A pet cat looks to its owner for love, affection, warmth, food, and safety. It relies on its master to stay able-bodied, well nourished and safe throughout its life. This is not an overpowering or intense responsibility. Effective ways of maintaining cat health can be performed through preventative monthly checks at home, by keeping cats indoors and by having cats vaccinate per a veterinarian's advice.

A thorough nose-to-tail checkup must be carried out to make sure there are no symptoms of any illness or diseases. The ears should be clean and pink and free of any wax or mites. The cat’s eyes should be brilliant, lucid, alert, and free of discharge. Oral checkups should include observing if gums are pink and teeth clean. There should be no tartar formation along the gum line and the cat’s breath should not be unpleasant.

Feeling the cat's body for lumps, bulges, sores or other abnormalities is important as a precautionary practice. One must be attentive to spot fleas, dirt scratches and parasites, which are prone to be found behind the ears, between the toes and along the tail. To maintain a cat’s health, regular brushing of the fur is essential. This helps in removing dead skin cells and loose hair and also in clearing fleas off its coat. Cats clean themselves but in the process, they swallow a large amount of hair, which leads to vomiting of hairballs. There are many hairball remedies on the market, but the best way to deal with them is removing excess hair with regular brushings.

Regular clipping a cat's claws prevents growth of paw pads. Cats enjoy scratching. Instead of de-clawing the cat, which is very painful and unnecessary, one must train the cat to use well-placed scratching posts. All cat owners should maintain an emergency first aid guide and a vet should be consulted when home care is inadequate.

Cats should not be given any medication without the advice of a veterinarian. Most common human drugs are toxic to cats. Along with performing regular home examinations one must take the cat to the vet for scheduled appointments. Taking simple precautions and following the advice of the vet is vital to enjoying life with a pet cat.