First Time Cat Owner Q's

[doodah]

You need to invite me round @Le Clandestin Brun, they call me the cat whisperer. But yeah, insurance for sure. They own you not the other way round but it's all worth it . Do you have a cat flap?

 

[NVP]

Was it "whisperer" or "pesterer" lol

I guess you'll get to meet them at the next poker night

 

[CaptainRAVE]

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?

Helpful if you can find out what they are being fed currently and if they’ll give you any to take away to get them started. It’s a big transition for them otherwise with a new house and new food.

 

[pastymuncher]

My cat's have been the opposite of most on here and have loved their beds. After losing Garfield and Jade we had a clearout of beds but Abby still has five to choose from and she does use them all. Toys are largely a waste of time although Catac cat nip bigs have been very popular with our cats and the neighbours cats. Kittens need stimulation though so a laser pointer or one of those sticks with string and a bunch of feathers on the end will be good. Don't expect the feathers to last long though.

 

[NVP]

@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.

Thanks, yeh I've seen some helpful videos online advising the same. I've got a few places in mind

I’d love a Maine Coone but you couldn’t let them out as some ****** would nick it.

Apparently they're not really outdoor cats? Although I'm going to have a catio thingy and get some leashes too as we live next to a bird park so the boys will enjoy walking one each and the cats will love it too

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

Thanks ordered.

We use catsan non-clumping.

Current owner is using catsan clumping so I've ordered one of them for now and then will experiment. How come you do not use clumping?

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

Thanks, got some places planned.

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

Helpful if you can find out what they are being fed currently and if they’ll give you any to take away to get them started. It’s a big transition for them otherwise with a new house and new food.

Done, and got pictures of the exact food they give. They're also going to give some along with the cats

 

[NVP]

Saw the kittens today What absolute 100% fluffy cute little babies! Very inquisitive and friendly. Good size already, actually!

Thanks for the advice everyone, really appreciated and helped me confirm the decision

Will be collecting next Sunday

So I went on a bit of a shopping spree...

Cleanest way to show everything:

Spoiler: shopping for first kitties

LOL last one is weird, should be this:

And the rest:

Just realised I've got 2 trays but 1 mat, will order another.

I think I'm well prepared. Will get food and things locally during the week.

Thanks all!

 

[doodah]

That is what you would call overboard , there's about a 70%, chance they'll find some manky cardboard box and think it's the best thing ever.

 

[NVP]

Hahaha yes, I know, in fact both were just chillin in a small cardboard box when I went to view them

But... I wanted to make sure I am prepared and also have enough things to scatter around the house so they aren't bored, have places to chill but above all have things to scratch!

 

[Hades]

Hahaha yes, I know, in fact both were just chillin in a small cardboard box when I went to view them

But... I wanted to make sure I am prepared and also have enough things to scatter around the house so they aren't bored, have places to chill but above all have things to scratch!

Don't worry, they will have plenty of things to scratch - your carpet, your sofa, any chairs, etc.

Mine ignores anything we get her to scratch on. She far prefers expensive stuff to ruin

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Zooplus for food/litter.

 

[NVP]

Found insurance for both cats @£21pm covering £4k with £75 excess. Company called Napo. Cheapest I could find with a low excess and an OK limit

 

[=XDC=FluphyBunny]

Just read the small print. We got stung once as our cat* supposedly developed behavioural problems which weren’t covered!

*one of our cats.

 

[NVP]

They seem to be quite comprehensive, will check the small print.




Most of the reviews are about how good the free 24/7 vet video-call consultation by FirstVet is which looks like a good bonus too.

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Insurance, Insurance, Insurance!

For any pet not just cats, it's a big expense yer taking on, please get insurance and make sure it a for life policy.
May as well do the vert healtplan ot cat club, whatever they call it as well.

Petplan I'm with and I wont hesitate to recommend them, one of our cats fleeced the **** out of them for 2 years.
There was no notable increase on the premium!
The premium has now gone up a little but only because hes getting older now

Litter... Cats Best whilst a little pricey it clumps well, very little odour from it too.
It does track a little more than other brands due to the light weight.
The worst we tried seemed to be like clay based, horrid stuff.

Beds... I tried a few times and wasted my money, leave a couple of amazon boxes lying about lol

Also..

www.zooplus.co.uk is your new best friend

Is fantastic for all things pet
The saver club thing you can sign up for is well worth it as well.

They do a fantastic selection of food, cast are picky AF, grab a few sample sets and see which they prefer.
Then order in bulk only for the ******** to not like that food any more haha!

Some really good stuff with very high meat content (70+) bearing in mind the likes of felix and other Supermarket wet foods are about 4% meat

The price of cat trees on ZP is also very good considering the size and deliveyr costs

 

[lunar]

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.

Absolutely.
Whenever we buy goods contained in large boxes, we put the box in the sitting room and the cat will sleep in it.

 

[montymint]

They seem to be quite comprehensive, will check the small print.




Most of the reviews are about how good the free 24/7 vet video-call consultation by FirstVet is which looks like a good bonus too.

The dental cover is good! I got stung last year because one of mine developed feline tooth resorption, which isn't covered on most policies.

 

[CaNsA]

hoping to get them towards the end of next week after their 12 week shots.

 

[NVP]

Oh yes, so sorry.

Went with the kids and picked them up last Saturday, they jumped straight into the carrier which was helpful, and brought them back gently.

Once home, kept them in my upstairs bedroom for the first 3 nights, and you were all correct, they did not use their bed... the first night one slept on my chest and the other on my bed next to my legs. Then I slowly started opening up the house for them (thanks for the tip @montymint ) and within a day they were perfectly at home exploring the whole house.

The kids have named them, even before seeing them. My eldest named his Fluffy and my youngest named his Eeyore

Fluffy is really affectionate, cuddly, gentle and all round chilled. Eeyore is a little more shy, still comes for cuddles but much less often, he much prefers to stay next to me rather than on me haha.

They're great with the kids, and the kids are great with them - both given each a great workout, which is nice.

I have one litterbox upstairs and one down, and they've started only using the upstairs one for wees and the downstairs for poos which is nice

They're eating Maine **** Kitten dry food, Wild Freedom kitten wet food three times a day (1 can morning, half can lunch, 1 can bedtime - at the moment anyway, I'm still learning) and then they love drinking out of the fountain.

Yeh, so all good kids are happy, I'm happy, and I hope the cats are happy. Got a nice family pack now



Oh yeh, pictures.

Fluffy is just chilling under my desk in a box, and Eeyore is just getting ready to take a nap outside my office door it looks like.

Spoiler

^Fluffy





^Eeyore

 

[MatsyLR]

Those little fluffy paws!

 

[krooton]

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.


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

I have that water fountain and it is ace.

We have 5 cats, and use it, as well as:

1x Litter Robot
2x Normal litter trays

We use World's Best Cat Litter as it clumps brilliantly and can be flushed.

Have used Feliway in the past, but unsure if it really made any difference.

From a food perspective, I used Natural Instinct Raw in the past, but that was when I had 1 cat, way too expensive for 5, but it was great.

Currently we run a mixture of a subscription from https://www.untamedcatfood.com/ and the Webbox pouches

The single best cat toy you can buy is https://www.dabird.com/