Calling all cat people! Top tips?

[shadeofshyness]

Me and OH are looking into adopting two cats from the Cats Protection or a local rescue as soon as building work on our new kitchen is complete Thinking of two so they have company when we're not in and the local rescue seems to rehome a lot of bonded pairs. We're looking at older cats not kittens - hopefully able to take some who have been waiting longest and need a nice home with no busy road or children.

I'm picking the brains of all the cat owners I know in real life but thought I'd ask on here too. Neither of us have had cats before so want to do our research. Any tips on catflaps, food, getting them settled in, anything else we should know... much appreciated x

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Cats are mental.

You will never pee alone again.

You will never eat alone.

A water bowl is a useless piece of equipment (even a fancy fountain fresh water type one) as the tap and sink are the only place water is drinkable.

No piece of clothing/ fabric will ever be clear of cat hair, this might also apply to your food/bedding/furniture as well.

They will avoid all easy clean areas and throw up grass where you sit and then cover it with your blanket.

Cat beds are for losers.

They will look you in the eye before shredding/scratching/destroying things.

They will come and sit on you, fart and then walk off.

If they sit on you, you must wait until they want to move.

They will chat to you about everything.

They will cry to go out and one minute later cry to come in.

Cats ARE mental, or is it just mine I was a first time owner too :lol:.

 

[pixie27]

Eeek how exciting! When OH and I were looking to rehome a cat, so many of the rescues we went to had pairs - so it's lovely that you'll be able to take two home

Cat flaps: we just have a standard one, nothing fancy at all! There are loads of cats in our area, and no one else has tried to come in through ours. But a friend down the road had to put a microchip scanner one in, as other cats kept coming in. She's had it for a while, but her cat still looks quite confused when it doesn't scan and he can't get in. Personally I'd worry that if mine was trying to get away from something, it might not scan and open quick enough...

Food: we used to feed Felix/Whiskas but after a 6-month long skin issue and lots of research, we realised how crap it was for him. Now he's on Encore wet food and Harrington biscuits (wheat/grain free stuff is best for our sensitive skinned long hair!). He also gets a portion of Dreamies every day.

Settling in: well, we tried to do this by the book. We only had three rooms in our flat at the time, so didn't bother putting him in one room, but we did let him 'be' when he moved in, and didn't crowd round him or anything. We both said we'd give him lots of space, and only interact when/if he was ready. Within about 5 minutes of being out of the cat carrier, he was sat kneading on my lap in a little purring trance. We kept him in for about 6 weeks, but when we've moved it's been 4 weeks. He only had to stay in so long for vaccinations and neutering. When we let him out the first time, we let him out before breakfast (without feeding him), and went and sat in the garden while he explored. We also left shoes etc. out in the garden and in the field next to our house so he could sniff his way back if needed!

We got ours a covered cat bed, but he's never used it. Much prefers my expensive throws from Next... he's allowed in our room and sleeps on our bed. We also got him a covered cat litter tray, which is great. He barely uses it, and it's more for just in case he has to stay in - but having a covered one means we don't have to worry about cat litter etc. being on show.

I was a first time cat owner, and was a bit nervous, but ours is so easy. And Dreamies will be your new best friends! Stock up on a year's supply! Ours can be bribed to do ANYTHING with a Dreamie haha.

And don't forget to post lots of pictures when you get them!

 

[ycbm]

I'm a catflap buff

If you live in an area with a lot of cats you'll need a door that only responds to a transponder on the collar or a microchip in the cat, otherwise you'll be feeding neighbourhood cats as well.

If you live in a very windy area like me, there's only one cat flap that is guaranteed to shut in a strong wind and we have to import it from America to get it, but it's worth every penny.

I would always give a litter tray in really foul weather, otherwise you risk puddles on the carpet.

Cats can be very inventive in finding place to hide having weed the house. They will sneak behind boilers into the back of cupboards, go in shoes or on piles of washing. If you think you can smell wee, you can, you just need to find it!

Dead mice in inaccessible places dry out in a few days and the smell goes.


Some people say all cats are loners. This isn't true, I know several pairs of cats, related and unrelated, which like to share the same bed.

Some cats like strokes, some don't. Some cats adore a back rub rather than a stroke.

For settling in, I would recommend Felleway of there is a hint of any difficulty. It worked marvelously for one of mine when we introduced a new kitten that he hated.

 

[LD&S]

I don't have cats but I know some are house cats and never go out though not sure if that is the cat or the owners choice.
I have read recently of a cat flap that responds to the microchip as cats and collars don't always work, hopefully some cat people will be able to provide lots of info.

