21 Things You Should NEVER Do to Your Cat (#3 is 💩)

hey Cat lovers and welcome back to another video every cat owner wants their fine friend to have the best life possible and there are important guidelines to follow in the cat world as you'll soon learn to keep your cat healthy happy and safe there are certain things you should never do if you enjoy this kind of content subscribe to the channel for more cat videos now let's reveal 21 things you should never do to your cat number one force your cat to snuggle as a cat owner you should never force your cat to snuggle or

spend time with you if it does not want to cats tend to be quite reserved and they don't like being overwhelmed with attention many cats enjoy alone time and prefer to be left unbothered when sleeping or resting to create and maintain a positive relationship with your cat it is crucial to respect its boundaries and not force attention if your cat is tense shrinking down or running away when you try to pet it it does not want to be touched there are plenty of other ways to show your love and affection for your cat without disturbing

its personal space if you provide your cat with food water safety and most importantly respect it is much more likely to be receptive and appreciative number two let your cat play with yarn or string many cats will automatically play with a ball of yarn if given the opportunity mostly because it Sparks their natural hunting instincts some scientists believe the movement of the yarn attracts cats because it reminds them of the slithering of their natural enemy snakes however string can be quite dangerous because your cat is likely to eat some of it yarn and string can

wreck havoc on your cat's digestive system sometimes causing the intestin tends to get tangled and knotted this can result in serious corrective surgery and significant ramifications on your cat's Health that's why it's best to keep yarn out of your cat's reach in a secure place as for your cat there are plenty of safe fun toys out there aside from yarn that are just as fun number three let the litter box get dirty it is incredibly important to keep each litter box clean you should be scooping the box at least once a day if a litter

box gets too dirty your cat May hesitate to use it which can result in litter box aversion after all wouldn't you want to avoid a gross bathroom too aside from scooping you also need to regularly change out the litter and wash the box with dish soap and warm water if you have multiple cats also note that one litter box is not enough experts recommend one litter box per cat plus an extra box if you want to make litter box made it's easier you can always consider an automatic litter box we highly recommend the litter robot

which is arguably the best self-cleaning litter box on the market if you want to check it out we'll have links to the product and our review video in the description box number four declaw your cat while many people think of declawing as a permanent manicure it's actually a serious surgery that has mental physical and emotional consequences on a cat in order to make sure the claws don't grow back the end bone of each toe has to be amputated which is oneir of a cat's paw it is equivalent to cutting a human's finger off at the

first knuckle it can cause cats severe pain and gross deformities and is widely considered to be an extremely inhumane procedure for these reasons declawing is banned in several countries and certain parts of the US with that said you should never declaw your cat number five punish your cat punishing your cat for bad behavior is never the correct response and will just result in a significant Rift between you and your cat never use punishments like spraying water yelling making loud noises poking or hitting to correct your cat's negative behaviors in reality cats don't understand the concept

of punishments making them ineffective and damaging instead rely on positive reinforcements to encourage your cat's good behaviors give your cat a treat and praise it heavily whenever it does a behavior that you'd like it to continue in the future when a cat does something negative ignore it your cat will eventually learn to associate good behaviors with rewards and will prioritize those behaviors over bad ones number six remove meat from your cat's diet cats are obligate carnivores meaning they need a meat-based diet while vegetarian or vegan diets may be sustainable for humans the same is not

true for cats it is incredibly dangerous to remove meat from your cat's diet as it will lead to significant health issues and even death the fact of the matter is that meat should be the main component of your cat's diet and it cannot be substituted number seven feed your cat only dry food cats need to eat wet foods to make sure they are getting enough moisture content many cat owners find that their cats don't enjoy drinking water from a bowl or just don't drink enough of it throughout the day to make sure your cat is

getting enough hydration opt for a wet food diet or a combination diet of wet and dry cats on dry food only diets can easily become dehydrated resulting in symptoms like constipation lethar and dry mouth and eyes the best way to remedy dehydration in cats is to give it food with a high water content number eight free feed your cat free feeding is a popular feeding technique among cat owners that involves leaving the cat food bowl out for your cat to nibble on throughout the day however this can easily lead to your cat overeating and developing

an unhealthy medical condition like obesity you should instead feed your cat on a routine if you live a busy lifestyle and struggle to adopt regular feeding times consider getting an automatic food dispenser for your cat number number nine give your cat bones unlike dogs cats should not be given bones to chew on or eat consuming bones can be very dangerous for cats as they have trouble digesting them and they may injure their insides if you are feeding your cat fish or meat that is not pre-prepared ensure that it does not contain any bones if your

cat eats bones it could end up warranting a devastating and expensive trip to the veterinarian number 10 give your cat Dairy contrary to popular belief you should almost never give milk and other Dairy to your cat because their bodies are not equipped to handle it most cats are lactose intolerant meaning they have trouble digesting the lactose in milk sure your cat might seem to love milk and cheese but Dairy isn't worth an upset stomach or diarrhea that's why it's best to keep your cat on a lactose-free diet however an exception is goat milk since raw

