First Time Cat Owner Q's

[NVP]

Howdy all,

As my two boys are now beyond the toddler stage I've been after a pet for them to grow up with. After lots of umming and arring I settled on a cat.

I've put a deposit down on 2 twin brother maine **** kittens and am hoping to get them towards the end of next week after their 12 week shots.

Spoiler: TTIUWP

Now I've never owned a pet, unless you count my ant farms when I was younger, so I'm after some advice please.


From my research I know I need to buy a bunch of stuff:
- XL stainless steel litter boxes (x3) + scoop
- stainless steel water bowls (x3)
- Water Fountain (PetSafe DrinkWell 360 Stainless Steel looks good)
- XL Cat carrier
- XL Cat Bed (x2)
- Strong Cat Tree (Cat Tree King look to have some good ones)
- Cat Brush (Coastal Pet - Safari - Cat Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush looks good)
- Cat Nail Clippers
- Cleaning Products (any recommendations?)
- Pheromone diffusers for when I bring them home initially

What else am I missing?

- What Litter? They say crystal litter is better for longer furred cats.
- What food? They say raw is best, otherwise a good quality wet food with high protein. What do you all use?

Anything I should be prepared for?


And finally, Cat Toys:
Any recommendations of both Interactive and non-Interactive toys would be really appreciated please

 

[potatolord]

Howdy all,

As my two boys are now beyond the toddler stage I've been after a pet for them to grow up with. After lots of umming and arring I settled on a cat.

I've put a deposit down on 2 twin brother maine **** kittens and am hoping to get them towards the end of next week after their 12 week shots.

Spoiler: TTIUWP

Now I've never owned a pet, unless you count my ant farms when I was younger, so I'm after some advice please.


From my research I know I need to buy a bunch of stuff:
- XL stainless steel litter boxes (x3) + scoop
- stainless steel water bowls (x3)
- Water Fountain (PetSafe DrinkWell 360 Stainless Steel looks good)
- XL Cat carrier
- XL Cat Bed (x2)
- Strong Cat Tree (Cat Tree King look to have some good ones)
- Cat Brush (Coastal Pet - Safari - Cat Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush looks good)
- Cat Nail Clippers
- Cleaning Products (any recommendations?)
- Pheromone diffusers for when I bring them home initially

What else am I missing?

- What Litter? They say crystal litter is better for longer furred cats.
- What food? They say raw is best, otherwise a good quality wet food with high protein. What do you all use?

Anything I should be prepared for?


And finally, Cat Toys:
Any recommendations of both Interactive and non-Interactive toys would be really appreciated please

They're cats, they only need food. Cat beds etc are a waste of money.

Litter trays are not good, just put them outside.

A piece of string and a cardboard box are the best toys. Cats love cardboard boxes.

 

[Devilman]

Seems like you have most things covered...

Litter type can be a personal preference, some owners prefer non-clumping litter, others swear by clumping litter.

In regard to toys... cats do of course love things like laser points, however please be aware that a great deal of the kind of "cat toy laser pointer" etc.. you will find on amazon / ebay are unlikely to be safe. (1mw is considered "safe" to avoid damage to the human eye, one can only assume the cat's eye is a great deal more sensitive and many of those cheap pointers are 5mw+) Another point to be made about laser pointers is that apparently it can cause some cats to become "anxious" after chasing around a pointer, as they are unable to complete "the hunt", so it can be good to also have some physical toys on hand also for them to chase / catch afterwards

There is quite possibly 1 other thing you may be overlooking when it comes to getting a cat as a pet and what it needs. I would strongly suggest you consider getting a second cat at the same time.. they are social creatures and often love company. Of course this can vary a little depending on whether you are re-homing an older cat, or getting younger cats / kittens

 

[peterwalkley]

As above, you have it well covered. I agree that beds are pointless, they sleep where they want to sleep - ours is particularly fond of chairs.

Cheap cat toys - they'll get shredded, so don't waste money.

You've omitted pet insurance. Vets bills get big very quickly and while they're small the premiums will be low.

To help the cats settle in you'll need to teach the kids to not chase the cats around and bother them. Let the cats come to you and move your hands slowly towards them when you want to stroke. Sudden moves can startle a cat and the claws come out as a reflex. Once they're used to you it'll be fine.

 

[BUDFORCE]

Main ****?

****?

Really?

 

[BUDFORCE]

Also best cat toy is a laser pen.

Or bit of tin foil scrunched up into a ball.

 

[Quartz]

As my two boys are now beyond the toddler stage I've been after a pet for them to grow up with.

Have you checked that no one in your house is allergic to cats?

 

[CaNsA]

Litter trays are not good, just put them outside.

Yeah, sure.. let put a couple of pedigree cats outside.....
But I get it, the idea of house cats proper triggers me... yet there are some exceptions such as this.

@OP, ignore potatolord, I think he wants to steal your cats while they are pooping.

