Cat Fact Files

A kitten that is house-bound in the early stages will need an indoor litter tray. However, a healthy adult cat that is an active outdoor type will not normally require an ‘indoor toilet’ as most (if not all) its toileting will be performed outside.

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It is a good idea to place a kitten that is just walking up directly into the tray. Instinct will often take over as its moves its paws around the litter material. Once a kitten has used a tray once, it will instinctively try to ‘over-mark’ its own toilet scents. If a kitten has soiled [...]

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It is wise to change litter material that has been exposed to an adult cat on a daily basis. Young kittens will not usually produce copious amounts of urine and faeces, and it can be useful not to over-clean the tray in the early days to encourage its use. Cats are very clean animals. To [...]

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It is natural for a cat to scratch an upright object such as a tree in nature, in order to scent mark its territory. Because of this, if you do not have an appropriate target for this behavior you’ll be asking for the cat to be destructive towards walls, doors, door frames, furniture and furnishings.

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It is a good idea to use purpose-made cat bowls that can be identified by the cat, and kept clean and use. It is important that bowls are weighted to prevent them from travelling around the floor when the cat is feeding. Although side plates can be used to offer food to a cat, it [...]

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Bowls that are cleaned out on a daily basis will not become encrusted with traces of uneaten food. A daily warm water rinse, plus a weekly wash with soap, is all that should be required. Any residue from strong-smelling detergents can cause a cat to decline it’s food, so these should be avoided.

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The simple answer is to provide a combination of food and comfort, and a happy home. A contented cat will not want to wander far from the place where creature comforts are never far away. If an adopted cat attempts to return to a previous area, it is important that the neighbours there do not [...]

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The best home for my cat is yours. However, someone you know and trust may be the best person to adopt your cat if that become necessary. You could approach a close family member, a relative or a neighbour if the need to rehome is urgent. Failing that, you can contact rescue organizations and individuals [...]

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Some cats become entirely dependent on their owner. As ‘replacement litter mothers’ or ‘replacement lead cats’ humans can easily turn the relationship into one that encourages feline over-dependency and nervousness. In this situation. When a partner first appears they are probably viewed by the cat as an extremely large competitor. An ‘intelligent’ Cat, in feline [...]

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It seems logical to offer a cat food in the same place all the time. Many owners place the food and water bowls on the same feeding mat, which is left permanently in position, but in fact it is useful to provide alternatives. If you can supervise, it is a good idea to move the [...]

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