Chinese Domestic Cat Care Calendar: A Landrace Plan

The Chinese Domestic Cat is a landrace, not a registered breed: there is no breed club, no written standard, and no pedigree that defines it. That is not a disadvantage for care, it just moves the calendar onto different rails. With no breed-specific screening list, the year runs on vaccines, water intake, weight control, teeth, and window screens.

The year at a glance

Season	Coat, teeth, weight	Health and home
March-April	Spring moult: brush twice a week; nails every 3 weeks	Flea and tick prevention restarts; annual vaccine check
May-June	Weekly brush; longhaired type 3 times a week	Deworming; screens checked before windows open
July-August	Weekly; watch for heat and matting behind the legs	Room under 27 C; water in 3 places; wet food share up
September-October	Autumn moult: twice a week; longhaired type every other day	Autumn weigh-in; dental look; parasite dose
November-December	Weekly; check for dry skin under the heater	Room at 18-22 C; heater guards; year-end weight
January-February	Weekly; longhaired ruff and trousers	Fireworks plan; vaccine due dates; resting breath count

Vaccines and deworming: the only fixed schedule

Without a breed disease list, infectious disease is the real risk. Feline panleukopenia and the herpesvirus/calicivirus pair are the big killers of unvaccinated kittens. The core course is three injections at 8, 12 and 16 weeks, rabies at 12-16 weeks, a booster at 12 months, then every 1-3 years depending on lifestyle and local law.

Deworm every 2 weeks to 12 weeks of age, monthly to 6 months, then every 3 months for a cat that goes outside or eats raw, every 3-6 months indoors. Flea treatment monthly from March to November in most of China, year-round in heated homes. Dates belong in a phone calendar, not in memory.

Water and the urinary tract

Neutered indoor cats that drink little are the classic FLUTD case: crystals, cystitis, and in a male, an obstruction that can kill within 24-48 hours. A 4 kg cat needs roughly 160-240 ml of water a day, and most of it should come from food, so keep at least half the ration wet. Water bowls in three places, refreshed twice a day, and a fountain if the cat prefers moving water.

Watch the litter box. Straining with little or no urine, licking the groin, crying on the box, or blood in the urine is an emergency, not a wait-and-see. Details are in urinary blockage signs.

Weight: the orange tabby problem

Adults run 3-5.5 kg (7-12 lb), with the larger tabby males reaching 6 kg. A 4 kg cat needs 50-65 g of dry food or 115-140 g (4-5 oz) of wet a day, measured and split into two meals, with the bowl lifted between them. The orange tabby type in particular will eat a day's ration in ten minutes and ask for more.

Weigh monthly and use body condition: ribs easy to feel, a waist from above. A fat cat at four becomes a diabetic cat at nine, and this is the single most useful thing an owner can prevent. Treats stay under 10 percent of calories, about 20 kcal for a 4 kg cat.

Coat and teeth, by type

For the short-coated type, one weekly pass with a rubber brush does the job, with a second pass added during the two moults. The semi-longhaired lion cat type needs a comb three times a week, with real work on the ruff, the trousers and behind the ears. Both types: check the tail base for grease monthly, and bathe only when soiled or greasy, every 8-12 weeks at most.

Tartar and gingivitis are near-universal by age five without brushing. Start at 6 months with a finger brush, three times a week, and book a scale at 3 years, then every 12-24 months. Red gums or metallic breath means an appointment within a week; drooling or 24 hours without food is same-day. See dental disease.

Screens, height, and heat

Window screens are not optional. Falls from height are a common and serious injury in Chinese cities, and a cat that has never fallen is not proof the screens can wait. Check every screen each spring for slack and torn mesh, and fit a lockable gap of no more than 10 cm on windows that open.

Give it a high perch at 1.2-1.8 m, a scratching post, and a covered place to retreat to. In summer keep the room under 27 C and never leave a cat in a parked car; in winter 18-22 C, with heater guards, because a cat sleeping against a hot radiator gets burns. Fireworks at Spring Festival: close the curtains, leave a radio on low, and provide a box to hide in, as covered in fireworks and Lunar New Year.

Mistakes that cost the most

• Skipping the 16-week vaccine because the kitten "looked healthy".
• Feeding dry food only and assuming the cat drinks enough.
• Free-feeding an orange tabby and calling it affectionate.
• Opening a window in summer without checking the screen.
• Waiting a day on a male cat straining in the litter box.
• Never brushing teeth because "Chinese cats don't get dental disease".

When to call the vet the same day

A male cat straining with no urine, blood in the urine, 24 hours without food, laboured breathing, a temperature above 39.5 C, a kitten with diarrhoea and lethargy, or any cat that hides and stops grooming. A kitten that has not eaten for 12 hours is more urgent than an adult at 24.

This month: put the vaccine and deworming dates in the calendar, add a second water bowl and switch one meal to wet food, weigh the cat and write it down, and walk around the flat checking every screen and window gap.

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