Felines are unsurprisingly self-governing, independent, and defiant creatures (yeah, it doesn’t matter if they sometimes unabashedly show love and care). Hence, stubborn behavior in felines such as scratching your arms or legs, stroking at your back, or persistent vocalization may stem from the frustration of depending on their owners for water, food, and company. Refusing to follow commands, come up when called, or move from a certain perch likely shows that your furry buddy is pretty fed up with someone’s behavior.
Welcome To The Life Of Paw-rent!
Thus, it often becomes challenging for cat owners to keep their cats calm and relaxed in such situations. Also, many other factors like a cat clawing your bed, table, desk, chair, or other furniture, creating fuss and mess all around the house, may cause your headache.
Your feline clawing your furniture?
Did everything cover in your furry buddy’s fur?
Rotten kitten litter around the house?
That’s the life of a paw-rent. However, fortunately, the benefits always outweigh the downsides. You can manage to deal with such tricky challenges with some of the viable and valuable cat hacks – from keeping your cat active to the cat health tricks to the ways to clean litter box clean to whatever you are struggling with.
Below are the top 18 life hacks for cat owners that you must consider to make your life easy and a bit relaxed.
#1. Give Your Cat A Nickname
Giving your fur buddy a name like Princess Fluffy Bella can be amazing since it is an engaging title your cat would like to be called with. However, you may not know, but these lovely buddies don’t really like such big names rather love shorter or nicknames. They tend to respond only to nicknames that may include Milo, Fella, Buffy, and others… So if your cat doesn’t seem to respond to you, try giving it a nickname and see the magic.
#2. Give Your Furry Buddy Some Climbing Space
Struggling with calming your hyperactive cat down? No worries! Contrary to common belief, felines usually tend to remain highly active. Thus, your cat will chase you all over the home, from the living room to the bedroom and then the kitchen. Even in front of the washroom, if you are inside, so it can jump on you with all the excitement and happiness or may play with you when you come out. And, you feel a bit helpless and irritated, right?
A fantastic way to keep your cat active and busy with itself is to buy and put up some towers or shelves for it so that it can climb (pro cat life hacks). Hence, you are now free to do your house chores peacefully.
#3. Use Baking Soda Or Green Tea To Lessen Litter Box Smell
Being a cat owner, you know that litter box often stinks up your home, especially when you have multiple felines. It often becomes challenging to get rid of that odor. If the litter isn’t cutting the smell, try adding a few dried green tea leaves or add a small amount of baking soda to the litter box – outstanding cat life hacks. It will help reduce the smell coming from the litter box.
#4. Keep A Box On Your Table Or Desk When Working
Cats often love to get in the way, especially when their owners try to do urgent work. You may often witness your cat climbing to your desk, trying to sit on the keyboard, books or magazines, or even in front of the monitor when you are all ready to use it. However, you can try putting an open box on your desk – it probably will be way enough for your buddy to sit in. Know that if there is anything that your furry would love more than sitting on your books or keyboard, it is sitting in boxes kept nearer to you.
#5. The Top Toys Are Household Items
You may be thinking that cats usually like branded toys only. However, it is more of a misconception since cats mostly find great and utmost joy in playing with household items. Cats love to play with objects that include crumpled receipts, socks, empty toilet paper rolls, straws, comb, and others… So don’t worry about buying and getting expensive branded items or toys for your cat. Instead, try using ones that you already have at your home.
#6. Does Your Furry Eats Too Fast? Put Food On A Plate!
Does your cat scarves down food? If so, it is not good at all. Why? Because eating too quickly may cause your fluffy buddy to throw it all back up. What can you do to make your cat eat a bit slow? Put food on a flat, shallow plate so that your feline buddy will take a bit longer to eat. Eating fast and quickly may also disturb your cat’s stomach, and it cannot digest properly. In addition, it also has the added benefit of reducing “whisker stress”, which usually occurs when a feline’s whiskers rub against the side of the food bowl too frequently.
Thus, putting food on a plate comes with a lot of benefits both for you and your cat (obviously, it will help you save vet’s costs that you may have to pay if your cat catches stomach issues due to eating from the bowl).
#7. Feed Your Cat With Raw, Wet And Canned Food!
