First Time Cat Owner Q's

My first ever cat is now a year old and a couple of things I've discovered along the way;

As above, cats beds never been slept in, even the funny teepee thing is never used. He will, however, get into any cardboard box and stay threre until ejected. Cat tree is now also a makeshift coat stand.
Now he goes outside he never uses the cat litter, ever. He prefers to poo in the garden and bury it.
He loves being brushed but not constantly stroked, he'll follow me all around the house and sit near me but refuses to sit on my lap and won't let me stroke him for more than 5 seconds.
My wife was totally against him being let out at night, apart from the back garden, (due to him being in London and a pedigree), but he's much happier for it and so far is fine.
I'd recommend a cat flap as I got sick of being meowed at to open the damn door.
 
We have tried loads of Cat beds and he hasn't even laid in one of them, ours just sleeps wherever he likes, his long term favourite is an A4 paper box which doesn't even come close to fitting him in now.

Ours has learned to knock on the door to get let back in, if we are in bed then he climbs into our bedroom window and shouts at us until we let him downstairs. We only used litter trays when he was little, as soon as he saw outside he just went mad to get out there.

Laser pens are great fun for both you and the Cat, Cats will play with almost anything, ball up some paper or pull a piece of string along the floor and they go nuts.....ours has a stuffed toy carrot with catnip and he murders it.

We used to have a scratching tower/bed/play thingy for ours but he got way to big for the top part, he used to jump up and topple the whole thing. He used to love sitting up there watching our tropical fish tank, Cat TV we called it.

Just remeber that it is so nice of the Cats to share their house with you and you will be ok.
 
Street said:
The Yeowww Bananas from Amazon have to be the most potent I've seen. The cats smelt them a mile off when they were delivered and
Click to expand...
theres different types some of them probably aren't the "real catnip" but another plant that's similar and probably cheaper....

Catnip and its Alternatives - The Animal Medical Center

www.amcny.org www.amcny.org

I've had supposed catnip filled toys in the past where the cats had absolutely 0 response to them, yet with loose bagged catnip from amazon they went crazy for it
 
MagicBoy said:
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.
Click to expand...

Heh, our cat does that.

If you ever need to work out where the hot water pipes in the house run, a cat is very useful.
 
potatolord said:
Heh, our cat does that.

If you ever need to work out where the hot water pipes in the house run, a cat is very useful.
Click to expand...

My sister bought a £300 sofa for the conservatory, to finish the room off so she can sit there and sip a tasty cocktail at the end of a tough day. It's now a cat snoozing station, their 21 year old moggie stretches out and basks in the heat most of the afternoon. :cry:
 
I’d love a Maine Coone but you couldn’t let them out as some ****** would nick it. Which is a shame.

Good luck with two, toys are pretty pointless, as are beds. Just feed them on time and they’ll do whatever they want. Although our cat is very needy, she wants cuddles all the time.
 
Tips from my short experience of looking after a kitten/moody teenager:

She sleeps wherever she wants (although ours does actually tend to sleep in her bed at night).
She loves running water (so a cat fountain is probably a good idea).
She loves hiding in cardboard boxes. Anything you get delivered to the house will be played with more than the toys you buy.
The dust from natural wood litter gets absolutely everywhere (we changed to Cats Best and it's miles better than anything else).
She will chase a laser to the end of the earth.

Our shorthair is coming up to 9 months old and I can tell that she really wants to start exploring outside of the house. We let her into the garden supervised before breakfast and also dinner, but it's just not enough and I can tell she's getting stressed as a result.

The road we live on is quiet but there are other cats around, so I'm slightly paranoid about her getting hurt/not being able to navigate back to the house etc. For peace of mind I'm looking at a tracker but nothing seems to stand out - does anyone have recommendations? Tractive comes up in every review but it just looks too big and bulky. Pawfit and Kippy Evo are other options - both are smaller than Tractive but ultimately do the same thing. I'd prefer a tracker where we can see her location on a map, rather than RF or Bluetooth where we have to follow the beeps to locate her.

