Common Mistakes to Avoid When Raising a Cat

1 Common Cat Care Mistakes

Common Cat-Raising Mistakes

1. Keeping unsafe plants

Many plants and flowers are toxic to cats, so households with cats should be careful about keeping plants to avoid poisoning. Common toxic plants and flowers include lilies, calla lily, dieffenbachia, periwinkle, daffodil, pothos, ivy, snake plant, aloe, narcissus, daisy, azalea, amaryllis, lavender, hydrangea, cyclamen, tulip, umbrella plant, lily of the valley, jasmine and lucky bamboo. If a cat eats any of these it can easily suffer stomach upset or poisoning that threatens its life. Owners should avoid keeping these plants at home, or place them where the cat cannot reach.

2. Frequently hitting or scolding the cat

Never casually hit or scold your cat, and don’t let it become a habit — it is a slow form of harm. Frequent hitting and scolding not only hurts the cat physically but also damages its mental state and can lead to depression. Depression seriously affects a cat’s health and shortens its lifespan; even if you control your strength, the cat’s mental health still suffers. So never hit a cat casually; learn proper, science-based ways to correct behavior.

3. Often ignoring the cat

Many people think cats are aloof, but even aloof cats crave their owner’s attention. After bonding, a cat usually becomes very attached to its owner, so raising a cat should never be a passing whim — you must take responsibility. Pay attention to the cat’s emotions and don’t ignore or neglect it, or it may become unhappy and depressed.

4. Feeding table scraps

In the past people fed cats leftovers because they didn’t understand cats and there was no cat food. But cats are not suited to long-term table scraps, especially greasy, salty food, which burdens the kidneys and easily causes illness and shortens lifespan. For your cat’s health, choose a quality cat food and keep its diet balanced.

5. Giving human snacks

Some owners over-indulge their cats, giving them whatever they want — chips, spicy snacks, sausage, ice cream and other treats. Regularly feeding human snacks is not love but slow harm. Many human snacks are unsuitable for cats; don’t think ‘a little won’t matter,’ as this mindset easily threatens the cat’s health. If your cat begs or you want to bond, keep some cat treats at home, but control the amount so the cat doesn’t become picky and malnourished.

6. Letting the cat get too fat

Many owners think a chubby cat is cute and overfeed it, or because they’re busy they leave a huge amount of food at once, causing obesity. But obesity is very harmful — it greatly raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes and arthritis and shortens lifespan. Don’t sacrifice health for looks; feed appropriately and keep the cat at a healthy weight, avoiding both being too thin and too fat.

The above are some common cat-care mistakes; we hope owners avoid them to protect their cat’s health.