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If you're reading this article, you probably have a cat, and that means you understand that it's a cat's world, we are just living in it. Hopefully *at least* some of these hacks/tips will help make your life a little easier by learning how to successfully navigate their world.
1. Let's start off with the basics. This super helpful chart will help you get a better understanding of the 'yes' spots and the 'I'll grab your hand and kick it nonstop until you leave me alone' spots.
2. Now, getting back to those razor sharp nails…as ~daunting~ as it sounds, you're going to want to trim them. If you don't, those bad boys can leave scars (trust me, I have quite a few). These nail trimmers are great for making sure not to harm poor kitty's paws.
3. Using nail clippers is obviously the ideal way to deal with claws, but sometimes (a lot of the time), your cat may not be interested in cooperating with you... *shocking.* In that case, try out a nail file so if you can't cut their nails, at least they are filing them to help tame those claws.
4. To help alleviate any issues that come with cutting their nails, get them used to having their paws touched from a very young age (or slowly start doing it as soon as you adopt them if they are an older cat).
5. Wrap sisal rope around the legs of your furniture or the railings on your stairs to create a DIY cat scratching post. I knew someone who had an unsightly pole in the middle of their living room that they wrapped in rope so their cat could have a scratching post that went up to the ceiling.
6. Have a variety of toys to keep things interesting for your kitties. Are you even really a pet owner if your house isn't *littered* with toys??
7. Give them a treat (my cats love Temptations) after using a laser pointer. After playing for a while, cats can become frustrated by not being able to catch the laser. So, I tend to play with the laser for a little while then follow it with a treat and play time with a toy they can actually catch.
8. Prevent excess shedding by brushing them often. Try out this raved-about self-cleaning brush that will remove extra fur from your cat with gentle, round bristles to protect their sensitive skin while still reaching different levels of their fur to get rid of all the excess.
Or grab this double-sided undercoat brush with one side designed for de-matting and the other for coat thinning and de-shedding AKA you can finally help speed up your furbaby's shedding so your entire life isn't coated in a layer of fur.
9. Buy a ChomChom to remove all the pet hair that is still on your couch even after you've vacuumed. This little tool works on pretty much any surface — furniture, upholstery, blankets, clothes — and you don't have to worry about constantly ripping off *another* sticky sheet because one quick swipe typically fills it up (at least it does when I try to use them to clean my clothes...).
10. Put toy blockades under appliances and furniture to block all the tiny toys from making their way underneath and disappearing forever.
11. Avoid having their food, water, or litter box near each other.
12. Make sure your cats are getting enough hydration. If they don't like drinking water, make them what I like to call *kitty soup.* Just take some of their dry food and mix it in with water. Apparently this concoction is much better than just dry food or water on their own.
13. If you wanna spoil them with human food, first of all, be careful because you can create little monsters that jump on the table any time you eat. Second of all, make sure you know which foods are safe for your furry friends.
14. You're probably not going to like this one, but you should have ONE litter box PER CAT, plus an extra. Yes, that sounds like a lot of litter boxes, but trust me, it is better to have more litter boxes if it means the cats actually use them. Nothing is worse than the smell of cat pee.
15. But odds are, no matter how many litter boxes you have, at some point you will end up with an accident somewhere. The good news is you can clean it up with just two ingredients: baking soda and vinegar.
16. Or, if you're not feeling like a science experiment, check out this cleaner that quickly eliminates pet odors *and* doesn't smell like chemicals, but instead like freshly squeezed oranges. 😌 Don't let the delightful scent fool you, this stuff is powerful. Reviewers rave about it *completely* eliminating any odors in their house, and yes, that includes cat pee.
17. Put a box (yes, a literal cardboard box) on your desk to help stop your kitties from laying on your keyboard all day while you work from home.
18. Use aluminum foil to keep them off of surfaces they aren't supposed to be on.
19. And, do not forget to get them a job at the biscuit factory!! You will never find a more dedicated worker than the kitty who spends most of their time sleeping on your couch. They will knead for hours on end to make sure the dough is perfect.
The reviews used in this post have been edited for length and clarity.