Cat Hygiene Tips for New Pet Parents

Maintaining proper hygiene for your cat is crucial for their health, comfort, and the cleanliness of your home. From regular brushing and nail trimming to dental care and litter box management, a cat hygiene routine can prevent a variety of health issues. Sometimes your cat may even need a haircut, ear cleaning, or eye care. But once you have a good routine in place for your new cat, ensuring your cat stays clean is not a difficult thing to do. Below are some important tips on where to start.

Cat care tips for beginners

If this is your first time having a cat, you may be worried about how to take care of them. However, cats are actually pretty easy to care for. Short-haired cats will require far less work to keep clean than long-haired cats, but regardless of the length of their fur, all cats do require some basic care.

Even though cats are really good at keeping themselves clean, you will still need to provide occasional ear cleanings, nail trims, brushings, and dental care. If you have a cat with long hair, they may also need haircuts to keep their hind end clean, and some face-wiping may be needed for flat-faced breeds.

Cat grooming essentials 

Knowing what your specific cat needs is important in helping you create a grooming regimen and determine the supplies you should get. The following first-time cat parent tips will help you decide what those requirements are, and double as ways to care for your cat’s health.

Brushing needs for different coat types

Because long-haired cats have a lot more fur than short-haired cats, they will require more brushing. Weekly brushing of long-haired cats will help prevent large knots and matting. Wide and fine-toothed combs, along with soft and slicker brushes, may benefit this cat’s fur type. But you may need to experiment with which type you and your cat prefer. Meanwhile, an occasional combing with a fine-toothed comb may be all your short-haired cat needs to loosen and remove their loose fur.

Grooming overweight and arthritic cats

Regardless of coat type, cats who are unable to groom themselves due to obesity or osteoarthritis will need extra brushing and sometimes even some hair-trimming. (Usually, cats can reach their hind end or belly.) These cats may need extra attention paid to the areas they can’t get to, in order to avoid matting and debris buildup.

Bathing cats

Since cats are so good at keeping themselves clean, they don’t generally need to be bathed by their pet parents. Spot cleaning with waterless shampoo or wipes may occasionally be needed if they get poop on their feet or hind end, or get into something they shouldn’t. Full baths can be very stressful and traumatic to cats, so they should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. 

Nail trimming and care

Your cat’s claws are an important part of their identity, so care for indoor cats should always consider nail health. To help your cat keep their nails trimmed and well-conditioned, various scratching surfaces should be made available. Scratching posts and boards placed around your home will not only encourage your cat to maintain their nail health, but also provide them with important mental stimulation — since scratching is a natural cat behavior. If your cat doesn’t naturally wear down their nails with these scratchable items, you may need to trim them with nail clippers. 

Cat dental health tips 

In addition to brushing your cat’s fur, you’ll want to brush their teeth. If toothbrushing is not an option, other dental care can still be provided.

Regular toothbrushing

The best way to care for your cat’s teeth is to brush them daily using pet-safe toothpaste. Some cats will tolerate their teeth being brushed, but many will need to be trained to allow you to do this. Find a toothpaste your cat likes, and start by using your finger or a cotton-tipped applicator to gently rub toothpaste on your cat’s gums and teeth.

Dental treats, foods, and powders

If your cat won’t allow you to brush their teeth, or you simply forget to do it regularly, there are alternative ways to provide dental care for them. Dental treats, foods, and powders will clean your cat’s teeth as they chew. While they aren’t replacements for toothbrushing, they can help maintain healthy gums and teeth. Look for the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of approval on edible items to ensure they have been clinically proven to help with dental hygiene.

Water additives, gels, and sprays

In addition to the other dental options, special solutions can be added to your cat’s drinking water — or wiped and sprayed onto your cat’s teeth — to help with dental hygiene. These products should be VOHC-approved to ensure their efficacy.

Dental check-ups

Regardless of the dental health tips that you follow, your cat will still need regular dental check-ups with your veterinarian. These are typically performed during your cat’s physical examination. The extent of professional dental cleanings may be determined by what your veterinarian can or cannot see during the check-up.

Cat litter-box hygiene tips

A litter box should be a place for your cat to poop and pee, not get dirty, stressed, or contract infections. The following cat litter-box tips can help you avoid, and perhaps even detect, a variety of issues with your cat. 

Litter box set-up

You should have at least one more litter box than you have cats in your home. This means that if you have two cats, you should have at least three litter boxes. These litter boxes should be placed in quiet areas with no direct line of sight between the cats and with about two inches of litter on the bottom. Make sure the box is easy for your cat to get in and out of, and is at least one-and-a-half times the length of your cat’s head and body.

Maintaining a hygienic litter area

Daily litter scooping and weekly litter-box cleaning will keep things hygienic for your cat. This will also help you notice any changes in your cat’s poop, pee, or bathroom habits.

Cat eye, ear, and nose care 

While some cats won’t need much attention paid to their head, others will need regular wiping and cleaning to maintain good hygiene.

Eye and nose care tips

Cats with flat faces may require regular eye- and nose-wiping to prevent drainage and debris from building up. A damp washcloth and pet/baby wipes can gently remove what shouldn’t be on your cat’s face.

Ear hygiene

Cats can have a tough time cleaning their ears, so occasional help with ear hygiene may be needed. Use a cotton-tipped applicator and cotton balls to gently wipe out the ears. If you see redness, scabs, or black debris, contact your veterinarian because these could be signs of an infection. 

Kitten vs. senior cat hygiene suggestions

A healthy adult cat may not require much grooming, especially if they have short hair. But kittens and seniors may need a little extra hygiene help.

Kitten hygiene essentials

Kittens are likely to get messy due to dietary changes, playing in the litter box or with their food, or getting into potted plants and other things. Be prepared to wipe your kitten’s paws, face, and hind end to help keep them clean.

Senior cat care tips

Senior cat health tips are similar to those of kittens, since senior cats may also need a little help staying clean. Difficulty using the litter box and grooming themselves, as well as diarrhea from medications or diseases, may require you to give them a little extra hygiene care.

Commonly asked questions

How to address cat litter-box problems? 

If your cat is having litter-box problems, start by going back to the basics. Make sure you have enough litter boxes, that they are appropriately sized, that they aren’t placed within direct sightlines of your cats, that the litter is being scooped daily, and that the box is being cleaned out weekly. If your cat is still having problems, they may be stressed or have a medical issue that should be discussed with your veterinarian.

How often do cats need vaccinations? 

All cats need vaccinations, but your veterinarian will determine which vaccinations and how often those vaccinations are needed. If your cat has never received vaccinations, or you are unsure of their vaccination history, they may need a booster for some of their vaccinations three to four weeks after the first one. After that, vaccinations are only needed every year or three years, depending on the type of vaccination.

References

Choosing and Caring for Your New Cat

Everything You Should Know About Cat Litter Boxes

Litter Box How-To for New Cat Owners

When You Should — and Shouldn’t — Give Your Cat a Bath