Cat owners want their cats to be healthy and happy. An excellent plan for cat care will help you not only make your cat healthy and happy, but help your cat stay that way. There are 3 basic components that you need to consider when creating your ideal cat care plan: wellness vet checkups, meal time, and all the little extras.
Wellness Vet Checkups

#GetHealthyHappy
A cat’s behavior can be very deceptive when it comes to illnesses. They can hide the fact that they are sick or injured very well! Proper cat care can be really difficult when you don’t know that something is wrong with your cat. A veterinarian’s trained eye can catch serious illnesses before they become too much of a problem (or possibly prevent the illness all together).
A once yearly wellness checkup with your veterinarian is enough to make your cat care easier. It can save you a ton of money down the road. Sick cats need more frequent appointments, more tests, and more medications. For more information, read my post Preventative Care & Your Pet.
Making the Most of Meal Time

I love knowing that my kitties are healthy and happy!
Food is a critical part of cat care. Your cat really is what he/she eats. The food that goes into your cat’s body is what your cat’s body will use not only for energy, but to replace dying cells! Good, quality cat food can help create healthy organs and tissues in your cat. This is discussed in further detail in my post Cat Nutrition for Better Health #GetHealthyHappy.
A cat’s body had different needs in different phases of it’s life. Age and medical conditions can change your cat’s body’s needs. Their nutrition should change along with their needs! Your veterinarian should be able to help you to make a good choice in food for your cat.
Hill’s Science Diet offers a variety of life stage and condition specific cat foods that could be a good choice for your cat. Here are a few of the dry foods, but wet versions are available (I always suggest wet):
- Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Dry
- Hill’s Science Diet Adult Grain Free
- Hill’s Science Diet Oral Care Dry
- Hill’s Science Diet Adult Hairball Control
Hill’s is also offering $10 off on select Science Diet products. Check out http://blogp.ws/CatsGetHealthyHappy to download your rebate today!
Cat Care with Little Extras
Life is happier with a few little extras! Who doesn’t love treats? Healthy treats can be used in your cat care plan to reward your cat for doing appropriate behaviors (ie – scratching the scratching post) and just as an opportunity to bond with your cat.
Play is a fun way to stay healthy! A good game that uses your cat’s natural hunting skills is great from their mind and body. Play can also to help build your relationship with your cat. Through play you can prove to your cat that you are a positive, happy, trustworthy, and non-threatening person.
To learn more about using little extras in cat care or to enter our Hill’s Little Extras Giveaway for Cats and Dogs, click on the image below. Today is the last day to enter! Entries will only be taken until 11:59 PM EST tonight (10/8/14).
Which part of cat care do you find the most challenging?
This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science Diet® Healthier Pets. Happier Lives.™, but Playful Kitty only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
A really informative post, we really enjoy our visits with mew!!! Purrs Basil & Co xox
Thank you so much! I’m glad that you stop by and see me 🙂 I’m working on figuring out how to work my schedule so I can get out and visit more blogs myself.
Great post! Vet check ups are so impawtant!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thank you! Yes they are. It can be really hard spotting some illnesses in our pets.
OMC Me wuld be a blue buffalo and sis Lexi wuld be Fwisky. Wait sis Lexi is Fwisky and fancy boff. MOL Gweat posty.
Luv ya’
Dezi
Thank you! You are very silly. It sounds like you guys get lots of yummy food 🙂 Your Mommy is good to you.
Weez do and mommy is. Fank yous. MOL
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
Thanks for the great info yes I agree that vet checks are very important. Had to take Max in last month because of a small ear infection. They said he is 2 lbs over weight. He is just over 16 lbs, I guess I will turn the treed mill on and place him on it. MOL They both have to go in next April for their shots. I think that is part of standard animal care.
You’re welcome. Yes it is important to take care of all of your cat’s preventive health care needs. It is a lot more expensive to have to cure the problem. There are some fairly simple ways to help your cats loose weight. First of all, doing scheduled feedings instead of free feeding. You will notice a huge difference in that. Another thing you can do is switch to wet food. Cats usually loose some weight when they go from dry to wet. If you need more tips, you know how to find me.
I would never have discovered a benign growth on the roof of Marge’s mouth if her yearly visit to the vet hadn’t required a dental.
Wow. I’m glad your veterinarian was able to find that! What a scary thing. At least it was benign, but that would still be scary. Thank you for sharing.
Those regular wellness checks are SO important!
Very true! You never know what you’ll find. There are a lot of things you can miss as a pet parent.