Planning on adopting a cat

sophya

Was up at the DSPCA with my mam (cause its her house) to talk about adopting and getting advice etc.

We decided to get an adult cat, over 4/5 years, because we both work and the cat will be alone for most of the day. It will be an indoor cat as well because there is quite a busy road behind our house.

So just wondering what are the essentials that I need to get before the new arrival? Anything else apart from litter tray, toys and scratching post. Any advice for cat litter because my mam is worried that the cat will stink up the house, so what's the best to minimise smell?

And best brand of food for older cats?

Thanks for any advice.

Nody

I'd for start recommend 2 cats; the additional work is minimal but that gives the cat a companion (the shelter should be able to tell you which pairs they got who are used to each other; please do not take two cats who are not used to live together if you're not used to dealing with cats and cat introductions).

Secondly 4/5 years is not old for a cat as they usually live to 14+ (oldest cat was 34) so normal food will do but do not under any circumstances get Whiskas, Felix or any tesco branded (or insert house brand of normal supermarket); that's like feeding them on McDonalds every day. You want to get quality food such as Applaws, Almo Nature, Cosma etc. or in a pinch Royal Canin for wet food. You can get them all from example http://www.zooplus.ie/ and the price difference is negligible (Whiskas is usually around 6 EUR a kilo; Applaws is usually around 11, Cosma around 9 etc. if you make sure to shop on the special deals). Look at what they recommend and look at the deals and stock up on the cheapest adult food basically. Don't go pure fish but rather mix the food types (you're looking at 1 to 2 75g cans a day). Secondly you'll need kibbles (dry food); same brands there but I'd also throw in Acana. The rule on food is very simple though if you look around; if you see that wheat/corn is mentioned in the top 5 ingredients or you see a very long list of things you'd not eat yourself (look up Whiskas content for example) then you don't want it. To keep the price low I recommend larger bags over smaller once as the price drops rapidly at the biggest bags (and by going for quality over quantity they eat less so the cost works out about the same in reality vs. Whiskas and the likes).

In terms of toilets you want to start with what ever the cat gets at the shelter (they should tell you, same goes for food for the first week) but long term it's your call. Personally we transitioned to wood pellets (the type you burn) bought in 15kg bags (do NOT buy them in pet sections as you'll pay 5x the price vs. buying them as "burning" pellets in a normal outlet store; same stuff but not marked up to the wazoo!) but it's going to end up in personal preference. In general if you keep the toilet cleaned regularly (i.e. at least daily scope out the poop and replace all litter every week or two) it keeps the smell away. You can also get something like this (which we've used and can confirm it works) to keep the smell away if you don't flush the poo. As a rule of thumb you want to have cats +1 toilets available (so for one cat that's 2 toilets; for 2 cats that's 3, for 3 cats it's 4 etc.) to make sure they got a space to go even if you forgot to clean it properly/something happened with one toilet.

As the cat is new to your house (bring a unwashed towel to the shelter if you can to get the cats used to your smell and bring it back with their smell) I'd also recommend a Feliway diffuser to help settle it in.

Now you said you bought toys but how ready is the house for the cat? Is there space on windows for it to look out (remember cats want to climb high); you mentioned a scratch post but only one? Reason I ask is that it's better to have more then one scratch post (esp. if you got a house with plenty of rooms) and you can combine the two with getting a medium to large tower at a window. Cats love being up high and keeping an eye on things (make them feel safe) and a tower can sort that out easily. Which one to get depends on the location you plan to put it (it can be bought at Zooplus or what I've usually done which is German Ebay; most sellers of cat tree (katzenkratzbaum) ship all over Europe and you're looking around 50 to 100 EUR shipped for a large tower).

Now that you got the cat in there's only a few more things to get; cat carrying case. Bigger is better in general so get a large one to help you take him to the vet; I'm personally in love with once with opening at the top for the ease of getting them in but that's not a requirement. Secondly pet insurance; a normal vet visit is not expensive but if they need an operation the price tends to run away very quickly. Hence I'd recommend at getting an insurance asap for it; the exact type and coverage depends on how much you're willing to pay.

Now with the cat having arrived there's only a few more things to do; first of all leave it in one or two rooms only. Leave it with it's cat box, fresh water and plenty of kibble and leave it in there for at least 24h with some empty boxes or other areas to hide in. Most cats moved to a new place will be afraid so don't expect it will be out greeting you directly. If the cat starts to scratch on the door to be let out by all means do (it's all down to the cat's personality) but if not by leaving it alone in there with hiding spaces it will see it as a safe area to retreat to later. Secondly once it starts to roam further let it do it at it's own time (with out you lifting it up etc.) and ignore it. By ignoring it you allow the cat to get used to it's new surroundings and it will start to socialize with you that much faster. Only pet it when it approaches you rather then you chasing after it. This period of getting to grips with it's new environment can take anything from less then a day to a week or two depending on the cat. To speed things up use the diffuser listed above and keep a schedule with the cat; it's soft food at 7:30 in the kitchen every morning and at 8pm every night for example; cats love routine and the more routine in their life the faster they settle in. If the cat start to scratch areas you don't want it to scratch (get a scratch pole in the area!) simply put double sided tape on the scratched area; kitty will learn quickly that's it not fun to scratch and with that spare scratch pole there instead it will redirect it's attention.

Ok, if you've made it this far then great there's only one final thing to add; have a look at Jackson Galaxy's series called "My cat from hell". It will teach you A LOT about cat behavior and will help you understand what you're doing wrong (I'd say 90% of all cat issues is the owner not understanding the cats signs that it's giving out) and help you take the correct actions. This is more preemptive then anything else and you'll see some really clueless owners there but there are plenty of good nuggets of information mixed in there.

Oh and welcome to a life of being an eternal cat slave; you'll love it!

sophya

Thanks so much. Will need to research prices and budget accordingly. Just wondering regarding the wet food if the cat needs to be given a can every day? Could see that getting quite expensive.

Nody

sophya wrote: »

Thanks so much. Will need to research prices and budget accordingly. Just wondering regarding the wet food if the cat needs to be given a can every day? Could see that getting quite expensive.

1 to 2 cans a day (I think wet food only is 2 cans a day) but you can do 1 can only; that's about 1 EUR a day if you buy the special deals like this one (that can would last for two servings) you're looking at slightly less then a eur per serving in cost (so about 30 EUR a month + dry food etc.). I'd budget around 50 EUR a month between food (wet and dry), cat litter etc. and then once a year the regular shots on top of that; for two cats I'd add about 30 EUR (cat litter don't need to increase that much etc.). The most expensive part is really the first cat and the first set up (I know I spent hundreds on buying everything under the sun for our first two cats to be safe which is not in any way needed!) as you'll need to stock up on wet and dry stuff (i.e. up front cost to buy it but it lasts a month+).

cuckoo

Nody wrote: »

I'd for start recommend 2 cats; the additional work is minimal but that gives the cat a companion

+1 to this. my two cats keep each other entertained, and entertain me with their games and interactions.

Nody's covered prettty much everything there, only thing I can think of to add is to ask around for reccommendations for a local vet before you bring your new Feline Overlord(s) home, just in case.

Especially important for indoor only cats - some houseplants can be poisonous to cats, http://www.fabcats.org/owners/poisons/plants.html