You may find your cat is dehydrated from time to time and don’t really know the reasons. But let us help you with it. If your cat loves and usually eats dry food (as most cats only eat dry foods), then it might be the reason. Dry foods don’t have water in them; thus, constantly eating dry food may dehydrate your cat. Also, dehydration comes with other severe health issues as well. So, try adding some of the raw, wet, or canned food to its diet. Make sure that your cat is consuming an adequate amount of proteins and nutrition. Raw food like meat and wet food will help your cat stay hydrated for the day long and night.
Also, one of the essential cat hacks is that you may try giving your wet cat food in the morning to make it stay hydrated for the long day and feed it with dry food in the evening. Balance your cat’s diet this way, and you will see the magic.
Have you ever noticed that you feed your cat based on a particular schedule, and it also starts expecting the food at that exact time slot? This is considerably related to morning feedings, although. Know that if you keep feeding your furry buddies at the same time each day, they will end up learning to expect their morning meal at that particular time. Even if you forget or are a bit late someday, they will tend to make you remind.
In fact, in some cases, cats try to wake their owners up earlier and earlier to make them realize that it is their mealtime. Hence, it is suggested that cat owners start feeding their cats in different slots for such situations. To put simply, vary feed your cat so that your buddy is fed when you want to, to prevent them annoying you beforehand.
#9. Grow Your Own Catnip
Cats, most of the time, love smelling and eating catnip. So why not consider growing your own? Most cats are usually impacted by this mint’s family member, which typically serves as a stimulator when smelled and sedative when consumed. Catnip-loving felines are likely to roll around the catnip and get hyperactive in response to the catnip. Hence, this plant at your home will make your furry companion relaxed, happy, and calm. However, just ensure that your cat doesn’t devour a large amount of this plant, as this may cause diarrhea or vomiting or perhaps disturb your cat’s stomach as well.
#10. Place Masking Tape Or Aluminum Foil On A Surface To Keep Your Feline Off
Stubbornness – it is what is in every cat’s nature! So, if your cat is freaking stubborn, it will not stop continue climbing into the kitchen table, dressing table, your working desk, or even baby’s crib. So to prevent it from doing so, there is a cat hack for you that you must give a try.
A tip is to cover the surface in some aluminum foil, and you will see that your fluffy pretty detests that particular sound when jumping over it. Also, if you put certain masking tape down – of course, the sticky side will be upward, the tape will stick to your kitten’s feet as it will walk or jump over it. Such hacks will help your cat learn to avoid such actions.
#11. Reduce Feline Hair With Duct Tape
One of the serious issues that most cat owners have to cop up with is obviously “cat’s hair”. Your fluffy buddy loves to linger around you from the kitchen to the living room to the bedroom. They love to chase you all over your home while kept rolling on the floor, sofas, bed, table, and dining table. Hence the result is their “hair”, which you come across so often. So to reduce and remove the cat hair, especially from carpets and furniture, try using this hack by placing duct tape over the stuff. Hair will come up with duct tape when you remove it.
#12. Train Your Furry Buddy With Special Treats
“Cats cannot be trained is”, one of the most common misconceptions we often come across. It is often heard that cats are not intelligent or good learners as dogs. However, the fact is that felines are one of the most intelligent pets that can really be taught specific actions and behaviors – consider gifting them treats, and you will see the results.
For instance, if you want to teach your buddy to high-five you, you must have a clicker so you can click it every time they touch your hands, after which you will give your cat a treat as a reward. After a while, you can do this without the clicker since your cat will start to high-five just by seeing you hold out your hand; no treats required now – an obvious way towards learning “how to hack cats”.
#13. Touch Your Cats’ Paws To Trim Their Claws
Many cat owners don’t really worry about trimming their cat’s claws. Even if some cat owners try to do so, cats usually give them a hard time. Not only at the time of trimming claws but also at the time of putting claw cover. Hence, one of the most important and influential cat hacks is that you may buy and use claw covers (you can get any of the colorful claws you may like) that a groomer or a vet will help you learn to put on. It will cover their claws.
However, it is not as easy as it seems. You must make sure to make your cat feel a bit relaxing and calm so that you can let it wear the claw covers. What you can do to get the job done effectively, is touch and play with your cat’s paws as much as you can. Most significantly, when they are in a good and relaxed mood or perhaps chilling with you or cuddling with you. This will help keep them from associating you touching their paws with you trying to trim their claws; hence, they won’t much resist once you try to do so.
