Can you help me prepare for our new cat please?!

[Ohdoleavemealone]

I have never had cats but DH has although it was a while ago and I have some questions.
Cat currently uses gel litter which appears to be £££. Is it worth it?
How best to introduce cat to excited children without scaring cat?
Our hoover is broken. Can you recommend a pet hoover?

Any other advice is much appreciated!

No you don't need gel litter. Find something that isn't gel or clay and a bit more environmentally friendly. I use the pellets made of recycled paper which are biodegradable.

Let the cat have its own space and allow excited children short periods of time with it until it has calmed down and they have calmed down. I'm currently introducing kittens to a dog and we allow them about 10/15 minutes in the same room every few hours and I'm not sure that's not a good recipe for kids too.

Get the cat an igloo or some space that it can hide in - it will inevitably hide under the sofa/bed/any small space it can find but a good sheltered space is very important if they aren't going to get too stressed.

They like to be up high, so worth getting a cat tower that it can climb up and sit at the top of - though I did have a cat that used to sit on the microwave because it could see the full length of my then flat from that vantage point. Amazon Basics do one my cats love - it's the Amazon Basics Cat Activity Tree with Scratching Posts and it goes together in no time though there are plenty others on the market.

Miele Dog & Cat though it is £££. I have dog, I have cats. It's brilliant.

Hope that helps.

Thanks. Very helpful! I know we don't need to use the gel one but we will whilst she settles in. Just wondered if it was worth it!

Ever Clean cat litter. I've tried them all and this is the only one that has zero smells.
It seems expensive but one box lasts a whole month with two indoor only cats.
Double-sided tape on the edges of your sofa before kitten arrives. They don't like the sensation but it doesn't hurt them and stops scratching. They learn super quickly, I removed mine in about a week.

Definitely a cat tree!!!

Eufy robovac is amazing for us. Really keeps on top of cat hair.

Thrive is by far the best food. Try to feed majority wet, especially if kitten is male. Dry food significantly raises the risk of cystitis.

Get pet insurance! Make sure it's lifetime cover or you could burn through your amount super quickly.

Good luck !

Thank you! Definitely getting a cat tree as she will be an indoor cat and I want to make sure she gets some exercise.

Oh yes - absolutely pet insurance - and also make sure you get it microchipped too.

Shop around a bit for pet insurance. I don't have the cats insured with the same company I have the dog insured with (dog = PetPlan, cats = Direct Line).

Do you have any house plants? Things like lilies are very poisonous to cats so if you do have plants, worth checking that they are safe for them.

Just seen she is going to be an indoor cat so doubly check the house plants. They like to eat grass, it's good for their digestion, and if you don't let them out they will eat green plants instead so do make sure any you have are safe.

Thanks. No plants but we have been looking at pet insurance. Would never have a pet without it!