Catproofing the house and other advice!

morg_monster

Hi,

I literally could not be more excited, today we went to Battersea and found two lovely little cats to come and live with us. :j
We'll be collecting them tomorrow, as we didn't expect to find such perfect cats on the first visit so aren't 100% prepared! We have been waiting to get cats for a while now, and have done lots of research, but just would like a bit of advice from more experienced owners. Have just raced to Pets at home before it shut to get all the necessary things; was planning to get everything online to save £ but needs must!

Firstly, cat proofing the house. Ours is a typical smallish house, no kids yet so we're not used to thinking safety in the home really, it's probably going to take a bit of thinking to make sure we have covered all the bases. I have read lots but is there anything particular we might miss or need to be very careful of? We have a bit of time as they will be confined to our spare room for the first week or so. In that room there is just a bed and bookshelves, I'm planning to clear a couple of shelves so they can sit up there if they want, the lady at battersea said they like to have somewhere high up to go when they are somewhere new. There are curtains in there too - should I just take them down to avoid temptation?!

Secondly - they were spayed a week or so ago & need their stitches out on Thursday, so we have to find a vet immediately. Any tips on how to find a good one or should I just go for the closest that can fit us in on Thursday? Also how do vet appointments work for this kind of routine thing, do we take them in in the morning and pick up at the end of the day or will it be a timed appointment? I'm not too keen to leave them in their carriers all day when they're still settling into our home. ALso, they have got cat flu at the moment (but are recovering), would this be a problem with going to the vets?

SO thanks for reading through my rambly post! Any advice is very much appreciated (on any cat related subject, we're newbie owners but learning fast!)

Oh i guess you might to know what they are like! Two girls, one is black aged ~3yrs, and the other is a tortie, possibly her daughter, 1 or 2 and still fairly kittenish. They are very attached to each other, bless. At the moment they are called Delilah and Pumpkin but we are going to change their names, no idea what to though! We have talked about it for hours on end, but when you get to "Marks and Spencer" and "Assault and Battery" as MIL suggested (!) you know you've come to a dead end. At least now we know what they look like! Pumpkin is below; Delilah was in the carrier again by this point and being black didn't show up too well...

Claire_Bear

Oh how lovely, it's so exciting bringing cats home for the first time! I got my first cat in November last year and it is quite daunting if you've never owned cats before. My tip would be to remove vases or ornaments from windowsills or the edge of shelves as they'll inevitably get knocked over. A good tall scratching post/activity tree will save your furniture and also provide the high point which cats like to view over their territory and loyal subjects Another tip is you will buy the best, expensive and lovely cat bed in existence, and your cats will chose to sleep on the floor

As for vets I would just call and ask. I think vets are a matter of instinct, if you go in and get a bad feeling about the place then don't use them. A good vet will make you feel at ease and be willing to help answer questions or explain things to you.

I'd suggest waiting until they get home before thinking of names to see what their personality is like, try looking at lists of cat names online and the perfect name will just pop out at you I have a longhaired tortie called Pepsi

Other than that, good luck and enjoy your new kitties. Prepare to become devoted slaves

ETA: beware of certain things around the house that can be dangerous for your cats such as lillies and other houseplants (lists can be found online). Also anything from the onion family is poisonous to cats such as onions (onviously), leeks, garlic, scallions etc so try to make sure not to leave any of these lying around on plates where cats can get them.

And two other things to consider - it's usually worth getting insurance for your cats. I know there's lots of arguments on here for and against but if you don't have a stash of money tucked away that you could use in an emergency, it really is worth considering for peace of mind.

Another is food - buy the best you can afford. Food such as Whiskas and Felix is usually low meat and full of fillers and grains which aren't what a cat would eat in the wild. They're usually quite expensive as well. Foods like Bozita, Purely from Pets at Home, Feline Fayre, Hi-Life Essentials, and one of the Tesco ones which I can't remember the name of are high meat good quality foods and are better value as you need to feed less of them and they'll fill your cat up more. There's also something to be said for feeding a raw diet but this would need to be properly researched first.

Sorry, I've totally rambled on here, hope I haven't scrambled your brains! :eek:

paulwf

Congratulations! They are cuties and being that age are bound to be a bundle of fun.

morg_monster wrote: »

Hi,

I literally could not be more excited, today we went to Battersea and found two lovely little cats to come and live with us. :j
We'll be collecting them tomorrow, as we didn't expect to find such perfect cats on the first visit so aren't 100% prepared! We have been waiting to get cats for a while now, and have done lots of research, but just would like a bit of advice from more experienced owners. Have just raced to Pets at home before it shut to get all the necessary things; was planning to get everything online to save £ but needs must!

Firstly, cat proofing the house. Ours is a typical smallish house, no kids yet so we're not used to thinking safety in the home really, it's probably going to take a bit of thinking to make sure we have covered all the bases. I have read lots but is there anything particular we might miss or need to be very careful of? We have a bit of time as they will be confined to our spare room for the first week or so. In that room there is just a bed and bookshelves, I'm planning to clear a couple of shelves so they can sit up there if they want, the lady at battersea said they like to have somewhere high up to go when they are somewhere new. There are curtains in there too - should I just take them down to avoid temptation?!

