Cats are a wonderful addition to a family and great companions for anyone living alone. They require minimal care but love attention. The 4-H cat project helps you explore what kind of cat fits into your family’s lifestyle.  Cats need your love and guidance to live long and healthy lives. The project will help you learn about nutritional aspects of a cat’s diet, health needs and practicing responsible ownership.

Beginner

• Learn about the proper care, grooming and feeding of your cat
• Learn to identify the parts of a cat
• Create a plan to prevent your cat from getting lost and an emergency plan for if it does get lost
• Learn the appropriate grooming equipment and use proper grooming techniques on your cat
  

Intermediate

• Plan a training and exercise program for your cat
• Prepare your cat for participation in cat shows
• Compare the labels on cat foods to make an informed decision on content and price
  

Advanced

• Create a trainer’s diary to assist you when you work with your cat
• Create a cat ownership budget plan
• Help a friend make a decision about owning a cat
• Research diseases in cats
• Identify symptoms and a course of action if your cat gets sick
• Research career options dealing with cats
  

Applying Project Skills to Life

Enhance Your Communication Skills

• Give a demonstration on how to approach an unfamiliar cat safety
• Demonstrate how to read cat food labels
• Make community members aware of cat laws in your area through brochures or posters

Get Involved in Citizenship and Service

• Volunteer at a local animal shelter
• Develop a plan to foster cats for deploying soldiers
• Write a letter to your local paper about the importance of having cats spayed or neutered
• Gather items such as cat food, cat toys, and brushes to donate to the animal shelter
• Create new cat owner kits for the animal shelter to give out to anyone who adopts a cat

Learn About Leadership

• Organize a cat show for your 4-H club or community
• Organize a community fundraiser to help benefit the local animal shelter

Showing What You’ve Learned

• Exhibit your cat at the fair
• Poster or diagram of cat parts
• Identify indoor and outdoor hazards that cats might encounter
• Make a first aid kit for your cat and tell why and how each item is used
• Share diet and nutrition information for raising a healthy cat
• Interview your veterinarian about a microchip to identify your cat
• Attend a cat show; take photos and make a notebook about cat breeds
• Write a story about famous cats for a younger sibling (Garfield, Sylvester, etc.)
• Visit a pet store and find as many pieces of cat equipment as you can, identify necessary equipment and costs
• Make a poster on diseases your cat can get and tell about its discovery, effects, treatments, etc.
• Research jobs related to cats; make a poster showing three jobs that interest you
• Develop a video showing the steps in training a cat
• Design a poster showing your cat’s origin
• Make a toy for your cats
• Volunteer to feed or watch a neighbors’ cat