Getting a cat. Need startup advice.

[Scout101]

Yep, the Tidy Cat clumping litter is great. That way, you can scoop out the dirty stuff, and don't have to just dump the whole thing once a week (or whenever). If it's a kitten, get a cheap small litter box with low sides, and then plan on a decent covered one with high sides when it gets old enough to get in there.

Get lint rollers, and accept you're vacuuming more often. Cheap cat toys, feather on a stick, soda bottle caps, whatever. If you want to drive them batshit insane, laser pointers are the answer

Don't waste money on the cat bed. they're going to sleep on yours, or whichever part of the couch is in direct sunlight the most.

Miss having a cat. Had to put my 17 year old cat to sleep last weekend, so it;s an adjustment not having her around. Will be getting another (likely a pair this time, so they entertain each other), but taking some time off before doing that. Tough getting used to not having her around, I was in the 8th grade when she was born...

 

[Crusher Disciple]

Just an FYI: If you have one cat, you'll have to bathe him in the places where he can't reach.

Good luck!

 

[Crusher Disciple]

Miss having a cat. Had to put my 17 year old cat to sleep last weekend, so it;s an adjustment not having her around. Will be getting another (likely a pair this time, so they entertain each other), but taking some time off before doing that. Tough getting used to not having her around, I was in the 8th grade when she was born...

Dude, I'm so sorry to hear that.

 

[Scout101]

Thanks. It sucks. Didn't mean to make the thread all depressing, though. Had her cremated, just got her back tonight. Didn't want to bury her at my current house, as I'm planning to move in a couple years, and didn't want to leave her behind...

Anyway, sorry to derail, back to chatting about fluffy little terrorists.

 

[Scout101]

Just an FYI: If you have one cat, you'll have to bathe him in the places where he can't reach.

Good luck!

No rule you have to use your tongue, though, that's personal choice...

 

[Crusher Disciple]

Just an FYI: If you have one cat, you'll have to bathe him in the places where he can't reach.

Good luck!

No rule you have to use your tongue, though, that's personal choice...

Of course you do. Don't confuse the poor kid with a washcloth or a shower head.

 

[throwback]

We have had cats since 1989. We have currently 6 cats, 4 for me and 2 for my mom.

I have one important tip - buy dry food. One of the reasons that our cats' teeth are in such great shape, with little tartar, is that they eat dry food. Wet food can lead to teeth decay, according to our family vet. Our family buys Iams.

I have another tip - learn what kind of cat you have. Do they like being on top, on a bookcase, for example, or do they like being on the bottom, on the floor? This is an important question, for it will help your cat be happy if you met their needs.

Finally, a last tip I have - don't just get one. Get two. Cats need companionship, and, contrary to what people say, they are social creatures. Best thing to do is get siblings. Our family has two sets of siblings - brother/brother, sister/sister - and it has worked out wonderful for everyone. It can be this relationship, or a mother/kitten relationship. I have seen ads where people are listing both a mother and kitten.

Our cats are strictly indoors, and their health is great. Our family vet has seen our 16-year old cat and one of our 10-year old cats, and she remarks that if she didn't know their age she would think they were younger then they were.

 

[Kestra]

I think you just want to buy the least amount of stuff possible and see what the cat is like. Ours never goes after plastic rings, for example, but he loves boxes. He's also never had a hairball but I brush him quite often. Oh, on that note, I'd suggest the Furminator. Ours is a medium haired cat, for what that's worth.

But ultimately every cat is different and people do things different ways. For example, someone upthread mentioned getting dry food. We did that for a long time (and that's still what he eats the most), but after some research I decided to introduce wet food as well. You can ask a vet about that.

 

[RoJoHen]

Cats are so easy it's ridiculous.

Food. Litter. Done.

Don't buy toys; your cat will get tired of them. Don't buy a bed; your cat will never sleep on it. It will sleep on everything that isn't its bed.

Litter boxes aren't complicated either. You can just get a basic one and a scooper for picking up poop and pee. I used to keep my cat's litter box in the bathroom, and I just scooped her stuff directly into the toilet. Now, I just save my plastic grocery bags and scoop it in there.

Your cat's favorite toy is the plastic ring around the gallon of milk.

