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How to make your home more cat friendly

Have you ever wondered what the key to your cat’s happiness is? 😽 As cat parents we want to do our best to meet the needs of our furry friends; much of their happiness is derived from their environment which means there is a lot we can do in our homes to help achieve this! 💗 Creating the purr-fect cat friendly home is all about understanding which resources or objects your cat considers important 🧶. These are elements that provide security, stimulation and nourishment for your kitty. 🐈 Security High resting places - our cat fam love climbing to high points and observing their surroundings from above 👀; and importantly being high up makes them feel safe ***. Staircases fulfil this need, but if your home is single-storey, shelving, the top of cupboards and tall scratching post frames also make great spots! 🐾 Hiding places - are important for cats to take time out from their social demands. Create secret hideaways by clearing space under the bed, inside wardrobes or cupboards and behind the sofa! 😻 Beds - are the key to your cat’s rest and relaxation given how long they spend asleep 🐱 (read our article ‘Is my cat too lazy?’). Our furry besties love a warm place but some may also favour areas where there is the familiar scent of their human such as our beds; this makes them feel safe. 😽 Providing an assortment of beds across your home in sunny, quiet, warm or communal areas gives your cat different options depending on their mood! Beds are best placed on raised areas where cats feel safest. 🐈‍⬛ Cat flaps - often seen by our besties as a weakness in the defence of their home as any feline intruder could pop through the flap at any point 👀. This can make your kitty constantly vigilant and feeling uneasy. 😏 Installing a microchip reader cat flap will ensure that only your cat can access their home and keep other invaders out! 😼 Another tip is to keep your cat’s resources well away from the cat flap - out of your cat’s perceived ‘danger zone’! 👀 Litter trays - should be provided even if your cat has outdoor access. There should be one tray per cat in the cat fam plus one extra one; placed at different locations away from food and water, in private areas where your cat will feel safe toileting! Litter trays should be cleared of faeces and urine daily and fully cleaned once a week; dirty trays can stress cats out and discourage use. 😏 Feline synthetic pheromones - the natural version is secreted from glands in a cat’s face to communicate signals of familiarity and security. 💓 Having a plug-in diffuser of these pheromones will help your cat relax and reduce tension within the cat fam. 😻 Stimulation Scratching posts - are needed so your kitty can mark their territory and keep their claws healthy. 🐾 Vertical posts should be tall enough for your cat to stretch up fully and horizontal scratching surfaces should also be on offer. These should be placed near beds, litter trays and sofas(!). If there aren’t enough scratching options, you may find your cats take a liking to your sofas! 😹 Social contact - can be in the form of cat parents, other cats and even dogs! 😻 Whether your cat will get on with other cat fam is dependent on personality; relationships can get tense when competing for resources. Social contact with us humans is also important, but the quality and quantity again, will depend on cat personality. 😽 Grooming, verbal communication and predatory play is often our cat’s preferred type of social contact with human folk (soz they aren’t as keen on our cat parent kisses and cuddles! 😹) Predatory play - a way of providing a similar experience to the natural hunting one! 🧶 Our furry besties love toys that move around unpredictably, those made from feathers or fur-like material of prey animal size and those laced with catnip. 😻 Scent stimulation - through the use of catnip! Lots of cats will enjoy a euphoric-type experience through smelling or eating this herb. 💓 Offering play with catnip toys for 10 minutes a day will provide a purrfect source of stimulation! 😹 Novel items - brought into the house to provide your cat with an exciting new object to explore 🐈‍⬛. These can be in the form of; paper bags or cardboard boxes (we all know how much they luurvee these 💘), stones, wood and plants (read our ‘Cats and plants - what to pay attention to?’ article to learn about safe plant options). Windows - make great viewing points for cats looking on to the outside world; smaller windows in darker rooms being preferable over larger ones. 👀 Our furry besties can feel more exposed in front of large expanses of glass, which can cause confusion because they may not grasp it is a barrier and that they are safe indoors. 😏 Other cats staring in can cause stress, therefore putting frosted window film on the bottom part of large full length windows can make our cat fam feel safer. 🐱 Nourishment Food - offered in ceramic or glass bowls which tend to be favoured over plastic bowls as these may get scratched more easily and give off a smell that puts off your cat. 😮‍💨 However, in their natural environment, cats would spend hours stalking and catching prey every day, therefore feeding from a bowl twice a day lacks any form of challenge. 😏 More stimulating options for feeding include; hiding your cat’s food around the house 👀, scattering dry food and using puzzle feeders. 🐱 Water - provided at a different location to food as cats naturally hunt for these on separate occasions. 🐾 Water can be offered in bowls made out of different materials, glass tumblers or water fountains. See our article on ‘How to encourage my cat to drink?’ Vegetation - for our furry besties to eat, as a natural way to clear hair from their gut. If your cat is indoor only, sources of cat grass or herbs specifically for this purpose are available commercially, with favourites being spelt wheat grass, barley grass and oat grass. Before adding to their indoor jungle please be aware that some plants can be toxic - read our ‘Cats and plants - what to pay attention to?’ article.

