Feature / Pickup
What is a comfortable home for cats?
What kind of house is it?
Ensuring safety without accidents or troubles
What is an environment where your cat and people can live with peace of mind?
Assistant Professor, Yamazaki University of Animal Health
We asked Dr. Maki Arakawa!
SupervisionYamazaki Animal Nursing University
Animal Clinical Nutrition Education Laboratory
Maki Arakawa Assistant Professor
Master / Certified Animal Nurse / Pet Nutrition Manager / Cat Healthcare Professional
Obtained CATvocate.
As a certified veterinary nurse, researches nutrition and veterinary nursing education for the prevention of urinary diseases in cats.
Supervised by "The Great Things for Cats (SHUFUNOTOMO)".
You can rest assured
I have a place to stay
Cats have the habit of "protecting themselves from foreign enemies." Therefore, I prefer a high place overlooking the territory (room) or a small place where I can hide. Set up a cat tower, open up a small space such as the bottom of the shelf or a corner under the bed as a hiding place for the cat, and create a place where the cat can calm down.
Also, in the cat society, we think that "it is better to be in a higher position", so by creating a place higher than the owner's eyes, the cat can feel at ease.
From "dangerous things / places"
Can protect
There are many dangerous things and places in the house for cats. For example, you may accidentally swallow a string or plastic bag, or you may accidentally eat food or plants that are familiar to you but harmful to your cat.
In addition, there are many dangerous places that cats are interested in, such as water areas such as bathrooms and toilets, kitchens that handle fire and cutlery, and confinement in washing machines and closets.
In order to protect the cat from these dangers, it is also effective to limit the place where the cat can enter, and to use the circle when the owner goes out or when the eyes are out of sight.
What if I accidentally swallow or eat?
First aid depends on what you eat, so consult a veterinary clinic first. It may be possible to remove it if it is in the mouth, but it is dangerous because it may damage the digestive tract if it is pulled out forcibly.
If you think you may have swallowed it, check for symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and loss of energy, and if you have any symptoms, take them to the hospital immediately.
Lack of exercise and stress
An indoor environment that can be eliminated
If the indoor environment is in place, cats can live comfortably without going outside. In order to solve the lack of exercise for cats, it is important to have an environment where you can play with the owner and exercise sufficiently up and down using a cat tower. Also, satisfying your hunting instinct by playing with toys will help relieve stress.
Around the kitchen
The kitchen work space and stove are places where there is a high risk of burns and injuries because there is a high possibility that knives such as kitchen knives are placed or that fire is being used. It is best if you can prevent cats from entering, but if it is difficult, take measures such as guarding around the stove.
bath
Cats sometimes go to the bathroom because they are worried about the owner who takes a bath, want to drink water, or are warm. However, the slippery bathtub is easy to slip on, and in the worst case, you may drown. Keep your cat in the bathroom when the bathtub is filled with hot water, keep an eye on it, and keep the hot water in the bathtub drained as much as possible while you are away.
Narrow space such as washing machines and drawers
A cat who likes a small and quiet place. Sometimes you can relax in a place like "Unknowingly in such a place !?" However, there is also a risk that the owner will inadvertently lock it in without noticing that it is included. Don't leave the doors and drawers open, keep the washing machine closed, and make sure you don't have a cat before you put your clothes in.
Furniture gap
Sometimes the cat gets caught in the gap and struggles to get out. Cats are said to have a gap about the size of their face. There are individual differences, but as a guide, do not create a gap of 3 cm or more for kittens and 5 cm or more for adult cats, and take measures such as guarding against entering.
Power cords
If the cat bites the power strip, it is very dangerous because there is a risk of electric shock. Let's devise such as attaching an outlet cover and a cord cover. It is also important to hide the cord from the cat's eyes by hiding it with a box or rug instead of placing it directly on the floor.
食べ物
There are surprisingly many foods that are familiar to humans but dangerous to cats. These include leeks such as onions and garlic, leeks and garlic, cacao such as chocolate and cocoa, grape skins, shellfish, and raw octopus and squid. Let's keep track of the owner.
Be careful of this too!
Risks that can be prevented if you know
Escape
In fact, if the indoor environment is in place, the cat does not have to go out. However, once you experience the outdoors, you will want to go outside as your own territory. As an escape prevention measure, when opening the entrance or window, it is effective to put it in a circle or cage, lock the screen door, or install a fence at the entrance.
