How to Make Sure Your Cat Stays Safe

Cats are lovely creatures but they can give their owners a bit of a scare at times which is particularly true when they don't come home when they usually do. The majority of our feline friends just love being in the great outdoors, exploring, hunting and generally doing what cats like to do best. However, for their owners, this can be quite stressful especially during the winter months when the weather can turn nasty and pussy cat has not come home!

The first thing you have to do if your cat has not turned up when they normally do, is to take a look around your property to make sure they are not holed up in the garden shed or any other place they can go where they feel safe. Cats are creatures of habit and the chances are you already know about their favourite hiding places. However, if you have no luck finding them, the next stage is to make sure they can get in the house if they do turn up.

Has Your Cat Been Stolen?

Sadly, cat theft is all too evident in the UK and although it carries a maximum seven year sentence, this does not stop unscrupulous people from stealing your feline friend. High value breed cats are at greater risk of being stolen and the problem is that many owners never know if their pets have been stolen or if something else has happened to them.

You should have your cat micro-chipped but only do this after having discussed things with your vet because there are certain issues you need to know about when it comes to micro-chipping pets.

An alternative to micro-chipping is to invest in a GPS collar which enables you to track your cat if they ever go missing. Electronic tags that fit on collars are a very worthwhile investment which help owners find their pets.

If several cats go missing in the same area, the chances are that thieves are at work. You should get in touch with the police and other owners making sure you keep a close eye out for any unusual things going on in your neighbourhood or strange cars hanging around the area.

What to do if You Think Your Cat is Lost

There are several services now in place which owners can contact when a pet goes missing. This includes the following:

• Animal Search UK
• Lost Alert which boasts a new cat DNA database

Keeping Your Cat Indoors

If you are very worried about losing your cat, the best thing to do is keep them as an indoor"" pet. In the past many people thought this was a little cruel, but over recent times more and more people prefer to keep their feline companions safe by not letting them go outside. The good news is that cats are very happy living as indoor pets with many having done so because their owners live in towns or near busy roads.

Provide an Interesting Environment for your Cat

Cats spend most of the day sleeping but when they are awake, they like to be kept entertained. The best part is that cats love interacting with the people they love which means they are masters at keeping their owners entertained too. These days, there's a myriad of cat toys on the market from traditional mice to more exotic interactive computer generated images of birds flying across a television screen. The choice is tremendous which means it's easy to find things no matter what your budget happens to be.

This makes it so much easier for cat owners to create an interesting environment for their feline companions to live in. However, you don't need to spend a fortune on toys and other things to keep your pussy cat amused because with a bit of creative thinking, you can make your home just as interesting as the great outdoors with the added bonus being your beloved feline friend will always be safe and out of harm's way.

Consider Getting a Companion

You might like to think about getting a second cat as a companion which works very well as long as you take your time when introducing the newcomer into the home. You may find your cat accepts them straight away, but you may also find that it takes a bit of time for the two of them to get on. The one thing you must never do, is force them together as this could end up causing all sorts of problems not to mention injuries.

It is far better to take your time and to show a lot of patience. It is up to the two cats when and if they will be best buddies. You may find they just end up tolerating each other for a while which is the first positive step forward. If you adopt an older rescue cat from an animal shelter, it might take a little longer than if you introduce a younger cat into the home. But with this said, every cat is different and it's hard to speculate on how they will react to each other which is why you must never leave them on their own to begin with.

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