New cat owners

pinkcandyflossprincess

I think its great you are going for two older cats, hopefully they will be out of the destruction stage, i too have a leather sofa with "suede" sides due to mad scratching from when we got our first kitten:p

With worm and flea treatment if you are dont intend for them to go out then you may be lucky with the fleas and not need to treat them after the first initial treatment as a precaution, if they do go out though in your garden and you dont have other cat vsitors you may just need to worm every now and again but if you are on top of treatment and they dont have a problem then it should be fine.
good effective treatments are expensive but actually work-supermarket ones dont work so you will just end up forking out more and more money using them and going slowly mental wondering why your cat still has fleas.
from a rescue though they will come fully treated and you have the peace of mind that they have been checked for all diseases etc.
food wise mine i have two cats (older kittens)
they eat between 6-7 boxes of wet sachets a fortnight and 2 of the smaller boxes of dry costing roughly in total about £22 to £25 depending what type ive bought.
cat litter i use two bags a fortnight, about £6
kitten milk (i give them a carton daily as they are still not adult)
£5

the rest of the money i spend on them is assorted toys, (wilkos poundland are good and homebargains etc) , new beds in the hope they sleep in them (homebargains sell very cheap), and other assorted things such as collars i see on my travels:)

atrixblue.-MFR-.

something else to considder..

cats need to be entertained while being indoor cats, scratch posts ideal (to save wallpaper and door frames and curtains) most vary from £8.99 -£50.00 climbimg frames.

cats toys £1 each who buys one though!! so could easily be a £5.00 purchase.

collars £1.99 to £5.99 (more if you have ID tag printed ones)

i have three cats and 2 Kittens

tink is a basket case, she likes anything to curl up in bags, shopping baskets, laundry baskets, fish tank shelving.

cleopatra is a reserved moody moo, having being from a poor background she has taken a dislike to the male human race (dont blame her infact ) pulls clumps of furr out when stressed (a comfort thing vet checked) eats all sort of things you though an animal would turn its nose up to like raw carrots lettuice and tortilla chrisps and most recently clawed my arm off for an apple turnover but go to pick her up fo a cuddle will moan and groan and try and get away from you like you smell of 40year old body odour.

lilly is a new mum at the moment, but her attitude towards life is sweet, everyone and anyone is welcome to pet her she loves it all the attention, you have to have a sloppy kiss and if you dont you offend her, offending this one can lead to her seeking revenge of the smelly kind, unsuspecting people have been subjected to a fart in the face if you refuse a kiss (if you wont kiss me then kiss this!!)

loopylulu_3

I love hearing everyones story's about their cats and all their personalities. I can wait to get mine.

screamer

Cats are amazing animals. I can't list all the things I love about mine but I'm lost without her. All the important bits have been covered and once you get you furbabies, I doubt your life will ever be the same....for all the right reasons! I got my first cat when I was just a little girl. She was a little black and white kitty handed to me in a brown paper bag and have been hooked ever since. I'm now 33 and my latest is a mean, lean, white fur shedding machine. I cannot tell you how many huge clumps of white fur I pick up on a daily basis. Never mind, it hides the hideous red carpet lol. But oh, she's so gorgeous and our little family is complete now we have her. She moved in last April after the next door neighbours kicked her out :-(

Oh, that's a point, if either one of your chosen kitties have long hair, invest in a good vacuum cleaner and buy a pet brush. My vet recently advised me to put Evening Primrose Oil in my cat's food to help with the shedding but I haven't tried it yet (haven't left the house for over a month!)

Good luck. Owning animals is like everything, they're bound to cost money, but the satisfaction you'll get, the adorable gazes when they catch your eye, the giggles daily when they do something cute/silly/moronic is worth every penny you'll pay. Karma is in your favour too. 2 rescue animals is a big deal as far as karma goes (all my pets have been rescue animals)

And don't forget quidco if you're going for insurance, they pay up eventually. Actually, I buy flea treatment and worming tablets from petmeds which is also on quidco with 5% cashback. Every penny counts (more money to spend on kitty treats :-)

loopylulu_3

Well we went to see the cats today and they are gorgeous. They are very shy which is why they have been overlooked. They wouldn't let us stroke them but the girl had a good sniff of my hand.

They have advised us they will take some time to get used to us and trust us but some of the volunteers at the shelter who have spent a lot of time with them say they do get used to people after a while.

I think I might see if I can just go and sit with them tomorrow as we didn't spent much time there today. We have done the paperwork to arrange for a home check so hopefully we pass that and get the go ahead. I'm really hoping they do pass us as the cats have been there for about 9/10 months and keep being overlooked and we really want them.

I'll keep you updated we get on.

Fire_Fox

loopylulu wrote: »

Well we went to see the cats today and they are gorgeous. They are very shy which is why they have been overlooked. They wouldn't let us stroke them but the girl had a good sniff of my hand.

