PURRaffection

Pet owners which have been blessed to bring up a kitten to maturity understand how a cat’s needs change over their life.  From what the cat eats to the litter box it uses, each individual cat experiences physical changes just like us.  By identifying these changes, as cat owners we can make life more comfortable and enjoyable for our cats.

Kittens are very active when they are young.  They are able to consume most food which provides enough nutrients that help them grow and stay healthy.  But as cats get older, the food they eat normally is scaled back as their activity lessens.  Consistent veterinarian checkups are important to monitor the cat’s health and weight.  A cat that has stopped growing, but is still putting on weight, is an important sign that the cat is eating too much food.

Most kittens are litter box trained with a kitten sized litter pan.  As kittens grow older, they will quickly become too large for their litter pan.  At this time a new litterbox will be needed.  Careful consideration should be made when buying a new litter box so that it is appropriately sized.  A large step is all a cat should have to use to get in and out of the box.

Toys that a cat is interested in, which offers essential playtime for exercise, usually change over a cat’s lifetime.  As each cat enters its senior years, it is more difficult for them to run and jump like they did when they were younger.  Cat owners need to be considerate of this.  Even mature cats do enjoy playing, but they won’t participate in activities that may exceed their physical abilities.

In their senior years, cats will slow down.  Their diet and exercise needs change and require that cat owners accommodate these age related changes.  With the right diet and frequent exercise, a cat may continue to enjoy a healthy and pleasant life well into maturity.