In the wild, cats have a natural ability and instinct to care for themselves. House cats, on the other hand, depend on humans for care and feeding. They require a considerable amount of attention. Bookstores and local humane societies can provide cat owners with a plethora of educational materials on the responsibility of cat ownership and the care of cats.

You may not know it, but cats can be trained. Like other animal training programs gentle, positive training will work best. Offer your cat a treat when they behave correctly or as you have taught them. When they misbehave just ignore them.

Cats are very clean animals and like to spruce themselves up every day. It is still a good idea to bath your cat about once every three weeks. You can use a specialty cat product, but mild soap will work fine. Remember to keep the soap away from your cat’s eyes. Some cats are difficult to bathe, and you may find it takes a lot of effort and a little first aid. Train your cat to enjoy baths from the time they are a kitten and reward them after a bath with a treat. As they say, start out like you can hold out. You don’t want every bath to be a battle.

Do everything you can to make the bath fun and rewarding for your cat. Don’t hit or punish your cat at bath time. This will only cause your cat to be more apprehensive about bathing in the future.

Don’t forget to clean your cat’s ears and nails with a gentle q-tip. Towel dry your cat after its bath. Don’t even consider using a blow dryer. The noise and hot air will scare the cat, and the hot air can damage your cat’s sensitive skin. Brush your cat after the towel dry.

It’s a good idea to buy your cat its own bed. While it is common for cats to sleep with their owner, your cat will be just as satisfied sleeping beside your bed. This will keep your clothes and bed linens from always being full of cat hair. Some people are allergic to cat hair, and you don’t want to have to choose between your cat and your sleeping mate.

Keep the litter box where any odor will not disturb your family. No one wants to smell the litter box, so clean it often. The less you clean the litter box the worse it will be when you do clean it.