I'm going to join the world of cat owners!!!!

meritaten

Martin - that's exciting news! I bet you cant wait for the weekend now!

martin2345uk

Okay so we went along to the RSPCA's cattery near Wythenshawe Hospital. I'd seen a few I liked the look of on the website, but you can't really get a "feel" of a cat from some photos and a description. Anyway, we met a few kitties and they were all adorable, but one stood out for me... Derek!

Not only because he has a slightly daft name for a cat :-), but he was gorgeous, a slightly stocky black shorthair with white patches.

They said he'd been there quite a while and they just couldn't understand why, as he has a lovely temperament - but the only thing is he doesn't "sell" himself as he's initially very shy whereas the other cats are not so much.

I went into his little pen, he was hiding in his little house, and poked his head out to see who I was. He let me stroke his head and seemed to enjoy it, and after a while he emerged from his house and rubbed up against my legs. I was smitten.

So long story short - Derek is reserved! The RSPCA lady was so happy for him.

He's 3 years old, and comes from a home where he was kept by a naughty man who was banned from keeping animals but kept keeping them anyway!

I checked that he would be happy as a sole cat (at least in the short term) and they said yes, he is very happy with his own company but is very affectionate towards humans.

Just need to arrange a home visit now, and then go shopping for cat paraphernalia... I am so excited.

So as for essentials, what are we looking at here?

Litter tray + litter
Cat house (Derek will need a place to hide for the initial period after moving!)
Cat carry box thing
Scratching post?
Collar? What are the views on collars?

Finally - would we have to train him to use the litter tray or is that kind of instinctive..?!

:D:D:D

scaredy_cat

i think he'll automatically use the tray, i put my new cat in it a few times just so he 'got the feel of it' iykwim, so he know where it was then i just let him explore.

if you have an upstairs (i'm in a flat) possibly have 2 trays - 1 up and 1 down?

also, i never have collars on my cats, but he is chipped.

Iain_L

Congratulations Martin, just looked at Derek and he looks great.

Collars for me are a definite no-no, as I've seen too many instances of injuries caused by them.

Not sure about about a cat house. Yes Derek will need somewhere to feel secure, but that could well be any old gash cardboard box you have lined with a blanket, or even just an area behind a piece of furniture. He will decide where to go.......:) Perhaps an igloo style bed for him may work, preferably up reasonably high, rather than floor level.

Iain

Tiglath

The only cats I had who didn't understand litter trays were two semi-feral kittens, and they got the hang of it after a couple of days. No collars here either. Toys will be whatever you don't want him to play with!

lisajane8482

Oh what a handsome fella Derek is, congratulations. We don't have collars on any of ours, we did when Salem was a kitten but we found him with it stuck in his mouth one day so after that we've never bothered with them.

tea_lover

I'm excited for you!! And for Derek! Our cat arriving is truly one of the best things that's ever happened

gardengull

Congrats, he sounds like our rescue cat (Arthur), a bit shy but affectionate. Give him his own space for the first few days whilst he finds out that he can trust you.

Well done for picking a handsome-but-needy one over the pretty ones.

martin2345uk

I've always been a sucker for an underdog :-)

I literally can't stop thinking about him now. Wish they'd hurry up and contact me to arrange this home inspection!! I want to go cat accessory shopping!

Murphybear

Well done for joining the wonderful world of cats!

It's true what they say, cats choose people. We went to our local Cats Protection 10 years ago to look at young short haired cats, we ended up with long haired 6 year olds, it was love at first sight for OH.

You must be really excited about little Derek, we look forward to seeing some pictures.