They have advised us they will take some time to get used to us and trust us but some of the volunteers at the shelter who have spent a lot of time with them say they do get used to people after a while.

I think I might see if I can just go and sit with them tomorrow as we didn't spent much time there today. We have done the paperwork to arrange for a home check so hopefully we pass that and get the go ahead. I'm really hoping they do pass us as the cats have been there for about 9/10 months and keep being overlooked and we really want them.

I'll keep you updated we get on.

Sniffing your hand is a great start, I bet they will settle fine if you are patient and it would be lovely if you can visit again. It's well worth reading the basics of feline body language and behaviour so you know how to approach them once they come home (or more how not to approach them!). Definitely worth trying a Feliway diffuser too.
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/board,63.0.html

Home checks are about seeing that you can provide a safe and appropriate environment, that you are not a crazy cat collector or training fighting dogs. With people new to cats they should be educating you as well - explaining to keep them in one room when they come home, secure hidey holes, window safety, where to place litter trays and food and suchlike. CP gave me a ton of leaflets even tho I'd had cats before; at the end of the day they want to home those cats with you. Have you Googled for products (tree or gym, carriers, beds, litter tray)? The better products/ cheaper prices are online, but you will need to be ready to order once you pass the homecheck as usually the cats can be collected any time.

Good luck! :A

loopylulu_3

We are having a major clear our of the house over the next week as we have been hoarding too much junk and this will get rid of a lot of hiding places.

We are hoping the home check might be next weekend but we can't pick them up until 8th July as we are going away the weekend after next and it wouldn't be fair to get them then go away.

The only thing I have bought so far are some bed spreads so they can go on the beds without being on the sheets etc but I needed these anyway. I don't want to get anything else until we pass the home check. Friends have already offered us some of there unwanted items - litter from my friend at work and beds from my parents. Plus I work with someone who volunteers at the rescue centre and is a total cat expert so the centre were pleased to hear that.

Starting to get excited now but not too much!

rising_from_the_ashes

Awww, that's great - keeping everything crossed that they get the loving forever home they deserve with you and your OH!

A couple of bits of advice from my experience of rehoming an adult cat who was very nervous when I first got him:

Have you got somewhere quiet (ideally a spare room) you could set up for them when they 1st come?

I'd suggest keeping them in there for the 1st wee while - by all means pop in, read to them (out loud), sit and have a chat with OH so they get used to your voices etc but I'd keep them in there until they feel secure and settled and have got used to normal household noises (you'll know when the time's right).

Once they feel secure, leave the door open (obviously if in a spare room) and they'll eventually wander out as they are naturally curious creatures - but will probably run back to their "safe place" a lot at first.

Smudge hid under my bed for at least the 1st 3 weeks when I got him - I literally NEVER saw him although he obviously came out when I wasn't there (or was asleep) as food was being eaten, water drunk and the litter tray used!;)

When he 1st started coming out, if I looked at him, he'd run straight back under the bed! :eek:(There were times when I wondered if I'd done the right thing, believe me).

However, I found that if I totally ignored him and just started chatting away (luckily no-one else around to hear my silly chatter to myself!) he'd sit down and stay.

Eventually, he got braver and would come and sit at the other end of the sofa and if I stuck my hand out he'd have a bit of a pet (but still ran away if I looked at him).

It did take a while but he learned to trust me (and the world in general) and became your "average and normal" (if there is such a thing:D) cat.

If you can visit a few times before they come home so they get used to your voice / smell etc, then that would help enormously - please let us know how you get on.

Fire_Fox

loopylulu wrote: »

The only thing I have bought so far are some bed spreads so they can go on the beds without being on the sheets etc but I needed these anyway. I don't want to get anything else until we pass the home check. Friends have already offered us some of there unwanted items - litter from my friend at work and beds from my parents. Plus I work with someone who volunteers at the rescue centre and is a total cat expert so the centre were pleased to hear that.

Starting to get excited now but not too much!

:money: Very MSE!! Someone recently advertised on Freecycle and got offered SIX carriers, might be worth a shot for any remaining items? I am guessing your husband would be chuffed if all the basics are free, then you can spend on the fun stuff like toys and trees! :cool:

It's natural to be nervous and try not to be excited, the homechecker will have seen that a million times. I was convinced I'd failed as CP didn't contact me for two weeks, turned out they were doing another indoor homecheck and wanted to match the right indoor cat with the right home.

loopylulu_3

Oh what a great idea fire fox, i never thought of advertising for things like that - will definitely need a couple of carry boxes.

I used this thread to put together a rough budget so we know the costs involved. I've already started doing some clearing out of our room and will go room by room over the next week.

Thanks for the advise about your experience Rising - always good to hear people tell me how they dealt with their shy cats. We have decided the hall, stairs and landing will be the first place to start them off as there is very little place for them to hide and not be got and also its the only room that hasn't been decorated so we don't really care about the carpet or the walls. plus its central to the house (we are in a terraced house) so they will get use to the noises.