to not let them outside between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. — when the sun is at its peak.
All windows and curtains should be closed during the peak of the day, too. This will help the house stay cool and give less temptation for the cats to sit in a sunny window.
Shelter in outdoor areas and shady areas inside the house can help prevent overheating. Cat beds should be placed in a cool, quiet area of the house. Also, if there are no shady trees outdoors, a large umbrella can be used to create shade for them.
Fans can be installed inside the house so that the breeze encourages the cat to stay indoors. This is also necessary because sidewalks and pavements can get hot during summers and the heat can be damaging to a cat's feet.
Cats can't sweat like we do to cool down. They don’t generally pant like dogs either. If they happen to pant, they are dangerously overheated.
In the summer, a car's interior temperature can rise to an unsafe level within minutes — even with the windows cracked open. Cats are sensitive to temperature and can get heat stroke or worse.
Cats are independent. They also like to preserve their own health. So if they happen to wiggle out of that crack in the window, it’s not their fault. Here's some cat advice. Update their chip regularly — just in case they wander off in search of shade.
For more, reach out to the Fuzzy Veterinary Support Team 24/7 for cat health advice and wellness questions.
A collar and ID tag offers one solution for helping to reunite a lost cat with their pet parents. However, ID tags can get lost or become worn, cat microchips offer a more permanent form of identification.
The microchip implanted in the cat is a frequency identification transponder about the size of a grain of rice. A handheld scanner displays the chip’s unique identification number when passed over the chip. A vet or shelter can type that number into a database and find the contact information for a lost cat’s pet parents.
Cat microchipping might sound like an invasive procedure, but it’s actually pretty simple. A vet uses a preloaded syringe to inject the tiny chip into the skin between a cat’s shoulder blades. The process is similar to getting a vaccine. If you have any questions or concerns, you can ask a Fuzzy vet.
While a microchip for an outdoor cat might make sense, many pet parents with indoor-only cats often wonder if they need to microchip their felines, too. In short, every cat should get microchipped. There is always the possibility that an indoor cat can escape through an open door or window. Cats can receive a microchip even when they’re kittens. Some vets recommend microchipping your cat during a spay or neuter.
Getting a cat microchipped is just the first step. The next step is registering the ID number with a pet recovery database. Without this step, the microchip is ineffective. First, the pet parent will need to create an account. Then input the chip’s ID number and provide essential information for their cat, including current home address and phone number. The database can include additional contact numbers, a photocat, and other vital details.
There are many situations when a cat’s microchip information needs to be updated, for example change of address, phone number, or being adopted by new pet parents. They’ll need to update the details for the microchip on the recovery database.
If the appropriate recovery database is unknown, use the American Animal Hospital’s Lookup Tool to locate the right service. Then contact the correct database directly. As soon as the changes are saved, they’ll be reflected in the database.
Microchips help recover more than 10,000 missing pets every month. Microchipping is a fast, minimally invasive procedure that helps ensure a cat finds their way home should they ever get out or get lost. The best thing a pet parent can do aside from microchipping their cat is to make sure that the information is always up-to-date.
To humans, the amount of time cats spend sleeping can seem like a problem. A feline's lengthy sleeping habits, however, are typically perfectly normal. But why do cats sleep so much, though, and when should pet parents become concerned?
Generally speaking, how much time a cat spends sleeping depends on their age, and sleeping habits will likely change throughout their life:
Most pet parents with adult cats will begin to learn their feline's sleep patterns pretty quickly. For instance, they may notice their cat wakes up with them for breakfast and some social time before going about their day. As the humans of the house get on with their routine, the kitty may head off for the first of many naps of the day.
Cats sleep a lot for a variety of different reasons. These reasons are perfectly normal, and they typically aren't a cause for concern:
Wild cats have to hunt for their food. As such, they sleep a lot to conserve energy. While domesticated house cats don't usually have to hunt for anything to eat – although they may track down the occasional bug or rogue rodent – they still retain those wild instincts.
In warmer parts of the world, cats sleep as a means of keeping cool. Their sleeping habits help to regulate their body temperature.
Most pet parents have felt the desire to stay in bed on a rainy day. Or perhaps they've noticed that a dreary day makes them feel sleepier, even if they got a full eight hours the night before. Even exclusively indoor cats are susceptible to feeling the effects of the weather outside.
Cats are crepuscular, which means that they're most active at the twilight hours of both dusk and dawn. For wild cats this makes sense, as it allows them to avoid larger predators that might be active in the late hours of the night or during regular daylight hours.
While many house cats keep similar patterns, they may also become accustomed to different sleeping habits. Felines are sociable creatures. A domesticated cat may alter their sleep schedule so they can spend more time with their pet parents or other pets in the house. Cats may also develop different sleeping patterns based on their feeding schedule, which is much more predictable than the eating schedule of a cat in the wild.
Many pet parents have had those days where they don't want to get out of bed. They want to sleep in because they can. It feels good to lounge in a comfortable spot. Cats aren't all that different. Many laze about because they enjoy it. Their personalities or breed traits may align more towards that of the lazy loaf, which isn’t inherently a bad thing.
Like humans, cats do reach deep sleep, but they don't do so every time they lay down for a nap. Much of their time spent lounging is actually snoozing or light sleeping. During these times they're getting rest, but they're still alert to their environment or movement around them. Pet parents may notice that their feline's ears still move around when there's a noise. Some cats may even “sleep” with their eyes slightly open. This is all to avoid potential dangers and their brain and nervous system have specifically evolved to benefit from many types of sleep depth.
Cats sleep a lot. Their snoozing patterns alone typically aren't enough to let pet parents know there's something wrong. Understanding a feline's habits and body language when snoozing, however, can help.
