Dogs are used to live in hierarchic societies and to respect the authority of the leader from the very origins of their species. However, cats are lonely hunters and do not accept any social structures or other authority other than their own. Therefore, you need to get used to the fact that you are not the owner of the cat but a creature he shares his territory with.



Here are some tips that will help you to avoid little troubles you might have living with a cat.

Do not try to change the cat's attitude. Screaming or punishing your pet in any way is useless. The cat may run away at the moment you scream at him but he will do the same thing again when you will not see him. Above all, never hit the cat because he is a revengeful animal and he will not forgive you so easily.

If your cat scratches your furniture try to create alternative ways for him to scratch his nails. Do not get mad at him. What he is doing it is natural. Cats mark their territory by scratching trees or objects. Today, there are many solutions for this problem. You just need to go to a pet shop and they will help you with this. If you do not want to spend money on special equipment you can build a scratcher for your cat. All you need is a piece of wood without any paint or varnish on it and put it in a vertical position so it will look like a tree. If your cat still prefers scratching your furniture take him to the scratcher with patience and make him pay attention to it. It is likely that sooner or later your cat will learn to follow your scratching policy.

Cats do not eat much in comparison with dogs. Besides they will never eat food that is not absolutely fresh. Therefore, never put a lot of food in the cat's bowl. When you see that the cat has finished his food, give him more, but if you see that he did not eat it for a while, throw it away and the next time give him less. Make sure that your cat always has enough fresh water. Change his water every day. This is especially important if the cat mainly eats dry food. If you see the cat drinking water from the tap or any other place that might be a sign that his water does not please him, so change the water from his bowl. As for premium food or cat candy, it is not advisable to give him that kind of food very often. If the cat gets used to this kind of food he will reject regular food and will keep demanding candy all the time. You better ration candy and make him associate that type of food with a concrete time of the day. Having a routine is essential to any cat. Never feed the cat with human food because it contains salt and spices that are very bad for the cat's health.

Take care of your cat's health by taking him to the veterinary's at least once a year. Get information on the vaccines and special medicines he has to take throughout the year.