go milk is unpasteurized it's very rich in lactase so cats can digest it number 11 bring certain plants into your house many common house plants are toxic to cats lies for example are very toxic to cats if in ingested they can cause severe health issues and kidney damage it is often not enough to remove the plants from your cat's reach as cats are very good at getting into places where they shouldn't that's why before bringing any plant into your house it's important to make sure that it is safe for cats research the specific type of

plant you are planning on getting and check verified sources like the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists to make sure that it is safe for your cat number 12 let your cat get bored cats need to be entertained and provided with enough enrichment to prevent them from get getting bored keeping your cat engaged is a great way to keep it happy and mentally healthy invest in interactive toys or puzzles cats love to exercise their natural hunting and tracking abilities and there are plenty of ways you can keep them on their toes increase the difficulty of

food puzzle toys and set aside some time every day to play with your cat it's a great way to both keep your cat Bally stimulated and strengthen your relationship with your cat plus most cats need about 30 minutes of exercise per day why not achieve that with daily Play Time number 13 shave your cat cat Cat s have hair for a reason and it's never a good idea to shave your cat cats need their hair to properly regulate their body temperature and stay comfortable in various weather conditions whether for cosmetic reasons or to prevent shedding

shaving your cat will almost always be harmful while some medical situations May warrant a shave your veterinarian will be able to advise you on how to shave your cat in the least harmful way possible otherwise it's best to avoid giving your cat any unnecessary haircuts number 14 not brush your cat in the same theme you should never skip brushing your cat all cats both long-hair and short hair need their sebaceous gland stimulated these glands secrete sebum into the hair follicles which lubricate the skin and hair keeping their fur shiny and healthy you also want to

brush to prevent knots which can hurt a cat if it gets close to the skin regular brushing also prevents hair balls and dander and gives you an opportunity to inspect for fleas as a general guideline short-haired cats should be brushed about once a week medium- haired cats several times a week and long-haired cats daily number 15 bathe your cat bads can can be quite traumatizing for cats and they should almost always be avoided thankfully cats are great at cleaning themselves our feline friends put a lot of time into grooming their coats so they typically don't

need help keeping clean plus if necessary there are other ways to keep your cat clean that do not involve bathing them for example you can use cat safe wipes as discussed earlier regularly brushing your cat will also help keep its fur clean you should only bathe your cat in extenuating circumstances like if it's unable to groom itself or if it is extremely dirty number 16 leave your cat alone for long periods of time while cats are naturally independent animals they should not be left alone for extended periods ideally your cat should not be alone for

more than 8 to 10 hours at a time you should not leave your cat on its own for more than 24 hours if you're going out of town or you will be out of the house for more than 24 hours it is not sufficient to leave out food and water for your cat cats need company and attention and they should always have someone looking out for them even if you aren't available number 17 leave windows and doors open cats are naturally curious animals and they're also very stealthy these two traits in tandem means that cats

are excellent Escape artists if you provide an opportunity for your cat to make a quick dash out of the house it will more than likely take it open windows and doors are practically begging your cat to go explore cats have even been known to push screens out of Windows to go investigate a bird's nest or squirrel for your cat safety it's best to never leave your cat around open windows or doors unsupervised especially when you are not home number 18 ignore changes in Behavior cats will often show pain or illness in subtle ways if you

notice changes in your cat's usual Behavior or routines such as excessive hiding lethargy or anxiety be sure to take your cat to the veterinarian it is important to take note of changes in your cat's Behavior as they could be indicative of underlying health conditions or may be a sign of pain number 19 put off trips to the vet it can be easy to put off checkups and annual visits to your veterinarian especially if your cat is seemingly healthy however it is important to take your feline friend to the vet at least once once a year

to ensure that your cat is healthy and happy many health conditions are not always visible and only a trained professional will be able to pick up on them so it is important to get your feline friend regularly checked out the last thing you want is for a health condition to go unchecked and spiral out of control number 20 skip heartworm and flea treatments if you have an indoor cat you may be tempted to skip out on heartworm or flea treatments for your cat under the belief that your cat can't come into contact with those illnesses

while indoors however this is a common misconception fleas or ticks can easily enter your home on your clothes or shoes as can heartworm carrying mosquitoes through windows or doors it is always best to be safe rather than sorry and take preventative measures to protect your cat from fleas and parasites number 21 give your cat non-cat medications you should never give your cat medications that aren't specifically designed for cats while it can seem like a good idea to give your cat your dogs flea medications or your over-the-counter painkillers it can be extremely harmful to your cat's

Health many dog and human medications contain ingredients that are lethal to cats administering non-cat specific medications could be deadly and it should always be avoided now that we've gone through the list it's time for cat of the week this video's cat of the week is pipping serious his Guardian says in 2014 I lost my beloved Ginger mans girl cat and was so sad that a person I had worked for said she found a small black kitten in the engine of her car and if I wanted him she would bring me him which she did when

she did this small kitten boy jumped on the back of my sofa looked at me and began to purr I said well I've been adopted and he has been with me ever since congratulations Pippen keep being pawsome go enter your cat for a chance to be featured visit the entry link in the description box below if you have made any of these mistakes before try not to beat yourself up but it is important to learn from them for the future so did any of these things surprise you let us know in the comments section and

if you found this video helpful please give it a thumbs up because it helps other cat lovers find our content thank you guys for watching and we'll see you next cat day for another video