Room scent
If a cat sniffs or directly licks aroma oils that are concentrated from plant components or incense made from plants for a long time, it may not be able to metabolize and may cause poisoning. Do not use it for your cat's health.
Foliage plant
Araceae such as pothos and lilies of lilies and tulips are known, and these may cause poisoning symptoms just by licking the water in the vase. If you want to put those plants in your house, you need to take measures such as putting them in a room where cats cannot enter.
More comfortable!
Living with a cat Q & A
How to deal with the heat of summer and the cold of winter?
Ingenuity such as creating an evacuation site while adjusting to the appropriate temperature of the cat.
Depending on the cat breed, cats prefer a little warmer (about 23-28 ° C) than humans. In midsummer and midwinter, turn on the air conditioner even when the owner is absent.
However, cats are not good at being too cool. In the summer, it's a good idea to prepare a futon that you can dig into or move to the next room so that you can escape from the coolness of the air conditioner yourself.
Also, cats are often not good at artificial winds, so when using a fan, install it so that it does not hit the cat's whereabouts such as the bed or cat tower, and use it for indoor air circulation. ..
What is the effect of lengthening or shortening the owner's house time?
You don't have to worry so much, but you can identify your personality.
Cats are animals that act alone, so even if they spend a lot of time alone, they don't really care. If the environment in your house hasn't changed, you won't have to worry too much. However, a child who has been teleworking with his owner for a long time, or a child with a spoiled personality, may be lonely. In such cases, it is important to gradually increase the owner's outing time and gradually get used to the condition of one person, rather than suddenly leaving for a long time.
Cat Tower: Make it a safe place
Cats need a high place with a panoramic view of the room, but they can't relax if they're wobbly or difficult to climb. It's stable, has steps, and if you hit your body against the steps, it won't hurt, and a cat tower made of non-slip material will give you peace of mind.
Also, the cat tower is a place where cats spend a long time. It is best to have a space where you can lie down on the top or in the middle so that you can spend a relaxing time. If you are a kitten or a senior cat and the steps on the tower seem to be difficult, try adding steps.
Circle: Protects you from various dangers
The point of choosing a circle is to think about "when to use it". If you want to stay in the circle for a long time when the owner is absent, you can put the toilet, water, and rice you normally use, and the place where the cat can sleep and the wide 2nd and 3rd tiers so that you can move up and down. I recommend the one. For kittens, it's a good idea to choose a one-step type or one with adjustable height.
Recommended usage for kittens
Especially for curious kittens, grab dangerous things such as electric cords.
Or something that you don't know where you hid. Only when I'm away
During times when the owner cannot see, such as while taking a bath or cooking, Sark
It is safe to have them spend time in Le. The cat himself likes the narrow space
Therefore, I am relieved to have my own place called a circle.
After becoming an adult cat?
Temporary cats when opening doors and windows, or when scaring visitors
The circle is convenient as an evacuation site. Also, if a natural disaster occurs
When you come, you have to put it in a circle or cage at the evacuation center
It should be the situation. From the perspective of disaster prevention, which is to get used to it,
It makes sense to use circles.
In the case of multi-headed
Circles can be shared between close cats. However, if you are a cat who is not very close to you, there is basically one circle for each cat. You can also use it to evacuate one to a circle when you are in a fight.
Cat Tower Circle
Let's put it in such a place
- A stable place that does not wobble
- Places where the wind from air conditioners and electric fans does not come directly
Cats don't like artificial winds hitting their whiskers. - Quiet place
Avoid the immediate vicinity of sound-producing objects such as TVs and doors.
How can cats get used to the circle?
Basically, cats like small places like circles, but if you are not used to it, you can freely go in and out, give snacks in the circle, "the circle is safe" and "it is good to be inside" Please try to work so that you will have a memory of "yes".
If you can see the outside or the inside of the room too much, it is recommended to cover a part with a thin towel. However, be careful of children who bite the towel.
* Tsumugi brush is sold separately.
Also for discipline from kittens
Perfect
Cat-room 3-stage type
Creating a room based on the cat's habits
If you are conscious, a more comfortable space
You should be able to make it.
While making good use of cat towers and circles
To the extent possible
The cat and the owner
Let's create an environment where you can live comfortably!