Another question - would it be worth buying a lead + harness and giving her a guided tour of the area before just letting her loose? Or am I massively overthinking it here?

Cat flaps - presumably it's just a case of finding a local company to install it in our rear composite door? I don't trust myself to cut through the door, would much prefer a proper company to do it. What kind of prices are we talking about?
 
Don't forget insurance!

And as for beds, our two absolutely love theirs, they're always in the same bed together snoozing away!
 
Cat Nail Clippers?!!
Click to expand...
I presume they come with a party pack of plasters to stick you together afterwards!
I'd get a cat tree with a scratching post built in.

For litter I'd go for "The Worlds Best Cat Litter"
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Worlds-Bes...09QJYBVK/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B009QJYBVK&th=1

For two cats get a low cardboard box (approx 20cms), cut holes in the side so the cats can get in, turn it upsidedown and cut paw sized holes on the top, my cats would spend ages attacking each other through the holes.

This is a good toy as well.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catit-Desi...es&sprefix=cat+toy+track+ball,pets,74&sr=1-17
 
Robi said:
Another question - would it be worth buying a lead + harness and giving her a guided tour of the area before just letting her loose? Or am I massively overthinking it here?
Click to expand...
You can't walk a cat.... what you have to worry about is some old biddy feeding your cat, as your cat is essentially stolen by some idiot lonely person.


Your cat will probably barely leave your garden if you let it out for a few hours a week unsupervised just leave a window open.


I see cats just sitting in peoples gardens all the time around here that probably wish they were inside, if your cats anxious about being inside you probably don't give it enough attention, buy another cat
 
Last edited:
We’ve a 1 year old Norwegian forest cat, very similar to the Maine ****. Be prepared for plenty of matted fur plus “extras” around the butt…

We’ve 3 cats total and one litter tray and one water fountain is plenty for them. We use catsan which is non clumping as never found the clumping stuff worked great and was worse for the ammonia. Hat why sawdust based stuff as it goes everywhere.
 
Cardboard boxes trump any cat bed every time.

Get cat litter trays that have lids on.

Don’t forget pet insurance.

Furminator cat brush for the undercoat is the best brush you can buy.

We use catsan non-clumping. I change it every week. Cheap, doesn’t smell.

Ragdoll here, so both cats stay indoors, hence the air con to keep the windows closed.

We’ve not need to clip their claws, they should take care of their own. If you do make sure you get the clotting powder in case you make a mistake and cut too short.

Laser pointer and ribbon are the top toys. Plus the tinniest soft toys that they can flick around and hide.

Royal Canin dry food for all meals but breakfast. Wet food IAMS. We have auto dispensers for the dry food.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the further replies, all have been really well appreciated. I will respond individually this weekend when I have time :)

In the mean time, I'm seeing the cats tomorrow - any questions I should ask or things I should check?

I know 2nd vaccines will be completed 28th as well as microchipping and de worming / fleaing. Both are litter trained and used to dogs and children/babies, and have already been weaned on solid food.

I've seen pics of mum & dad.

What else do I need to know?
 
Last edited:
Cats like warmth so to have the best chance of them using their beds place it somewhere warm like that spot where the sunlight hits the floor or near the radiator or on top of the laptop! Either way they'll sleep there anyway.
Don't bother with expensive toys even a simple cat wand or teaser - they're programmed to chase after fast moving small things a laser spot will do as wear them out playing and they'll be less likely to get bored and want to seek excitement outside -
Empty out the clumps in the litter box every day. They do not like dirty/smelly trays and will dirty protest, you wouldn't want to go near a Glasto toilet either...
Get insurance.

Robi said:
Our shorthair is coming up to 9 months old and I can tell that she really wants to start exploring outside of the house. We let her into the garden supervised before breakfast and also dinner, but it's just not enough and I can tell she's getting stressed as a result.

