We're probably getting a rescue cat soon. What do we need to buy and how much will upkeep cost?

[QueenStromba]

We're moving soon and have found a flat that we're close to signing the contracts on where the landlord is willing for us to have a cat. If it all goes through we'll be getting an adult cat from Battersea. What do we need to buy and where is the best place to buy from? So far we're thinking:

Transport cage
Litter tray
Scratching post (which will probably be ignored in favour of the sofa)
Cat toys
Food and water bowls

I'm thinking a cat bed would just be ignored in favour of climbing all over us while we're trying to sleep, the sofa, the laptop, whatever point on the carpet the sun is hitting. Should we get one anyway?

Also, neither of us has owned a cat as an adult (we both had them as kids - DP for longer) so we have no idea how much it costs to feed them (is it a whole tin or half a tin a day?), insure them and how much vet bills will cost. How does microchipping work? Is it just the one off cost or is there a yearly charge or just a charge if you change any details etc?

She was abandoned by a woman when she split up with her boyfriend. I think that just means she left the cat with him when she moved out and he didn't want her so gave her to battersea. We were far too busy cooing over her to think about asking for any more details. She does have a little bit of dandruff.

I suspect she's been a bit miserable and hasn't groomed herself as well as she could so might have a bit of a build up of hair and dander. It's possible anyway.

You might consider introducing grooming (not today - once she's settled down) to give her a hand. It's best started when she's on a lap and made part of the cuddling routine. Just a few light strokes at first and only on the shoulders back and flanks. Not the belly.

I use a brush comb on Seniorboy - I think they're officially called 'back comb brushes' - but other posters may have a better suggestion. He couldn't be doing with grooming when he came to me but now loves it and sees it as part of his evening lovefest. I get a huge amount of hair out and he rarely, if ever, gets a furball.

mine (young) are sick with just spit occasionally - sometimes clear, sometimes coloured (an interesting shade of green once )

they are shut in the kitchen diner overnight so I suspect with them it's eating/drinking things they shouldn't, eg soapy water in a soaking saucepan, or bits of the rosemary plant on the window sill

Thank you all for reassuring me about my PFC. I luffs her already despite the fact that when I want to mark some essays she's sitting on top of them wanting attention and when I don't want to mark them she's asleep on the sofa.

I think this book will explain everything.

I promise I have more intellectual books on my kindle too.

Meant to say - is she still squittering?

:)

Nothing else today - I reckon she's over it now. ]= .

That last bit was from Rice, I don't know what it means but she seemed to think it was important.

Good, good. (And tell her to work on her comms skills!)

There should have ffffffft;./////////aops09999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 been a lot of spaces and tabs at the end if that helps?

She's been nipping at us today while we're stroking her. It's not in an aggressive way and she's purring her head off and headbutting us for more while she's doing it. The internet seems to think it's a love bite? She started on me first and she seems to like me the most so that would kind of make sense. Is it a good or bad sign and how do we get her to stop?

If she's purring and you're stroking her, it's probably over-excitement and might tail off when she calms down and feels more secure in the home. After all, she's only been with you for a couple of days and is still finding her feet.

I'm not a good person to ask about biting though because 'No biting' is one of the very few house rules that I have and is dealt with sternly, especially biting in bed due to irritation. (Frankly, I'd bite me in bed because I'm such a wriggler and flibbertigibbet but rules is rules.)

I say, very firmly, 'No Biting' and put the cat immediately down on the floor - or outside the door for a 20 minute exclusion if it's biting in bed which I regard as serious. They soon learn.

Other posters may be more tolerant though and have different strategies.

PS - take the hint though. If you put her down for biting/nipping (and they make the association very quickly) don't stroke her again right away when she comes up on the lap so as to avoid the over stimulation which caused the first nip.

It's a difficult one for you both. She's trying to get some love, probably having been starved of it, and also to cement her place in her new home. You're wanting to give it and are probably loathe to discipline her. Personally, though, I'd start discipline early. You can be firm and yet gentle and she won't dislike you for it - cats are far too pragmatic.

well, there's bites & bites...

one of ours really loves being roughed up a bit, turns her head & bites the hands that are doing it, but only gently

She's biting in the sort of way that wouldn't hurt at all if she didn't have teeth like needles.

Oh Gosh yes - they're not going to give you 'fighting bites'. More like hard and deliberate mouthings. I just don't allow those either but that's only me and not necessarily to be copied. You'll have to decide what sort of relationship you have with her once you get to know each other and once she's calmed down and become used to having a real home and real people. (My Mom allowed Seniorboy to bite her with impunity so he had to be retrained when he came to me at 13 years old.)

Another couple of normal poos so changing the food definitely seems to have helped. She seems to have settled into eating about two pouches a day and a few biscuits so it's not exactly breaking the bank to feed her the slightly more expensive stuff. I think she'd probably get a bit bored eating the same tin of food for the best part of two days anyway.

She's been a lot less needy the last day or so - I had been thinking of changing her name to Shadow but she's happy snoozing on the sofa while we potter about now. She does still seem to think that we should be awake to give her a fuss, clean her litter tray and feed her at 6am though. Luckily I've recently gotten into the habit of waking up at about 7 so 6 isn't too much of a hardship. She's slept a lot today but I guess that's her just getting over the excitement of the last few days.

We've booked her in with the vet for Monday just for a check up and to get some flea and worm meds for her. Do we think Stronghold and Milbemax?

Sounds like she's adjusting well. Good news.

Are you sure that Battersea didn't worm and flea her? I'd have thought they would given that they went as far as a dental - and you don't want to give two lots of meds right on top of others. Worth checking and your vet will likely want to know as well.

She had some stronghold on the 11th of February so she was due again when we got her. You've just reminded me that I should have told the vets to ring Battersea to have her records faxed over though :)

For some reason I had it in my head that I should completely empty the litter tray and clean it a couple of times a week but I've no idea where I got that idea since someone up thread said they only do that once every couple of months. How often should I be doing that given she's an indoor cat? The chick crumb we've been using clumps really well and we've been scooping the wee and poo out as soon as we know she's used the tray (most of the time I hear her scratching and do it straight away). Is it madness to empty out the litter a couple of times a week to give the tray a clean and then put the same litter back in, only actually chucking the lot once in a while? We're keen to do that from an environmental perspective rather than as a money saving exercise (nothing is too much for our PFC).

A couple of times a week is good practice. Mine wees on curtains if the tray isn't clean.

Thanks. Do I need to ditch all of the litter each time or can I just do that every couple of weeks?

I think it depends whether you use clumping or non-clumping. I've always used fuller's earth clumping and I've found that with a good depth of litter in the tray, you can lift out the clumps or poos (in my case I then make a little parcel with old newspaper for dumping) pour in some to refresh and only put the whole lot out 'regularly'. No way would I be washing it out twice a week unless Seniorboy had some sort of infection where that was necessary.

I think that with non-clumping, the pee travels down to the bottom of the tray so more frequent cleaning and whole tray dumping would be necessary then, I assume.

Like you, I clean up very soon after I hear it being used - I give it 10 minutes for a pee to allow the clump to form properly.

Might be a good idea for you to have a second tray for the cupboard. Then you can have it ready for seamless transition at cleaning times.