Six Essential Cat-Centric New Year’s Resolutions For You!

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We kitties don’t have to make New Year’s resolutions, of course, because we are already perfect! But humans could always use some improvement. Especially where us cats are concerned. So here are five resolutions to make when it comes to your cat (and one for cats in general).

1. Start checking the ingredients of the food you are giving your cat.

Even if you are on a budget, some choices are better than others, and you want the food with the highest protein and least amount of carbs. And the protein should be the highest quality that you can afford. I know not everyone can feed their cat (or themselves) the best food, but still, do your research.

2. Get your cat’s body moving!

Even if you can’t stick to your own exercise resolutions, you can make sure your cat exercises daily with a fun play session. It’s only a few minutes out of your day, but it makes a big difference for your cat.

3. Give your cat at least one fun and exciting adventure over the next few weeks.

You don’t have to take them out of the house for this! In fact, many cats wouldn’t want adventures outside of their home. I’m suggesting, for example, to bring home a new, soft throw blanket, and letting them explore it to their heart’s content. Or creating a box fort that doubles as a life-sized treat puzzle. Or attaching their favorite small toy to a fishing pole style toy to see how they react. Or bringing home a healthy, new treat, like freeze dried duck or salmon. Adventures don’t have to be a big deal (although they can be!). They just need to be new and fun. You and your cat may wind up enjoying it so much, you’ll make it a regular thing.

4. Resolve to become more familiar with what’s in your cat’s litter box.

Even if you do everything you can to avoid dealing with what’s going on in the litter box, including using one of those automatic contraptions. At least once a week, take note of your cat’s output. Are there more pee clumps than normal, or fewer? What’s the quality of your cat’s stool? Changes in what’s going on in the litter box can tell you a lot about your cat’s health. So instead of mindlessly scooping or emptying a bin, take a look and see if anything out of the norm is going on.

I know this is not the most pleasant activity, but it’s really, really important.

5. Spend more time with your cat.

If you are thinking to yourself, “Why? They just sleep all day,” then you really need to do this. Your cat could be bored and lonely. Most cats won’t beg for attention (although some do!). They’ll just cope with neglect by sleeping, or conversely, by acting out and causing trouble. A few minutes of handing out treats, or cuddling with your cat on the sofa with a book or a good TV show, can make all the difference. Also playtime and exercise, which I’ve noted above.

6. Dip a toe into helping cats in general.

You don’t have to foster homeless kitties, do TNR, or even go to a rescue and help out there — although any of those would be great! But if you can’t afford that much time, or worry that you will just wind up bringing home every cat in need, you can do other things. Do you have computer or design skills that a rescue might use? They often need someone to help out with websites and design flyers or logos. If you know how to work with Canva, I’m sure your skills will be valuable! Do you enjoy social media? You could help with a rescue’s Facebook or Instagram accounts. You could take video or photos of adoptable kitties, or edit clips together for use on TikTok.

And if you have no skills you think would be useful, remember that donating items is always a good thing to do. Old blankets and towels, unused cat meds, cat toys your cat didn’t like — rescues could use all these. Do you have friends with these items? Go gather them for a local rescue. You have lots of ways to help out that I bet you haven’t yet thought of.

I hope you decide to do some of these resolutions. And if you do all of them, you are amazing! I hope your 2024 is an awesome year…for you and your cat!

Here are more outtakes from past years: