Preparing your cat for boarding involves more than packing food and dropping off a carrier. A useful cat boarding checklist should cover the facility itself, health records, medication, feeding instructions, litter preferences, emergency contacts and details about how your cat normally behaves at home. Start early enough to confirm the boarding facility’s requirements rather than…
A useful cat sitter checklist should allow another person to care for your cat without guessing. Before you leave, write down exactly what your cat eats, when they are fed, where water and litter boxes are located, how medication is given, what behaviour is normal, who to contact in an emergency and where essential supplies…
Cat carrier training works best when the carrier stops appearing only before stressful events. Instead of chasing your cat around the house and forcing them inside, leave the carrier in a familiar area and teach your cat that approaching, entering and remaining inside can lead to comfortable, rewarding experiences. Start with the carrier completely open…
Cats may seem independent, but they still rely on people for fresh food and water, clean litter boxes, safe surroundings, social interaction and prompt help if something goes wrong. How long you can leave a cat alone therefore depends on much more than whether enough kibble is available. For most healthy adult cats, Cats Protection…
Learning how to cat-proof your home means looking at everyday objects from a cat’s point of view. Open windows, washing machines, loose string, medicines, toxic plants, electrical cords and small objects can all become hazards when a curious cat climbs, chews or squeezes into places you did not expect. The safest approach is to secure…
The first week with a new cat should be calm, predictable and guided by the cat’s confidence rather than a rigid daily schedule. Moving into an unfamiliar home changes almost everything at once: territory, smells, people, noises and routines. Start with a quiet transition room containing food, water, litter, hiding places, a bed, scratching surfaces…
If you think your cat has been poisoned, treat the situation as time-sensitive even if your cat currently looks normal. Different toxins act at different speeds, and waiting for obvious symptoms can delay treatment. Remove access to the suspected substance if you can do so safely, keep the cat contained, contact a veterinarian or appropriate…
Permethrin poisoning in cats is a veterinary emergency. A common cause is accidental use of a high-concentration dog flea or tick product on a cat, but exposure can also occur when a cat grooms or has close contact with a recently treated dog. Signs can include drooling, agitation, twitching, tremors, difficulty walking, seizures and abnormal…
Essential oils can expose cats through ingestion, skin contact and inhalation. Concentrated oils are particularly concerning because they can be rapidly absorbed, and cats may swallow residues from their coat while grooming. Do not apply concentrated essential oils directly to your cat. If oil spills onto your cat, your cat drinks an oil product or…
Many human medications can cause serious poisoning in cats. Exposure does not always involve an owner intentionally giving a tablet: cats may swallow a pill dropped on the floor, chew a medication container, lick medicated skin or groom a topical drug transferred onto their coat. Acetaminophen/paracetamol is particularly dangerous because cats cannot metabolize it safely…
