Giving My Cats The Life They Deserve

The other day I was talking to a friend about my cat’s daily routine and how we are getting back into the school routine. I started thinking about how that routine has changed just this past year. It has evolved as I continue to learn ways to provide a better life for my cats. As cat parents, we want to give our cats the best life possible. It is our responsibility to provide for them physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. All four of these are connected. You can’t have one without the other. How can we ensure that our beloved babies are getting what they deserve?

Of course, we know the essentials that our cats need to survive. Food, water, litter box and a place to sleep. Those are the basics of needs, and a cat can survive on those alone. But would they be a happy, healthy and thriving cat. Probably not. Cats need more to thrive. To be their best selves. And they depend on us to provide for them. We have to ensure that they are getting all that they need.

The Essentials

When we talk about the essentials, food comes to mind first. Of course, we know that we should be feeding our babies a high-quality food. What they eat affects so much. Just like with us, food and gut health are important to be healthy. As I was learning about the importance of a species appropriate raw diet, I made the decision to transition my cats to raw. Feeding a raw diet can be expensive, but it was important to me to be able to do this for my cats. I knew that it was going to take time and I started small. At this point, almost half of my cats are on a complete raw diet. The other half gets freeze dried raw added to their wet food. I am trying to improve all of their diets as much as possible. Small steps are important.

I am realizing that the kind of water that they drink is as important as the food they eat. A cat gets the majority of its water from their food. That is why it is so important to feed a moisture rich food. Dry food provides absolutely no moisture. The group of my cats that are on a raw diet do not drink a lot of water because they are getting their moisture from the food. However, I want to make sure that the water they do drink is not going to make them sick. Unfortunately, our tap water is full of chemicals and contaminants. We don’t want to drink that, so why would we let our cats drink it. Filtered water is the best. We are looking into getting a whole house filtration system for our water. Better for us and our cats.

After your cats eat and drink, they will need to use the litter box. I have started making the switch from clay litter. I realized that clay litter was not the best for my cats. They inhale the dust from the litter. The worst part is licking the litter off their paws and ingesting it. That worries me. I am sure that it is not healthy to consume clumping clay litter. Changing litter is a tricky process. Cats will sometimes refuse to use new litter. Especially if they don’t like the way it feels on their paws. We have made the switch slowly. In addition to their normal clay litter, we have been using Dr. Bales’ One Source and World’s Best Cat Litter. Not everyone has decided to make the switch, so we have multiple litter boxes with options for them.

Cats are sleep connoisseurs. They spend the majority of their day, and night, sleeping. This is why it is crucial to provide them with a comfy place to sleep. Giving them multiple sleeping options is even better. There are cat beds, boxes, cat trees and blankets throughout my house for my cats. Some of my cats prefer to sleep with me at night. Others prefer to sleep in the bedroom but on the chair or cat tree. During the day, you can find them in different areas. They will change their sleeping spots throughout the day. Sometimes they follow the sun puddles and sleep wherever the sun is shining at that moment. no matter your cat’s sleeping preference, you should provide them with options.

More Than The Essentials

Providing your cat with the essentials is a no brainer. However, over the past year I have realized that there is so much more that I can be providing for my cats’ wellbeing. Giving them with the essentials contributes to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components of wellbeing, but it is not enough. Adding supplements to their meals can improve their health. I change up my supplements depending on what my cats may be needing at that moment. Engaging in daily playtime will help their mental stimulation as well as the physical component. The physical, along with the mental, components are a bit easier to provide for. Learning how to give them what they need for emotional and spiritual wellbeing was interesting.

In the past, I never really thought that my cats needed emotional or spiritual stimulation. Over the past few months, I have learned how important these two are to a happy and healthy cat. I wanted to provide my cats with all that they need to thrive. I have been using herb gardens from Naturally Cats to help with the emotional and spiritual component. It is amazing to see them self-select what herbs they may be needing at that time. I have also been taking a Cat Chakra Course from Naturally Cats. It has been fascinating to learn how daily life can affect their chakras and cause blockages. I have felt empowered learning how to help my cats work through any blockages they may have. All this helps with the emotional and spiritual components.

Know Better, Do Better

This may sound all extra to some. However, if we stop thinking of our cats as just a cat and start thinking about them as sentient beings who require the same things that we do, it doesn’t seem so extra. As the caregiver of my babies, it is my responsibility to ensure that they are receiving the absolute best care possible. It is my job as their Cat Mom to provide them with all that they need to thrive and to live their best lives. I will continue to learn and try new things for my babies. With all the unconditional love and emotional therapy they provide me, it is the least that I can do.

“One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home.” –Pam Brown