10 Things You Should Do to Keep Your Cat Happy and Healthy
Keeping your cat happy and healthy goes beyond filling their food bowl and giving them a cozy place to sleep. Cats thrive when their physical needs, natural instincts, environment, and daily routines are all supported.
The good news is that small, consistent habits can make a big difference. From playtime and enrichment to creating a cleaner litter routine, here are 10 things every cat parent can do to help their cat live a happy, comfortable life.
1. Feed a Balanced Diet
Good nutrition is an important foundation for your cat’s overall health.
Choose a complete and balanced food appropriate for your cat’s age and life stage, and follow feeding recommendations based on their individual needs. Kittens, adult cats, and senior cats can have different nutritional requirements.
Portion size matters, too. Rather than relying on a constantly full bowl, talk with your veterinarian about the right amount and feeding schedule for your cat.
And don’t forget fresh water. Make sure clean water is always easily accessible. Some cats may also prefer moving water from a cat fountain.
2. Make Time for Play Every Day
Your indoor cat may not need to hunt for dinner, but the instinct to stalk, chase, and pounce is still there.
Interactive play gives your cat an appropriate way to express these natural behaviors while providing physical activity and mental stimulation.
Try toys that encourage movement, such as wand toys, balls, or toys your cat can chase. Rotating toys periodically can also help keep playtime interesting.
Even a few dedicated play sessions throughout the day can add enrichment to your cat’s routine.
3. Give Them Places to Scratch
Scratching is normal cat behavior—not a bad habit.
Cats scratch to stretch, maintain their claws, mark their environment, and express natural behaviors. Providing appropriate scratching surfaces can give them an outlet while helping protect your furniture.
Try offering different options, such as:
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Vertical scratching posts
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Horizontal scratchers
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Cardboard scratching pads
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Cat trees with scratching surfaces
Pay attention to what your cat prefers and place scratchers in areas where they naturally spend time.
4. Create Spaces Where Your Cat Feels Comfortable
Cats benefit from having places they can call their own.
That might be a quiet bed, a covered hideaway, a favorite chair, or a perch where they can observe the room from above. Vertical spaces like cat trees and window perches can be especially enriching because they give cats opportunities to climb and survey their surroundings.
In multi-pet homes, having several comfortable spaces can also give your cat options when they want some time alone.
Your cat should be able to choose between interacting with the household and retreating somewhere quieter.
5. Keep Their Litter Box Clean
Your cat’s litter box is one of the most important spaces they use every day.
Keeping it clean and inviting should be a consistent part of your cat-care routine. Remove waste regularly, maintain an appropriate litter level, and periodically clean the box according to its care instructions.
For cat parents who want to reduce daily scooping, an automatic litter box such as the homerunPET CS106 can help keep the litter bed consistently clean after each use. Its extra-large 106L interior also gives cats more room to enter, turn around, and use the litter box comfortably, including larger cats up to 25 lbs.
The litter inside the box matters, too.
BoxiePro® Bot™ Clumping Clay Cat Litter is designed specifically for automatic litter boxes, with strong clumping, low dust, low tracking, and long-lasting odor control.
When paired with the CS106's dual-filter system—a standard large-pore filter and an optional small-pore filter—you get more efficient waste separation and less litter waste with every cleaning cycle.
Pairing the right litter with your automatic litter box can help create a cleaner, more convenient litter routine for both you and your cat.
6. Keep Their Environment Interesting
Indoor cats experience much of their world inside your home, so enrichment is important.
Think about ways your cat can explore, observe, climb, play, and problem-solve throughout the day.
Simple enrichment ideas include:
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A window perch for watching birds and outdoor activity
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Puzzle feeders
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Treat-dispensing toys
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Cardboard boxes and tunnels
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Cat trees and climbing areas
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Rotating toys
You don’t necessarily need to constantly buy new toys. Sometimes moving a favorite toy, bringing out a cardboard box, or rotating toys your cat hasn’t seen in a while is enough to make their environment interesting again.
7. Pay Attention to Their Normal Routine
Your cat can’t tell you when something feels different, but their behavior can provide important clues.
Get familiar with your cat’s usual patterns. How much do they typically eat and drink? How active are they? How often do they use the litter box? Where do they usually sleep?
When you know what’s normal for your cat, unusual changes can be easier to notice.
The litter box can be particularly useful here because changes in bathroom habits may be noticeable during your regular litter routine. The homerunPET CS106 app helps cat parents keep track of everyday litter box activity, including visit frequency, bathroom records, and weight trends, making it easier to understand what’s normal for their cat over time.
If you notice persistent or concerning changes in your cat’s appetite, behavior, activity, or litter box habits, contact your veterinarian.
8. Stay on Top of Grooming
Cats may be excellent self-groomers, but they can still benefit from a little help.
Regular brushing can remove loose fur, help reduce tangles, and give you an opportunity to check your cat’s skin and coat.
Grooming needs vary significantly depending on the cat. Long-haired cats generally require more frequent brushing, while short-haired cats may need less.
Nail care is another part of the routine. If you're unsure how to safely trim your cat’s nails or how frequently it should be done, ask your veterinarian or a professional groomer for guidance.
9. Schedule Regular Veterinary Care
Preventive veterinary care is an essential part of keeping your cat healthy.
Even cats who live entirely indoors should receive routine veterinary checkups. Your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate schedule based on your cat’s age, lifestyle, and individual needs.
Regular visits also create an opportunity to discuss nutrition, weight, dental health, behavior, vaccinations, parasite prevention, and any changes you’ve noticed at home.
Don’t wait for an obvious problem to make your cat’s health a priority.
10. Give Your Cat Attention—On Their Terms
Every cat has their own personality.
Some want to curl up in your lap whenever you sit down. Others prefer to be nearby without necessarily being touched. Some love being picked up, while others would much rather keep all four paws on the ground.
Pay attention to your cat’s body language and preferences instead of forcing interaction.
Create opportunities for affection, play, and bonding, but allow your cat to decide when and how they participate.
Learning what your individual cat enjoys is one of the best ways to build a strong relationship with them.
Happy Cats Start With Good Everyday Habits
Keeping your cat happy and healthy isn’t about doing one thing perfectly. It’s about creating a daily environment that supports their needs.
Provide nutritious food and fresh water. Make time for play. Give them places to climb, scratch, hide, and rest. Stay consistent with veterinary care. Pay attention when their normal behaviors change.
And don’t overlook the place your cat visits every single day: the litter box.
A clean, comfortable litter setup can be a simple but meaningful part of your cat’s everyday routine. Combining the homerunPET CS106 automatic litter box with BoxiePro Bot Clumping Clay Cat Litter can help make maintaining that environment easier, giving you less time spent scooping and more time to spend with your cat.
With the world's largest self-cleaning litter box interior (106L), built-in auto-refill, odor control, and smart app tracking, the CS106 is designed to handle the routine so you can focus on what matters most—your cat.
Because sometimes keeping your cat happy comes down to getting the little things right, every day.
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