The Complete Cat Care Guide: Food, Shelter, Veterinary Care and Community Cats

Cats are the second-most popular companion animal in the world and the most frequent free-roaming companion animal across the countries WARN is preparing to work in. Whether you live with a single indoor cat, run a small cat charity, or quietly feed a colony of community cats outside your home, the principles of good cat care are the same — they just scale up. This guide covers everything responsible cat carers should know, and goes further than most published care sheets on three under-covered topics: outdoor shelter design, TNVR for community cats, and recognising serious illness early.

Daily care: food, water and routine

Cats are obligate carnivores. Their bodies require nutrients — taurine, arginine, arachidonic acid, vitamin A in active form — that can only be obtained from animal protein. Get the food right and almost everything else gets easier.

• Wet food first. At least 60-70% of daily food intake should be wet food. Cats evolved to get most of their water from prey and frequently fail to drink enough on a dry-only diet. Chronic low-level dehydration is one of the main drivers of feline kidney disease.
• Twice-daily meals, not constant grazing. Free-feeding contributes to feline obesity, which the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) identifies as one of the most common preventable health problems in cats.
• Life-stage matters. Kittens need kitten-specific food until 12 months. Senior cats (10+) often need diets adjusted for kidney function and protein quality.
• Fresh water, always. Replace water at least once a day. Place water bowls away from food — cats have an instinctive aversion to water near prey.
• Never give cow's milk. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant.

Indoor enrichment: how to stop a bored cat becoming a difficult cat

Most behaviour problems in indoor cats — overgrooming, aggression, inappropriate toileting, destructive scratching — trace back to one cause: under-stimulation. A cat in an apartment needs deliberate enrichment:

• Vertical space. Cat trees, shelves, window perches. Cats feel safest above the room, not in it.
• Hunting play, twice a day. Ten to fifteen minutes with a wand toy mimicking prey movement — slow stalk, fast chase, brief "catch", reward with a small wet-food snack. This single change reduces inter-cat aggression and destructive behaviour more than any other intervention.
• Scratching surfaces. Vertical sisal posts and horizontal cardboard. Cats scratch to mark, stretch and condition their claws; refusing them surfaces guarantees they choose your sofa.
• Hiding places. A simple cardboard box is one of the most effective stress-reducing items in a cat's environment.
• Litter trays. One per cat plus one extra, placed in quiet locations, scooped daily, fully cleaned weekly. Most "litter box problems" are environment problems.

Veterinary care: the non-negotiables

Regardless of where in the world a cat lives, the veterinary baseline is the same:

• Annual health check. Weight, dental, kidney bloods from age 7, blood-pressure check from age 10.
• Core vaccinations. Feline panleukopenia (FPV), feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV). Rabies vaccination is essential in rabies-endemic countries and is recommended by WHO and WOAH wherever cats may come into contact with potential vectors.
• Neutering by six months. Reduces mammary cancer, eliminates pyometra, reduces fighting, eliminates accidental litters. There is no health benefit to allowing a "first litter".
• Microchipping. A microchip is the single most effective intervention against permanent loss.
• Parasite prevention. Monthly flea-and-tick treatment, quarterly worming. Both are cheap and prevent serious illness.
• Dental care. Roughly 70% of cats over the age of three show signs of dental disease. Annual dental checks should be standard from age three onwards.

Community cats: the welfare population most people miss

Community cats — sometimes called feral cats, street cats or stray cats — are the cats that live outdoors near people but are not anyone's pet. They are usually born to other community cats, deeply bonded to their territory, and often unsuited to indoor adoption. Good cat charity work treats them as a recognisable population in their own right, not as "strays to be removed".

TNVR — trap, neuter, vaccinate, return

TNVR means trap, neuter, vaccinate and return. It may form part of a locally assessed humane care plan, but return is not appropriate for every animal or setting. ICAM's guidance says no single intervention suits all situations. Qualified veterinary professionals should assess clinical needs and appropriate vaccination, with clear responsibility for follow-up. This guide does not give a universal sterilisation threshold or promise that TNVR alone controls disease.

