Matt Whittaker, manager of Pets At Home Swindon, writes about keeping your cat in purr-fect health

Cats are a popular and lovely pet but, like us, they have very specific nutritional needs that can vary throughout their life and can depend on life stage, activity level and health condition.

Here are a few hints and tips for keeping your favourite feline in good health.

In order to ensure a long and healthy life for your cat, you should feed it the correct nutrition for its age group – the three main life stages of a cat are kitten, adult and senior.

You should change your cat’s diet at one year and seven years, and we have a wide range of specialist food brands for each life stage which we can recommend in-store.

As in humans, obesity is becoming a growing problem in cats due to overfeeding and unbalanced diets. Your feline will become unhappy and anxious if not fed correctly; cats are naturally active and will be too large and unfit to do the things they love, such as run around and play outside.

Make sure you spend time playing with your cat to up its daily exercise.

Cats are meticulous groomers and usually keep their coats clean, shiny and soft – although, most cats love being pampered by their owners too! If your cat’s fur is getting dull, or its skin dry and flaky, it could indicate poor nutrition or illness so check with your vet.

Hairballs can be a problem for cats, but you can help to eliminate excess loose hair by regularly brushing your cat so they ingest less fur.

Another common condition in cats is unpleasant breath due to a build-up of plaque on their teeth – but it is safe to brush your cat’s teeth.

Some foods, such as those from our Nutrition Centre range, contain large fibres which act like a brush on your cat’s teeth.

Alternatively, you could give your cat chewable dental care treats and toys – these contain polyphosphate minerals – this stays on the teeth after eating, preventing tartar from setting in.

For more advice about keeping your cat healthy, pop in-store and speak to one of our specialists for further guidance.