Photo by Jae Park

Originally Posted On: https://happytails.tips/caring-for-kitties-holistically/

 

Kitties! If you are a cat lover, you probably squeal that exact word a few times a day. It is nearly impossible for cat lovers to even view pictures of cats and kittens and not get excited and happy all over. If you have always wanted a cat, and now you can finally have one, do you know how you will care for it?

One of the newest ways to care for precious kitties is the holistic approach. While the holistic approach to human health and care has certainly taken the world by storm, the holistic approach to taking care of our pets has been a little slower going. Still, this is a movement that is definitely moving and there are a lot of considerations involved with making this kind of decision when choosing how to care for your cat. You may find, however, that holistic care for a cat is actually in tune with how your cat is, well, a cat

Kittens Need More of Your Time

It goes without saying that kittens need more of your time, but it should be noted that the time you spend has to be quality time. Kittens need to know and come to trust the humans in their environment. They need to know that all the humans in their lives are going to help them adapt to life indoors and to the comforts and security it brings.

To do that from a holistic point of view, you have to spend several minutes a day actively engaging a kitten’s mind and body. Play about twenty minutes at a time, at least twice a day, and use different toys to get your kitten to play and be engaged in the activity. When playtime is over, you can step into the next phase of engagement.

Body Soothing

Kittens have to be soothed and petted after play. This is the bonding moment between you and your kitten. It is also the moment that teaches your kitten how nice it is for a human to pet him/her and how soothing it feels. As your kitten grows into an adult cat, this simple activity of petting and soothing from touch has benefits for both your cat and you.

Feeding Your Cat

Cat owners tend to feed cats all the wrong food. There is this human idea that cats like variety and that you should switch up their diet a lot. That is so far from the truth! In fact, holistic veterinarians will tell you that constantly switching a cat’s diet will trigger a ton of health problems. Find and buy a premium quality food that your cat will eat, and stick to it.

Additionally, there is this idea that any food will do. No, that is not right either. A lot of low-quality foods contain a lot of starches, carbohydrates, and fats for flavoring. Cats are carnivores by nature and eat a ton of meat. Giving them plants and plant-based diets is about as wrong as asking a horse to eat meat. Umpteen digestive issues, as well as problems with their kidneys and blood sugar, result when you don’t feed your cat a diet high in meat and preferably raw meat.

Lastly, holistic pet experts suggest raw food diets. You do have to be careful with what raw food you give your cat because there is always the issue of parasites. However, raw food gets the closest to what felines eat in the wild. Your best bet is to find a raw food pet product line that is high quality with no plant fillers. Your cat gets exactly what it should in terms of nutrition, hydration, and meet its needs.

Water

A high-quality raw food diet provides your cat with around seventy to eighty percent of your pet’s hydration needs. The rest comes from the water it drinks. Even if you buy and feed your kitty or kitties the best-wet food on the planet, your furry babies will still need a full, fresh dish of water daily. Most people no longer drink tap water because of contaminants. And for very good reason.

Common tap water universally contains chemicals, pollutants, and chemicals that compromise our health and well-being. Our pets are no different in how they are affected by tap water. Provide your cats with fresh bottled spring water or if you lucky enough to be on a well fill their bowls with the well water. Preserve your cat’s health don’t give them tap water. Cats, like humans and all other living things, can go a long time without food, but they will not survive without water.

Litter and Litter Boxes

Right now you are probably thinking, “How can litter and litter boxes be holistic or be made holistic?” The answer may surprise you. It looks at how healthy a cat’s litter box can be in terms of preventing infections, disease, and unpleasant illnesses for your cat.

So, instead of that plastic cat pan with a potentially high content of BPA (bisphenol A), you can invest in cardboard boxes of recycled paper with no waxy coating. The reason why you might want to do this is that a lot of cats and kittens will claw and scratch the sides of the box, a marking behavior that lets other cats know that “this box is mine.” Sadly, the small bits of plastic caught in your cat’s claws then end up in his/her digestive tract when he/she begins grooming. You don’t want your cats swallowing plastic!

It’s Best to use Natural Chemical Free Litter

Since BPAs were banned in human baby bottles but may still be present in other plastic goods (like that catbox!), you would want to switch to a more organic material that will not impact your cat quite so much. Recycled, unwaxed cardboard is ideal because it is earth-friendly and kitty-friendly too. Your cat can claw and chew the cardboard without causing him/herself any internal harm. Small bits of cardboard are dissolved in the cat’s stomach and go out of the digestive tract, unlike the bits of plastic that might get caught internally.

As for cat litter, there are so many chemicals in most cat litter brands that you could be slowly poisoning your kitty and not know it. Worst still, there are cheap cat litters out there that create a lot of dust, and cats breathe in that dust. It causes them upper respiratory issues and lung complications if they breathe in enough of it. Consider using a non-chemical litter for the box instead. If you aren’t sure what that is, ask a holistic veterinarian about some brands of non-chemical and all-natural litters.

Holistic Care for Your Kitty

Even with the best of products and care, your cat or kitten may still become ill. It could literally be anything from swallowing a bit of string intentionally to falling off the furniture on high to having a congenital health issue. Regardless of what it is, your holistic veterinarian and cat expert can approach the issue from several angles. In fact, that is exactly what holistic healers do. They consider all aspects of the pet’s health to determine just what the problem is and how to fix it.

A regular vet will only treat the symptoms your pet is experiencing, and not the source or cause of it. A holistic healer for pets tries to figure out how your pet became ill, what can be done to prevent the issue in the future, what other therapies can be used to treat your pet (e.g., acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic care, health supplements and vitamins, etc.) so that your pet’s entire being is brought back into harmony with itself. Even if the illness seems severe, there are ways to treat it with holistic approaches to make sure your cat is comfortable and feeling better.

FAQ

What is the best way teach a cat or kitty not to scratch on furniture?

First of all, designated scratch posts and a cat tree is where to start. If you catch them clawing on something that is a no-no, gently move them to the post or the cat tree. Basically show them with love and they will catch on. The younger you start showing them their designated areas the sooner they’ll get it!

What are some other necessities for your felinefriend?

A favorite toy, for one. You can buy multiple mice toys, babies, cats usually love. Catnip is another great thing to have around. Most feline kitties, adult cat, and older cat need to cuddle either with another cat or you or even some love to cuddle with the dog!

Best place to get a cat?

There are tons of adoptable cats through adoption agencies, an animal shelter or a foster family. There is such an abundance of these babies that need homes, its not even funny. Even though sometimes you may need to put some time in to earn their trust or teach them how to be part of the family, the reward will be more than well worth it!