 

[ycbm]

Alex your sounds like a Bengal.

OP, quite seriously, I would avoid Bengal or Bengal crosses as first cats, they are very demanding creatures!

Get a very deep or a covered litter tray otherwise you will have litter chucked all over the floor.

If the cat starts to throw up, freeze. If you disturb it or try to pick the cat up, you will only end up with sick distributed over a much larger area! Wet wipes are great for clean up. Bio laundry spray does a good job with smell removal on wee and sick.

 

[pixie27]

They will look you in the eye before shredding/scratching/destroying things.

They will come and sit on you, fart and then walk off.

If they sit on you, you must wait until they want to move.

OH and don't forget that they will only come and give you a cuddle JUST at the moment you need a wee/have to go to work/need to leave - despite the fact you've been trying to tempt them over for the previous 4 hours...

Scratching posts are useless, a good sofa/chair leg will do.

Water is only acceptable if it's poured into a human drinking glass, and only if the human has poured it for themselves.

Clips of birds and squirrels on YouTube provide endless hours of fun.

You'll get many presents in the forms of: dirty tissues, long-dead animals, food wrappers, scraps of food (bread, BBQ remnants). If you're lucky, you might end up with a cat who breaks into people's flats to steal frozen chicken breasts...

Food that costs £10 a box will be left uneaten. An empty chicken breast wrapper in the bin is a great source of food.

 

[ycbm]

Feeding. I feed a choice of tinned or dry, ad lib. They regulate themselves and I've never had an issue. Our current female puts on weight in winter but takes it all off again come spring.

If they are fed ad lib and you want to go away for a night, all you have to do is leave them more food, instead of getting someone in to feed them.

I hope you like black or black and white. Apparently these are the hardest to rehome.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Alex your sounds like a Bengal.

OP, quite seriously, I would avoid Bengal or Bengal crosses as first cats, they are very demanding creatures!

Surprisingly no they are just 'normal' farm tortoiseshell and white moggies just very noisy demanding ones...
They were so cute at this age :lol:

 

[ycbm]

Awe, what a lovely pair of girls! I've got a naughty Tortie too, they are so pretty!

My pair of 'cats are loners and only sleep together for warmth' cats.


http://s40.photobucket.com/user/cpt..._20141125_125819_zpscw4eass9.jpg.html?filters[user]=142053578&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=9

 

[MotherOfChickens]

mine brought in a rabbit last night-be prepared for that!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Agree about Feliway, just take the cats you feel will be benefit from your home, it will all be OK.
One cat poop house per cat, provide nice raw steak mince, and raw chicken wings, and rice based dry food, and plain, unchlorinated water, and some sardines in oil. tiny portions in several saucers.
Refresh the food every four hours, tiny meals, and leave them alone for about a week.
They will find loads of beds, then one day they will jump on to your duvet, and you have a new friend .
Best toy is a fishing line toy, and a tunnel, they love to run around and wake you up at 2.00 am.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Lovely cats!

I think that the main points have been covered. Definitely give them time to settle in and don't crowd them. Generally with cats it's best to let them come to you in their own time. Loud noises can upset them. Don't tiptoe around them, but try not to slam doors etc...

My boy invariably comes over to *help* if I'm doing something.

He was probably trying to tell me that my electric fence was wonky (it was ).

 

[ycbm]

mine brought in a rabbit last night-be prepared for that!

I'm sad to say that ours have had two larks in the last year I've tried explaining that they are a threatened species, but they aren't listening.

Over the years we've had one adult live rabbit, many dead baby rabbits (nothing but good news, I'm afraid, rabbit holes and horse fields don't mix!), shrews and mice (alive and dead), two rats (dead), pink tiny baby mice (alive), one stoat (vicious!!!) , three moles (two alive one dead:, one dead squirrel hoping with fleas and several birds shredded too far to identify but not before they flew around putting blood on the walls. One of ours once traveled half a mile and crossed two fast roads to kill eleven ducklings around a neighbours pond. Oops.

Cats really are horrible hunters ....

 

[ycbm]

mine brought in a rabbit last night-be prepared for that!

Or did you mean 'make sure you have the carrots, potatoes and stock pot ready ?'

 

[ycbm]

One cat poop house per cat,

I've never done this. I've always had one large deep plastic box between three cats. But I never leave it if I know they've used it. I always scoop it out.

OP, you'll have a choice between clumping and non clumping cat litter. Clumping works better if you do a spot muck-out instead of a full tray empty.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Cats are mental.

You will never pee alone again.

You will never eat alone.

A water bowl is a useless piece of equipment (even a fancy fountain fresh water type one) as the tap and sink are the only place water is drinkable.

