Last Updated on August 14, 2020 by Ellen Christian
I’m sharing this post on cat care tips with you because I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cat’s Pride. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. All of the opinions and ideas in this post are my own.
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I have had a cat or cats as a pet for all of my adult life. I cannot think of anything more relaxing than sitting on the couch with a cat in your lap. They are soft and warm and always available to cuddle. Right now, we have three cats in our family. Each one of them has a distinct personality and we see them as part of our family much the way we do the kids. Caring for three cats can be a challenge sometimes. Like the kids, they don’t always get along with each other. Plus, three cats make much more of a mess than one.
Cat Care Tips for Multi-Cat Families
- Please have your cats neutered especially if you will have male and female cats in the same household. Plus if you don’t have them fixed, you will need to deal with the females going into heat and the males spraying. Neither of these is fun.
- A long haired cat will require brushing to help keep shedding to a minimum. Even short haired cats can be brushed to help prevent shedding. This is especially important when you have more than one cat. Make sure that you sweep or vacuum regularly to control cat hair.
- Choose a quality cat food for your cat. Speak to your vet about your cat’s specific dietary needs. It’s not unusual to need to feed different cats different foods. It can be challenging to keep them out of what they shouldn’t be eating.
- Take your cat to the vet’s office for their regularly scheduled shots and exams. Please don’t skimp on this area of cat care. It’s so important to make sure your cats are healthy.
- Use scoopable cat litter. With a scoopable litter, it is much easier to remove waste from the litter box. That helps your litter box stay fresh longer and that’s really important in a multi-cat family.
- Use a low dust cat litter to prevent tracking. The more dust and litter that gets tracked throughout the house, the more often you will need to sweep. Hardwood floors are much easier to keep clean than carpets with multiple cats.
- Allow each cat to have alone time with you. Cats need individual, one on one time with their owners. Allow them to have special time with you each day.
The one thing I really dislike the most about having multiple cats is how often you need to change the litter box. We scoop the litter box three or four times a day. If we don’t do this, the smell is just awful. We had a chance to try a new cat litter, Cat’s Pride Fresh & light with all day odor control. It is up to 25 percent lighter than other scoopable clay litters. Their 15 pound jug provides the same number of uses as 20 pounds of most other scoopable clay brands. Plus, it has 2x longer lasting odor control than TidyCats. Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light is low-dust, quick clumping litter with total odor control available in scented or fragrance free. It is the only litter recommended by the American Humane Association. All of our kitties enjoyed the new litters from Cat’s Pride but I think that the Quick Action was my favorite. The Fragrance Free would be perfect for cats or people with allergies.
Introducing our cats:
Colors is the matriarch of the family. She is 10 years old and very much the lady. We adopted her from our local Humane Society after she was found abandoned living underneath a trailer. Colors is a medium hair tortoise shell. She loves to be brushed and is regularly annoyed by Scout’s antics.
Heather is our middle child. A friend who was moving couldn’t take Heather with her so we adopted her. She is 7 years old and spent the first 4 years of her life as an outside cat. We kid that she is not that bright but really she is. It’s just that the behaviors she learned as an outside cat don’t always work for her inside. She is a black domestic short hair cat and is the most timid of our cats.
Scout is the baby of the house and our only boy. He is four years old and was adopted from our local Humane Society. Like most four year olds, he is loaded with energy and can be found frequently chasing Colors and Heather around. His favorite pastime is snuggling with my husband and will cry if Marty goes out or he cannot find him. Scout is a domestic short hair black tiger cat.
Tell me about your cats
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Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
I just wanted to add that I use shredded paper as kittie litter. About once a week, while I’m watching tv, I shred all the junk mail I’ve saved (in a box, on a shelf, next to my recliner) . I have five boxes for six cats… yes, I do a lot of scooping, it’s part of my morning just like making coffee. :):)
That is a great idea! It would help with the paper clutter too.
