Caring for your Cat

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Remember:  A cat is for life!  Don’t buy or adopt a cat unless you can commit to caring for it for longterm.


Diet
Exercise
Grooming/Bathing
Training
Vaccinations
Health
Neutering
Declawing
Toilet Training
Indoor Cats

Diet

  • Cats are carnivores (meat eaters). They have specific nutritional needs and should be fed age-appropriate, high protein, high quality food.
  • Clean water should always be available, and the water and food bowls should be cleaned daily.
  • Cats should be fed 2 meals a day. 
  • Kittens grow so rapidly, they need high quality kitten food for their nutritional demands.
  • Young kittens, <4 months need to be fed 3-4 times a day
  • Kittens up to 6 months of age need to eat 2-3 times a day.

Exercise

  • Cats and kittens enjoy the exercise associated with play.
  • Provide toys to chase and entertain. If there are two felines in the household, they will keep active by chasing and playing with each other.

Grooming/Bathing

  • Most cats do not need to be bathed as they are very clean animals
  • Start grooming your cat at an early age, brushing and grooming helps rid excess hair that may form hairballs
  • Nail trimming should be done once a month
  • Cats’ ears need regular gentle cleaning to ensure they are free of parasite.

Training

  • Cats can be trained but they do learn differently. Patience and practice are the key. Refer to cat care guides for more information.


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Vaccinations

The following vaccinations are routine in Thailand

  • Feline distemper- Rhinotracheitis-Calcivirus , annual injection
  • Feline Leukaemia , annual injection
  • Rabies, annual injection
  • Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), annual nasal drops

Vaccinations must be kept current to protect your pet.

Health

As well as regular annual vaccinations, your cat/kitten must be wormed regularly - every 3 months is recommended. To keep your cat/kitten as healthy as possible you should

  • feed appropriate high quality food
  • keep in a safe environment
  • give regular vaccinations
  • keep your pet indoors especially at night
  • groom your pet daily to keep it free of parasites

Neutering

Neutering will improve your cats’ life, a neutered cat will NOT develop uterine, ovarian or testicular cancers and the risk of mammary cancer is significantly reduced. Neuter your cat at 6 months of age at the latest to prevent unwanted litters.

Declawing

This procedure is outlawed in many countries and should NEVER be considered. Cats can be trained not to claw furniture by the provision of scratching posts and cat trees. If you have rescued a de-clawed cat they should never be allowed outside unsupervised as they have no defences against any dangers.

Toilet Training

Cats and kittens are naturally clean animals. They need a litter box in a quiet place with appropriate cat litter; you will find they will use the litter with very little encouragement. The litter needs to be scooped at least once daily to remove waste as cats are fastidious with their toilet habits generally, and will stop using a litter box if it’s not kept clean.

Indoor Cats

Cats make ideal indoor pets.  They do not need to go outside and will be very happy in an indoor environment provided they have plenty of things to keep them amused. In Bangkok this is a sensible consideration for two main reasons: many people live in apartments/condos, so an indoor pet is easier; the streets of Bangkok are not safe for cats due to the prevalence of street dogs and the busy roads. If you live in a condo with balconies you should consider screening your balcony or not giving your cats access as, whilst unusal, it is possible for them to fall and suffer injury.

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