1. Let your cat roam freely. Too many cats are hit by cars, attacked by dogs or coyotes, or poisoned accidentally when allowed to occasionally roam free.
2. Punish or frighten your cat. The fastest way to ruin a relationship with a cat is to hit him, scare him, yell at him. Punishment does not work to change his behavior, except in one specific way: It will leave him thinking that you’re a horrible creature he ought to avoid. The best way to shape your cat’s behavior is with treats and praise.
3. Overfeed your cat. If you think Dr. Lutz & Dr. Daniels sound like broken records when they harp on the weight of the pets, well...they are. There are too many cats in constant misery from weight-related feline arthritis, or we’re being asked to euthanize cats with diabetes because the owners can’t cope with the care. Cats can’t open kibble bags or cans of food, and they can’t hop in the refrigerator and help themselves to leftovers. You have the power to make your cat healthy.
4. Use products made for dogs or any other species, including people) on your cat. Tylenol can kill your cat. So can aspirin. So can flea-control products labeled for dogs. In fact, cats are super sensitive to many things. You should use only products that are labeled for cats.
5. Ignore your cat’s litterbox. Cleaning the litterbox daily means you know what your cat’s up to, what’s normal and what’s not. And because cats are so darn secretive with signs of illness or pain, cleaning the litterbox is one of the few ways to get the clues you need. So don’t ignore the box! Keeping the box clean can keep you in the loop with your cat’s health.
| 
