Make the cat live longer, tips to prolong the life of our feline in a healthy and loving way at the same time.
When we decide to take a pet into the house with us, very often we underestimate that its life is much shorter than ours and almost always we have to witness their departure. This is a time we would never want to get to but unfortunately it is not possible to intervene. What we can do to make the cat live longer is to try to give the animal a lot of love and take care of it with a lot of patience.
Making the cat live longer: expert advice
When you own one of these lovely furry people at home, it’s hard not to fall in love with them, you even get to talk to them. It is therefore more than natural to wonder how to make the cat live longer. Of course what is the fate of the cat we can not completely change it, we could never avoid the inevitable but for sure we can help him to stay healthy and live peacefully.
Below is a list of tips from experts that can help us make sure that the cat lives longer.
- The best nutrition / always fresh water: nutrition for the cat as for all of us is the basis of everything, so excluding the main foods that the cat must not have at all such as: garlic, onion, chocolate, parsley, salt, sugar, caffeine and even milk and dairy products, the feline must eat healthy and the right. Let’s remember that the cat tends to eat more than necessary so you must also pay attention to the quantities, as well as the quality. The ideal would be a food without cereals and not vegetable proteins, not soy, not corn flour, not a by-product, but only MEAT and meat protein. Another attention to make the cat live longer, but more than anything else a loving gesture towards this seemingly picky being, is to always leave him a bowl with fresh water.
- Keep it indoors: the cat over time has been made domestic but its nature remains wild and its instinct is always to go hunting, if not for survival simply out of curiosity. Therefore, depriving the cat of its walks and outings of exploration of the territory, is a wickedness. Outdoor life for a cat can be very stimulating and useful for its happiness. But what the animal must understand is that it is much better to return home, within the four warm and comfortable walls, rather than remaining in the cold and without food. This will avoid diseases and unpleasant accidents that could hardly happen in the house, this is one way among others to make the cat live longer.
- Stimulates body and mind: the cat in addition to the physical movement it needs enormously also needs to be stimulated mentally. There are many types of cat toys, vertical scratching posts, a lanyard hanging from a wand and with a tuft of feathers at the end, and much more to entertain him. After all, however, the cat only needs a cardboard box to pass the time. Try not to leave him much alone, even if it does not prove it has an extreme need of you next to you.
- Periodic checks: even if the cat seems to us a very independent animal, it still needs periodic checks, to be carried out both at home and with the help of the veterinarian: vaccinations, parasites, weight, teeth and much more. It is a good habit, to learn what the specific needs of the animal are and to provide for periodic checks. In addition, every year it is advisable to rely on doctors for the complete checkup, while it is advisable to provide for check-ups every 6-7 months.
- Pesticides: there are several types of pesticides for the cat that the veterinarian can suggest and with the appropriate use help the cat to overcome the infestation. But you have to try to avoid the pesticide sprays and flea shampoos common or those that you already use for other animals. Chemicals against parasites are extremely harmful to the cat and its natural ability to ward off diseases.
- Brushing: brushing the cat as well as being a necessity, also establishes an excellent bond based on trust between cat and owner. But the fundamental thing is that at certain times of the year the cat needs a constant brushing, because it is the time of greatest hair loss. Although it is known that the cat is an animal that cares a lot about its hygiene, when this period of hair loss occurs not to help it eliminate the dead hair, it could create problems, sending down many hairs that can cause hairballs in the stomach. The use of a comb with clenched teeth could also be useful for the control of a possible presence of ticks or fleas.
- No to passive smoking: passive smoking kills. It hurts our children and also the animals that live with us. The cat is twice as likely to get cancer and die prematurely if the owner smokes, if you consider his body mass. Passive smoking has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, this is because the cat has the habit of self-cleaning by licking its hair, in this way they absorb through the tongue all the carcinogenic smoke that has rested on its coat. So if you care about making the cat live longer to smoke away from him or even better for you you could try to quit.
Average cat life
First of all, we must consider a factor (more common in dogs than in cats) which is that of the breed. A purebred cat has been selected to have particular characteristics (eye color, coat, body shape), but unfortunately together with these characteristics some negative ones are also selected, which determine typical diseases that limit the achievement of a certain age.
These weaknesses of the breed go to lower the average lifespan of the cat. So the average life of a sorian or mestizo cat will be higher than the average life of a purebred cat. In addition, the cat’s lifestyle must also be considered, a fundamental element that determines how many years the cat can live.
The domestic cat can live for many years, even above 20, because it is safe, well fed and generally enjoys good health. Another factor that lengthens the average life of a cat is castration, generally the castrated cat has a higher average life than that of the whole cat.
