More and more people are choosing to keep their cats indoors and largely this is due to safety concerns in specific areas. Most cats are perfectly content living inside, but, in order to keep them healthy, it is important to be aware of the changes you might have to make in terms of how you care for them.
The two main health risks for an indoor cat are low exercise levels and, due to large amount of time available for grooming, a high probability of developing hairballs. However, the good news is that steps can be taken to tackle both of these potential problems.
Exercising an indoor cat is very easy and can be fun for both of you. Get your pet running around the house with a toy on a string and, for the times when you are not there, consider installing a scratching post or climbing tower. Just encouraging a little exercise every day will help prevent your cat from becoming lazy and overweight.
An indoor cat will also benefit from a tailored diet, so consider purchasing a specially formulated pet food that contains less digestible, fermentable fibre, in order to help prevent hairballs and to reduce stool odour. Indoor cat food is also formulated to help maintain a healthy weight by converting fat into energy.
The other way to reduce the risk of hairballs is remembering to brush your cat regularly – every day for long haired cats and at least once a week for those that shed less often. A tailored grooming and exercise routine, along with a monitored diet, equates to a happy, healthy and easy to look after indoor cat.
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