The road we live on is quiet but there are other cats around, so I'm slightly paranoid about her getting hurt/not being able to navigate back to the house etc. For peace of mind I'm looking at a tracker but nothing seems to stand out - does anyone have recommendations? Tractive comes up in every review but it just looks too big and bulky. Pawfit and Kippy Evo are other options - both are smaller than Tractive but ultimately do the same thing. I'd prefer a tracker where we can see her location on a map, rather than RF or Bluetooth where we have to follow the beeps to locate her.

Another question - would it be worth buying a lead + harness and giving her a guided tour of the area before just letting her loose? Or am I massively overthinking it here?

Cat flaps - presumably it's just a case of finding a local company to install it in our rear composite door? I don't trust myself to cut through the door, would much prefer a proper company to do it. What kind of prices are we talking about?
Click to expand...

If they're familiar with the house they'll find their way back just keep an eye on them from the door the first time. Don't worry about neighbouring cats they'll sort it out between themselves there may be a scrap or a scuffle but it usually settles down. I'm sure you're aware the biggest concern is the road outdoor cats have a short life expectency typically around 2 years indoors should expect to live at least 12 years and likely 15

Cats can be trained to walk on leads but its something that should be taken in small steps get them used to putting the harness on, then the lead, baby steps and the younger the better

Le Clandestin Brun said:
What else do I need to know?
Click to expand...

Ask the vendor what they like to eat an overlooked question because they like what they like and it'll save fussing about trying to find something they'll eat
 
Last edited:
Robi said:
Our shorthair is coming up to 9 months old and I can tell that she really wants to start exploring outside of the house. We let her into the garden supervised before breakfast and also dinner, but it's just not enough and I can tell she's getting stressed as a result.

The road we live on is quiet but there are other cats around, so I'm slightly paranoid about her getting hurt/not being able to navigate back to the house etc. For peace of mind I'm looking at a tracker but nothing seems to stand out - does anyone have recommendations? Tractive comes up in every review but it just looks too big and bulky. Pawfit and Kippy Evo are other options - both are smaller than Tractive but ultimately do the same thing. I'd prefer a tracker where we can see her location on a map, rather than RF or Bluetooth where we have to follow the beeps to locate her.

Another question - would it be worth buying a lead + harness and giving her a guided tour of the area before just letting her loose? Or am I massively overthinking it here?

Cat flaps - presumably it's just a case of finding a local company to install it in our rear composite door? I don't trust myself to cut through the door, would much prefer a proper company to do it. What kind of prices are we talking about?
Click to expand...

Yo.
Let your cat out, let it roam.
They know where they live, they know who the mugs are that feed them the food they like.
It will return, might be a couple of hours but it could also be an entire day.
But when it gets dark and everywhere is quiet they will return.

We live in a mid-terrace house, there are many cats in the neighbourhood.
Currently we are subordinates to 2 old farts (15 and 16) and 2 little rockets (6mths and 7mths).
The old farts do as they please, they're too old for this crap and just want some peace and quiet.
The rockets are in and out all day, bouncing about the alleyway being busy doing important cat stuff.
We work from home so the back door is always open, and there was no way we could keep either of the rockets in for longer than a month.
It was freaking them out, but it has all worked out well.
Once they have figured what cat lives where and what leaf belongs to who they will get their own territory.

It will be a freaky couple of weeks but just roll with it.

Don't take this the wrong way but..... if you wanted something you could keep on a lead and only have access to the outside with supervision then maybe a dog would be a better pet.

You have a cat, let it cat.
Cat flaps are a great idea until you are gifted a live rat/pigeon/frog, ask me how I know

Addition:- I just read Davy's post above, he is spot on about cats finding their own place in the neighbourhood.
Cat fights always sound much much worse than what they really are.
Most cats will do anything to avoid actual fistycuffs, it's just a lot of posturing and bad language.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom