New Cat Parent Guide

Cat Parent Academy
Written By Junipurr Studio

A Resource Kit for First Time Cat Parents

Junipurr the brown tabby at three months old, just adopted from the shelter

Baby Junipurr - cute as a button, fierce as a lion

So you adopted a cat …

HOORAY! GET OUT THE BALLOONS AND GOOD CHINA, FOLKS! Congratulations on one of the most heart-opening and joy-activating decisions of your life ❤️

As several of my friends also recently became first time cat parents, I thought I’d write a Welcome to Cat Parenting Guide on the need-to-knows for you. Fellow veteran cat parents, please chime in with your best tips, too! There is no way I thought of everything, and cat parenting is a wonderful journey of collaborative learning :)

😺 The pillars of physical health

  • Nutrition - Food is love, and love is complicated! There is a whole lotta info and misinfo on feline nutrition, which is why later this summer I will be publishing a feline nutrition series, starting with an interview with clinical veterinary nutrition expert, Dr. Julie Churchill. But here’s the 101:

    • Consult your vet, shelter adoption counselor, and/or a certified feline nutrition specialist on the optimal food for your cat, and ask not only what but why until you fully understand the logic behind the recommendations. Every cat has slightly different body constitutions, so there is no one-size-fits-all diet or brand. If changing to a new food is necessary, create a slow transition plan.

    • The majority of cats’ daily intake should be composed of high quality animal protein and fats. They also need a modicum of vitamins, e.g. thiamine (Vitamin B1). In the US, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a private non-profit corporation that establishes “nutrient standards for dogs and cats and processes for defining ingredients used in animal feed and pet food." AAFCO’s mantra is “complete and balanced” — complete meaning the diet has all the nutrients required for that species, and balanced meaning the diet contains those nutrients in the correct ratios. I recommend studying up on the regulations and science of pet food brands in your country. The Global Nutrition Guidelines (available in 12 languages) from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association is another resource to consult.

    • Some factors to research when evaluating food options: species-appropriateness; age/life stage appropriateness; ingredient quality, ratios, and sourcing; calorie density; and, the manufacturing brand’s recall history. A note on calories — feeding the right amount of calories for your cat is important, as obesity is common in domestic cats and a harbinger of so many health issues.

  • Water - You’d think that as former desert creatures, cats would relish drinking water. Alas, ‘tis often not so. Many cats are water snobs, and the older they are, the lower thirst drive, according to Dr. Churchill. What this means: You’re gonna need to become a water salesperson and get Dr. Seuss with it: “Would you like it here or there? Would you like it in a fountain? Would you like it on a mountain? …” In other words, set out several small bowls of water (refreshed daily) around the house, ideally next to their fav lounge spots; get a pet water fountain; and/or, mix a teaspoon or more into their wet food.

  • Litter - It’s no secret that we here at Junipurr Studio are shamelessly fascinated by cat litter. Litter Box Manifesto walks you through the litterbox cleaning mindset (yes, it’s a mindset), and if you are curious about how cat litter came to be … well, that makes two of us, friend. Presenting: The Nerdiest Corner Of The Internet … On Cat Litter.

  • Hygiene kit - True, Beyoncé was thinking about cats when she wrote “Woke up like this,” but even the Queen has a glam kit, y’know? The essentials for cats: pet brush and flea comb, nail clippers, and dental care (which come in a variety of forms: dental water, cat toothbrush and toothpaste - do NOT use human toothpaste, which is toxic to cats).

😺 Mental and emotional health

Catify, enrichment ... A rose by any other name would smell as sweet! There are essentially five types of enrichments:

  • Interactive - Toys that enable you and your kitty to play together are the holy grail of enrichment. Nothing deepens your bond like playing together (assuming you’re solid on the aforementioned foundations of physical care). My recommendation is to go for diversity when cat toy shopping, as every cat has a preference on type of prey (feather, mouse, tail/strings, fish, or ball) and mode of interaction. Junipurr is a feather-on-a-wand girl, and she’ll also entertain mouse toys. She is offended by balls, especially if they have googly-eyes and bounce 😸

  • Environmental/infrastructural -

    • Indoors - Whether you live in a shoebox or mansion, repeat after me: High and Low, aka Cat trees/condos/highways and crinkle tunnels/ripple rugs. Jackson Galaxy writes about creating “The Confident Where” because cats have a much more 3D experience of space than we do (humbling, I know). But the key is variety. Junipurr, for example, likes to cannonball-out from her crinkle tunnel, and when our heart rates are sufficiently high, leap onto the top of her tallest cat tree and lick her paws like a mighty warrior.

