You may be the most experienced of feline caretakers, or you may be sharing your life with a kitty for the first time, but I never pass up a chance to pass along basic care and welfare information. Because I’ve nearly always had a house full of cats and I’ve rescued and fostered for about 25 years, many people use me as a reference for feline health and welfare. This information was compiled from the questions people most frequently ask me, the veterinary information approved by my own veterinarian, and references are provided for the remainder of the information. It is by no means a substitute for actual veterinary care.

I’ve included information on: basic feline wellness plus specifics for kittens and seniors; points in deciding when your cat needs a special trip to the veterinarian and when you need to just pack up and run to the emergency clinic; information on household toxins and poisonous plants, cleaning products, essential oils and potpourri and websites and hotlines for reference if you think your cat has been poisoned; life stages and human equivalents; spay and neuter, feline breast cancer, resources for finding low-cost spay and neuter; strays, ferals and TNR; pet loss; fun facts; names and links for animal organizations; a tiny book list with other recommendations and ways to help animals and donate goods and services.