Cat-ifying Your Home: Things Your New Feline Furbaby Needs
Avoid overspending while ensuring your feline furbabies have everything a cat could want and more! Here’s a list of what they really need.
Just like welcoming a new baby in the house, welcoming a new furbaby—and a feline at that—means that we need to prepare the house. After all, cats, despite appearing less clingy, need a lot more things to feel safe with their new furparents and in their homes. By making sure your home has these essentials, you don’t just make them happy, but your home stays safe too!
Here’s a list of the cat essentials to help your feline furbaby feel loved in their furever home.
1. Cat Tree
Cats love to scratch because it’s their version of a finger massage. And so, to prevent them from marking our furniture, get them a cat tree. They usually come in different sizes and heights, but the larger ones allow the cat to stretch its body, especially after sitting or observing us all day.
Some cat trees are just poles with ropes wrapped around them, but others are like playgrounds that can serve as their “sleeping spot” too. On the other hand, some pet stores sell ready-made cat trees, but places like Cartimar custom-make them too. Just disinfect them before bringing them into the home.
For best results, we suggest putting the cat tree by the window. That way, the cat will get ample sunlight and enjoy its own personal TV: the great outdoors!
2. Dental Treats
Older cats are more prone to dental problems. While getting them used to brushing their teeth can be challenging (those claws hurt!), dental treats are an easier alternative that can offer some protection. Plus, they come in different flavors too!
Some furparents like buying the catnip flavor one, but since cats are obligate carnivores, they just love the chicken-flavored dental treats. These are usually available in places like Bow and Wow or Pet Warehouse.
Keeping their teeth clean also prevents a stressful trip to the vet for dental prophylaxis—a minor surgery that involves thoroughly cleaning the teeth. To avoid resorting to this, make sure to build the habit of keeping their teeth clean early on.
3. Litter Box and Cat Litter
Unless you have a garden, cats need a litter box to do their business. There are many kinds of litter boxes available in the market, but always get the one that matches our furbaby’s ability to jump. They usually come in plastic and dust guards to prevent the litter from spilling out. However, there are automated ones that also scoop their urine and feces out for you.
Cat litter, on the other hand, allows our feline furbabies to hide their scent at home. Because they’re hunters by nature, any trace of their scent makes them anxious. Why? That leaves them vulnerable and open to tracking. To save on money, I personally wait for Lazada or Shoppee sales and then buy what I need in bulk. One bag of cat litter—which is around 6 liters—can last around 2 months.
4. Scooper and Dipper
The Filipino tabo has its uses as a litter scooper. But specialty scoopers are really made for taking out litter because they have little holes that allow “clean” litter to pass through. They’re usually around PHP 30.00 to PHP 40.00 and are easy to wash.
After use, some cat owners spray the scooper with a mix of dish soap and water to clean it so that the pee—being acidic—doesn’t melt the plastic.
5. Feather Toys
Cats love hunting and feather toys are, by far, their favorite. After all, the feathers resemble a bird, which is their natural prey in the wild.
Playing with your cat at home, which is a good bonding experience and all, also reduces the amount of “zoomies”—those moments early in the morning when they start meowing and howling for God knows what reason.
Depending on the cat’s personality and preference, you can either buy the one with the bell or the one without. Mine personally likes the one without the bell. Not sure why but it’s probably more because it simulates a “real” hunt.
6. A Box
Yes, a box. It can be any kind of box—plastic, cardboard, wood, or even cloth. Cats operate with the whole “If I fits, I sits” mentality and they will squeeze themselves into anything and everything. Moreover, they love boxes because it allows them to “stalk.” They have hunter-like personalities which is why they are capable of staying in one place for so long—they’re stalking us.
But if your cat has separation anxiety (which some of them do), having a plastic box near your work-from-home set-up comforts them in more ways than you think. The more boxes we have, the better.
7. Brushes (Deshedding Brush, Lint Brush, and a Regular One)
Yes, you’ll need these three brushes if your cat is the fluffy kind! We may love looking at fluffy cats but the love and care that goes into maintaining their coat is demanding. The deshedding brush helps reduce the chances of the fur matting and furballs which are not fun to clean. On the other hand, a regular brush helps keep their fur looking nice and shiny.
And the lint brush? That’s more for us. We may love our furbabies but our dark-colored clothes don’t.
8. Pet Shampoo
Although cats groom themselves, giving them a deep clean every so often helps loosen up the fur they’re shedding off. It also helps more senior cats who don’t have the flexibility or agility anymore to clean themselves. Plus, it makes the smell nice!
Pet shampoo is weaker than typical human-grade shampoo since there might be ingredients in the latter that will dry out their skin.
9. Cat Kibble and Wet Food
Vets often advise against feeding our feline furbabies kibble—only because it could damage kidneys, even more so if they’re not fond of drinking water. If your cat simply refuses to drink water then, the wet food can help a little. What some cat owners do is boil some pumpkin (kalabasa) and mix the kibble with the broth so that their cats can get some much-needed hydration.
Preventing cat-astrophic results at home!
Most people complain about cats because, unlike dogs, they have very distinct personalities. Although they have some similar behaviors, which is why we know what they more or less need, how they respond to it sets them apart. But so long as these cat essentials are in the home, your feline furbaby will ease in a lot faster than others.
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