<p>I have bowls of water scattered throughout the kitchen (in spots where they would not be easily knocked over by a human). My cats prefer to drink from multiple locations, and all three are terrified of the specially purchased for them cat drinking fountain. :)</p>
<p>My calico #2 only drank from the crystal bowl with floating candles in it that I had put out as a decoration in the master bath. Thank goodness it was unleaded crystal, and I changed that water at least daily.</p>
<p>Floating candles is a nice touch. I drop in an ice cube once in a while.</p>
<p>somehow I know that if actually put out a crystal bowl with floating candles in it, my cats would assume it was intended for their drinking pleasure. That is funny!</p>
<p>Has anyone dealt with massively stinky cat farts? If so, did you try supplementing their diet with digestive enzyme and probiotics? Did it help? Iâve read that probiotics help tremendously in cutting down on stinky gas, fowl litter box odor, and bad breath. It also supposedly helps support their immune system. If youâve had experience with either of these supplements, could you kindly provide feedback?</p>
<p>Also, does anyone have pet insurance? I found out that most policies donât cover any portion of routine office visits or testing. What they cover are some surgical procedures and some pats of the treatment of some catastrophic illnesses like cancers. Do you think pet insurance is worth the money? My kitten is still very young, so I could probably get a policy for not too much money, but I question itâs practicality in the long run. Perhaps I should just start a medical savings fund so that something major and unexpected can be handled without causing serious financial headache? What do you do?</p>
<p>I like cats</p>
<p>I like cats too (especially the fat and fluffy ones)</p>
<p>So, cat experts: how much space does a cat need to be happy? One of my kids just moved to a new town to start a new job and is contemplating adopting a cat. He has a small one-bedroom apartment. </p>
<p>NYC residents live in extremely small spaces with cats. They donât need a lot of space (as long as your kid can find a good spot for the box and for the food).</p>
<p>Yes, cats do not need acres of space! Especially an older kitty who would be spending 20 hrs a day curled up in the sofa or in her kitty cozy. :)</p>
<p>Another cat water story. My bengal, who showers with one of my sons each day, also âkillsâ mice by drowning them in her water bowl. They are the cat toy mice, but she doesnât do that to anything else.
My older cat loves fresh water with ice, until the bengal goes fishing with her paws for the ice. </p>
<p>I strongly advise against bringing a young cat into a small space. Why? Can you imagine your life being left alone all day in a small space? Itâs prison. Cats get bored. If they go outside, they constantly have stimulus of movement, sound and stuff that crawls or flies. Indoors? They may hear nothing and be able to see nothing. </p>
<p>And cats need cats. Not in the wild because they have lives to live and that means hunting. But indoors they need companionship. And most people arenât willing to take on 2 cats, ideally 2 cats who know and like each other, meaning littermates or the like, because cats can take a lifetime to trust another cat completely. </p>
<p>An older cat or a former street cat who has lived the hard life outside would be a better indoor animal. They donât need much stimulation. Theyâre happier with less. And they love the warmth and regular feeding. </p>
<p>I think weâve brain damaged millions of animals by leaving them alone all day. All those cats and dogs and birds with no one for companionship and little stimulation. Birds need other birds and they bond to people but so many spend days in cages set aside without any coming by except to feed them. This is one way of looking at animals people should think about changing.</p>
<p>Calico #3âs favorite toys were balls of crumpled newspaper. She played fetch with them, batted them around, and if the other cat got to use the cat box first, she would drown her crumpled newspaper balls in all water dishes and also stick a couple into the toilet in the powder room if the lid was left up. :)</p>
<p>Lergnom, indoor cats have a longer lifespan and many organizations advise against letting cats go outside. IMHO you are anthropomorphizing cats. They are not people and they adapt very well to small apartments.</p>
<p>The natural state of cats is to live outside with their fertility intact. If we keep them as pets and spay and neuter them, we are changing this habitat. Spayed and neutered cats do just fine without outside living.</p>