 

[throwback]

I would like to say one other thing that I learned this year. If your cat throws up after eating, this is normal. They are cleaning their throat, according to our family vet who concedes it is one of many ideas on why they do this. They will throw up on a surface that is solid, will do it at least twice a month, and will always throw up on the most expensive carpet, again according to our family vet.

And, if you get a feral cat, this must be your only cat. They require patience, and will do best in a quiet house. Our family attempted to introduce a feral cat into our house, and we ended up doing more damage to the cat for we didn't have the right environment for the cat. However, there are people who are can work with feral cats, and these relationships can be some of the best for you are investing in building a trusting relationship with the cat. Most cats are receptive to a open and loving heart, and this is no different for feral cats.

 

[RoJoHen]

Yeah, cats vomit occasionally. It's nothing to worry about it...unless you value your carpet. The worst thing is waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of your cat heaving down the hall. You know what it's doing, but you're way too tired to deal with it. You just hope you remember not to step in it when you get out of bed.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I confine Jinx (yes, my cat is also named Jinx)​

I have a cat named Teacake, but she was named by someone else after me. My name predates her existence by 10 years.

Oh and as to food, I stopped using wet food a long time ago. I found they threw it up a lot more (and they do NOT throw up in their litter trays..) It also makes their poo smell worse. I think if you have indoor cats it's even more important to give them hard food for their teeth as they aren't outside crunching rat bones.

Getting two cats is a good idea if you are not home a lot and if they are indoor cats. They will not be bored. I have two brothers I've had since kittens and then there is Teacake who was foisted upon me.
​

 

[Scout101]

Think its important to try and do a mix of dry and wet food. Dry for the teeth, but the wet food will help out with the kidneys, a common problem in older cats. I always had a dry food self-feeder, and then she'd get wet food as breakfast. She saw it as a treat, so win-win there.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Think its important to try and do a mix of dry and wet food. Dry for the teeth, but the wet food will help out with the kidneys, a common problem in older cats.

Yeah, my vet told me you should give them a dry food/wet food mix as well. The dry food dispenser stays out all the time (it looks like a tiny water cooler that automatically dispenses the dry food into a gravity-fed bowl as needed) and then I feed them each a quarter can of wet food twice a day.

Sorry to hear about your cat, man.

I'll second the suggestions of others here. Don't go overboard with elaborate toys or stands, because they'll get bored with them and play with boxes and bottle caps and grocery bags instead. And definitely get a second cat if you can. They need the exercise, cleaning, and companionship a second cat provides.

I was also told that if you have multiple cats you should have one litter box more than whatever number of cats you have, ie. two cats = three litter boxes.

Good luck!

 

[Mary Ann]

Have you sourced out a vet yet? Be sure you have a good relationship with your vet. You will hopefully only see your vet when you need to bring your cat in for its annual vaccinations, but you still want a vet who genuinely cares for your pet and with whom you get along.

Also, even if you cat is going to be an indoor pet, have it microchipped as soon as it's old enough on the off chance it gets outside. I strongly recommend neutering your pet as well. There are already far too many unwanted animals in shelters.

 

[RoJoHen]

I should probably take my cat to a vet at some point. She hasn't been to one since she was spayed...5 years ago.

 

[Mary Ann]

Whoa, there are some nasty diseases and other conditions cats can catch from other cats. Even if your cat is an indoor one it's a good idea IMO to keep up to date with vaccinations in case kitty ever escapes.

 

[RoJoHen]

Yeah, she is strictly an indoor cat. The only time she's ever even been outside are when I've moved (and then, she's in her carrier).

And kitty never escapes. She's terrified of the door. In the 5 years I've had her, she's never even attempted to get out.

 

[lurok]

Water better than milk (where did the idea of cats & cream/milk come from anyway?)

Good offal is nice too (lambs hearts etc). But not pork.

And further on the hard food, mine used to love dog biscuits.

 

[RoJoHen]

I only give my cat milk on occasion when she bugs me for it. It's gotten to a point where she has a very specific "meow" that means, "Give me milk, bitch!" and another that means, "If I don't get milk right now, I am going to die! Why are you hurting me?!" She usually gets a craving for it once a week.