A sad cat can go from being unhappy to be depressed, so all cat owners should take the time to learn how to make a cat feel happy. Cats can behave quite mysterious and be quite a handful sometimes, but they deserve joy, time, and attention as much as any other pet.
When your pet is happy, she’ll love you more, which will help create a stronger bond between you. If you like the idea of that, then check out the tips below on how to make a cat happier;
Table of Contents
1. Feed Your Cat The Right Way
Your cat can never be happy if she’s hungry, so you have to feed her well. It’s not just about feeding her when she’s hungry but more about feeding her the right foods at the right times.
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Cats are creatures of habit, and they do well with schedules for many things, including their meals.
Also, follow the quantity instructions and avoid overfeeding your pet. Overfeeding with cat treats or even cat food can lead to feline obesity, which will bring more problems instead of making your cat happy.
If you already have an overweight cat, see our blog post on how to help your cat lose weight. Also, see our post on how to make frozen treats for cats for some healthier treats you can give your cat. Finally, consult a pet nutritionist for the best feeding advice for your pet if you can afford it.
2. Hang Out Outdoors The Right Way
Cats are predatory by nature, and they love to hunt, which is why most cat breeds prefer it outdoors. So hanging outdoors with your cat is ideal not just for her happiness but also for your cat’s health. In addition, it’ll expose her to fresh air and help reduce anxiety.
When outside, ensure your pet is protected against the weather. Your cat should have a shade if the weather is too hot or if there’s rain.
If the weather is really cold, like during winter, you may wish to consider wearing her cat clothes. You can also get and wear her a pet raincoat if the weather is raining during your time outdoors and she still wants to go out.
Also, use a cat leash if you’ll be going far. See our training post on how to train your cat to walk on a leash if your cat is not yet trained.
3. Play With Your Cat
From time to time, your pet will crave interaction with you. Don’t deny that, especially when you own an indoor cat and looking for how to make a cat feel happy. Instead, you should add playtime to your cat’s daily routine and be there to play when the time comes.
It’s advised that you play with your cat every day, multiple times in a day if possible. Play sessions should be as short as 5 minutes to as long as 15 minutes. Playing with your cat will keep her happy and strengthen your bond.
4. Buy Your Cat Interactive Cat Toys
Toys go hand in hand with playing with a cat. Getting cat toys is even more important if you won’t be there to play with your cat all the time. In such a situation, you can purchase interactive toys for your cat to have fun without you.
Some of the best interactive toys you can get for your cat include track towers, squeaky balls, puzzles, laser light, etc. Monitor your pets and discover the cat toys they like the most, and always make sure it’s around whether you are there or not.
5. Keep Your Cat Safe
When talking about how to make a cat feel happy, you cannot skip safety. Your cat cannot be happy if afraid or if feeling insecure. Sometimes this can happen when you move to a new house, and your cat feels overwhelmed from being in a strange environment. If you are in such a predicament, our post on how to help a cat feel safe in a new home will help you with your cat.
When a cat is not feeling safe, the cat becomes aggressive or becomes so afraid that she hides away from you.
Aggressive cats can be quite dangerous to the people around them, so this needs to be addressed once you observe the behavior.
If your cat is already aggressive, you may want to see our posts on how to calm an aggressive cat and how to stop a cat from biting and attacking me, as an aggressive cat is not in the best state of mind to be happy with you.
Also, note that safety here also applies to your cat’s health, so you need to ensure your pet is well-taken care of with regular check-ups at the vet and common illnesses addressed immediately. In normal circumstances, you should take your cat to a vet once or twice a year.
Finally, ensure you cat-proof the room your cat stays in by doing away with sharp objects, open flame, or open electricity. These items have been known to cause serious problems with pets, especially during the holiday season.
An injured pet or a pet in pain cannot be truly happy. You may wish to see our post on holiday safety tips for pets for more pet safety tips you can use.
6. Allow Your Cat To Self-Groom
The mistake most cat owners make is grooming their pets regularly. Your cat may not appreciate this as much, depending on her mood. Cats are very good at self-grooming, i.e., and they keep themselves clean.
However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t assist. For example, you can brush your pet’s coat about three times a week. Also, cats tend to get matted; you will need to brush your cat’s coat and use clippers to cut out tougher mats. See our list of the best cat clippers for matted fur to help with mats.
What you should never do, though, is bathe your cat too frequently. Bathing your cat once in a month or two is enough. Pet skin is not the same as human skin; bathing your pet too often can have adverse health effects.
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Instead, you can try this non-rinse waterless pet shampoo made from natural ingredients that help your pet remain healthy, tick-free, and smell better. These can be used more frequently between washes but ensure you follow the directions that come with the product.
7. Allow Your Cat Freedom
You must have heard before that cats are independent animals. Unfortunately, this statement is quite true. So to keep your pet happy, you should allow your cat a bit of freedom.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should allow your cat to have her way all the time, so you need to balance freedom with some rules and boundaries.
Also, give your cat a private space. It doesn’t need to be big, but it should be a confined space. It’ll be ideal if the space is close to the window as cats love the view. You can also get good quality yet affordable cat tree like this one as cats love being higher up at an elevated position. Another option is to use a simple square cardboard box to create a private space as cats love boxes.
8. Get Your Cat A Friend
As much as cats are independent, they’ll sometimes need a friend, a fellow cat. For most cats, however, they’ll not prefer their exact type of breed. So you’ll have to get a cat of a different breed.
When you bring in the new cat or any other pet, introduce the two cats gradually, don’t just rush and allow them time to get to know and trust each other.
Cats do like other types of pets too, and you can even get a dog, but you must introduce them properly and make sure your cat has her space she can retreat to that the dog can’t get to if she wants to be alone.
Conclusion
Keeping your cat happy is necessary, and it’s not a very difficult job. However, if your cat is sad, your cat could easily get depressed, which you will not like your cat to experience.
Depression can lead to loss of appetite, excessive sleeping, and loss of interest, amongst others. See our post on how to cheer up a depressed cat if you have a cat going through this.
The tips above on how to make a cat feel happy, if applied, will go a long way in bringing joy to your pet.
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