If you decide to have a cat-flap fitted to your door in order that the cat can come and go as it pleases, you will have to train it to use the flap. You can use tit-bits to entice the cat to go through the flap, when it is fully open. Start by opening the flap fully, just showing the tit-bit, then next time close the flap a little bit and keep on doing so until the cat realises that the flap will open with a small push of the head. Your cat will not know from the start that it has to use a scratch post to sharpen its claws. You need to teach it to do so. If your cat beings to attack the furniture, clearly say NO . Then take the cat to the scratching post and put its paws on it. You can scratch with your own nails too, as the noise will make the cat curious. To promote their health and well being encourage your cat to drink more water. Drinking fountains for cats which re-circulate water and provide fresh tasting filtered water are a great idea. Like humans, pets require water as a vital element for survival. Water constitutes approximately 70% of a cat's or dog's body. "One of the most important goals when feeding senior cats is maintaining an ideal weight and keeping that weight stable," said Dr. Arnold Plotnick, who developed a senior wellness program to address the special needs of aging cats at his veterinary clinic, Manhattan Cat Specialists in New York City. Because of the way many pet food companies describe the meat in the food, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the difference between chicken flavored , and chicken dinner is. Food that contains chicken meal can only be made from the skin, flesh, and bones only. This is really the best type of protein for a cat. Pets can sometimes be unpredictable and for reasons like those mentioned above and more it is always safer to use a cat carrier when transporting your cat to another destination such as the vet. When choosing a cat carrier you will find there are hundreds of different ones on the market to choose from.