September is Happy, Healthy Cat Month!
Meowza! Another month dedicated to us felines!
This month’s celebration was started by the CATalyst Council to help spread awareness and education about the health, welfare and importance of us companion cats!
The nonprofit council believes in the basics of quality pet health & vet care, shelter animal welfare and working to advance the reality that we are not solitary animals and are generally quite social and want our human’s attention.
They work in tandem with the veterinary community, animal welfare groups, government, cat fancier associations, media and the public to educate cat owners on quality vet care, preventive measures and best products in cat care.
Just like our mom, they believe that it is a dog-centric world, even though we have been around as long as our canine friends and have had many jobs from rodent control to human companionship. In spite of this, us felines often don’t get our due!
This month is the purr-fect time to celebrate all the things we do for you humans as well as to review what you can do to ensure our happiness every day!
What makes a happy cat?
It all starts with a vet check-up – now is as good a time as any to schedule an appointment with you cat’s vet. All of us kitties need at least an annual check-up if not 2 check-ups a year so we can be healthy, happy cats!
If you have an indoor only cat and there are no health issues, an annual visit is probably okay. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, I would suggest two visits a year.
A full belly with fresh food makes us happy! It’s a good time to check you cat’s diet and read the ingredients to see if your kitty is getting whole animal proteins with minimal carbs. When the ingredients mention the protein followed by “meal” – or has things you can’t pronounce – consider switching your feline to a fresh food diet!
A second cat friend to play with and hang out with is good for both of the cats’ quality of life, feline companionship and exercise.
A designated cat area where we have climbing opportunities, a window, interactive toys, tunnels to hide in, empty boxes to hang out in, a multi-level/scratchy pole condo house to snooze on and anything else we might find fun!
A personal relationship with our human – Beau and I have different relationships with our mom, yet we both receive a lot of love and attention that reinforces our bond with her every day. Beau is very needy and is a “velcro kitty” with her…whereas I am more independent and have my “zen” time alone. We both love to play so mom makes sure we get a daily dose of 15 minutes of playtime with a wand or little ball – or if we are really good – some catnip kickers!
And snuggling on the couch is nice too – Beau and I like to “bookend” mom so she can’t get up!