Food and Water, The Feline Purrspective

Moving can be hectic and stressful for both people and pets. When you move your cat, he is uprooted from his territory, a place where he feels safe and secure – where he can rest, has shelter, and is safe from predators. What do you need to consider when unloading the boxes and positioning the furniture?

Setting up a cat-friendly home can help reduce the stress of the move and help your cat quickly establish her new territory.

setting up a cat-friendly home

The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) list five things that make a healthy environment for a cat.

Resources : food, water, litter box, shelter
Safe access to resources
Environment that respects the cat’s sense of smell: territory
Human interaction: predictable
Predatory behavior

If we organize these needs in a pyramid diagram, the lowest tier includes those needs essential to survival: food, water, and litter boxes.
The next level ensures that these essential resources are available to each cat to use safely, without fear. We cat owners must provide multiple, separate feeding and watering stations and litter boxes.
Another of the AAFP requirements is that the environment respects the cat’s sense of smell. Such an environment is the cat’s territory. Cats will mark walls and furniture in the home with scents from glands in their faces and mark scratching posts with scents released when scratching. Your cat belongs to his territory.
The final two tiers deal with how we interact with our cats and…
Offering them an opportunity to exercise their hunting skills.

The first three tiers are ones that are physically affected by moving from one place to another.

Where do you locate litter boxes and feeding stations in your new home?
Where can you locate safe places for your cat to chill, nap and keep on an eye on the household?
How do you help your cat establish a territory and maintain the scent profile of the home?

I have recently moved from my townhome of 13 years into a 2 story, unattached house. Placing cat resources is a work still in progress – here is my “first cut”. Join me and take a look at the placement of my cats’ resources and the pros and cons of my choices. I hope you enjoy The Purrade of My Home!

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The Cat Friendly Home: Resources – Food and Water

Our cats’ closest relative is the African Wildcat. What is the wildcat’s day like?

The wildcat’s day has already started by the time the sun starts to come up.
the wildcat’s excellent night vision allows him to hunt at night although the rodents that make up most of his diet are mainly active at dawn and dusk.

Small Frequent Meals

The wildcat must remain on the prowl at dawn and dusk since he needs to eat about 8-10 mice daily or starve.

Variety is the Spice of Life

If our wildcat is lucky, he may catch the occasional rabbit or antelope fawn. Insects, lizards, and snakes are also on the menu.

The Solitary Hunter Dines Alone

Once our wildcat catches a morsel, he will take it somewhere he can eat without becoming someone else’s meal – some place quiet, secluded and protected.

As the sun becomes higher in the sky, our wildcat will find a cool, secluded place to rest during the day before resuming the hunt at dusk.

At the Waterhole…

Not Much Need to Drink…

A wildcat gets most of her water from the prey she eats; her kidneys are very efficient.

Wide, Flat Watering Places..

If she does stop at a waterhole, she will choose a place where she can use the water as a mirror to see if anything is coming up behind her.

No Drinking While Eating…

She does not drink while eating nor does she bring food to the waterhole. She avoids contaminating the water source with the guts of her prey.

Our “Wildcats” at Home…

Like his wildcat relative, your cat gets most of his nutrition from meat. He is designed to eat 8-10 small meals a day and be on the prowl most of his waking hours, looking for food. He is hardwired to hunt, regardless of how well fed he is. Cats have been known to stop eating to pursue prey.

Feeding behavior…

It is normal for your cat to eat a few mouthfuls, go away and return later to eat more. Of course, this may be a problem if another cat eats all the food. One way to dispense small meals is to use several puzzle feeders located at different locations in your house. Your cat “prowls” around looking for feeders

Gus and Zelda eating from the Catit Food Tree

and collecting snacks along the way (See Your Cat’s Diet)

It is hard to dispense with “meal time” feeding, especially with canned food. If you have more than one cat, separating each cat and his food dish can help with aggression and gorging at feeding times. Ideally, each cat should be out of sight of the other cats.

Gus is much more relaxed when eating away from the other cats.

Although cats that belong to the same social group may seem comfortable eating next to each other, watch for indicators of distress: “scarf and barf”, aggression, and standing while eating.

What to do with Water…

Wide, flat dishes mimic the puddles and water sources where cats can monitor for things behind them.
A pie plate has been repurposed as a cat water dish. Water is greenish due to a dental additive.
Wide water dishes don’t interfere with the whiskers.
Water bowls in more than one place in the house gives kitty more opportunity to drink. This is especially important when feeding dry cat food and to avoid competition in multi-cat households.

Things to consider…

Canned food can provide a lot of your cat’s water needs
Water fountains for cats are popular – there are many styles. However, there are cats that prefer drinking from a dish or a dripping faucet
Cats have receptors on their tongues that let them know when they are drinking water – they may prefer filtered water (See What does my cat taste?)