Just about anyone can be a cat owner. But it takes a special person and some serious effort to be a great cat owner. Sharing your home with a feline friend is about more than feeding them daily and keeping their litter box clean. It’s about creating an environment that meets their needs, keeping them safe, and ensuring they get to spend lots of healthy, happy years by your side. As veterinarians, clients often ask us how they can be better cat owners and what they can do to give their pets the best life possible, especially if they’ve never had cats in their lives before.

Before bringing a new cat into your home, there are several things to consider, including whether you should adopt a male cat or a female cat. As veterinarians, we’ve cared for countless cats over the years, and we’ve come to notice some interesting differences between males and females. The biological differences are apparent, but you may wonder if any more subtle differences would make one sex a better fit for your family than the other. Of course, each cat is different, and what’s true for one might not be for another.

Summer may be slowly winding down, but there’s still one fabulous holiday on the horizon — Black Cat Appreciation Day! Celebrated each year on August 17th, this holiday aims to dispel the many myths and fears surrounding black cats and celebrate dark-coated kitties for the loving and beautiful creatures they are.

Underneath your cat’s fluffy and adorable exterior, a mighty hunter lurks. As obligate carnivores, cats are born predators. For most indoor kitties, though, the closest they get to hunting is strolling to their food dish. Cats who cannot engage their natural instincts often become bored, and some develop behavioral issues, such as aggression.

Cats are curious creatures. It should come as no surprise, then, that there are loads of myths surrounding their health and behavior. That does not mean, though, that you should believe everything you hear – especially when it comes to caring for your beloved pet.

When you adopted your new kitten several years ago, you likely took steps to “kitten proof” your home and make it safer for your new furry family member. You may have relocated breakable décor, locked up cleaning chemicals, and become better about not leaving hair ties lying around for your cat to find. Now, as your feline friend is getting older, you probably don’t need to worry so much about them getting into things they shouldn’t.

While the aloof, independent nature of cats can make them prefer solitude, they are social creatures. They may prefer to hunt alone, but at other times, they enjoy the company of other members of their species. In feral groups, felines tend to form complex social groups in which they play, groom one another, and simply enjoy each other’s company.

There are very few dull moments when you share your home with a cat. From inhabiting boxes and knocking things off tables to perching as high as they can and the infamous “If I fits, I sits” behavior, cats sure are quirky beings. While all pets are amazing, cats are especially unique. And no matter how many feline family members you have, they each have their own personalities. Despite this, though, certain behaviors are universal in the world of cats.