Cats owners can take action to keep their pets safe, mentally stimulated and in good health
By AMBER WARNKE — features@theaggie.org
Humans have lived alongside cats for thousands of years, sharing their homes with the creatures all over the world. Cat owners today face influence from the spotlight placed on pets through social media creators, prompting a greater discussion of the best way to raise the animals.
Dove Tapia, a third-year wildlife, fish and conservation biology major and the treasurer of the UC Davis Veterinary Aide Club, suggested that owners give their cats flea- and tick-prevention medication monthly — even if they are indoors, as bugs can still get inside. She also provided tips on cats’ water-drinking habits and how to best encourage a cat to drink water.
“For one, cats are not used to having their water next to their food, so having their water next to their food can be a little bit of a deterrent for them,” Tapia said. “They [also] want [their water] to be moving, so that’s why a lot of people have those fountains.”
Tapia discussed the importance of dental care in cats.
“Get them used to brushing their teeth because dental bills are so expensive,” Tapia said. “You want to make sure that you can avoid them losing their teeth and get them okay with a toothbrush or some sort of dental treat.”
Alyssa Arino, a second-year graduate student in UC Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine, is one of the presidents of the Orphan Kitten Project, a kitten-fostering club on campus. She suggested that owners can add more wet food to their cats’ diets or put out low-sodium chicken and bone broth if they worry about their cats becoming dehydrated.
Arino also discussed one major health issue common to the cats in her clinic is feline obesity.
“People tend to equate love with giving your cat lots of treats,” Arino said. “We see a lot of overweight cats, really chunky cats. Which can cause a lot of health problems later in life, especially with their kidneys.”
She suggested that owners make sure to portion out the treats they give their cats and abide by the recommended portion sizes on cat food labels.
Han Rogers, a second-year graduate student in UC Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine, is another president of the Orphan Kitten Project. Rogers recommended owners to spay and neuter their cats to maintain their health.
“Having kittens is an incredibly stressful process for [the] mom cat,” Rogers said. “It’s not good for their bodies, and it really just wears them out and makes them more likely to get sick.”
Rogers pointed out that while some may be tempted to allow their cats to have kittens because of their endearing appearance, they may not realize that kittens can come with a host of their own health issues.
“When you see kittens at [a] shelter or PetSmart, those are the kittens that made it,” Rogers said. “So many of them don’t.”
In addition to getting their cats spayed or neutered, Rogers said another way owners can maintain their cats’ safety is to keep them inside, which protects them from cars, parasites, diseases and other animals. However, to prevent under-stimulation from remaining indoors, Rogers had advice for cat owners.
“People think of cats as these stoic loners, but they’re really social animals,” Rogers said. “[For] young kittens, it really teaches them how to be kittens. Cats who bite hands when they’re trying to play probably [do it] because they didn’t have a sibling to teach them how hard a bite is.”
Tapia also suggested that cat owners ensure their cats have access to windows to look out of during the day and toys to play with when they are left alone. Additionally, Tapia recommended owners to spend time engaging with their pets in active play throughout the day to encourage fitness, and Rogers recommended string toys to provide stimulation for cats.
As cat owners spend time playing with their pets, however, Arino wants owners to know that in order to bond with their pets, they must respect their cat’s boundaries.
“Some cats are totally fine with being picked up and manhandled and everything, but others maybe don’t like that so much,” Arino said. “As long as you learn what their boundaries are and respect [them], you can have a very great relationship with them.”
Whether their cats are friendly or shy, coming from single-cat homes or multiple, students across Davis care deeply about their pets’ well-being. Students looking to get more involved with cats in Davis can involve themselves with the Orphan Kitten Project signing up to foster litters or single cats, or the Community Cat Project, in which they can participate in feeding the feral cats in Davis. All of the cat owners and club members of Davis would surely agree — Davis loves cats!
Written by: Amber Warnke — features@theaggie.org
