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Tips & Tricks for the First Time Cat Parent

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Tips and Tricks for the First-Time Cat Owner by Jessica Brody

Cats have a very funny way of wandering into our lives, sometimes literally. Some first-time cat owners make a plan, prep for several weeks, then bring their new feline friend home. Others start the day with no intention of having a cat, then one small mew later, they’re cat owners.

Whether you’re in the former or latter camp, you probably want some advice on how to do right by your new family member. JML Pets is dedicated to meeting cats at their level and giving them the care that meets their instinctual needs. Here are some tips and tricks to help you and your pal get started on the right paw.

Introductions

Just like any relationship, you and your new cat need some time to get to know one another. Your pal is almost certain to be skittish and shy at first. Cats rely on familiarity and mental mapping to feel secure in their surroundings. In a new home surrounded by strange scents and people, they’re going to be out of sorts. Don’t be surprised if you barely see your new pal for the first week or so.

Whenever they start poking their head out around corners or slinking over to smell your toes, you can reciprocate with some affection. Hold your hand out in front of their head, and let them nuzzle up against you. Giving them the reins helps them feel in control and establish boundaries. You can also offer them a treat. CBD, which is short for cannabidiol, cat treats are a great way to help your new friend feel relaxed, thanks to their natural powers in calming your kitty down. But make sure you do your research — not all CBD products are created equally. After a while, you and your new pal will start to get to know each other better.

Play and Exercise

Your kitty needs plenty of exercise. Without proper play and stimulation, cats can become overweight, suffer from health issues, and develop emotional problems as well. Many “bad” cats are simply bored cats with no outlet for their pent up energy.

Remember, your cat is not so far-flung from its cousins in the wild. All felines have an intense instinct to hunt, climb, and play. As an owner, it’s your job to provide this enrichment at home. For example, you could pick up one of our Joshua tree cat trees. Cat furniture like this gives kitties the chance to climb, explore, and survey their domain from on high.

You should also get a variety of cat toys to see what your cat likes best. Some love to chase jingly balls, others go nuts for stick-and-string toys, and still others love them all. Try several out and hold on to whichever ones your pet responds to.

Good Nutrition

When it comes to picking food for your furry friend, you want to be careful about picking the least expensive option out there. Bottom-shelf cat food may feel affordable, but it can cost you more in the long run. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning the majority of their diet needs to come from meat. Many low-priced cat foods are mostly made up of corn and other grains, depriving cats of the nutrients their bodies need. This can lead to serious health issues and shortened lifespans.

Instead, try to find food that lists meat as its first ingredient. Most cats do well on a mix of wet and dry food. Chicken, fish, beef, and pork are all great options for kitties, although you should avoid feeding even these ingredients off your plate. Human preparations of these dishes generally contain way too much salt for cats, not to mention cat-toxic ingredients like garlic and onion. If you want to give them a little taste of human food now and then, stick to small, lightly seasoned or unseasoned pieces of cat-safe foods.

Finally, schedule an appointment with a veterinarian. Your kitty will need annual checkups, plus you want to have an established relationship with a vet in the event of any medical emergencies. Once you have your vet picked out, you and your kitty are all set to enjoy a beautiful life together!

Looking for high-quality cat toys and furniture? Check out JMLPets selection of cat goods designed to meet cats’ primal needs.

Photo Credit: Pexels

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Cat Trees – What’s the big deal?
Any cat lover will know how much kitties love to climb. The little darlings will shimmy up the back of your couch, your favorite chair, window drapes, even your leg! They just love to climb.
Knowing this, pet supply companies developed the modern run of the mill “Cat Tree”. These companies figured the more stuff they could pile on the tree the more pet owners would pay! They covered it with pretty pile carpet, wrapped the uprights with rope, hung all kinds of doo-dads everywhere, made it seven foot tall and abra-ca-dab-rah…a masterful marketing ploy!
None of it considered what was best for little kitty.

First off, regular carpet sheds horribly when they pull on it. Now there are two major problems with this:
Firstly it wears out quickly and leaves a mess thereby requiring replacement or throwing it away. (Money wasted)
Secondly, the residue and strands of carpet is readily ingested by the cat. Not good!!! And the same can be said of the rope.

Second off, the construction is sadly CHEAP and designed to weaken and deteriorate.PVC pipe and compressed particle board are the main components supporting the carpet and rope. The height is an issue as anything over four feet is a potential hazard when they leap off. Sprains are the most common results from jumping from too high a place.

Thirdly, all the little frills that are tacked on are mostly there to appeal to the owner, not the pet. Things like hammocks, feathers and springs. Hammocks, most cats prefer a firmer cuddly surface to rest, they don’t prefer stepping on something that doesn’t support them evenly. All the little feathers and decorations are throwaways, not intended to stay on the tree. They’re there to attract kitty initially but then are gone leaving bare bones ugliness for you and your cat to stare at.

These things are designed to be thrown away so you buy again!!

