“I think Mom is happier to see the cats than she is to see us,” my son remarked to his sister when I returned from a trip. While this wasn’t true, I was equally happy to see them all, our pets are like little furry family members. I’ve learned it is important to have proper cat care to ensure we have healthy pets.
The easiest way to keep our pets healthy is regular vet checkups. Our family has the weirdest health problems imaginable, so it is no surprise we managed to get cats and a dog with problems I had never associated with pets. Rio, our rescue mutt, frequently gets impacted anal glands. Sassie, the twelve year old cat, was recently diagnosed with anemia and anoxeria. Who knew that was possible? Not me! If these conditions hadn’t been discovered the vet assured me both of my animals would have died. Like my grandmother used to say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Remember, not visiting the vet for an annual checkup is like avoiding your doctor for five years!
It’s also important to make sure they have healthy cat food. Because we have a lot of pets, including our foster animals, we used to feed our pets cheaper cat food. We didn’t realize this was a problem until one of our cats began to have her hair fall out in chunks. Our vet tested her for allergies and discovered a grain intolerence. Yes, we have a cat with Celiac just like my daughter! We switched her to a grain free formula like Hill’s Science Diet and she no longer looks like an Egyptian hairless cat. While finding the right food for a pet can be intimidating, ask your vet for recommendations or read this article on choosing the right food for your cat.
Just like we need mental stimulation and exercise, so do our pets. We’ve provided a variety of toys for our cats, including little cat nip mice, balls to chase through the house (usually discovered around 2 AM), and their favorite; a combination scratching post and toy.
By following these three steps, our cats will live longer, healthier and happier lives, and so will yours!Who doesn’t want to #GetHappyHealthy pets?
My pets I think are too happy. I would come home from work and meet them all laying on my bed like they belong there. 🙂 Those are all great tips and you’re right, healthy pets do live happier lives.
The first line of this post reminded me of my grandma who fed her doc Carolina rice and gave her adult children dollar store rice for dinner.
I bust out laughing at the dog on its back. My dog does that all the time. I call it his “me” time.
We actually used to make our dog’s food in the crock pot for awhile. Her fur and skin were healthier and she was able to more easily maintain a healthy body weight.
You do see pets come to life when you stimulate their minds, even the older ones. We used to get my gram’s old black lab playing like he was a pup again (though for shorter amounts of time) and it was fun to see him get so youthful and happy looking.
Pets are so wonderful! It’s been awhile since we’ve had a cat, but we are thinking of getting another.
Kinda dying over how cute Miss Daisy is!
We definitely need to care for them as well as we care for ourselves. Toys are a great way to keep them active too.
It is amazing how important stimulation is for happy pets. Our one puppy can get a little down if she doesn’t get an outing every once in a while.
Aww your pets are so cute! I have 3 cats and 1 dog and love them all sooo much!
I have always been careful about my furry friends, too, because they’re the love of my life. I agree with the tips here.
Great tips! We don’t have any pets but my mom does and she’s definitely on top of getting them regular vet checkups.
I got a chuckle out of the costumes. How cute! They are so adorable!
great tips, I think people dont believe it is important to take their animals each year for a check up
I love the photo of your kitty all dressed up! That is the cutest thing I have ever seen!
I cant take the dress on the cat! Oh my gosh, I wish my pet let me dress her!
My dog is right up there with my kids. Then comes my husnand 😉
Those pictures are adorable! My husband always said that he was last on my list, after the dog (#1!) and our 2 kids!
Lol! My sister is the same way with her baby (a puppy). The kids always joke that she loves the dog more than them. 🙂 We all love our pets. We know if we were to talk to our kids the way we talk to our pets, they would look at us strangely. hee-hee