Five Important Things to Do to Take Care of Your New Cat

Did you just bring home a new cat? After you name him (or her) you will have to remember to follow these five tips in order to keep your kitty healthy.

1) Feeding your new cat: A new kitten needs to be fed twice a day. He will need about one cup of food each time you feed him. Remember to give him kitten chow - each piece of food is smaller and is specially made for a growing kitty. When your cat gets bigger, he will need about one cup of food per day. That's right, you only have to feed him once! Adult cats need food designed for adult cats - they shouldn't eat kitten chow.

2) Giving your cat water - Make sure that your new cat has a bowl of fresh, cold water at all times. It doesn't have to be a special bowl from a pet store - any bowl in the cupboard will work. (Just be sure to ask your mom or dad first!) If it's really hot outside, be really careful to not your cat overheat. Remember that he can't take off his fur coat, so the water has to be checked at least once an hour to make sure that he has enough.

3) Cleaning the litter box - Your cat needs a clean litter box that's filled with a few inches of cat litter. After all, this is his bathroom! The litter box needs to be scooped out every evening. If his litter box isn't clean, he may not want to use it, and that could get messy.

4) Brushing your cat - When you pet your cat, do you end up with a handful of loose cat fur? If you do, then he needs to be brushed! Your cat needs to be brushed at least once a week to keep him from swallowing loose fur when he grooms himself. Make sure that you use a special brush designed for cats. You don't want him to get hairballs.

5) Playing with your cat - This is the fun part! Your new kitty loves to play. You can use a cat toy, like a mouse or a feather on a stick, or just dangle a shoelace in front of him. Cats love to pounce on things and bat toys around. Make sure to play with your cat every day for at least an hour.