Tips and Tricks for Successful Cat Care

Here’s the laundry list of things I’ve learned from being a neurodivergent cat owner for 20 years and working in cat rescue for 5:

Food and Water:

  1. if your cat always has hair or litter in its water bowl, find a stool or shelf of some sort to elevate the bowl off the floor.
  2. If you struggle to keep your pet’s water bowl full, make sure to get one that is different when empty, ex. no spill bowls with floating inserts or fountains that make annoying noises when empty
  3. You can use any big pitcher or cup to fill all your bowls at once. If you have one specifically for pet bowls, it can serve as a reminder. And there is no shame in pouring the glass of water you meant to finish that morning in your pet’s bowl instead of the sink!
  4. If your pet eats wet food and you can’t remember to rinse and throw out the cans, litter genies work really well for keeping cans safe from bugs and smells
  5. if you have multiple cats on different foods, you can make them separate feeders for under $100. put a microchip cat door on a pet crate (and put cardboard on the inside if needed to prevent thievery)

Litter Boxes:

  1. Go to your local dollar store or pet store and make sure to have a litter scoop and maybe even a dustpan and brush next to every litter box. Once you get to the box, you shoudn’t need anything to clean them that’s not in arms reach.
  2. If you use pine litter, invest in litter box liners. it may take awhile for your cats to not rip them, but it makes completely switching out the litter take seconds.
  3. If you struggle to clean your boxes consistently, get more. the usual rule for cats is 1 box per cat +1, but if you can only clean them weekly just have more!! (this works best with clumping litter)
  4. you can also attach your pet care routine to something you already do well. (I do all my litter boxes when I take my trash out Sunday nights because i almost never skip trash)
  5. Litter genies are nice for keeping smell down. you can just use regular trash or grocery bags if you dont want to buy inserts.
  6. if you use clay litter, invest in steel boxes if you can. they dont hold on to smell or stains like plastic.
  7. Pee pads can be your best friend. put them under/behind boxes or tape them on the wall behind to catch any accidents or litter.
  8. If your cats make a huge mess with litter even with boxes with high sides, get a plastic tub. you can leave the lid off or cut a hole in the top for the cat to get in.
  9. Remember that anywhere your cat walks right after the litter box will be covered in litter. You can use that to your advantage by making “walls” around your boxes to make them walk over the litter mat. (pet playpen pieces work well for this)

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