Good call on 3 litter trays.
Boiled chicken and rice is good for the diet, helps keep the stomach nice and settled.... ask me how I know
Webbox make some decent food, I fed one of mine with the Naturals range as she was gluten intolerant and it she was fine.

There is a place local to me in Liverpool that specializes in raw pet food, might be worth looking around your area for something similar if you want to go down that route.
Cat trees x 2, hidey places, boxes are all "must haves".
Cats will need their own space, and sharing doesn't always happen.
Your 2 are gonna be some big <enter expletive> so some tall / long scratching posts will be needed, these will help keep claws short and sharp.
There are some wall mountable scratch boards available from the usual places.
Don't bother with sticky no scratch stuff, cats be like "oh, not here.. ok... i'll scratch next to it."
Get at least 2 of the water fountains.
Get 2 cat boxes, and put a towel in each of them.

If you have the space and you want to let them outside have a ponder about building a catio,

We have a cat groomer who visits every 6-8weeks, it's like a spa day in here for our 4 cats when she's here.
Once again, check locally for mobile cat groomers.

My once key bit of advice is, and just go with me on this, cats aren't dogs.
You'd be surprised how many people get a cat and then get annoyed because the cat says "nopes" and "shan't" at everything.
Let them do what they want to do, once they know where the litter tray is then most of the other stuff just happens.
They'll get to know your routine and will find the place to fit in.

When you get them home, try to keep them in the main living area of your house but make sure to keep everyone calm.
As for cleaning products, my missus swears by Zoflora? but it works.

Toys, goto home bargains and grab the multipack of cheapo toys and see which type they prefer.


Oh and one last thing, your diet will be 60% cat hair within minutes of the commencement of your servitude.

Link to the blog post written by our cat groomer about the stray cat I rescued.
I miss her so much, i really do.

From stray cat to pampered princess - The story of Betty

Betty is a cat who I love visiting for a number of reasons. Two of those reasons are her brothers Jim and Fakers who I have known for a couple of years now. The main reason though is seeing the changes in her over the la...

thekatlady.co.uk

 

[arknor]

Howdy all,

As my two boys are now beyond the toddler stage I've been after a pet for them to grow up with. After lots of umming and arring I settled on a cat.

I've put a deposit down on 2 twin brother maine **** kittens and am hoping to get them towards the end of next week after their 12 week shots.

Litter tray + poop scoop
you don't need 3 litter trays.... they won't just decide to poop in the house somewhere cos a litter tray is too far..... they are clean animals
Cat nail scissors
Scratching post or two if you don't want them tearing up your house.
Cat Brush.
some toys like little mice etc they can attack, maybe a ball like ping pong balls they love to chase and whack around.

I always used clumping litter cos you can just collect the clumps instead of needing to change the litter so fast.
some people like litter trays with lids because they will kick around a lot of litter when they bury the poop or make a spot to go in.
if you get a litter tray with a lid though if it's not clean they don't like to go inside and kinda squat over the edge which seems kinda depressing and sad.

they love fresh cat litter and a nice clean litter tray

btw cat nips awesome, don't get cat grass they will eat it and be sick it's the whole purpose of it to help get furballs etc up


btw you don't wash cats, their tongue can clean them and it's covered in tiny barbs that remove any scent from their bodies

 

[CaNsA]

don't get cat grass they will eat it and be sick it's the whole purpose

I hope OP doesn't have any house plants....

You're spot on about the condition of litter trays, if the tray smells bad the cats will go outside the tray in some kind of dirty protest.
But I would get atleast 2 trays with 2 cats. We have 3, 1 upstairs and 2 downstairs. But we have 4 moggies.
Strange thing happened though, cats would use what every tray they wanted for what ever business they were doing... until Dylan SupaCat arrived.
Now there's one for pees and one for poos.
Dylan died many years ago, and yet the rule is still enforced for some unknown reason. Like that experiment with the monkeys and the hose pipe.
Its proper weird.

 

[MagicBoy]

Cats pretty much do whatever they like, and you're there to serve them!

Cats will sleep wherever they fancy. Buying a cat bed is pretty much a waste of money, you can't train them to sleep anywhere they don't want to. They'll happily pick a random chair, a bed, or even the floor outside the bathroom cause there's a warm pipe under it depending on a whim.
Don't need multiple litter trays, one will be fine. They know where it is. Just clean it daily, otherwise they're liable to dirty protest.
Water fountain is probably a waste of money. Ours drink out of the garden pond in preference to anything we'd give them in the house, They get the majority of their fluid intake from wet food.

 

[Josh]

Insurance for sure, our cat just cost us just shy of £10k due to cancer treatment and chemo, she's pulled through thankfully and Tesco footed the bill no quibbles.

