Calling all cat people! Top tips?

[HashRouge]

Lucky for thirty years with ten different cats in fifteen different combinations?

We've never had multiple trays either, and our cats tolerate each other rather than actually liking each other! Our litter tray only ever comes out if one of the cats has to be confined to the house for a period of time. Usually it's the big cat with an abscess or something like that. He resents having to use the tray and hates being confined to the house, but the little cat loves it and is always furious when the litter tray is taken away and she has to go outside again! They've never had a problem using the same tray.

Even if you have two trays, how do you stop one cat using both trays? I don't necessarily see that it would solve the problem.

 

[rara007]

CPLs professional behaviourist recommends the number of cats +1. For the sake of a tray even if they don't use it I'd follow this line it's an easy box to tick.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I used two trays for my elderly cats to stop accidents - that worked really well. They had an upstairs and downstairs loo! One of them always used the upstairs one.

I've got two boys a year old now they had two trays to start and they definitely had a preference but they never use their tray now unless they're shut in for some reason they prefer to go outside. If you're out all day then if one has done a big stinky poo at least there is an alternative

I wish mine would eat anything! The skinny ginger is very fussy but the black one is a bit of a fat pudding. I was determined to not go down the pouches route and steadfastly gave them tinned. They wouldn't touch Felix, they ate Whiskas for about 4 months then totally refused to contemplate it at all. Now they're on Felix AGAIL pouches range as they won't eat anything else!

I've discovered they don't like Lily or her kitchen even the one who is a greedy git wouldn't touch it. I don't like just feeding dry as I think it can cause urinary tract issues.

 

[Northern]

Roccy odd the spot of my Bobby, including the behaviour!

He can be the biggest smoocher in the world! There are a couple of Roccy doubles here too! When we adopted him, he was one of 8 little identical male clones from his litter

 

[wispagold]

I have 2 cats which are meant to be brother and sister but they couldn't be more different!

One is a proper hunter, he probably averages 1 dead/ half dead thing a day through the summer. We have had to start shutting him in just the kitchen over night and when we are out as my husband is not a fan of finding decomposing rodents all over the house! They tend to run under heavy pieces of furniture and then die! The other one loves carrying toy mice round the house but wouldn't have a clue what to do with a real one. I have watched a live mouse walk right round her and she didn't even notice!

I would suggest getting your cats insured. I didn't bother to start with but found my male cat one morning trying to pee in various different places and ended up rushing him to the vets. his urethra had gone into spasm - that was a hefty £500 to sort out. Now they are both insured and last year the female was diagnosed with a heart murmur and is now on an ACE inhibitor. I use to feed them James Wellbeloved dry food but now I use Royal Canin Urinary S/O LP 34 as suggested by my vets - ad lib. Plus a small amount of Whiskers pouches as bribe to get Dobby to eat her tablets!

Very friendly, cuddly cats - one does like to watch people showering. They have a cat water fountain but insist on drinking out of the kitchen tap. One has a habit of scratching all wooden furniture, doors, door frames etc. the other attacks carpet. I would suggest living in an entirely tiled house with plastic furniture!

We are going to NZ for 3 weeks this November if anyone can recommend a cat sitter in Staffordshire!

 

[Buddy'sMum]

Are there any brands of food you recommend?

Science Plan kibble. I remember thinking "HOW MUCH????" the first time I bought it but a bag lasts forever so it works out much cheaper than wet food. And it's much better for their teeth (which is why we swapped our cat over).

 

[horselady]

Leave the cats in the carrier when you get them home but don't actively take them out. Put said carrier in the room where they will be sleeping. Do not try and cuddle, hold, stroke or call them the first day just let them settle in. If they come up to you let them get used to you and stay quite still. hooded basket type beds work best for cats and ask if you can have a piece of their original bedding to put in their new bed.

 

[horselady]

Are there any brands of food you recommend?

Supa cat.

 

[ycbm]

I fed wet and dry ad lib and they eat both. Cats without kibble do have stinky breath, I've found.

I don't think I'd recommend it as such, but I fed Tesco tins and Tesco Value kibble. They prefer the value kibble to Go Cat or the more expensive own brands.

 

[Destario]

Mine have wet and dry ad lib. Iams senior kibble and forthglade cat pate stuff. Cat loves it but is a picker and getting on a bit so he always has food to nibble if he fancies. Even when we had multiple cats they had ad lib wet and dry.

 

[Supertrooper]

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:.

This!!!! I thought I knew cats being a vet nurse, being a slave to one is very different sometimes you will just need to leave the house for no reason to save your sanity. They are bonkers 😂❤️ Good luck!!

 

[hackneylass2]

Great advice already, but I would say that number of litter trays is trial and error, whenI had 6 indoor only cats I had 2 litter trays and all was well. Lots of scooping and emptying (I prefer wood pellets) but no accidents. Luckily I worked from home so no 8 hours of stinkiness for them.
As for food, mine always have got sick of one brand after being fed it fo a while so ring the changes. Mine preferred the 'supermeat' type wet food over chunks. Butchers brand was good but its hard to find their non chunk brand now and they are in a Coshida chunks stage at the mo, cheap from Lidl! Dreamies are an essential for bribery...we have a Siamese who will not go to bed and hides in unaccessible places as soon as we even think about retiring. Dreamies are the only thing to get him available for his nightly combing. Great advice about freezing if cat is honking. Alex has pretty much summed it all up too. Good luck with your kitties.