Best way to make a new kitty feel welcome?

alwaysaangel

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So I am adding a new member to my family in a week and a half...and I'm really excited (I should be studying at the moment but instead I've been shopping online at Amazon, Ikea and Petco)

I want to make sure all the kitties toys and things are already in my apartment when he/she comes (I haven't picked one out yet - I'll be going to the shelter on Labor Day weekend - probably going to get a 3-4 month old kitten, maybe older). I'm planning to spoil him/her (as best I can on a med students loans)

But I'd love for some of the more experienced kitty owners to comment on my list so far (all my past family kitties were indoor/outdoor so they didn't need as much entertainment)

So for now I've got:

A cat tree (only 4'x2'x2' but its a start - I'll get a taller one later when I have a way to get it from the store to my house)

Now I went on a toy shopping spree on Amazon.com:
-Da Bird Interactive Cat Toy + replacement feathers
-Zanies Realistic Mice Cat Toys
-Blitz Star Chaser Cat Toy
-Laser Pointer Card (red)

I figure those will keep her pretty busy for the first few days (I'll probably grab a few more small things at a pet store before I get him/her)

For food/water I'm going to grab a -Lixit Pet Set I've heard that kittens need pretty much constant food available for the first few months so I figure this will be best to make sure its always there.

For Carrier, I'm watching craigslist for something better quality, but if I can't find something I'll get this one: -Petmate Pet Escorts Portable Kennel

I'm also going to go on an Ikea spree and get some kitty stuff:
-Litter Box and Scoop
-Kitty Bed
-Some scratching boards to put around the house
-Some kitty blankets just in case

-I'm also going to grab a collar (and MAYBE a harness - haven't decided if I want to teach the kitty to walk outside yet - I'm leaning toward no), brush, nail clippers.

Things I'm not sure about:
-Do you think a cat would like this? I've never had a tent like thing for my family cats
-Shampoo? I know I want to get the kitty used to occasional baths but I don't know what shampoo is best. It will be inside only so do I need to do flea shampoo? Any brands you guys recommend?
-Litter? What kind do you guys recommend thats safe for kitty, tracks the least and clumps for easy cleaning (it will be in my bathroom so I'm least worried about tracking and more about the other two)


So am I missing anything to make a new indoor only-kitty feel at home and safe? I'd appreciate any suggestions or comments of other things to get.
 

AbbysMom

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Wow, can I come live at your house?
It sounds like the new kitty will feel quite welcome.

Don't forget about a high quality kitten food. Make sure that any collar you buy has a safety catch and not a buckle. Please do not buy over-the-counter flea products. Some cats have very bad reactions to them. If your kitten does have fleas, please see your vet for recommendations.


Good luck!
 
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alwaysaangel

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Originally Posted by AbbysMom

Wow, can I come live at your house?
It sounds like the new kitty will feel quite welcome.

Don't forget about a high quality kitten food. Make sure that any collar you buy has a safety catch and not a buckle. Please do not buy over-the-counter flea products. Some cats have very bad reactions to them. If your kitten does have fleas, please see your vet for recommendations.


Good luck!
Awesome thanks!

So even for indoor kitties safety collars are a must? I can't believe they still bother to make buckle ones in that case...

Also do you have any recommendation for high-quality kitten food? Eukanuba I think is what we used for the first 6 months or so with my family cats...
 
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alwaysaangel

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Now that I have this cat tree...I have a concern.

Could a 'used' cat tree hurt my new kitty? The lady I bought it from said her cat wouldn't touch it...but also said that he has some skin condition caused by allergies or something.

I vacuumed the heck out of it and didn't get much cat hair off (which supports her story that he didn't use it).

Is there anything else I should do to ensure theres nothing on it (fleas, parasites, etc) that could hurt my incoming kitty?
 

coaster

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I didn't see scratching posts on your list. It's a good idea to have several different kinds of scratching surfaces. The scratchers you have only work flat or propped against the wall at an angle. Your kitty might like to scratch a vertical surface and might prefer sisal instead of cardboard. Be sure it's tall enough for a cat to stretch full-length and the base is wide enough and heavy enough so it won't tip over.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by alwaysaangel

Now that I have this cat tree...I have a concern.

Could a 'used' cat tree hurt my new kitty? The lady I bought it from said her cat wouldn't touch it...but also said that he has some skin condition caused by allergies or something.

I vacuumed the heck out of it and didn't get much cat hair off (which supports her story that he didn't use it).

Is there anything else I should do to ensure theres nothing on it (fleas, parasites, etc) that could hurt my incoming kitty?
If the skin condition was simply an allergy, it wouldn't be a problem I should think but I'd be concerned if it was a fungus like ringworm or something. Try asking at your pet store if there is a disinfectant that is safe for your kitty that you could spray on the cat tree now so that it will have dissipated by the time you bring kitty home.

I'm assuming that since you are going to a shelter that the cat will not come home with fleas as they usually treat them for fleas and worms at the shelter - at least they do at the shelter where I volunteer. They also keep all new cats isolated from the existing cats until they are wormed, de-fleaed, and have any health issues treated such as URI.

As soon as you get your kitty, have him/her checked by your own vet within a day or two. I would also have the cat microchipped.

If your kitty is strictly indoors, I would not put a collar on him/her. The microchip would be instead of the collar.

Even though your cat will be indoors, we humans can and do sometimes bring fleas in on our clothing so there is no guarantee that he/she will not get fleas. If a cat ingests a flea there is also the possibility of the kitty getting tapeworm (carried by fleas). Our 2 receive monthly treatments of Advantage (Mika) and Revolution (Bijou) monthly from May to October just as a precaution. I've had a flea infestation with previous cats and they are not easy to get rid of.

Sounds like you have considered kitty's need quite well. I would only add that I find ours drink much more (healthier for them) since we bought a water fountain. There are several out there to choose from. We have the CatIt which I love but others have found them hard to clean. I clean ours every Saturday and find it very easy to keep clean. Some have PetMate which I did have at one time but found the motor gave out within about 8 months.

I also keep the water in a different location than the food which I think is best.

Other than that, you are well on your way to being owned by a beautiful and joyous animal.


I'll look forward to seeing pictures and hearing all about you new cat.

ETA: As to food, wet food is a healthier diet (especially for neutered males). If you do a search on the H&N forum you'll find lots of information on quality foods. Sharky is our resident expert and does a lot of research on good foods and knows her "stuff".

As to litter - I swear by World's Best Cat Litter. It is a bit expensive but I find it lasts longer, works longer and better, so ends up costing about the same or less in the long term. We have 2 litter pans and with daily scooping we honestly have no litter odour in our tiny little house.
 

brittany

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Hi! I'm living on law school loans, but still try to spoil my kitty, so I know how you feel!


I have a harness for my kitten. I've taken her outside twice to get the mail. She LOVES to look outside so I want her to be familiar with out there incase she escapes. I wouldn't EVER let her out by herself, but she looks so darn cute exploring
. Most of the time she'd rather me carry her while she looks, and she did "meet" a dog (a full size boxer!) I was carrying her and she climbed up my shoulders and hissed at him! I was so proud haha. For that reason I wouldn't take your kitty out until he/she KNOWS you're his/her mommy and will keep them safe. Otherwise if they experience something scary they might try to run off. She cries if I'm studying on our back patio so I originally bought the lead and harness so that she could sit out with me while I did homework. WOW I was rambling there! haha

Have you seen the site Petfinder.com? It's a popular site that shelters/pounds use to list the animals they have. If you have more than one shelter around you its helpful to see what kind of animals they have, and often you can see the surroundings of the cat in their pictures (do they have toys, look healthy etc). I just bought some toys from the site etsy.com, its kind of like amazon, except people who are incredibly crafty make things. I've purchased super cute handmade toys on there.



I have a "tent" for Tsar (our kitten). We've had her for about six weeks now and the only time she used it were the two days after she was spayed.


OH BTW I have read and heard AWFUL reviews about that carrier. I have one very similar to this: carrier
except its all one color. It works really well. We left it out for about a week put together with the door open before we took her to her vet visit so she would be used to it. Now she loves to lay in it. (Figures, she won't use her tent)


Goodluck!! I hope you have a digital camera because we're all really big fans of pictures!!



Sorry for rambling so much LOL


Brittany
 
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