{"topic_id":"companion_cat_husbandry","category":"companion-husbandry","context":"---\ntopic_id: companion_cat_husbandry\ncategory: companion-husbandry\ntitle: \"Cat husbandry — indoor housing, litter box, exercise, and home safety (Merck Vet Manual)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — Cat husbandry — indoor housing, litter box, exercise, and home safety (Merck Vet Manual)\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_cat_husbandry_src.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-31\ntokens_estimated: 367\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Cat husbandry — indoor housing, litter box, exercise, and home safety (Merck Vet Manual)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-cat/providing-a-home-for-a-cat\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-31\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary reference\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n# Cat husbandry\n\nThe text below is reproduced verbatim from the first-hand source (Merck Veterinary Manual).\n\n> It’s much safer for cats to stay indoors than to be allowed outside.\n> Outdoor cats can get into fights, eat harmful substances, get hit by cars, and face predators and other dangers.\n> Once a cat gets used to being outside, it can be hard to keep it indoors, so keep your cat indoors from the start.\n> Cats that don’t get enough exercise can become overweight and develop health problems.\n> You can also divide a cat’s meal into several smaller meals in multiple bowls spread out around the house to encourage the cat to get up and move to find them.\n> Keep harmful items that are easy to eat, such as cleaning supplies, electrical cords, and small items (like sewing needles and dental floss), out of reach.\n> Keep cats away from dangerous plants (such as lilies).\n> Be careful with open windows and balconies, because cats can fall and get hurt.\n> Never give your cat human medications, unless a vet says it’s okay.\n> Litter box training is generally easy with cats, because they are naturally clean animals that seek a place to bury their waste.\n> You should scoop every day and clean the entire box at least once a week.\n> A general rule is that there should be at least one more litter box than the number of cats in the household.\n> The litter box should be placed in a secluded, low-traffic area that your cat can easily access.\n> Keep the litter box away from the cat’s food and water.\n> Straining in the litter box can be a sign of a life-threatening emergency, especially in a male cat.\n\nSource: `pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_cat_husbandry_src.txt` (first-hand professional veterinary reference, tag-stripped).\n\n## Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)\n- `It’s much safer for cats to stay indoors than to be allowed outside.`\n- `Outdoor cats can get into fights, eat harmful substances, get hit by cars, and face predators and other dangers.`\n- `Once a cat gets used to being outside, it can be hard to keep it indoors, so keep your cat indoors from the start.`\n- `Cats that don’t get enough exercise can become overweight and develop health problems.`\n- `You can also divide a cat’s meal into several smaller meals in multiple bowls spread out around the house to encourage the cat to get up and move to find them.`\n- `Keep harmful items that are easy to eat, such as cleaning supplies, electrical cords, and small items (like sewing needles and dental floss), out of reach.`\n- `Keep cats away from dangerous plants (such as lilies).`\n- `Be careful with open windows and balconies, because cats can fall and get hurt.`\n- `Never give your cat human medications, unless a vet says it’s okay.`\n- `Litter box training is generally easy with cats, because they are naturally clean animals that seek a place to bury their waste.`\n- `You should scoop every day and clean the entire box at least once a week.`\n- `A general rule is that there should be at least one more litter box than the number of cats in the household.`\n- `The litter box should be placed in a secluded, low-traffic area that your cat can easily access.`\n- `Keep the litter box away from the cat’s food and water.`\n- `Straining in the litter box can be a sign of a life-threatening emergency, especially in a male cat.`\n","sources":["companion-husbandry — Cat husbandry — indoor housing, litter box, exercise, and home safety (Merck Vet Manual) (retrieved 2026-07-31)"],"source":{"authority":"companion-husbandry","title":"Cat husbandry — indoor housing, litter box, exercise, and home safety (Merck Vet Manual)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-cat/providing-a-home-for-a-cat","retrieved":"2026-07-31","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_cat_husbandry_src.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual (professional veterinary reference)","source_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/companion_cat_husbandry_src.txt","tokens_estimated":367,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}