Getting a cat

suki1964

Most have seen I've had to let my darling Alfie go last week

Neither me nor hubby are coping with the silence of the house, but neither of us feel we can take on another dog at our ages and with what's going on in our lives

So we went to the local rescue centre and looked at the cats, and have thought long and hard, and we have decided to adopt one

So fingers crossed we will be getting a wee five month old tom - have to arrange a home visit first


He comes neutered, innoculated , wormed, flea'd, and chipped

A friend has donated a litter tray and bed

I know I need litter ( what's the best?) and food ( he's on whiskas ) and bowls

What else???


I'm all a dither :rotfl:

mellymoo74

Ooh suki 5 months is ace pics please.

We use world's best cat litter, get it off amazon and it lasts for ever so while it seems expensive it isn't.

Don't forget some toys, boxe's and paper to keep him occupied.

Food wise I know everyone feeds better food we feed felix as they won't eat anything else and they are thriving.

Pollycat

Lucky you, Suki.

I've had cats in my life for almost 40 years, we lost our last boy 4 years ago, but as we're on holiday a lot (not all the time as you alleged on another thread ) and we decided it wasn't fair to get another as we'd get a rescue cat & putting him in a cattery 3-4 times a year would be incredibly unfair.

Have you had cats before?
I much prefer tom cats.

Lots of pics, please.

suki1964

Pollycat wrote: »

Lucky you, Suki.

I've had cats in my life for almost 40 years, we lost our last boy 4 years ago, but as we're on holiday a lot (not all the time as you alleged on another thread ) and we decided it wasn't fair to get another as we'd get a rescue cat & putting him in a cattery 3-4 times a year would be incredibly unfair.

Have you had cats before?
I much prefer tom cats.

Lots of pics, please.

As a child there were always cats, but I personally have never owned one

Things appear to have moved on, I remember back then, going to the pet shop and getting slabs of cat food which was wrapped in newspaper - and it stank and was full of gristly bits:eek: Fido meat was the name of it

Well I'm going at 2 to arrange a home visit and make my choice. There were two toms we were rather taken with, one had been abanded at the side of the road in the country. Both pretty timid with us, but went happily to the lady who cares for them

I'll take pics then

TBagpuss

Litter - ask the rescue what they use and start with that, and then change gradullay to whatever you plan touse long term. That way, the cat has something familiar and you are less likely to have anyaccidents.

Personally I have alwys foun the 'crystal' type litter to be the best as it sems to be easy to clean, long lasting and minimises smell. Consider using a high-sided plastic box rather than a tray as this can reduce the amount of litter which gets spilled.

With food, again, start off whith what he is used to and then gradualy change over. I feed purizon kibble which has much less cereal than high street brands - it's more expensive but as it is almost all meat you feed smaller quantities and it is healthier for the cat (and they produce less poo!) . Mine won't eat wet fod at all but I'd suggest that you try different brands to find one your cat will eat, as a mix of wet and dry is often better.

Other than bowls and litter I'd suggest that you start out with a few toys - mine love their laser pointer but have never taken much interest in any other custom made toys. They did, when younger, enjoy playing in small boxes (show box size) and paper bags.

Make sure that he has a few places which are warm and feel safe to sit / hide - if you have suitable radiaotors I have always found that the 'hammock' style beds you can hand from a radiator are very popular.

FreeBear

TBagpuss wrote: »

Litter - ask the rescue what they use and start with that, and then change gradullay to whatever you plan to use long term. That way, the cat has something familiar and you are less likely to have any accidents.


Make sure that he has a few places which are warm and feel safe to sit / hide - if you have suitable radiaotors I have always found that the 'hammock' style beds you can hand from a radiator are very popular.

I favour using wood shavings/sawdust from a local wood turner - It is biodegradable, compostable, and green. Stuff like bentonite clay is not environmentally friendly in production or disposal - It can only go to landfill.

As for hiding places, boxes, plenty of boxes. Most cats like to curl up in one as they generally feel safe and secure.

ripplyuk

I haven't had a cat now for a few years but always had one up until then.

Don't forget a scoop for the litter tray. My friend did and ended up struggling with a dinner fork the first night.

Have you thought of a name?

With foods, I always fed Iams or another premium brand. Sometimes soaked in hot water first if the cat preferred it. And wet food pouches as a treat.

I used any 'clumping' cat litter, usually supermarket own brands. I like the clumping variety as it means the tray is always clean for them, and no smells build up.
I always kept a small mat/rug at the entrance to their litter tray which helped prevent the stuff tracking everywhere.

I think shavings would be very messy, though clearly better for the environment.

The cat might be very nervous moving to a new place and sometimes they decide to hide behind the sofa/under a bed etc at the start. It's best to let them be, leaving food/water/tray in easy reach. They'll soon come round.

kazwookie

My rescue cat moved in, in Feb.

We ask at the home what and how much he eat and have stuck with the same since.

He loves home made toys/ cheap, scrunched up newspaper, ping pong balls, scratch post which is the tree trunk in the front garden.

We kept him in for about the first 6 weeks, and he uses his cat flap, this week has started to bring 'gifts' for us home each night for us to find in the morning!! hope fully this will stop soon as he will have finished off the local mouse population.

He is currently asleep beside me...................

suki1964

He's coming tomorrow lunchtime


I'm bunged with cold so really cba to do pics right now so for those that want to see look for Oreo

http://www.benvardinkennels.com/adoptionpage4.html

mellymoo74

He's lovely Suki

I love black and white cats (we have 1 and 1/2)

suki1964

mellymoo74 wrote: »

He's lovely Suki

I love black and white cats (we have 1 and 1/2)

We are renaming him Arthur

This is the land of Guinness after all