Even the most experienced cat owners sometimes make serious mistakes while caring for their pets. The truth is that cats require specialized care. Even though about 30% of US homes have at least one cat, a surprising number of people aren’t fully aware of how to care for one properly. 5 Horrible Mistakes That Cat Owners Make

In the next lines, we share with you the 5 most common mistakes we make while caring for our cats in order to avoid those in the future.

1. Feeding your cat milk

It’s a popular myth that our cats need to drink milk. In fact, milk might actually do more harm than good to your feline friend. They may seem to like the taste but according to experts, it’s not a good idea to give milk to your cat. Most cats are lactose-intolerant. Their digestive system cannot process dairy foods, and the result can be digestive upset with diarrhea.

2. Feeding your cat only dry food

Many cat parents prefer dry food instead of wet, as it is much cheaper and easier to use. However, wet food can be beneficial in cats prone to lower urinary tract disease, constipation and who are overweight. To balance the benefits and drawbacks of both options, you may choose to feed a combination of dry and wet. By either mixing them together or giving canned at one feeding time and dry at the other, you may be able to get the benefits of both diets. 5 Horrible Mistakes That Cat Owners Make

3. Declawing your cat

Declawing is a painful, risk-filled procedure and in most cases is done for the convenience of humans. However, in extremely rare circumstances, when claws are affected by a medical condition, declawing your cat can be considered a good idea.

4. Refusing to neuter or spay your cat

Cats who mate are at a higher risk of a range of diseases that are spread through bites from infected cats. While mating or fighting over territory, cats can bite each other. This is a common problem with unneutered male cats, as they become highly territorial and more likely to fight with other cats. In female cats, neutering them can reduce their risk of cervical cancer and completely removes the risk of ovarian cancer. In male cats, neutering reduces their risk of prostate cancer and removes their risk of testicular cancer entirely. 5 Horrible Mistakes That Cat Owners Make

5. Neglecting Litter Box Maintenance

To meet the needs of the most demanding cat, you should clean up the litter box daily. How often you actually replace the litter depends on the number of cats you have, the number of litter boxes and the type of litter you use. If you clean the litter box daily, you might only need to change clumping litter every two to three weeks. If you notice an odor or if much of the litter is wet or clumped, it\’s time for a change. 5 Horrible Mistakes That Cat Owners Make

Photo Shoot: Omid Armin