 

[Deleted member 236143]

cats are great
you can get amazing catnip from various sources on the web
Tip as kittens do no not give them a lot of cat nip
Is mad but it is legit a drug to them
So they can still enjoy it as they get older

 

[NVP]

I would strongly suggest you consider getting a second cat at the same time..

I am getting 2, brothers

I agree that beds are pointless, they sleep where they want to sleep

The beds I was talking about were these type of fluffy ones I could just scatter around the house:

You've omitted pet insurance.

Ah yes, cool. I've done a few quotes and £25pm per cat seems to get good cover.

Have you checked that no one in your house is allergic to cats?

Yep, all appear good with any animals so far

Webbox make some decent food,

Thanks, will check them out.

Cat trees x 2, hidey places, boxes are all "must haves".

Get at least 2 of the water fountains.

Even if one has multiple spouts?

Get 2 cat boxes, and put a towel in each of them.

Cat boxes, as in carriers?

If you have the space and you want to let them outside have a ponder about building a catio,

The house has a gated off patio from the conservatory, so would be easy enough to cage a section off. Thanks

I always used clumping litter cos you can just collect the clumps instead of needing to change the litter so fast.

Any downsides to clumping litter?

I hope OP doesn't have any house plants....

Nah, none in the house



Thanks all for the advice so far, really helpful.

Regarding feeding them raw food, will it be messy do you think? Could that get dangerous with young kids around? (Bacteria etc.)

 

[Psymonkee]

Get a cat brush or two with the button on the back to release the hair after a grooming session - best thing I bought for my cat in ages!

 

[arknor]

Any downsides to clumping litter?

I didn't think so.
Less smell than normal litter since you can just scoop out the clumps like you would poo, grab some sacks like you would for nappies
Regular litter the tray will be wet on the bottom and stink as hell in warm weather.

you need to be more vigilant with scooping since obviously cats don't like dirty litter and the clumps stay on the top, but as long as you scoop daily and top the litter up it's fine, just give the tray a good wash once a week and make it nice and fresh.

One added benefit is coming towards the day you need to clean the tray you can stop doing the daily top ups as you scoop and have a lot less litter to toss in a bag all at once.

normal litter will be soaked and stick to the bottom of the tray too, it's really not pleasant IMO.

you need to try a few different cat litters though even if they are all clumping and find which is best.

I haven't had a cat in years but wilko own brand used to be amazing, I think they changed the formula though and it's not so good in recent years.

you should get some fabreeze or something since your cats are probably going to scent mark your house, according to google only 5-10% of neutered cats spray though depending on sex, with females being half as likely as males to continue spraying.

don't be put off though cats are amazing especially when they are kittens/young, much better pets than dogs are

 

[CaNsA]

Yo OP.
Cat boxes = carriers.
2 water fountains, one upstairs and one for downstairs.
Cats do need to eat green stuff to help with their digestion, look into the dietary requirements for cats and particularly for the breed to which you are becoming enslaved.
Raw food - Basic food hygiene like you normally would in the kitchen. Remove any left over food after they've finished eating.
I've found that having a large-ish bowl of biscuits easily accessible for them to graze on through out the day is easy enough.
Ours get fed around 530am, 12pm, 530pm then a "snack" at 930pm and they graze on the dry food throughout the day.

We use Catsan litter, one of our cats is a total fluffball with a "fabulous" tail and she has no issue with klingons.

Sounds like a lot of food, but ours are big cats. Jim weighs in at 1 stone and its muscle, Fakers is not far behind Jim and he is pure hench.
Mate, if a cat isn't living a life of total luxury then you are doing it wrong
You'll be fine.

 

[robj20]

Cleaner wise get this out will last a lifetime. Search for different fragrances. It's what the vets and such use. Enough to make 500 liters.

Anigene Pet Dog HLD4 Lavender 5 Litre concentrate High Level Disinfectant | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Anigene Pet Dog HLD4 Lavender 5 Litre concentrate High Level Disinfectant at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Malevolence]

And finally, Cat Toys:
Any recommendations of both Interactive and non-Interactive toys would be really appreciated please

A cardboard box, a carrier bag and a laser pointer. Oh, and don't bother with a cat bed, just get a shoebox that's too small for the cat(s) to fit in.

 

[montymint]

Pets are awful

Do you find enjoyment in anything?

-----------------------------------------

@Le Clandestin Brun - I'm sure it's been mentioned but if you can, start the kittens in a small bedroom on their own first (for a few days) so they have a safe space that they won't freak out in if they become too overwhelmed.

Once you let them into the rest of the house move the litter trays (don't clean them fully!) to the location where you want them (mine are in the garage and we have a cat flap on the internal door). The familiar smell should let them know where to do their business.

On the litter front I use wood pellet litter, as it seems the best balance for absorption / smell and price to me.

For at beds I bought two travel beds from B&Ms which are basically soft, fluffy mats that can be folded up with a handle to carry them. I place them in places like a spare desk, on top of the bed etc and my two seems to enjoy them.