Cat Care
Three decisions shape a cat's life more than any others: what it eats, what it is vaccinated against, and whether anyone amputates its toes. Each gets a long piece here, written against current veterinary sources rather than against habit.
The three pieces
Feeding a cat well
Cats are obligate carnivores that evolved in arid country and take most of their water from prey. Nearly everything that matters about feline nutrition follows from those two facts. The page covers what the label on a tin actually tells you, how to read an ingredient panel in order of inclusion, why the nutritional-adequacy statement matters more than the marketing, how to compare wet and dry food honestly, and how to change a cat's diet without triggering a hunger strike.
Vaccinating your cat
The old habit of giving every cat every vaccine every year is gone, and it did not go quietly. This page explains the framework that replaced it — core vaccines every cat should have, non-core vaccines chosen on the basis of the individual animal's real exposure, and revaccination intervals now measured in years rather than months. It also covers adverse events honestly, including the one that is specific to cats.
Declawing
Declawing is not a nail trim. It is the amputation of the last bone of each toe, ten times over. This page describes the procedure, sets out the veterinary and welfare positions against it, explains the consequences that surface years later, and covers what works instead — because scratching is a normal, necessary behaviour that can be redirected but should never be removed.
Three principles underneath all three
A cat is not a small dog. Feline physiology diverges from canine at nearly every point that matters to an owner: protein requirement, taurine dependence, drug metabolism, thirst drive, stress response. A significant share of well-intentioned harm comes from advice generalised across from dogs. Several common human and canine medications — paracetamol above all — are lethal to cats at ordinary doses.
Behaviour is information, not misconduct. A cat that stops using the litter tray, over-grooms a flank, hides for days or lashes out when handled is reporting something: pain, stress, or an environment that fails to meet a need. The first response to a behaviour change is a veterinary examination, not a correction. Cats conceal pain extremely well, and a great deal of what gets labelled as a bad temperament is untreated discomfort.
Prevention decides the outcome. Sterilisation, dental attention, weight control and a routine physical are unglamorous and are where the health of a cat is actually determined. The American Association of Feline Practitioners practice guidelines set out what a routine visit should cover at each life stage.
The things that cannot wait
These pages are general information, written to help an owner ask better questions. They are not veterinary advice and cannot account for an individual animal. Some situations need a clinic the same day, not a search engine:
- A male cat straining in the litter tray without producing urine. Urethral obstruction is a genuine emergency and is fatal within a day or two untreated.
- Laboured or open-mouthed breathing. Cats do not pant like dogs; this is always serious.
- A cat that stops eating for more than about twenty-four hours, particularly an overweight one, because of the risk of hepatic lipidosis.
- Sudden hind-limb weakness or crying out, which can indicate an arterial thromboembolism.
- Known or suspected ingestion of lilies, antifreeze, or human medication.
For a free, well-maintained, non-commercial reference on almost any other feline health question, the Cornell Feline Health Center is the best English-language source available and is written for owners rather than clinicians.
Where to go next
If you are considering taking a cat on, adopting a rescue cat covers what the commitment involves and how to choose an animal that suits your household. If you already have cats and want to help others, cat rescue describes how intake and placement work.