Outdoor shelters that actually work

If you care for community cats, especially in colder months, shelter is critical and is the single area where most amateur cat-care advice goes wrong. A good outdoor cat shelter:

• Is elevated off the ground by at least 10 cm to stay dry.
• Has two exits so a cat is never cornered by a predator or another cat.
• Uses straw, never blankets or towels. Straw insulates and stays dry; blankets retain moisture and freeze.
• Has a small entrance (about 15 cm diameter) — large enough for the cat, small enough to keep heat in and bigger predators out.
• Is placed against a wall in a quiet area, away from foot traffic.
• Is paired with a protected feeding station at least a metre away — never inside the shelter.

Feeding stations

Feed at set times, in set quantities, in protected containers. Avoid leaving food out overnight (it attracts wildlife and pests). A reliable feeding routine is also what makes humane trapping possible when it is time for TNVR.

Recognising serious illness — the early signs people miss

Cats are extraordinary at hiding illness. The following are the early warning signs every cat carer should know:

• Sudden change in water consumption. Either much more or much less. Often the first sign of kidney disease, diabetes or hyperthyroidism.
• Weight loss despite normal appetite. Strongly suggestive of hyperthyroidism or diabetes in older cats.
• Reduced grooming. A coat that becomes greasy, matted or unkempt is often the earliest sign of pain — particularly dental pain or arthritis.
• Hiding more than usual. One of the most reliable behavioural signs that a cat is unwell.
• Difficulty urinating. Straining, frequent trips to the litter tray, vocalising. In male cats especially, this is a veterinary emergency — urinary blockage can be fatal within 24-48 hours.
• Breathing through the mouth. Cats almost never pant. Open-mouth breathing in a cat at rest is an emergency.

First aid basics

Every cat carer should know the absolute minimum first aid:

• Bleeding: direct pressure with clean cloth, get to vet.
• Suspected poisoning: never induce vomiting in a cat — go straight to vet. Bring the packaging.
• Heatstroke: cool gradually with damp towels, fan, get to vet.
• Choking: only attempt to remove visible obstructions. Otherwise straight to vet.
• Seizure: do not restrain. Time the seizure, keep away from edges and stairs, vet immediately if longer than 2 minutes or if first ever.

Do not give human medication. Paracetamol is fatal to cats. Ibuprofen is fatal to cats. Lily plants — including pollen on a cat's coat — are fatal. Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) is fatal in tiny quantities.

How a cat charity supports cats globally

When assessing a cat charity or welfare project, ask how it identified the local need, who is responsible for veterinary decisions and how it will report results. Its plan should explain why the proposed care is suitable for the animals and setting. A clinic count alone does not demonstrate a wider population or disease outcome.

When choosing a cat charity to support, look for:

• Registered charity status with up-to-date accounts.
• A clear veterinary policy and a published TNVR or community cat strategy.
• Honest reporting on outcomes, not just intake.
• A focus on the populations of cats who are most under-served — community cats, cats in countries with little or no cat-shelter infrastructure, cats in the meat trade.

How WARN fits in

WARN does not rehome cats to UK households. For local adoption or help with a nearby animal, contact an established rescue or veterinary service. WARN's symbolic cat adoption raises contributions towards the dog and cat meat-trade appeal, which covers both species. Potential support depends on recipient assessment and an agreed scope; this is not a separate community-cat neutering fund. The Indonesia community-animal proposal is being assessed and has no dedicated collection open.

When a cat dies

Every cat care journey ends the same way, and it is one of the hardest parts of loving a cat. If you have recently lost a cat, our pet loss support guide covers cremation, talking to children, and recognising grief, and our in memory giving page explains optional tribute giving. Recording a cat's species does not automatically restrict a gift to cats; review the chosen fund's terms before donating.