Why do they have to be confined to one room? Can't you let them have the run of the house so they have a bit of space? I'm struggling to think of anything we do to cat proof our house, obviously put fresh food away and don't leave your best crystal glasses perched on the edge of the table

I probably wouldn't encourage them to sit on shelves as it might give them the idea to jump on tables but it's not a big deal. Make sure they have a scratching post and work on training them to use that instead of the furniture...sprinkling some catnip round the base can help.

Something VERY important is to make sure all doors and windows are shut, new cats can get through the smallest gap no matter how unlikely. I had a cat that had been with me 3 days that jumped out of a window I thought he could never get through. With doors we try and operate an "airlock" system with new cats, i.e. we make sure they are behind a closed door in a room before we open a front/back door so they can make a run for it.

Secondly - they were spayed a week or so ago & need their stitches out on Thursday, so we have to find a vet immediately. Any tips on how to find a good one or should I just go for the closest that can fit us in on Thursday? Also how do vet appointments work for this kind of routine thing, do we take them in in the morning and pick up at the end of the day or will it be a timed appointment? I'm not too keen to leave them in their carriers all day when they're still settling into our home. ALso, they have got cat flu at the moment (but are recovering), would this be a problem with going to the vets?

Ask friends with pets and you'll soon find out who is good and bad. It would also be good to pop into a couple and have a quick chat, the attitude of the receptionist is a good indicator of how well they look after their four legged customers. I'm not sure what the procedure is for stitches but all my mogs have been seen to at the time of the appointment and gone straight home for other procedures. I've taken cats with cat flu to the vets before but check with them when you pop in for a chat. Cat flu spreads very easily so they might not be as laid back as the vets I've used.

You will get a timed appointment so you don't have to wait around all day (I wish doctors were as good as vets). Just book the day before, although I've never had a problem getting a same day appointment, sometimes even within an hour

Claire_Bear

paulwf wrote: »

Why do they have to be confined to one room? Can't you let them have the run of the house so they have a bit of space? I'm struggling to think of anything we do to cat proof our house, obviously put fresh food away and don't leave your best crystal glasses perched on the edge of the table

This is a recommended technique for bringing new cats home as it means they aren't overwhelmed by a massive new house and have time to settle and find a place to hide and get used to all the new smells. It's supposed to be more relaxing for the kitties, and you slowly introduce them to new rooms

morg_monster

Thanks! Battersea recommend they be kept in 1 room for a few days to a week, just to help them get over the stress of moving and get used to the smells and sounds in our house. After that they'll have the run of the house (pretty much) but not allowed out for about 4 weeks and then after that we'll unlock the catflap and they can go outside during the day while we are at work.
Thanks for the advice about the vet too. Having only had hamsters and a rabbit I haven't really had much experience.
I am just pottering about doing some noisy jobs so they don't have to be done next week ... hoovering and drilling some holes in the walls... I have just planted some catnip in the garden too!

Just wanted to add - we will be spending our evenings in the spare room with them while they are kept in there :-) they aren't going to be on their own the whole time.

paulwf

I think you can judge by the cats...we let our new mogs have the run of the house so they can choose where they want to nest and then leave them to it. Every cat is different, Isis didn't come out from behind the sofa for over a month and Monty wanted a fuss from the moment he arrived. I think all our mogs would have hated to be shut in one room though.

When you let them out for the first time wait until they are hungry and then go outside and leave the door open. It may take a couple of days before they follow you out and a couple of weeks before they will go out on their own. Again, every cat is different but don't force it, I think some ex strays remember that living outside isn't much fun and get rather attached to their indoor baskets

Actually the best vet we have found is an independent practice with one vet and one receptionist so they get to know you and genuinely care. Our old vets had about 5 branches and lots of staff in each one that kept moving around, there was no communication between the vets and the receptionists and none of them cared about the customers much because they couldn't build up a long term relationship.

spike7451

They are georgous!!
One thing I did as I'm in an upstairs apartment was to cat porrf the windows! Very simple & cheap to do.
Get some thin length's of chain about 6 inch long,remove one of the screws on the double glazing latch & thread thru the screw,reattatch.The screw the other end of the chain into the frame or wall.
See pic.

Deep_In_Debt

I was recommended to keep the cats in one room also but i didn't, I let them have free run of the house immediately as I thought they'd get more used to comings and goings, sounds, TV, our voices etc. It only took them a day to settle in...and 8 years later, still leading a happy life.

BTW the pic looks like my Sammy!

cyberbob

You have to be careful if you give them the run of the house immediately. If they get scared or spooked they may go and hide somewhere your really not expecting and possibly pot themselves in danger. Its well worth keeping them in one room for a day or so (I personally think a week would be overdoing it a bit). Then at least they can identify their litter tray etc

wannabepennypincher

I would like to add something about food, it might be a good idea to ask what they have been eating already as they might prefer eating the same thing for the first couple of days. Same goes for litter as some cats can be quite particular about what they poop on. Once they settle you can gradually change the food and litter in stages.

If you find they are really unsettled I heartily recommend feliway but its best to buy that online as it's quite expensive at the vets.

Dehilah is quite stuning though, hope you enjoy the new additions to your home.

morg_monster

Thanks everyone, it's all really helpful. We have only catproofed the one room so far so they will be in there for at least a couple of days while we do the rest of the house!
Battersea will give us a few days worth of food when we collect the cats - they are on whiskas at the moment because that's what they get donated, but the lady there heartily recommended we change their food! I've bought some Hills wet and dry and hopefully they will be happy with that if we gradually change it. We're hoping to get them eating some raw food eventually.