# The 10 basic needs of cats



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Can you guys please change, add, remove, comment - for cats in general and for your cats in particular?


Healthy food (and fresh water if on dry food)
 

Medical care (incl. neutering)
 

Clean litter box
 

Play (alone and interactive)
 

Comfy sleeping spot and/or own secure spot
 

Attention, petting, scratching, cuddling
 

High perch
 

Reassurance when scared
 

Occasional treats
 

Outside view and/or stroll


----------



## Lotu (Apr 26, 2013)

Great list! Sometimes our kittens (4 1/2 months) need to be left alone. We all enjoy them and like to give them attention, but I notice sometimes they will wonder off somewhere (under the china cabinet or in the carrier) and just want to be alone. As an adult it is easy to see their cues, but sometimes the kids (ages 10/12) want to carry them off or put them in their lap when it is obvious that the kittens just need some time to themselves.


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

I like this list, very nice.


----------



## CJinCA (Dec 5, 2011)

good list.

you could add lots of sleep, and something to scratch on...


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

[SIZE=3 said:


> Reassurance when scared[/SIZE]


ET certainly needed reassurance on a rainy day. Most times I will have to go find him, sit near where he hides and he will belly crawl to where I was, either bury his head or crouch between my legs (he isn't a lap cat, so I will never find him on my lap) and I'll stroke him and kept saying "its ok", softly.


----------



## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

It's a great list! ... but I wonder about #7. Some cats aren't into high perches, so is that a basic need of cats?


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Cat face, I wonder about that one too. One of my 3 cats hates sitting up high. The other likes only mid high places, and Prince the higher the better.

About 16 hours sleep and something to scratch on, yes, those must be added I think.


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Alone time... I didn't know about that one, thanks!


----------



## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Very good list. The one I'm not sure of is reassuring them when they're scared. I do that all the time with Murphy by saying, "It's okay" in the same reassuring tone, but I'm never sure it's making any difference. 

One thing I do that does make a difference, I'm convinced, is warn him when big noises are about to happen. He's always with me when I'm getting ready for work in the morning. At the point I'm about to turn on my blow dryer, I say in the same tone, "Gotta make noise now." As long as I warn him the noise is coming, he has a much more relaxed reaction -- literally the difference between sitting there and running away.


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I have to start doing that, good idea! 

Although I'm often very surprised at the kind of things that end up scaring them. The other day Prince was whining and whining to me in the living room, and it's never the case that I don't know what he wants, because he's an unusually communicative cat. So I asked him to show me and followed him. He took me to the bathroom and I saw he wanted to use his box but there was a nylon bag I'd left beside it, and it was blowing a bit because of the wind, and it scared him!


----------



## Lotu (Apr 26, 2013)

Well, I guess the alone time could go in the same category as "own secure space". Sometimes in a family of 4, with kids on summer vacation from school, our kittens can get a little too much attention and we need to remind the kids to leave them alone once in awhile. Sometimes the kittens are so cute, it is difficult to resist them.


----------



## V-paw (Mar 30, 2013)

Yes, something to scratch on! My cat likes high perches, however sometimes on her cat tree she will sleep in the middle part. But I know she loves height because she jump on the kitchen cabinets, not the ones we cook on, the high ones that hold the cups and plates! Almost to the roof!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

A fan or two when weather gets hot.


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

October said:


> The one I'm not sure of is reassuring them when they're scared. I do that all the time with Murphy by saying, "It's okay" in the same reassuring tone, but I'm never sure it's making any difference.


I see that it works in ET, cos I usually find him relaxing abit when he goes from crouching to lying on his side with head facing me. Maybe I don't know much about cats, but I was certainly surprised that a MALE cat can get so timid and actually afraid of the rain. If we associate their fear with past experiences, then he may have been struck by lightning or injured by rain drop before, lol.:lol:


----------



## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

Straysmommy said:


> C
> 
> Outside view and/or stroll


I have everything on that list pretty much covered except for this last item. Both of my cats have big windows to look out from, but they still do want to go outside. The occasional walk on a leash is about the best I can do - no way I'm going to let them out on their own.


----------



## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Oh heck no. Looking outside is one thing; letting them out is completely another. Basically, _looking_ outside takes the place of _going_ outside.

I'm glad to hear other people's kitties are afraid of the rain! Murphy is really a big scaredy-cat, and the rain definitely sends him running.


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

October said:


> Very good list. The one I'm not sure of is reassuring them when they're scared. *I do that all the time with Murphy by saying, "It's okay" in the same reassuring tone, but I'm never sure it's making any difference. *
> 
> One thing I do that does make a difference, I'm convinced, is warn him when big noises are about to happen. He's always with me when I'm getting ready for work in the morning. At the point I'm about to turn on my blow dryer, I say in the same tone, "Gotta make noise now." As long as I warn him the noise is coming, he has a much more relaxed reaction -- literally the difference between sitting there and running away.


I think just hearing a calm, reassuring voice goes a long way! My cats sense a real difference when I show alarm about something and when I ignore it or shrug it off. Jets flying low overhead (we live near a Navy base and the jets can be deafening) are ignored by me, but they always look at me for my reaction. I always say it's ok - if they can even hear me - but they read my body language.......THEN bolt!!!


----------



## Goldtanker (Jan 9, 2011)

What about cable TV for wild cats that have heated houses in a garage. :grin:


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Goldtanker said:


> What about cable TV for wild cats that have heated houses in a garage. :grin:
> 
> http://s93.photobucket.com/user/Goldtanker/media/002-4.jpg.html


HA! Don't forget the internet service and laptop so they can log on to Cat Forum!! Nothing like pet advice from the horse's - scratch that - _kitty's_ mouth!!


----------



## tezster (Jun 4, 2013)

October said:


> Oh heck no. Looking outside is one thing; letting them out is completely another. Basically, _looking_ outside takes the place of _going_ outside.
> 
> I'm glad to hear other people's kitties are afraid of the rain! Murphy is really a big scaredy-cat, and the rain definitely sends him running.


Windows=Television for cats 










Having said that, my cats still want to go outside (must be those feral genes), simply looking out windows doesn't seem to be enough - they want to run free, feel the wind against their fur, play underneath a blue sky and frolic in fields of tall grass. So I take them out on short walks when I'm up for it, but it's not a regular activity; depends on how much they complain.

As for the rain, my Newton has grown accustomed to it too much, I think. I used to open the door while it was raining and be confident that the cats wouldn't run out. Mommy Newt won't (at least not beyond a few feet before running back in), but short of a torrential downpour, Newton will run out into the rain. Despite being born and raised indoors, he definitely has a very outdoors-y, adventurous and gung-ho attitude.


----------



## Goldtanker (Jan 9, 2011)

Television for Cats! 

Exactly!


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

That's more like a reality show.


----------

