Getting cat next Tuesday - have I got everything? UPDATE & help

tesuhoha

The most annoying thing about having a cat is - when they settle on you all sleepy and affectionate and they are purring like an engine with little cherrups and their cute little eyes are shut in cat heaven - all at the time you need to get up to do something and it disturbs them completely.

Shrike

My cat has a variety of sleeping places. She does have an igloo which gets some use in the winter but tbh puss will usually sort themselves out so I wouldn't go spending loads on something they may well ignore.
I noticed she liked to sit in a cardboard box full of old papers on top of the wardrobe - so I put a towel in it and its now one of her favourite spots. Many spots are only a one off though - I only saw her once sleep here:
http://s1054.photobucket.com/user/Prospero77/media/Brooke/DSCF1104_zpsc8104bc9.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

diamondally

GwylimT wrote: »

Insurance.

Might be boring but please get decent insurance or set up an account so you can self-insure. No point having fancy beds and other stuff but you can't afford to pay for vet treatment.

Kim_kim

diamondally wrote: »

Might be boring but please get decent insurance or set up an account so you can self-insure. No point having fancy beds and other stuff but you can't afford to pay for vet treatment.

It's fine, I'm on a decent wage.
I don't think I mentioned anywhere I couldn't afford vet treatment.

rising_from_the_ashes

Kim_kim wrote: »

It's fine, I'm on a decent wage.
I don't think I mentioned anywhere I couldn't afford vet treatment.

I don't think anyone has suggest you can't - can I ask when the last time you had a pet was?

Not being cheeky but vet costs are absolutely eyewateringly expensive - a bill of hundreds is easily run up and often thousands

Out of hours treatment will be at least £100 before you've even walked through the door.....

If you don't want full insurance, having a basic Accident & Injury Policy (which costs less than £4.50 / month) is a good idea and putting money aside for the bits it won't cover.

tesuhoha

Kim_kim wrote: »

It's fine, I'm on a decent wage.
I don't think I mentioned anywhere I couldn't afford vet treatment.

There's vet treatment and then vet treatment. Its the non routine emergency type that can cost thousands of pounds. I've been watching supervet and a bill for £4,000 is not unusual for an injured pet.

Shrike

When looking at insurance its a good idea to check if they pay for long term medication. Friend of mine has been unlucky with her cats - two now have ended up needing long term medication from a fairly young age - luckily she had the insurance that covers it.

SensibleSarah

I definitely wouldn't bother with the £10 per month thing from Pets at Home. Assuming your cat is young then many vets offer a Vacc for life deal for around £100. Take that up next time she's due a booster (even if it's not your usual vet) and you never have to pay again. Flea-wise I use Advantage which I buy online and works out at about £3.50 a treatment, but I don't treat every month - in fact I haven't done for a couple of years - as I check my cats every couple of days for fleas and they're fine. Worming I get drontal online - it's about £1.50-£2 a tablet and assuming the cat is over 6 months old then it only needs one every 3 months.

If you have radiators then maybe get one of those radiator beds? 3 of my cats absolutely love these (I have 2 of these beds) and they literally sit and wait for one cat to get out so they can get in - it's like a dance!

I have 3 of my cats insured (plus the dog) and one cat I self-insure, so I put £20 a month aside for her just in case and have a credit card with a large limit I keep in case of an emergency. Happily not had to make any claims in the last 11 years but sods law says that if I cancelled insurance then I would!

Kim_kim

SensibleSarah wrote: »

I definitely wouldn't bother with the £10 per month thing from Pets at Home. Assuming your cat is young then many vets offer a Vacc for life deal for around £100. Take that up next time she's due a booster (even if it's not your usual vet) and you never have to pay again. Flea-wise I use Advantage which I buy online and works out at about £3.50 a treatment, but I don't treat every month - in fact I haven't done for a couple of years - as I check my cats every couple of days for fleas and they're fine. Worming I get drontal online - it's about £1.50-£2 a tablet and assuming the cat is over 6 months old then it only needs one every 3 months.

If you have radiators then maybe get one of those radiator beds? 3 of my cats absolutely love these (I have 2 of these beds) and they literally sit and wait for one cat to get out so they can get in - it's like a dance!

I have 3 of my cats insured (plus the dog) and one cat I self-insure, so I put £20 a month aside for her just in case and have a credit card with a large limit I keep in case of an emergency. Happily not had to make any claims in the last 11 years but sods law says that if I cancelled insurance then I would!

Vaxs for life sounds good, pets at home do that too.
Where do you get your advantage & drontal?
That type treats the cat & house for a month?
I think profender is only on prescription?
That's a spot on wormer, droncit is spot on, but only treats one type of worm I think?
Some one posted earlier a link to a flea treatment with the same active ingredient as advantage, I think they worked out about £1.50 each if you buy 24.

GwylimT

Kim_kim wrote: »

It's fine, I'm on a decent wage.
I don't think I mentioned anywhere I couldn't afford vet treatment.

So am I, I also recently (18 months ago) had a vet bill for almost £7k to give my dog a hip and knee transplant, well thats just the op, on top there was also x-rays, a CT scan and aftercare such as physiotherapy, luckily it came just under our yearly limit of £11k per illness. If I add all of his insurance costs to me in monthly payments it totals £360, at renewal his insurance went up by 50p a month. He has life cover as well, so his knee/hip continues to be covered.