I have six cats. Wasn’t planned, I didn’t go out looking for my kitties, they – each one – showed up on my patio as a baby kitten. Each of them was wild or feral then, but gradually they trusted me and and so they say, the rest is history. I have also found homes for a couple of others that showed up and I have also lost a total of four, over the years, since I started rescuing. My very first rescue was a very special gray and white tuxedo with gorgeous fur and the most pleasant disposition you could ever imagine. He was up a very tall pine tree right next to my sister’s horse pen (on their 65 acre homesite). The kitty was meowing so loudly, I wasn’t even sure it was a kitten. He rushed down from the tree and right into my arms and purred so loudly. My brother-in-law hates cats, so my sister and I too him into their garage apartment, got him food (dog food) and water and a box. We’re both animal lovers, so we got right on the phone trying to find a shelter that would take him – without any luck. I stayed the weekend with my sister, all the while looking in on the kittie. We rigged up a carrier out of a box, with peep holes and a bed and we struck out on our 4 hour drive. Once I got to my city, I drove straight to the shelter and was told that because it was spring, there shelter was overflowing… I was exhausted and almost in tears. I drove to my vet and left the cat to be checked out, telling them my dilemma and promising to return for the cat. The reason I didn’t bring the cat home was that we had just gotten a new kitten just six weeks earlier and I didn’t want to bring home any germs or disease. So, I ended up leaving the cat at the vet’s for a couple of days, got him neutered and all checked out and brought him home. The vet told me he was approximately 12 weeks old, the exact same age as our kitten. I left him in the bathroom – to acclimate him to his new surroundings and to allow our kitty to become accustomed to his scent. It must have been love at first sight – they played under the door, in fact, our Kittygirl- we called her, stayed by the door all night. So, the next morning, I opened the door and our Kittyboy had a new home! He lived 18 years. In the last few months of his life, when I would bring him to the vet, he would sit in the car passenger seat without a carrier and when we would go into the vet’s office, he would sit on the counter and wait patiently for me to finish my business. He was special, like I said. In fact, all my cats are ! I have lots more stoies – hope you enjoyed this one.
Thanks, Jeanie. It’s amazing how much our kitties touch our lives!
I have four cats and one has diabetes so he’s on a special food. We live happily in a 1100sqft apartment and we only have enough room for one litter box. We get told all the time how surprising it is that it doesn’t smell like we have cats. We use tidy cats scoopable litter in one giant litter box (like for baby tigers or something) and we only scoop once a day. My friend did the same thing with her three cats but instead of getting a big litter box, she cut a hole in a storage bin!
Your cats are beautiful! I have an all black cat named Cullen. When my boyfriend moved in a few years ago, he brought with him our all-orange girl Abbey; our chubby cat Punky; and Scuttle.
What lovely kitties! There really is nothing better than a cuddly cat on a chilly autumn night. Great reminder to spay or neuter, and doing it as soon as possible is easiest on everyone.
Your kitties are beautiful! I have 5 rescues of my own. I’ve also done a TNR (trap-neuter-return) by my mothers house – trapped and spayed 27! I’ve fostered several litters, too.
It is a must to have the cat neutered and make sure to give them good quality cat food to prolong their life. High quality food is the best thing we can do for our pets and it will keep them healthy. I love cats and your cats are so cute!!
Beautiful cats. I only had one cat and she died last year. SPAY & NEUTER ALL PETS!!!!
I neededd this I have two cats and one is so picky about litter Thansk
These are great tips! I have two cats, Maggie and Pablo. Maggie just turned 7 and Pablo just turned 3. Maggie is my little diva, and we call Pablo “buddy”. He is a great pal sort of cat that just likes to lay next to you on the couch, whereas Maggie is more high maintenance and needy. We love them both quite a lot!
We can’t have cats since my husband is allergic but my kids preschool has 3 cats that they love. They just added their third to the mix so I’m sure they’d love to hear about this!
Thanks a great post.
Love your cats – I’m a cat lover too!
I also have a 10-year-old tortie! Her name is Smokie and she definitely think she owns everything and everyone. She demands to be fed at her normal times and so help you if you are late. So I know all about what is called Tortietude!
I also have a 10-year-old tortie! Her name is Smokie and she definitely think she owns everything and everyone. She demands to be fed at her normal times and so help you if you are late. So I know all about what is called Tortietude!
I don’t have cats and am allergic to them but whenever I visit my BFF in Iowa, I snuggle up with her cat and deal with the consequences later.
We haven’t had cats in years but you offered some great tips. And your cats are all gorgeous!
I don’t have cats myself, yet I smiled my way through this post as I used to and miss them terribly. In fact, I had a cat much like Colors. So sweet!!
First off.. ADORABLE kitties!! Secondly this sounds like a great product to have if you have any cats!! We don’t have any but my sister just got a kitten so I will share it with her!!