Adopting First Cat

[steph1331]

Hello!

So in about a month I will be living in a place where I can have a cat. I've had cats before and I'm pretty excited. But it seems that in all this excitement i cant seem to decide what things i should be buying over the next month while I prepare and what things I could maybe jus get the day of?

I plan on getting a cat from a local shelter and i plan on getting one that is over a year old at minimum if it helps any. Hope this is in the right section for this lol

 

[Margret]

You don't want to leave too many things until the last minute; it will just distract you at a time when you want to be totally focused on your new cat. I'd say, get litter and boxes, food, bowls, and at least one scratching post in advance. Oh, yes. And a carrier; you'll need that to bring your new cat home. And you may want to get a lint brush or roller in advance; you'll need it when you go back to work. You may also want to get a cat brush in advance, especially if you're planning to adopt a medium or long hair.

You should have the litter boxes all set up before you bring your new cat home, and a full water bowl, so that s/he won't have to try to explain that s/he's thirsty. These are some of the things that make a place feel homelike to a cat.

Don't bother buying toys in advance; you can always wad up a piece of paper if you need an emergency cat toy. Get a cat tree only when you can afford it.

I think that pretty much covers the essentials, as well as the more discretionary items most of us want for our cats. Anyone else?

Margret

 

[duckpond]

I totally agree with what Margret said. If you do get toys now, or when you do, let me say all my cats go nuts over the feather wand toys, and the one with the mouse. Enjoy your new cat!

 

[Margret]

If you do want to get a toy or two in advance, something, um, huggable might be a good idea, like those catnip banana toys, or even a Krinkle ball, so that your new cat has something that is clearly her very own. That, also, may reduce tension on being introduced to a new home.

Jasmine, also, would go nuts over a feather wand toy, and she would then proceed to destroy it within the hour. This is why she no longer gets feather toys, poor baby.


Margret

 

[steph1331]

Thanks margret. ^^ I think I'll use your post as my shopping list while I pick out those items in the coming weeks. I'm kind of thinking if I get any toys I'll just get those crinkle balls as most cats seem to like them and they can be fairly cheap to get and find.

Also I'm hoping for a short or medium haired cat but honestly any cat that is all friendly and stuff to me will prolly win my heart without a care for how it looks really lol

Do you guys think those cat starter kits might be a good idea? I've seen one where it's twenty bucks and you get a litter box,liners, scoop and plastic food/water dish. Do you think it would still be a good deal to get if I plan on not using the plastic dishes it comes with?

 

[Margret]

The cat starter kits I've seen have kitten sized litter boxes; I'm pretty sure you can get much better value for your money just buying the things you need yourself. Remember, litter boxes need to be large enough for the cat to turn around in (though cats can turn in a fairly tight space) and deep enough to hold two to three inches of litter.

Litter doesn't need to be expensive to cut odor; forget about that scented stuff. I recommend getting some baking soda and mixing it into the litter; that will cut odor without introducing potential allergens. Oh, yes. Don't forget a "scoop" to remove clumps and hard waste. (Not really a scoop, of course. More like a strainer. You do know what I mean, right?)

Rule of thumb for number of litter boxes: 1 box per floor per cat, plus 1. So if you have one cat, and a house or apartment with a single floor, that means two litter boxes. For two cats it would be three boxes.

At some point you may want to get those mats that go around litter boxes to catch stray litter, but wait and see how messy your cat is first; you may not need it.

You'll want to find out what food the shelter is feeding your new cat and get some of that food. If you want to switch to a better variety (highly likely) you'll need to make the switch slowly. This article may be helpful: Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade) Do be aware that cats tend to get most of their moisture from food, so many cats are leery of actually drinking water (not that you shouldn't provide it, just that you shouldn't assume the water bowl will be enough to keep Kitty hydrated). Therefore it's important that kibble not be the only kind of food your cat gets; cats need wet food also.

Also be aware that we'll be here to provide help and suggestions as problems arise (and problems always arise; it's the nature of life).

Gotta go!

Margret

 

[Etarre]

I've had two cats, and both have gone nuts for the Cat Dancer, a really simple and inexpensive toy. They also like to play with curled up hair rubber bands and those little plastic rings that you pull off milk containers when you open them. We're 1/2 in the crazy about cardboard boxes category.

If you get a cardboard scratcher, it will probably come with some catnip to help you convince your cat to actually use the scratcher instead of your furniture. If your cat responds to the catnip, you might also want to invest in a bottle of liquid catnip, which can be helpful to keep the cat calm and encourage him/her to warm up to his/her new home, including the carrier, a place where you want him/her to sleep, etc.

I'm told that not all cats respond well to catnip, but both of ours love the stuff, and it's been useful as a bribe/reward for things like nail clipping and putting up with guests, vacuuming, etc.

 

[molly92]

Everyone has given you some great tips! One thing about bigger purchases like scratching posts: check the store's return policy. Some cats often really prefer one kind of scratcher over another (cardboard vs sisal, upright vs flat, etc) so the one you try first may go completely untouched and then it's nice to be able to return it and try a different kind.

Have fun shopping!

 

[Summercats]

Post a pic of your new kitty when you get him or her

Also place the water bowl away from the food. My cat uses a pet water fountain. He seems to drink more with that.

 

[lavishsqualor]

My cats go absolutely NUTS for this toy that I picked up totally on impulse. It was on sale at Petco for ten bucks and they can't get enough of it. I just have to make sure it's not in my bedroom at night. Otherwise the noise from the rolling balls will wake me up.

Cat Toy

 

[steph1331]

I will definitely post pics once I get them! My most recent cat purchase was a pair of bowls and a cheap crinkly cat toy since it seemed like most cats really enjoy those ^^

 

[aliceneko]

I would invest in some toys but over time once they become accustomed to the house, kittens start to play with all sorts of things. One of mine has taken a liking to a mechanical pencil lately, and he also loves to chase around phone chargers, newspaper, etc - you name it, Toffee will play with it! Having said that; they still love their toys we got them before we adopted them, their favourites being some small fabric mice that they like to baff with their paws (and also they like to "practice" hunting with them for when we let them outside). Wand toys are always great, as are jiggly toys, but make sure you get firm ones as one of my kittens' jiggly toys is no longer a jiggler, since that was bitten off They also love toys with bells in them, particularly bells and other things they can chase. I haven't tried them yet but tunnels and lasers are also meant to be enjoyed by a lot of cats.

I think everyone has covered the basics apart from that already. Have fun with your new little ones! I was a first timer until I got my boys, and they're very fun to look after. A day at home isn't boring anymore with two kittens around.

 

[vince]

A cheap toy that cats often like: Ping pong balls. Mine like them in the bathtub or the shower.

 

[steph1331]

Well I got lucky yesterday and found a nice carrier at goodwill for a nice price. Since its used I plan on cleaning it up with bleach or something jus to make sure it's sterile I guess?
Also I got the rest of the important cat items I need, the last item I need to figure out is a scratching post of some kind. Then I also gotta figure out what litter I want to use and then once I get said cat, I will figure out food then because i know what I want to aim for but if I get a cat that won't eat wet food then well yeah, I'll have to figure something new out then

Also just want to say thank you for all the responses ^^

 

[molly92]

Cool! One thing: it's best to use ammonia instead of bleach because bleach does not kill coccidia, a common cause of diarrhea.

 

[JKDOS]

Rule of thumb for number of litter boxes: 1 box per floor per cat, plus 1. So if you have one cat, and a house or apartment with a single floor, that means two litter boxes. For two cats it would be three boxes.

I'm thinking about adopting a cat soon. I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment. There is literally nowhere to put a second litter box unless I put it in the living room or my bedroom. Both Terrible ideas. Should I not get a cat then?

 

[molly92]

I'm thinking about adopting a cat soon. I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment. There is literally nowhere to put a second litter box unless I put it in the living room or my bedroom. Both Terrible ideas. Should I not get a cat then?

I'm in a one bedroom and I have litter boxes in the bedroom and living room. It's really not a problem as long as I scoop frequently and sweep around them.

 

[steph1331]

Yeah I was planning on putting the second one in my living room as well I figured frequent cleaning and sweeping won't make it that bad. I will be moving into a one bedroom so yeah. ^^ that was something i had to think about a little bit.

 

[JKDOS]

I'll figure something out I guess. All for the greater good. Big decision, I'm taking it all slowly so I get everything right.

 

[Etarre]

I noticed recently that the local Marshall's and TJ Maxx have cat trees and scratchers for very reasonable prices. Some of the scratching posts on Amazon are more expensive and too flimsy for cats to really dig into them. We also bought our cat tree on a flash deals website (woot) which had a good sale. They appear periodically.

My previous cat was OK with using a covered litter box, which really helped out with having the litter box in our living room. There are also (expensive) cabinets designed to hide litter boxes. Juniper is not a fan of the litter box cover, but fortunately we now have a spare bedroom. Unfortunately, she is also a vigorous litter digger, and gets it everywhere. I'm hoping to change her mind about the litter box cover eventually...