We cats are known for making ourselves purrfectly comfortable and figuring out how to lead the good life. Here are some of my favorite tips to improve your living conditions.
- Learn to wrap your people around your paw! Yep, that’s right. Play on those emotions. Rub yourself on your people’s legs when they come home. (You don’t have to tell your people that you’re actually marking them as yours when you do that!) Schmooze them by purring loudly. Most people are a sucker for that. But make sure they know who’s boss. (Um…that’s you!)
- Eat a good diet but not enough of it to lose your “feline figure.”. Good nutrition is one of the keys to a healthy life. Of course, it has to taste delicious too. But remember, too much of a good thing can have drawbacks.
- Find a nice comfortable place to rest and relax. We cats need places to hang out where we feel safe and protected. Many of us like to hang out at eye level or above. Remind your people that a good cat perch can help us cats feel more at home. Of course, a nice soft blanket or bed doesn’t hurt either! And if there’s a window nearby or a little patch of sunlight to stretch out in, all the better. (And here’s a secret you might not know: stealing your person’s spot on the couch or in the bed always makes for a perfect sleeping spot.)
- Stay active and fit. Making sure you get plenty of exercise goes along with the “keeping your feline figure” thing. Being overweight is unhealthy for us and puts us at risk for disease. And exercise helps keep the mind fit too. Haven’t you ever heard your people say stuff like “healthy mind, healthy body”? Plus playing is fun, especially when you can get your people to play along with you. Not to mention that enticing your people to play with you keeps them supervised and out of trouble too! It’s also another good way to keep them wrapped around your paw. (Don’t be surprised if your people think they’re the ones initiating the bonding though. Don’t tell them differently if they do!)
- Don’t forget to keep those nails sharp. But keep in mind some of our people are picky about where we do that. They tend to get upset when we use the couch or bed. Tell your people to get you a scratching “post”. In fact, more than one of them might be a good idea, perhaps with different shapes and textures so you can choose which you like best. Suggest sprinkling or rubbing a little catnip on it too. Or tell them to spray a little Feliway on its surface.
- Don’t forget to use the litterbox. I can’t think of anything that will get your people more upset than not doing this! Your people need to realize how important your litterbox is to you too. Nobody wants to have to relieve themselves in a dirty place. Ugh!! Tell your people to keep your box clean, to stay away from strong-smelling kitty litters, to use a box that’s big enough for you to fit in comfortably and to keep the box in a nice quiet area where you won’t be scared or harassed when you’re trying to do your duty there.
- Don’t fight your people when it’s time for that veterinary visit. Yeah, I know. A visit to the veterinarian is nobody’s idea of a really good time. But we need it to stay healthy. Without regular veterinary visits, it’s really hard for us to tell our people when we have a sore spot or some other trouble. Who wants to live your life feeling sick or hurting? You can’t lead a comfortable life like that.
- Don’t take that identification collar off. If you have a good, responsible person looking after you, that person might have put a collar with an identification tag around your neck. There might also be a microchip implanted under your skin. Don’t stress about them. These are just devices that can make sure you get sent back home in case you ever get lost or sneak outside. After all, you’ve invested all this time and energy into making a happy and cozy home. You don’t want to lose it.
Those are some of my favorite tips. But I bet some of you have some great tips too. How about sharing them in the comment section with the rest of us so we can all benefit?