<p>I think cats do very well in small spaces for the most part. But they need to be âmaster of their universeâ which means they need to get up high (a perch of some sort), an outlookâability to look out a window, and a lot of play time so they get exercise. And some breeds are better suited for a small space than others. Donât put a bengal breed or other high energy cat in a small space.</p>
<p>Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats
Like many cat lovers, you may have thought about letting your cat go outside. A lot of cat owners feel guilty about keeping their cat inside, and worry that they are depriving their cat of natural instincts or fresh air and sunshine. If you have experienced some of these feelings, American Humane Association appreciates your concern for your feline friend and would like to help you make an educated decision. Letâs look at the issues surrounding indoor vs. outdoor cats:
<a href=âIndoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats - American Humane - American Humaneâ>http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/caring-for-your-pet/indoor-cats-vs-outdoor-cats.html</a></p>
<p>Well, my cat was in a shelter, so any life she was given was a bonus. My cat has always been and will always be an indoor cat. Our house is over 5000 sq. feet, so she has plenty of room to roam. Sometimes she races around the house, going upstairs, racing around, running downstairs and racing around, lather, rinse, repeat. When she does this we call her âpsycho kitty.â I realize thatâs not as exciting as living in a jungle, but I rescued her from being put to sleep, so itâs better than her alternative was.</p>
<p>But she does crave companionship. I am working less and less, and I notice when I am home, she wants to plop herself down on me CONSTANTLY, to my chagrin. At night, she sleeps on top of me, which as a tosser and turner, is a problem for me. She does this more and more as she ages. </p>
<p>I think a cat would probably prefer the great outdoors, but as we know, outdoor cats donât have a long lifespan, and if you are rescuing a cat, even an apartment is an improvement over being euthanized.</p>
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<p>I had a cat whoâd flick water into the food bowl. We had to keep the bowls 12 inches apart.</p>
<p>I wanted my cats to be able to go outside safely so I had a catio built for them complete with an 8 foot high catwalk. They love it, especially at night. They also have a kitty cabana, which is essentially an outhouse for the catbox. My neighbors are bemused.</p>
<p>My cat will always, and I do mean always be an indoor cat. The outdoors is full of serious dangers: Cars and other vehicles, dogs and wild animals, strays and pet cats that roam part of the day, as well as carry deadly infectious feline diseases (ever listen to cats fighting outside your window at three in the morning? Not pretty!), rodents that have been poisoned and fled outside in search of water (where they die and are eaten by animals in search of a meal), owls, hawks and other raptors, people who purposely leave anti-freeze and poisons out for animals to ingest, sick individuals who like to torture animals, people who have no problem with the idea of kidnapping a beautiful, docile, trusting ragdoll cat with killer blue eyesâŠThe list goes on and on. </p>
<p>There are a number of things one can do to provide fun and environmental enrichment for indoor cats. Just a little research and a bit of effort could make all the difference between a happy kitty and a bored one. I happen to be at home for the vast majority of any given 24hr period, and when Iâm not, often Hubby is. Some cats can be taken on walks around the neighborhood wearing a harness. Some people have built ingenious outdoor enclosures for their cats that both protect their animals from danger, and provide periods of fresh air and sunlight. </p>
<p>On the flip side, cats are one of the top predators of song birds, some of which are endangered species. If youâre both a cat lover and bird enthusiast, you like the idea of keeping them both out of harmâs way. Let kitty enjoy his bird fascination from a sunny perch by a window in your home, and get one of several great feather wand toys to let him exercise his predator instincts. We have one called, the Bird Catcher Pro (got it on Amazon), and let me tell you, kitty goes wild for that thing. Last night, I enticed him for over 40 mins with it. We both had a blast. </p>
<p>To be clear, a catio is an outdoor enclosure for cats. They are entirely enclosed in chicken wire and wood so they are safe from predators and the neighborhood is safe from them.</p>