Cats love to play both indoors and outdoors. A garden provides the perfect place for your feline friend to hang out and enjoy the sun. But you should to take some precautions when allowing your precious cat to lounge around and play in your garden.
Use these cat-friendly tips to help keep your cat safe while in the garden.
Microchip Your Cat
Start off by having a microchip implanted into your cat. That way if they run off or roam away from the garden, you can more easily find them. When a lost cat is picked up by animal control or turned into a shelter, the first thing they should look for is a chip. This ensures that you are quickly reunited with your cat.
Avoid Plants Deadly to Cats
Some plants can actually kill your cat or make them ill. If you expect your cat to hang out in your garden, avoid plants deadly or dangerous to them, including azaleas, peace lily, tulips, and others. If you are not sure about the safety of a plant, ask your veterinarian or look up the information online.
Provide Plants That Give Shade
Cats love the warmth that the sun provides, lounging in it for hours at a time. But they can also get a sunburn if they get too much sun. So make sure to provide shaded areas in your garden for them to escape the sun’s rays. Large shrubs with plenty of open areas underneath work best for this. Just make sure they are cat-safe.
Make Sure to Plant Some Catnip
Most cats love catnip. It tends to have a euphoric effect on many kitties, mainly due to the nepetalactone it contains. This substance interacts with your cat’s nasal tissues and switches on various receptors within your cat’s brain. In essence, catnip produces a drug-like experience in your cat for about 10 minutes.
Set Aside a Grassy Spot for Your Cat
Provide a grassy spot in your garden for your cat. Not only will your cat enjoy lying in the sun on the grassy patch, they can also nibble on the grass to help them cough up fur balls. Cocksfoot is one of the best grass strains for this purpose, while alfalfa grass can help prevent kidney disease in cats.
Provide Hiding Places
Plants, such as lavender, provide the perfect spot for your cat to hide. Like other felines, cats tend to stalk their prey, and bushy areas give them the perfect opportunity to practice this skill. In addition, providing hiding places in your garden for your cat allows it to avoid commonly encountered fear and stress stimuli.
Incorporate More Than Just Plants Into Your Garden
In addition to your favorite plants, provide other interesting objects in your garden for your cat to interact with. Bushes and shrubs can provide convenient hiding spots, while objects, such as logs, are a good place for your cat to flex its claws and scratch. You should also install objects for them to climb on.
Get Your Cat Vaccinated
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Most importantly, though, is to make sure to get your cat vaccinated against common parasites and diseases before allowing them outdoors. In addition, making sure to spay or neuter them can prevent any unwanted pregnancies, especially if you know of other cats in the neighborhood who are not fixed.
