Cat Health and Welfare
At Little Paw Products we are passionate about health and welfare of our lovely cats. We feel that cats can be misunderstood at times so we would love to increase everyones knowledge on cats with the hopes to increase cat welfare globally.
If you'd like to learn more follow our instagram where we post science backed information on behaviour and health!
Cat Housing
Did you know that it is common in the UK for people to own multiple cats within one household?
In the wild and at their biological roots cats require their own land and territory. Sometimes within homes cats will seem to get along with each other for the most part but fight occasionally. This is because they will put up with sharing resources when required but would always prefer their own food and space. When resources get tight they can fight and a change in behaviour can be seen between cats which normally 'get along fine'. Therefore, it is best to ensure you have plenty of space if you have multiple cats.
A way to increase space in your home to reduce cat anxiety and fighting is to use shelving to allow vertical use of space.
Cat Maturity
Female cats can reach sexual maturity from an early age of 4 months old and ovulate when stimulated. However, cats become fully grown at around 10-12 months old. This means they can produce kittens from a very young age, which can put a large strain on the cats underdeveloped body. This means it is important to get male and female cats spayed and neutered from an early age to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Unwanted pregancies in cats leads to increased cat population which is directly linked to cat homelessness and reduced welfare.
Disease in Cats
Did you know that 1.8 million cats are diagnosed with dental disease in the U.K. each year with many going undiagnosed? That's almost 10 percent of the owned cat population. However some statistics indicate its between 10-20% of UK cats develop a dental disease. Dental disease will cause pain and suffering for your cat which will reduce its quality of life therefore it important you regular care for and check your cats teeth and gums.
Cat Obesity is one of the second most common disease in U.K (behind dental) at around 11% prevalence with older cats often more likely to be considered as overweight. This causes a direct risk to Cats developing diabetes and insulin resistance. Additionally obesity is linked to other disease such as dermalogical and cardiovascular disease. This highlights the importance of correct diet and nutrition for your cat.