How to Prolong the Life of Your Cat

Here is something that most cat lovers would love to know about their best little fur buddy. And no, we aren’t talking about bio-engineering, gene mutations or Frankenstein kind of stuff, we are just going to be real and get into actual and genuine ways that you can prolong a cat’s life. Nothing really fancy here, just a little dedication, perseverance and love will do the trick.

Regular Vet Visits

Although these suggestions are in no particular order, probably the most important one are regular vet visits. A vet is going to be able to do tests and find out things about your cat that you may not even know about. Plus, if there is any change in kitty’s behavior, they begin gaining or losing weight for no apparent reason, or you notice other things that haven’t been normal, your vet is going to be the first one you want to tell. Regular vet visits are the best thing you can do to prolong your cat’s life, hands down.

Keep them Indoors

Indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats because they aren’t exposed to any outdoor parasites and can’t get into anything outdoors that might be poisonous. Disease carrying fleas or ticks from outside won’t be an issue with your indoor cat, they won’t munch on grass covered with herbicides or pesticides, you’ll never have to worry about them licking sweet but deadly antifreeze, and they can never be chased or attacked by other cats, dogs, hawks, coyotes, etc.

Spayed or Neutered

Spaying and/or neutering your cat extends their life because it gets rid of all the hormones that may cause female related breast and uterine tumors, it prevents male prostate cancer and hernias, and for both sexes, it stops roaming, territorial fighting and spraying. By eliminating all of these factors, it indirectly increases the lifespan of your cat when compared to a cat that has not had these procedures done.

High Quality Food Diet

Just like humans, if cats eat a high quality food diet, they will live longer and healthier. For a pet owner, it is important to know how to choose healthy food for your cat. The best cat food is grain free, which essentially means it is all meat and vegetables with no added fillers or by-products.

Grain is generally added to cat food because it is less expensive to produce and consequently drives consumer sales of the product. Animal by-products can be any piece or part of an animal that is ground up and added, so you or your cat has no clue what it may be ingesting. Granted, your cat will live on virtually any commercially made cat food, but they will thrive on a high quality cat food diet and live longer because of it.

Exercise

An important aspect of cat longevity is regular exercise. This is a frequently overlooked aspect because cats pretty much go their own way and do what they want to do, which usually means lounging around in a nice sunny spot for hours. But by using their muscles and keeping fit, just like humans, cats will live longer and remain healthier.

If you have two or more cats, they will probably exercise themselves by playing, and other antics, that two or more cats always seem to get into. But if you only have one kitty, you may have to pitch-in and commit to a regular play/exercise session a few times a week. Even something as simple as pulling around a string on a stick for 10 or 15 minutes will be good, and there are many manufactured toys at pet stores that will keep your cat engaged. Plus, if you are involved and getting exercise with your cat, that’s a good thing for bonding with them too.

Watch their Weight

An obese cat or a skinny emaciated cat is not going to live as long as a cat that maintains the correct weight for its body size. If they don’t weigh enough, there may be an underlying problem, so a trip to the vet is in order. If they are obese, you can control their caloric intake, get them to exercise more and regulate how much they eat and the quality of their food.

Boredom

A bored cat is not a happy cat, which may mean it eats more, doesn’t get exercise and has no purpose or reason to thrive. You can help this situation by giving them toys, scratching posts, catnip treats, regular exercise, grooming, quality cat food and attention. Everything listed here helps your cat to flourish on every level, from nutrition to muscle growth, brain activity and feeling loved. That’s how you feel every time your kitty nestles beneath your chin and purrs, and that’s exactly how you want to make them feel every day of their long life.