Don’t play their game! Buy quality designed and built products the first time so you won’t need to buy again! You’ll pay a little more but your kitty AND your wallet will appreciate it!
Have a blessed day and…
Please check us out at www.JMLPets.com

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Firstly; A little history on ourselves, Leebee and I have been pet owners for all of our 43 years of marriage and cat people exclusively for 38 of them.

Are we Veterinarians? Nope

Are we professionally trained? No again

What we are though are people who care deeply about the well-being of animals. We observe and pay close attention to how pets, (predominantly cats now) react to stimuli in their environment. What appeals to them and what doesn’t. Where they play and more importantly, where they best relax, what is healthy for them and things we can do to enhance their health.

It’s kind of why we created JMLPets in the first place. 

Being long time pet owners and seeing all the “Cat Specific” stuff in the marketplace, it didn’t take long to realize it was mostly junk made to fall apart. The stuff was designed to make the consumer re-buy time and again! 

From a seller viewpoint, thumbs up, but from the consumer…aggravating and massive waste of money! Why can’t there be quality, long lasting, sensible cat products for pet owners to purchase?

This leads me to another “Pet Owner” issue, RESPONSIBILITY. What responsibility? It is to understand that our pets have unique requirements, beyond feeding them and litter box duty, to keep them happy and healthy, and in turn to provide us with love, affection and lower Vet bills. LOL

We’ve got to come to the realization that they’re not maintenance free. As much as we’d like this to be true, it’s not!

One area most neglected is our cat’s claws and how important they are to a cat’s health & happiness. A lot of cat people just don’t get it! Scratching to them is an inconvenience, an aggravating act of defiance that can be trained out of the cat. They scold them, use water bottles, newspaper, deterrent sprays, tape and all kinds of contraptions to control what is a completely natural, but very necessary behavior. Like every animal, cats are firstly controlled by instincts and when those instincts are tied closely to health issues, i.e. survival…YOU AIN”T GONNA CHANGE THEM! 

Cat’s claws are their first line of defense and their first weapon in capturing prey. In other words a cat without it’s properly maintained claws is essentially defenseless and will be under continual stress. Watch a cat while she’s scratching away on something. They really are happy! Not because they like messing with you or tempting you, it’s because they’re doing what’s natural to them. They’re keeping their weapons ready. LOL

Now that we understand the importance of not hindering the scratching behavior, what do we do about it? We provide a safe, secure place for them to do it, Right? Yes, but it is also equally important that this place, or device, be as beneficial to them as possible. Let’s look at the different materials most commonly used.

Cardboard: 1 Star – It’s cheap. Cats take right to it! No doubt. But it’s messy and offers ZERO physical benefit to your cat’s claws. Material can be ingested. Constantly needs to be replaced therefore not cost effective.

Sisal Type Rope: 2 Stars – A little more costly. Somewhat accepted by cats. It shreds and creates residue that might possibly be ingested. Better than cardboard for claws but because it shreds so easy it does nothing for sheath maintenance & removal, (very important). Also needs to be replaced often reducing cost effectiveness.

Shag Style Carpet: 1-1/2 Stars – More expensive yet. Some cats like it, some don’t. It tends to come apart easily and strands can be ingested by your cat. Satisfies the clawing desire but doesn’t do much of anything for claw maintenance. Because of how easily the strands separate it needs to be regularly replaced.

Berber Style Carpet: 3-1/2 Stars – More initial cost. Of the four types, probably the best overall, though most of it separates from the backing under moderate use. Because of this it’s durability is limited. Little residue. Cats take to it readily. It meets most of the needs your cat has to maintain her claws except effective sheath removal and abrasiveness.

Claw-Care Pad: 5 Stars – More initial expense but offset by being extremely durable. Replaceable Scratch Pad, (if ever needed), cuts long-term cost immensely. Berber-ish on steroids appearance. Virtually residue free. Cats take to it immediately. Deeply satisfying to your cat and offers everything for complete claw maintenance, including sheath removal and tip upkeep.

So there folks, you have it in a nutshell. I have been quoted as saying, “Sure we make the best scratch pad on the market and I would like for you to buy from us, BUT, what’s really important is to get something for your kitty. They need it! I just pray you use wisdom in your purchase.” I still stand by it!

Thanks for listening.  JMLPets

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What does it mean “30 Years of observation”?

My lovely wife, Leebee, and I have been cat friends for almost 40 years total. Thirty years ago I became tied to a wheelchair and that’s when my observations of our four indoor cats began. I began to notice their individual peculiarities, but also their similarities, in the way they interacted with the variables in their environment. I was fascinated by how such different personalities could be so instinctively the same.

For example: While playing with the same bungee style toy. one of my guys would jump and pounce, the other would lie down and swat. Both would spend hours playing with that toy and always the same way. The instinctive similarity…the desire to hunt and play. The unique dissimilarity…how they did it. Their preference was key. They did it their way. I couldn’t change it no matter what.

Lesson: We, as humans cannot impose our will on them. We need to let them do their thing. We gain their love and devotion if we’d learn this simple fact. 

Cater to their instincts (which are pretty much the same) but realize they are unique little creations from God!

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