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The litter tray

Getting a cat for first time

16 replies

MrsMoggy · 03/01/2016 19:17

Hi all, my first post in the litter tray,

Just waiting to hear back off our landlord about permission to have a cat in our property. Looking at rescue cats as would have to be an indoor cat due to living on a busy road and no secure garden. I just have a few questions about cat ownership, particularly on the finance side of things. If anyone could answer any of these it would be really appreciated!

  • what basic kit would I need before bringing a cat into the home- guessing a litter tray, litter, bed, scratch post, some toys, food etc. anything else?


  • what am I looking at paying insurance wise for an indoor cat?


  • is there any annual vets bills I should be aware of?


-how much approx would you say you spend a month on cat foods and litter?

Thank you, I'm sure I will have lots more questions that I've forgotten!
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Mincepies76 · 03/01/2016 21:06

Hello, I think you've covered most of the essential kit. have an indoor cat so he has a few beds and lots of toys! He's long haired so he also has brushes. We pay just under £10 for insurance (went on confused) and we also do Healthy Pet Club at the vets which covers monthly worming, flea treatment, vacs, micro chip and reduced neutering and annual health check also £10 a month.
Cat food about £20 a month and litter about £10. You could spend more or less on all these things!
Good luck Smile

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MrsMoggy · 03/01/2016 21:11

Thank you mincepies for the response! They were the sort of figures I was expecting so that's ok. Do you have any recommendations where to buy all the kit from at a reasonable price?

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Archfarchnad · 03/01/2016 21:25

A bed is by no means essential, and indeed, as we have discovered, will be generally ignored by many cats in favour of whatever THEY think is their bed. However, what you absolutely will need from the very start is a good carrier for bringing the cat back from the shelter. Only buy the carrier once you know which cat you'll be getting, as there are different sizes for different animals/sizes of cats. We turned up to the shelter with a lovely new model that was actually too small for our 6 kilo bruiser, luckily the shelter was kind enough to swap it for a larger one they had hanging around.

Do make sure you plan for lots of hidey-holes and high vantage points if you have an indoor-only cat. A tall scratching post with a little cave and several platforms would be ideal. You could also set up some shelves around the wall of the flat as a 'cat super-highway' so your cat won't feel threatened at floor level.

We get most of our kit and food from online suppliers like Zooplus and Bitiba - my tip is to work out which food your cat likes best by buying in small quantities, then at that point buy in bulk (and larger cans rather than pouches) to save money (at which point your darling mog will probably decide he doesn't like it after all). Another tip is to actually go for higher-end but more expensive food, as the cheaper stuff is a false economy. It's full of cereals that cats can't digest properly, so they end up eating more of it and have much smellier poos. Use high-quality food with higher meat content and we've found the amount eaten actually halves - and you have a healthier cat with glossy fur.

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caroldecker · 03/01/2016 21:42

Is worming, flea treatment and vacs needed for an indoor cat? and microchip and neutering should be done by the rescue. Although you will need vaccinations if you ever use a cattery.

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Mincepies76 · 03/01/2016 21:47

Hi Mrs Moggy, I get a lot of stuff from eBay and Amazon. I also got a bed from Pets at Home, which was expensive but my cat loves it! He likes all his beds! I like the toys at Pets at Home too as they have a good range. As he is an indoor cat I feel I owe it to him to get lots of stuff...but he also likes toilet roll tubes to chew and chase. He's a confident cat so doesn't look for hidey holes in the house, he likes to be where we are. He has a cardboard scratching board (from Amazon) which he does use.
Home Bargains and B&M do beds and blankets which are reasonable.

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Mincepies76 · 03/01/2016 22:02

Vets know mine is an indoor cat and didn't suggest thy didn't need worming an flea treatment. I think it's still wise to do it...catteries will want to know you're up to date with it if you use one...

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cozietoesie · 03/01/2016 22:59

Houses aren't sealed environments and you always face the possibility of you or a visitor bringing a pest/egg inside with them. (I've had an inside boy who acquired a flea, for example.) I don't think you need to do it as frequently as if you had an outside going and hunting cat but I do think you should factor in occasional treatments.

All my cats would (and in the early days, did) have a laugh at any attempts on my part to provide a bed for them. In this house, the cats choose sleeping places - for the Siamese, that's always bed with me. Humans are allowed 6" on the edge of the bed - the cats have the rest.

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MrsMoggy · 04/01/2016 08:24

Thanks for the responses. The cat could of course sleep anywhere, just thought would provide it with it's own space in the beginning. My in laws have a cat carrier we could borrow and potentially a spare cat post/centre thing. There's not really much wall space to make vantage points but lots of tall sturdy units that I'm sure a cat would make use of

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cozietoesie · 04/01/2016 08:30

Well a largeish cardboard box with eg an old fleece or throw in it might prove acceptable. Smile You're right enough to try - I just wouldn't go to any great expense on the matter.

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Plateofcrumbs · 04/01/2016 08:38

Hope your landlord is amenable - I know a lot are worried about damage from pets. Scratching is the obvious issue so encourage use of scratching posts etc from day 1. I think you can buy sprays etc to deter them from other surfaces you don't want destroyed (sofa arms is an obvious one!)

Rescue cats deemed suitable for an indoor home tend to be older and/or have some health problems (eg FIV, so have to be kept away from other cats) so you might need to take that into account when you look at costs. However if you take on a cat with on-going health needs, you may find the rescue centre will cover treatment associated with the condition (providing you are able to take them to the rescue centre - if it's not very local it might not be convenient for you).

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MrsMoggy · 04/01/2016 11:58

Letting agent is ok with it just waiting for permission off landlady herself. Have to put down an extra £100 on damage deposit. At my local cats protection there's a cat wanting a home, 2 year old girl who needs a indoor home due to being terrorised by dogs so scared of outside

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MrsMoggy · 06/01/2016 20:36

Got a home check on Saturday for the indoor girl cat. Nervous! Not sure what they are looking for or what they will ask

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cozietoesie · 06/01/2016 21:02

No gang of Rottweilers that you didn't tell them about and someone who has actually thought about the issues would be my guess. (But it's only a guess - there are plenty of people here who have been checkers or checkees so they may comment.) No need to get too worked up about it. Smile

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Mincepies76 · 06/01/2016 21:40

Exciting!! Is it a particular breed or a puss that needs to be inside?

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MrsMoggy · 06/01/2016 21:57

It's just a mixed breed I think but in it's first home the neighbours dogs set on it a few times so it is now too scared to go outside so can only go to an indoor home. She's between 1 and 2 years old. We haven't actually met her yet they seem to want to do the home check first

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Mincepies76 · 06/01/2016 23:32

Good luck, hope it goes well Smile

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