3 Dogs and 2 Cats

During the summer our short haired cats love to go in and out of the house. In the winter, it’s another story. Our cats gain about five pounds each and it seems like they just sleep all day. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, these 2 cats rarely meow to go outside. Kenny is the gray fury cat in the pictures below. Sometimes it can be tough to keep an eye on her weight. She would graze all day long if we let her. Buy feeding her smaller amounts once in the morning and once the evening it’s been easier to control her cat health and weight. Indoor cats { like our cats Kenny and Milly} - especially apartment dwellers, tend to have more obesity problems more frequently than outdoor cats, due to less room to move around. If you were an indoor cat that only needed to wait and catch your dinner once it fell into the cat food dish, you’d likely gain weight too.

In or out? She can’t make up her mind….

Kenny entering through the window in the basement.

JUST SAY NO TO FREE FEEDING
If we didn’t our kittens would just get too fat! The main reason for cat obesity (as well as obesity in people) is the consumption of too much food. Deny it all you want but it is a fact. It’s not uncommon for cat owners to fill up the cat food bowl and let the cats have it at for a couple days. Many cats are fed “free choice”, which means there is food available all the time and the cat eats whenever it wants. (Pretty unnatural for a true carnivore that evolved as a hunting machine!) Free choice feeding has probably been the biggest single factor contributing to cat obesity.

If you were wondering how Kenny gets down from on top of the television, she puts her front paws on the screen and slides down the front of the tv. Once she’s about half way down the front she jumps forward and runs smoothly out of the transition from being vertical to horizontal

It’s easy to care for your cat, they don’t ask for much. They just need lots of love, excercise, good nutrition and vetrinary care.

Cats have certainly come a long way from its original origins. Domesticated cats are now in many people’s homes, as they have been for years. The life expectancy of cats has also grown, thanks to the change in the way that cats have been treated, as well as a cat’s lineage.

Years ago, the life expectancy of cats was no more than 6 years of age. As the years passed, many families noticed that the life expectancy of cats was getting older and older. By today’s standards, a cat can live an upwards of 20 years. This 14 year gain on life expectancy is phenomenal as more and more cat lovers bring cats into their homes. There are, however, reasons as to why cats are living much longer these days than they used to. Cats can have a longer life expectancy today, thanks to their owners. Healthy cats that are well taken care of are the typical cats that will live longer. This includes most indoor cats. Indoor cats have a higher life expectancy than outdoor cats for a variety of reasons. Indoor cats are not exposed to the varying elements that outdoor cats are exposed to. This is the main reason why indoor cats can live longer. Indoor cats do not have to hunt for their food, and they are not out in the extreme heat, cold, or rainy weather. Indoor cats do not have to vie for shelter. Indoor cats are also better taken care of than outdoor cats, as many indoor cats are vaccinated. As much, indoor cats do not risk the potential of possibly running into something that can be dangerous to hem, be it another animal, or chemicals that can hurt them greatly. Indoor cats are typically groomed often, and due to this, indoor cats will take better care of themselves. An indoor cat is still as active as an outdoor cat, if not more so, but they do not have all of the strikes against them as outdoor cats do.

Outdoor cats are expected to live anywhere between 4-6 years, sometimes longer. This is because they are exposed to the elements of Mother Nature, and are much more prone to receiving viruses from other animals, such as rabies, or a feline virus. It is often a combination of a lack of food and good nutrition, the weather outside, and other animals that will cut the life expectancy of an outdoor cat. Those animal owners that have their cats outside can help their cats live a longer and happier life when they feed the outside cats as well as give them a place to sleep when there are variable weather conditions. As much, outdoor cats that have had their vaccinations will not only be protecting themselves, but they are also protecting any other animals that may try to attack them. These steps can sometimes lead to a longer life span for the outdoor cat. The Life Expectancy of Cats….

There are often a whole host of variables that come into play when predicting the life expectancy of a cat. Overall, giving the cat love, nourishment and the medical attention that is needs will extend their life much longer than leaving the cat neglected. These elements combined can give a cat the best life possible.