Pet parents with suddenly sleepy cats should keep an eye out for any of the following symptoms:
If a pet parent notices their cat sleeping significantly more or less than usual, signs of abnormal movement, or if they’re fully awake but physically lethargic it may be time to check in with an online vet in case any other illness symptoms may be presenting but are going unnoticed.
For cats, sleeping a lot is perfectly natural and shouldn't be a cause for worry. If pet parents start noticing their feline is sleeping even more or less than usual, however, checking in with a veterinarian or using a live vet chat service can’t hurt. Sudden changes in a cat’s sleep patterns can indicate a health or behavior concern and getting a credible opinion on the matter could help cat parents find issues before they become more medically serious. Diagnosing the cause of the sudden sleepiness can help pet parents get the treatment their cat needs to ensure their ongoing health and happiness.
]]>When loose tissue in the upper airways vibrates, it creates the rumbling sound that we associate with snoring. Snoring usually happens when the cat is asleep because that’s when the airway is most relaxed. Most of the time cat snoring is caused by the position they’re sleeping in, but it could be a sign of a breathing problem.
Health conditions that can cause a cat to snore include:
Cats are susceptible to several diseases that impact the upper respiratory tract and can cause snoring. These diseases include:
Most common upper respiratory infections in cats can be prevented very early in life with a vaccine. Cat vaccines are vital for preventing cat breathing problems due to viruses. Pet parents can vaccinate their kitten at 6-8 weeks of age. These vaccines only work as a preventative measure, so vaccination won’t cure the cat if they contract the disease.
Preventing feline obesity can easily be done by providing the cat a good diet at a young age. Other ways to prevent feline obesity include:
Being high up offers cats a distinct advantage. They’re able to keep an eye on everything that goes on in their house — or at least everything that goes on in the room with the window perch.
Like humans, pets have different love languages, and different species demonstrate affection in different ways. Cats, no surprise, often express love and affection more subtly than dogs.
Perhaps the most universal sign of feline affection, purring is a tell-tale sign that a cat is happy and content. This is especially true if cats are purring while being stroked or petted.
Eye contact is key with cats. After all, eyes are the windows to the soul. Cats make direct eye contact with those they feel safe with. If a cat is starting and blinking slowly, as if falling asleep, they are expressing deep comfort and love.
Cats are notoriously clean creatures. Like with other animals, grooming is an incredibly valuable bonding experience between them and their humans. If a cat allows someone to comb its fur or brush their teeth, it means they’re very comfortable with that person. Similarly, cats grooming their parent(s) is another sign of affection.
Kneading is an instinctive behavior learned as kittens. While cats initially learn to do it as a means to express milk from their mothers, they carry the behavior into adulthood. Adult cats may knead to mark their territory, create a safe nest, and signal when they feel safe and cozy - especially if it's on their parent or nearby on soft blanket.
This one may be a bit of a head scratcher, but it's yet another behavior cats learn as kittens. Head butting, or the occasional cheek rub, allows cats to share their scent with humans and other animals, and vice versa. This scent exchange is an incredibly important bonding experience between cats and others, signaling comfort, possiveness, and affection.
Are there other distinct ways a cat shows affection? Of course. Pets are as unique as their parents. If a pet parent has any questions or concerns about the ways a cat is behaving they can contact Fuzzy’s veterinary support team via 24/7 Live Vet Chat to ask if the behavior is normal or if adjustments can be made to make the cat more comfortable and therefore more willing to share affection.
]]>Cats' eyes are one of nature’s best designs - literally. How does my cat see in the dark at night? To support their nocturnal behavior, cats eyes’ have several features specifically tailored to help them hunt efficiently during nighttime hours.
]]>While it may seem like it, your cat doesn’t have built-in night vision goggles. They do, however, have acute eyesight that only requires a fraction of the light human eyesight needs - one-sixth to be exact. Though they can’t see in 100% darkness, cats can pick up on the smallest bits of low light to color in a space and move through what, to humans, seems dark. Outside that low lighting is often moonlight. Indoors or in a city there are more than enough devices and reflective surfaces to illuminate a cat’s vision.
Cats' eyes are one of nature’s best designs - literally. To support their nocturnal behavior, cats eyes’ have several features specifically tailored to help them hunt efficiently during nighttime hours.
First is the actual shape. Cats’ infamous slit-like pupils allow more light into the eye than humans’ circular pupils.
The second is the size. Cat eyes can expand at night, to the point where their pupils suddenly become the size of small saucers. This is, again, made by design. Dilation allows more light into the eye, permitting cats to see even in dimly lit situations and allowing them to focus on very specific details. Dilation makes hunting a far more successful endeavor.
Humans have a 180-degree field of vision. Cats, on the other hand, have a 200-degree field. These extra twenty degrees give cats expanded peripheral vision, which takes “seeing something out of the corner of your eye” to a whole new level. Great for cats, not so much for mice, lizards, or crickets lurking around the house. With a wider field of vision, cats can view more minute light sources and motions.
Feline vision is far superior to human vision, but to top it all off cats can also see ultraviolet light. So, they don’t have night-vision goggles, but they do have a built-in blacklight filter thanks to the UV waves their own eyes transmit. Similar to some snakes’ vision, this is especially helpful in tracking bio-fluorescent urine trails left by potential prey.
Living with cats day in and day out can make it difficult to remember that they’re also incredibly complex and fascinating creatures. The more we understand them and how their bodies work, the better parents we can all be. If a cat seems to be moving differently, has watery eyes, or is less sure in its low-light movements consider speaking with a veterinarian. Much like humans, as cats age, their eyes may naturally encounter some health complications. Fuzzy’s 24/7 Live Vet Chat is available to answer any general or acute questions you might have about your cat’s vision and health.
]]>