Cats
4 Ways to Extend the Lifespan of Your Pet Cat
Sep
When you adopt a kitten as a new pet owner, you might not think about it but at the back of your mind is the idea of their lifespan. The only thing you can think of with this beautiful memory with your kitten is making new memories together with him as they grow along the years.
You might not know it, but the choices you make for him along the years on how they lived and stayed with you can affect them when they are in their senior years. Just like us humans, depending on our lifestyle, it affects us as we grow older.
Some pet owners might not ever realize that a well taken care cat can live for more than 15 years. So to get the best out of their lifespan and have a happy long lasting life with you, here are some ways on how to extend it.
1. Keep Them Inside Your Home
The best and probably the greatest way to insure that your cat can have a long lasting and healthy life is to keep them inside your home all the time. Cats that live inside the house all the time can outlive outside cats or even cats that go in and out of the house all the time.
Even though you say that your cat enjoys the outside world when you let it out, it does not really need to go outside. There are many dangers if you let your cat out which might result in shortening their life or even ending it in an instant. Some of the dangers include some diseases that stray cats or other outside cats carry might be passed on to your cat. Another thing which is very common is getting an injury from fight with another cat or even from a dog or other animals outside your house. One of the worst thing that they might get outside is getting food poisoned because you never know what your cat might eat while they walk along everywhere. And lastly they might get hit along the road by a passing vehicle.
Some people might also say that they just let their cats go outside and they just stay in the yard. One fact is that it will not stay in the yard unless you have your cat on a leash. Once a cat sees something that gets their attention, it will follow it or even attack it. It might even scare your cat and he might run away. We never know what happens in the yard.
Letting them outside is okay but it is much better to let them stay inside the house which reduces the risk significantly.
2. Annual Visit with Vet
A yearly visit with the vet is the best way to see that your cat is living a healthy life. It is also the best way to check up upon your cat and see if he has some health problems. The vet will recognize the early symptoms and signs of those health problems.
You might think that visiting a vet is just a waste of time and money but in reality it really helps extend the lifespan of your cat’s life. You never know that if your cat is sick or feeling sick inside unless you have the vet have a look at him. Just think of the vet as defense against your cat’s diseases.
Although vet visits are never easy, you can make your pet cat comfortable while travelling with a durable cat enclosure.
3. Feed Your Cat High Quality Cat Food
You are what you eat. Just like us humans, what we eat will result on something else in the near future.
Feeding your cat high quality food will definitely extend their life. High-quality cat foods have more nutrients in it that your cat needs and is made specifically for cats.
When feeding your cat, just be sure to keep their feeding bowl clean all the time and free from leftover cat foods to have the best result. The leftover foods might have some bacteria on it as it is left over time in the open air, and you don’t want your cat to catch those.
4. Always Have Time to Play with Them
Playing with your cat is your responsibility as their owner. A cat needs to move around to exercise, and the best way for them to exercise is to play and run around.
You can use some cat toys to play with them. Not only will you have fun playing and annoying your little cats but also it is good for them. So, let them move around all the time as they play.
Always remember that a cat that plays a lot is healthier and happier than a cat that just lays around all day with nothing to do.
One last thing to remember is to keep an eye on any behavioral changes that your cat show. A sudden change in their behavior might be a sign that they are sick or something is wrong. So if your cat doesn’t respond to you on playing games or does not eat, the best thing you do is assess the situation or bring him to the vet if necessary.
The ways on how to extend their lifespan is not a total guarantee that they will live a long life for you don’t know what might happen in the future and the factors affecting your cat. This is just a way of extending them with your own control.
