{"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:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 16\n  passed: 16\n  date: 2026-08-04\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\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is copyrighted and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n# Cat husbandry\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Cats are much safer kept indoors than allowed outside.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Outdoor cats risk fights, poisoning, car strikes, predators and other hazards.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Because a cat that gets used to the outdoors is hard to keep in, keep it indoors from the beginning.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Cats that lack enough exercise can become overweight and develop health problems.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Splitting a cat's food into several small meals in bowls placed around the home encourages it to move about to find them.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Keep edible hazards such as cleaning products, electrical cords and small objects (needles, dental floss) out of reach.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Keep cats away from dangerous plants, including lilies.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Watch open windows and balconies, since cats can fall and be injured.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Never give a cat human medicine unless a vet approves.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Litter training is usually easy because cats are naturally clean and seek a spot to bury waste.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Scoop the box daily and clean it fully at least once a week.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* As a rule, provide at least one more litter box than the number of cats in the home.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Place the litter box in a quiet, low-traffic spot the cat can reach easily.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Keep the litter box away from the cat's food and water.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Straining in the litter box can signal a life-threatening emergency, especially in a male cat.\n---\n## License & attribution\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) — copyrighted, non-Open-Access. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\n\n*[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]*","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","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"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."}