March 24, 2023

How to: change your cat’s food

If your kitty is growing up or you’ve been recommended a specific food by your vet, you may be wondering how to transfer your cat onto their brand new cuisine. 🍴 Let’s explore how we can do this without upsetting your cat physically or emotionally! 💕 Change the food over a couple of weeks ⏰ Any sudden changes can lead to your furry friend turning foe…especially if they enjoy the food they are currently on or are prone to an upset tummy. 💩 Easing them into their new food over a couple of weeks will ensure that they gradually adapt to the new diet without any surprises. 😼 Ensure the accurate amount per serving 🥄 Ensure that you are providing the correct amount of food depending on your cat’s weight (or ideal weight if they’re hoping to shed some pounds)! You can find these recommendations on the back of the food packaging. ⚖️ Remember you can always ask to check your cat’s weight with the vet - it’s a good idea to keep an eye on any changes, especially when they’re growing out of those cheeky teenage years! We recommend that you weigh your cat every 3 months. Keep an eye on their toileting habits 👀 Any changes in the poop can be an indicator that their tummies are not coping with the change. You might notice that they smell slightly different - this is totally normal. However if the consistency is looser or firmer than usual, slow it back down. 😎 Our 2 week guide 🥣 Day 1-3: Introduce around a teaspoon of their new food in a small bowl alongside their current food. This can have a very different texture, taste and smell to what they’re used to, and so do not worry if they do not seem interested at first - it is very normal for them to ignore it for the first few days. Day 4-6: Only start this stage once your cat finds the new tasty food appealing. Feed 25% of the recommended amount of their new feed and 75% of their original feed. Day 7-9: Feed 50% of their new feed and 50% of their original feed. Day 10-13: Feed 75% of their new feed and 25% of their original feed. Day 14: Feed 100% of the new diet. 😸 Do not worry if the transition takes longer than expected - the key is to change them gradually to avoid any surprising side effects. If you have any doubts, concerns or notice blood in their stools, do not hesitate to contact a vet. ☎️

March 24, 2023

8 Firework Tips for cool cats and kittens

It's officially spring: the weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining brighter and the flowers are finally blooming. This calls for celebration and what celebrations usually bring is... fireworks. 🎆 You may be wondering how we as cat parents can help our kittens stay cool this spring... Look no further – here are some of our favourite tips and tricks to ensure that your cat is feline calm. 😎 Create a cozy hiding space 💤 Our cats feel safe if they can hide. Provide them with a comfortable hiding spot such as a cardboard box with blankets, toys and paw-some treats! In true cat fashion, they feel safer higher up, so try placing the box on a secure platform with a good vantage point. Keep your cat indoors 🏠 Nobody wants their pet to be MIA… Ensure that your cat’s microchip has your correct details in case an escape does occur. Tune into the radio 🎵 Play some calming tunes or your favourite show to drown out any sudden sounds. Close those curtains 👀 Draw the blinds to block out any scary flashes from outside. Give them a new toy or treats as a distraction 🧶 Help to draw their focus away from any disturbances by offering new toys or tasty treats such as cooked chicken breast, this helps to reassure them that they’re safe and secure. Allow your cat in their regular rooms in the house 🐱 Allow your cat to explore their usual rooms in the house. Also try to avoid picking them up – our cats will feel most calm if we are. Use a pheromone diffuser🫶 Plug in a pheromone diffuser from the week leading up to the fireworks. This can help to settle their anxiety and keep them calm. Monitor their activity using Moggie 🐾 Monitoring your cat’s activity on Moggie can help you to tune into how your cat is feeling. If your cat is suffering from anxiety, please do not hesitate to seek further veterinary advice. You’re now ready to enjoy the fireworks! 💓

March 16, 2023

Cat tail language; what it means

Cats communicate with human folk through vocalising and body movement. 🐈‍⬛ Have you ever noticed how many different ways your moggie’s tail moves? Let’s decode what your cat is saying through their tail movements! 🐱 Our furry besties’ body language can be ambiguous at times. 🤔 Learning how to read our kitty’s postures and tail movements can give us cat parents an insight into their moods and emotions. 😽 Cat tails are highly mobile and expressive, which makes them a great signalling tool! Here are some tips on what the top ten tail movements mean... 🐾 1️⃣ Tail up - a clear sign of friendliness, affection and confidence. Your moggie is greeting you and happy to interact! 😻 2️⃣ Tail waving from side to side - if swishing slowly, your cat might be focussing on something and deciding whether to pounce on it! 🐭 3️⃣ Thumping tail - your moggie feels agitated or irritated. 😼 Something is bothering them - make sure it isn’t you 😹 (i.e. stop what you’re doing if you’re interacting with them) 4️⃣ Tail tip twitch - can occur when playing and hunting; however it can also be seen when your furry bestie is mildly irritated or annoyed (so read the room)! 👀 5️⃣ Tail tucked under - usually means your kitty is feeling threatened and may be about to lash out. 😾 6️⃣ Tail wrapped around body - your cat may just be a little chilly or want a cosy snooze; however it can also indicate they feel stress or anxiety and do not wish to interact. 🐈 7️⃣ Whole tail quivers - your furry bestie is especially excited to see you or whoever they are interacting with! 😻 Beware, that if their tail quivers while standing with their back end against a surface, they may be urine marking! 😱 8️⃣ Tail held low to the ground - can indicate fear and anxiety. 😾 9️⃣ Fluffed up tail 🎃 (the Halloween pose) - eek they are startled or frightened by a sudden and serious threat! 🔟 Tail wrapped around you - your moggie will curl their tail around you and other cats to show their willingness to socialize. 😸 Although your cat’s tail movements play the most expressive part in their body language, they should be interpreted alongside what the rest of the body is doing and the situation. 🐈‍

March 16, 2023