    • Outdoors - *Proceed with caution!* For the safety of your cat and the local ecosystem, outdoor time should always be supervised, ideally with your furbaby wearing a harness and leash. A secure enclosure such as a catio is even better.

  • Food puzzles - Did your parents ever tell you to not play with your food? Well, throw out that anthro-centric advice when parenting your furbaby, friend, because it’s great for cats to play with their food. Or, more accurately, to play for their food. The concept of food puzzles is simple: cats like to feel like they earned their food (ha! but seriously), and food puzzles give them a sense of victory via foraging. Here are 5 Tips for Introducing Safe & Engaging Puzzle Time.

  • Cat TV - In yet another case study of “Cats Are Not Humans,” what your parents taught you about not watching TV? Doesn’t apply to your furbaby. TV-watching should not be the only form of enrichment. But a well-set up cat TV can be positively stimulating for our kitties. The kind of cat TV I’m talking about is not giving your cat an ipad and telling her to look up squirrel videos on Youtube. Nay, we are talking about setting up a comfy birdwatching station (inside the home) in front of a window and creating a bird-attracting situation on the other side of the window. However, as noted in Next Level Cat TV, depending on where you live, feeding wildlife commercially available bird food has dubious benefit, and in some incidences can even cause harm. Thus, the best option is growing native plants that provide a naturally enriching diet and habitat for wildlife.

  • Cozy-making - Hygge for cats, as OG Junipurr Studio readers know, is another subject of endless fascination to me. Before I get into recommendations, though, I want to be clear — you do not have to spend a lot of money. As the sagacious JLo taught us: Love Don't Cost A Thing. A soft and clean sweater or blanket (washed with a scentless detergent, as cat noses are very sensitive) can be just the thing. Check out The Pro Kit tab in Resources if you want to go for The Ooh Laa.

😺 It takes a village
It really does. So, assemble your team as soon as possible. Specifically, you’ll need:

  • Veterinarian who is well-versed in feline care. Just as with any professional service, not all vets are made equal. Call a few well-reviewed vet clinics and interview them to find the right fit for your family. Your vet may also be your connection point to specialized veterinary care like feline dentists, nutrition counselors, etc. Once you decide on a vet, get you and your furbaby to the vet’s for a physical check-up as soon as possible. Many shelters do a physical exam before releasing a companion animal for adoption, but it is still recommended you take your new baby to your vet to establish baseline and relationship. Bring along a fresh kitty stool sample for intestinal parasites analysis (check with your vet on their protocol) and make sure to discuss neuter/spay surgery, vaccines, and microchipping with your cat’s doctor.

  • Petsitters. As cat mama Kara Reed advises, if you are going to be away for 24+ hours, have a cat-loving peron come at least once a day “to provide physical and emotional comfort. Our pets feel our absence.” Also, freak situations happen — like the thermostat breaking and cranking the house up to 99 degrees (true story that happened in my community). A petsitter can be a lifesaver.

  • Community! “Parenting is always an effortless breeze” … said no one ever. So, whether your tribe includes certified feline behavior consultants (your local shelter may offer free consultations), fellow cat parents, or animal-lovers online, community can help keep you anchored. Especially when you plug into animal welfare activism/volunteering, which I hope you will.

😺 Emergency prep

This is 201 level stuff, but don't put it off, friend. Here is the series I wrote on Emergency Preparedness for pet parents.

😺 The Magical Ingredient

If you are a first time cat parent and you are an internet surfing human, you might have the following expectations: My kitty will melt on my lap like a pool of molasses by day, snuggle in my arms like a custom body pillow by night, and smile at me 24/7.

This may happen! Some cats are indeed smiling snugglemuffins.

But whether this happens immediately — or ever — there is a magical ingredient in the parent-furbaby bond. When it takes the form of patient, no-expectations, loving, curious attention, time is a magical ingredient. Cat mama Bernadette Plazola said it beautifully: “Let the cats decide on their own terms how you're going to interact.”


😺 Additional Resources

You got this, friend! If you have any questions — or stories — please do share in the comments below. I would love to know. And, if you want to be featured in a Cat Parent Interview, send me a letter!

P.s. You may also like Cats & Money: On The Cost of Cat Care

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