A week ago, I adopted a cat named Marshmallow. Although I was very excited, I was also a bit nervous. I’d been volunteering at an animal shelter for a few months, but I knew that taking care of a cat at home would be very different. There would probably be a lot of little things I’d need to know, that I wouldn’t even think of until I had the cat. I was right. But figuring out how to address the issues that came up didn’t turn out to be as scary as I thought because Google quickly became my best friend. Here are some of the things I learned during my first week as a cat owner.
The first time I fed Marshmallow, I noticed that she didn’t drink any water. As the day progressed, her bowl of water stayed completely full. She would sniff at it, but would never drink. I learned that cats don’t drink much because their ancestors lived in the desert, and most of their water intake was from prey. Nowadays canned food has a decently high water content, and is a great way for your cat to stay hydrated. However, even cats who eat canned food still need to drink water. There are many different ways to get your cat to drink an adequate amount of water, but I decided to try the easiest— mixing a little bit of water in with her wet food every time I feed her. This ended up working great—she lapped up the water with her food.
Another issue I ran into during the first couple of days was that Marshmallow would chew on the ends of the plastic bags in my kitchen trash can. After looking up whether or not this is harmful for her, I read that as long as the cat isn’t swallowing any pieces of the bag, it’s fine. If swallowed, however, pieces of the bag might block the intestines, and would have to be removed surgically. I decided I’d rather be safe than sorry, which is probably the best policy for any pet-related issue.
But simply telling my cat to stop chewing didn’t work. She understood what I was saying—she looked at me with guilty eyes—but continued to chew anyway. I had to physically pull her away, and I realized that the only way to stop her would be to unhook the bag from the sides of the basket and push it completely inside the basket. I was curious, however, as to the reason she found plastic bags so enticing in the first place. Apparently, doctors don’t know exactly why cats chew on plastic bags. Some ideas vets have are that cats enjoy the unique texture or crinkly sounds the bags make. It follows that a good way to discourage cats from chewing on bags is to make sure they're being stimulated. Play with your cat more and buy new toys.
Lastly, every few days while I’m sitting in the living room or kitchen, I hear a loud rustling coming from my room. It’s Marshmallow rolling around in her litter box. There are many reasons cats do this, including dust bathing (which cats do to get clean), scratching an itch, or simply because they love the type of litter you’re using.
Personally, I think Marshmallow just really likes the litter we have. The first time I set up her litter box, she sniffed around it for a bit, and then leaped in and covered herself in litter. Whatever the reason, this activity can be messy. If you have a box with no top, litter will get everywhere. It’ll spill onto the floor around the litter box, and then the kitty will traipse litter wherever she goes.
To help with this problem, you can purchase a litter box with high walls that are specifically designed to minimize litter spills. Emphasis on ‘minimize.’ I have a box like this and quite a bit of litter still gets on my floors. This is because the box has an open top. There are also litter boxes that have closed tops, with only a hole in the front for the cat to enter. Those are probably a much better solution.
If you're planning on getting a pet, however, there's no need to be anxious. Of course, it's important to learn as much as you can and be prepared, but there will always be unanticipated issues. As long as you're willing to find solutions, you and your new friend will be just fine.