#14. Give You Buddy Running Water To Keep It Hydrated
Cats don’t often like to drink water; instead, they consume it from their food. This often results in making cats dehydrated. Also, they may suffer from other severe health issues, such as respiratory problems, digestive issues, and so on…
The very best and effective way to make your cat stay hydrated without putting so much effort is to provide them with running water to drink, rather than putting it out in a bowl. Why this? Because felines can’t really observe and see still water, instead, hear the sound of running water, it is highly suggested to provide them with running water – you just need to buy a cat water fountain.
#15. Reduce Shedding With Constant Brushing
Being a cat owner, you know that your cat sheds a lot. Hence, you may find your floor, furniture, bed, sofas, clothes, and many other items of the home covered in your feline’s fur.
However, you can easily prevent it now, and one of the most remarkable ways of reducing your cat’s shedding is by constantly brushing their fur to get them out ahead of time. In addition, there are multiple cat grooming items available in the market, especially for de-shedding, that can provide you with your desired results.
#16. Get An Air Filter
Having a kitten or a cat in the house means more allergies, dander, odors that may result in a bad air quality eventually – especially if you have multiple furry buddies. However, with a little bit of effort, you can successfully remove a bit of dust and dander. Keep a purifier or an air filter running in the home, and it will remove a fairly sufficient amount of airborne dust and dander. Not only will this help clean the room’s air, but your home will smell pretty better, as well as air more breathable and refreshed. It will help in reducing allergies as well.
#17. Take Enough Time Introducing Multiple Pets
Cats are known as predators, whereas birds are known as prey – and that is obviously for a reason. Cats are way territorial in nature and would devour the bird or any other small animal if given a chance someday. Hence, if you are going to get a feline into the home with other small birds or bring any other pet into the house when you already have a cat, don’t mistake just putting them together instantly. Cats are considered stubborn and take an adequate amount of time to adjust to a new environment. Also, cats often get aggressive seeing any bird or small pets around them, thus trying to kill them.
An effective way to make pets introduce each other without any damage is to keep your cat in a smaller space initially – maybe in a bathroom or a terrace, for at least a week. Now try to introduce them slowly and gradually, first letting them see each other and smell each other’s presence. Also, if you have a bird, make sure to keep it in the cage and keep the bird caged at a sufficient distance from your cat. If your cat seems to jump on the cage, give it a straight “no” call, so it can learn not to touch or jump on the cage. You can now start with scheduling short playtimes together so that all of your pets learn to live with each other harmoniously. Such tricks will help them acclimate better.
#18. Two Is Better Than One
Cats are often recognized as anti-social solitary animals. However, it may only be a misconception since cats are many affectionate and loving animals and often crave companionship. You may see your cat chasing you all around the house, from rooms to rooms and even into the kitchen as well. Thus, if you are a working person and pretty occupied with work and family, you may not have sufficient time to play with your furry friend. Therefore, your kitten may feel a bit lonely or perhaps get anxious from time to time due to a lack of attention, time, effort, and love.
The wise is if you already have a grown cat at home, then get a kitten this time. So that your cat has someone to play with and doesn’t feel alone all the time. This will not only help your cat occupied with its new friend, but you will also be able to fulfill your responsibilities efficiently and without any hurdle.
What Else You Can Do To Make Your Life Easy Being A Feline Owner?
Being a paw-rent or an owner of an aloof, stubborn grumpy cat, it is essential to consider some of the vital cat hacks that can help you make your life easier eventually. However, utilizing those tricks and hacks involves training your cats first. Without training your cat and making it learn certain behavior, it may not be possible to achieve the target successfully.
Training your cat is as fun as a dog – these furry buddies often welcome learning guidelines, directions, and specific behaviors. In addition, grown cats and kittens are also likely to learn training if you pair the lessons with both fun and treats. This means you will have to reward your kittens and cats with some treats after you make them learn some sort of action or behavior.
Final Verdict
Of course, there are still some other beneficial hacks that we will cover in the other articles for better details. For example, buying cat insurance so that you don’t have to pay higher fees if your cat gets injured.
We hope this lengthy guide will make your days a lot easier while keeping your beloved feline buddy happy. You should now understand most of the life hacks required as a cat owner.
