Raising a cat requires that you provide not only for its most basic needs, such as food and a clean litter box, but also for its health, its comfort, and its mind.

If you are interested in raising a cat, take the time to understand the commitment you are making and learn how to raise it right. If you do this, you are more likely to end up with a well-adjusted, happy, and healthy cat.

Give your cat quality food. When raising a cat it is important to provide it with nutritious food. Canned and dry food are both fine as long as the food includes mostly animal protein and not a lot of filler.

Provide age-appropriate cat food. When your cat is young, you should feed it kitten food, which gives it more fat and protein for its growing mind and body.

As the cat ages, you should feed it food that gives it complete nutrition without giving it so much that it gets overweight. When your cat gets older, you may need to transition it onto senior food, which provides the type of nutrition that geriatric cats need.

Give a long-haired cat hairball-preventing cat food. If you have a long-haired cat, it is a good idea to give it hairball-preventing food, especially if it has a history of choking up hairballs.

In most cases, this type of food helps to prevent hairballs by increasing the amount of fiber your cat is getting. Fiber increases the rate of digestion and moves food, and hair, through the digestive tract more effectively.

Feed your cat two or three times a day. The amount of food you give it will depend on the size of your cat. Look at the food packaging and follow the directions there for portion sizing, which is usually based on your cat's size and age. Cats who eat too quickly should be fed smaller, more frequent meals.