Feline Care

Our team has compiled information on everything you need to know about your feline family members.

Cats need annual physical exams too!

Cats have a tendency to hide their problems, making early detection of disease more difficult. Routine examinations and blood work may catch diseases earlier, and treatment can be more effective. These regular examinations can catch diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease early, allowing us to help your cat before the issues become too serious.

At Cedar Way Veterinary Clinic, we know that finding reliable information on the web can be difficult at times. The Feline Health Center offers a variety of articles, brochures, and videos online for cat owners and enthusiasts alike. Here you will find links to articles and brochures that help answer frequently asked questions, as well as links to videos that demonstrate how to groom, medicate, and care for your cat. Click here to view reliable feline information.

Below you will find some topics and articles we have gathered to help you and your cat. Please click on a topic to learn more!

“Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. They have never forgotten this.”

– Anonymous

Bringing a New Cat Home

Thinking about adopting or bringing home a new cat? No matter the age, young, adult, or senior, bringing in a new pet of any sort can be overwhelming. We have gathered a number of guides to help you with all of your cat adoption questions.

Is bringing a new cat into the house a good idea? Click here to learn more about adding a new cat to your home.

Click here for 10 cat adoption tips and how to get set up for your new friend.

If you have other cats at home and want to bring in a new cat, please click here to learn more about how to introduce your new cat to your home.

Bringing a new kitten home can be exciting! Click here for a guide with some tips and tricks to make sure your kitten starts off on the right paw.

Behavioral Issues of Indoor Cats

It is generally recommended to keep cats indoors. Inside they are safe from predators and cars. Domesticated cats are the main predators of birds, causing the decline of many bird species. While keeping them indoors is ideal, some do develop behavioral issues. We have gathered a few guides to help with your indoor cat.

Click here to learn more about your cat’s indoor behaviors and how to increase environmental enrichment.

Is your cat acting weird? Click here for 5 possible reasons why.

Is your cat urinating inappropriately, avoiding the litter box, or having other litter box issues? Click here for our guide to help you decipher what may be bothering your cat.

Signs of Illness in Cats

Cats are very good at hiding their illness until they are very sick, but an observant owner may be able to catch the signs early. Click here for a guide of 10 signs that your cat may show when they are ill.

Scratching Behavior

Scratching is completely normal behavior for cats and can be beneficial to the health of their nails. They can, however, scratch unpreferred items such as couches or rugs. We have gathered a few resources to help you figure out how to get your cat to scratch where they should or help their scratching behavior.

Click here for our guide to understanding cat scratching and what to do.

Click here for a guide to help stop your cat from destroying furniture.

Sometimes you really cannot get your cat to stop scratching. Click here to learn more about the process of declawing and whether it is right for you.

Raising Children and Cats Together

Some cats enjoy children, but not all can tolerate sticky fingers, rough tugs on the tail, or the general noisiness that accompanies kids. Before you adopt a cat, find out which breeds do best with children and discuss the decision to get a pet with your kids. They’ll more likely accept some responsibility for the pet if you lay the groundwork and they feel involved.

Training Your Child

Small kittens are easily hurt when mishandled by a well-intentioned but rough kid, and larger cats can strike out when provoked. Cat-scratch fever isn’t just a Ted Nugent mantra. It’s a real medical concern that affects about 22,000 people each year. Here are some rules to teach your children about handling a cat:

  • Gently approach the kitty to see if they wants to play. If they seems preoccupied with other thoughts, leave him alone until later.
  • Instead of wrestling, use teaser toys, rolled-up balls of paper, or socks to play with the kitty. If you play with your hands, the cat will think they are their personal toys and that it’s OK to attack hands and other human body parts.
  • Don’t bother your pet at mealtimes, while he’s grooming, when he’s using the litterbox, or during one of their many naps. Also, leave kitty be when he’s staring intently at the birds outdoors or the mysterious movement under the couch. He’s in their hunt mode and can easily replace their prey with you.
  • When you hold your cat, place your right hand under their chest, cradle their bottom with your left hand, and carry him close to your body, while you support their feet. If you’re holding kitty and they starts to squirm, let him down gently. Don’t try to hang on—you’ll only end up suffering a wrathful scratch or nip.
  • Stroke your cat’s coat gently in the direction the fur grows. Kitties don’t like getting petted on their tummies, hips, or feet, so leave these areas alone.
  • As much as you’d like your cat to sleep on your bed, it’s best that they find their own spot to rest. (And this especially holds true for infants. While the old wives’ tale that says cats steal sleeping children’s breath isn’t true, cats do love to sleep near your head and can suffocate a baby or toddler.)

Advice For Parents

Supervise your children when they play with the cat for the first few weeks. Also, remember that infants and toddlers don’t understand the difference between their stuffed cat and their live pet, and an angry exchange between child and cat can flare in an instant.

  • Caution: Always supervise a child under 6 when they hold a pet, and never let a young child walk around holding a kitten.
  • Don’t be surprised if the new cat frightens your young children. From their perspectives, he’s a hissing, scratching toe-biter who pounces out from nowhere. In time, they’ll learn to check under the bed skirt before climbing out of bed in the morning.

Training Your Cat

Cats and children can become such good friends that sometimes your cat forgets your child is not one of their littermates. For example, rowdy play can cause a kitten to nip their brother or sister, and childish exuberance can get the same reaction.

Discourage hand biting verbally with a “no,” and offer them socks or other toys to nibble. If the kitten is still wound up, try a few minutes of kitty “time out” in a quiet room. Even better, encourage your children to play quieter games with the kitten to prevent this behavior entirely.