No piece of clothing/ fabric will ever be clear of cat hair, this might also apply to your food/bedding/furniture as well.

They will avoid all easy clean areas and throw up grass where you sit and then cover it with your blanket.

Cat beds are for losers.

They will look you in the eye before shredding/scratching/destroying things.

They will come and sit on you, fart and then walk off.

If they sit on you, you must wait until they want to move.

They will chat to you about everything.

They will cry to go out and one minute later cry to come in.

Cats ARE mental, or is it just mine I was a first time owner too :lol:.

No way: my cats do not fart.
They may cough up hairball, but only on the laminate, and they are a bit tricky to understand sometimes, when you are doing something important, they interrrupt you, that is what cats do.
I always make sure cat is busy if I want to pee in peace, does it matter?................ get over it.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

One poop house per cat when they arrive, kitties will be OK, I am thinking to give best case scenario for two mature newbies from rescue, normal cats will not be so much of a faff.
you do not want any pee/****, in random places.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Cats really are horrible hunters ....

Mine are useless, Lilly wouldn't be seen dead with anything icky , and the best thing Tiger has brought me is a very old/dead mouse and earth worms, yep no legs mean they cannot run away :lol:.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Or did you mean 'make sure you have the carrots, potatoes and stock pot ready ?'

lol-I dont mind them taking rabbits. I did have words when they got a hare though.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

lol-I dont mind them taking rabbits. I did have words when they got a hare though.

Blooming nora :eek3: how big are your cats!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Blooming nora :eek3: how big are your cats!

actually the one that took the hare (RIP Syrio) was a good 6kg and solid muscle-it wasn't full grown but a good bit bigger than a rabbit. He used to take himself off for pigeon hunting every few weeks. My cats are all good old fashioned male farm cats. The current ginger boy is 4kg and often takes field rats. I have a tabby kitten who's dad apparently is a good ratter too-not all cats will take them.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Ah mine are a dainty circa 3kg lady cats, think a rat would have them .

 

[shadeofshyness]

Ah this is all fantastic, thank you so much! And you all have such beautiful kitties.

Have any of you used pet sitters when you go on holiday - the people who come in twice a day or whatever to feed and check them?

A colleague in work said catteries aren't ideal and this is a much better set up. We have no family or friends near enough to where we live for anyone to pop in, and don't really know our neighbours well enough to ask, so we'd probably go down that route. We go away quite a bit so this is my main concern - and maybe another reason to get two so if we have to keep them in with a visitor coming, they'd at least have each other.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I have a friend who comes and house/cat sits for me, I'm not sure mine would like a cattery either, if/when I move away from my lovely friend I would look at a pet sitter .

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

We've rehomed 4 via CP. Had two brothers as kittens, got a third as they were too anti-social. Stayed out all hours and just came in for food, ungrateful *******. Maisie joined them and was accepted with no trouble.

Lost both of the brothers now, so gave Pusskins a home. She's a norty torty!!! Mostly live mice released in the house. Great fun with the kids, they love her to pieces.

We have had a family of baby bunnies shrewn over the lawn. I've always hated the idea of catteries. Cats are very territorial so to take them out of their home I think disturbs them too much. Pusskins was very stressed in there when we went to view her. We are very lucky that our neighbours are happy to look after ours when we are away. I'd use a cat sitting service if we didn't have friends nearby that would oblige otherwise.

Please make sure that you post lots of pics once you get said cats.











*sneaks off to find box and courier. Faracat, I will get him this time! *

 

[ycbm]

I used to put them in catteries before we had the horses at home. I didn't like it. I called it putting them in prison!


I need a new house/horse sitter. If anyone likes being out in the country and isolated, let me know. Peak Park, western edge, absolutely beautiful.

 

[LovesCobs]

mine dont bring me rabbits they eat them in full view and leave the bits they dont want for the dogs
mice they give me, they mustn't be as tasty ...

 

[Lacuna]

quite seriously - it is well worth investingin a chip-reading cat flap like Pet Porte (the one we have).

It scans the microchip of a cat attempting to access the flap and will audibly click when it unlocked - they soon learn how it works.

We had serious problems years ago with an old cat that got majorly stressed when a neighbourhood tom kept coming into the house, the new flap meant that ours could feel secure indoors and escape the harassing ******. Used it for all my cats since .

 

[ycbm]

mine dont bring me rabbits they eat them in full view and leave the bits they dont want for the dogs
mice they give me, they mustn't be as tasty ...

What IS that bit they never eat?? Looks like a stomach, but why do they leave it?

PS just picked up half a mouse from the carpet, back end.