How do modern cats work then?

[CookieMonsterIsHot]

We're getting 2 kittens. We are rural with a mouse problem. The whole household is very excited. DH most of all .

Yesterday I found out that a local farm has a litter (2 weeks old). We've arranged to see / choose in a couple of weeks.

DH and I suddenly realised last night that we don't have a clue!

We both had cats as kids but, as per usual, parents did most if the actual cat care. The most we did was to open a can of Whiskas!

Where do we start? What do we need?

Luckily money isn't a big issue for us but I'd like an idea of what I need to budget for.

Is insurance worth it?

They all have riders now.

You have to provide sky+ & pick the brown triangles out of the kibble

Hehe

Litter tray, litter, water and food bowls and a snuggly bed
Get them snipped and chipped
Keep then indoors til they are snipped and chipped

& there is a special attachment to go on the loo - but you have to flush for them - no more litter trays

Insurance is definitely worth it but bear in mind it won't cover vaccinations or neutering.
You'll need a litter tray - possibly 2. And a scratching post. Kittens are fun (and not nearly as hard work as puppies) but can still be infuriating. They'll scratch you to bits, hide in awkward places, chew things they're not meant to and run around the house at night waking you up. But they're fun!

Foods more of an issue but if they are expected to hunt maybe they will sort themselves out. Try and get cereal free wet & dry food. Fresh water has to be available 24/7.

Mice carry worms so you'll need monthly worming, you can get a spot-on product called Broadline that does ticks, worms & fleas. It's prescription only but if the vet writes you a private prescription you can often order them cheaper online.

Is Mum a hunter farmcat? If so, she'll hopefully teach the kits her trade so you stand a better chance of having mousers. (Some cats really can't be bothered.)

I work for a charity and we provide advice on all things cats see www.icatcare.org/advice for lots of info written by vets like me (and including me)

Also rural and we are nearly rabbit and mouse free yippee. Wish we had gotten two which was the original plan. Definitely ours has become a hunting cat but maybe not as cuddly as some cats but he has his momentsx

Most vets will do a scheme where you pay monthly and that covers vaccinations, worming, flea treatments and a regular health check.

Insurance might be worth it because if you're unlucky and they get ill or injured vet care can run into the 1000s. But OTOH it might be enough to put some money aside each month rather than paying out for insurance. I think you probably would want dog health insurance but if you've got a bit of spare money then saving would be enough for cats - and obviously if they don't need medical care, you have the money.

Cats regularly live to old age 15 is normal, 20 is not uncommon and the oldest cat I have dealt with was 30 (documented on our records). So insurance is more valuable as in not small part due to international cat care's fab work we have far more information to keep elderly cats healthy and more drugs, but all of this is not cheap. The are more sociable than they have been historically, but due their complex social needs this is more complicated that historical cat owner relationships.
They will regard you as staff there to provide for their every whims.
When I was a child the farm cat slept in the stable rarely socialised with us and our only real interaction was to feed it. Now my two sleep on my bed each night, sit with me each evening and are around a large part of the day.

Very important not to take kittens from mummycat before they're 8 weeks old at the very minimum (12 weeks is better for mum and kitten). Kittens learn a lot of appropriate cat behaviour from their mother and if you separate them too early it can have repercussions down the line (and very distressing for mum too).

If you're fond of your soft furnishings keep kittens away from them. They are exemplary curtain climbers

They do climb curtains but they soon stop when they get too heavy, and when they're little you just have to take them down every time.

If you want to keep them away from sofas you can spray lemon or tea tree oil onto them as they don't like the smell so won't scratch there. If you're rural they'll have plenty of opportunity to scratch outside. It might be worth getting a log or something for them to scratch on if you've got the room as it's sufficiently different from furniture and carpets. They often get confused with scratching posts.

When I was young, we had a pair of Siamese kittens who would chase each other across the curtains! (Admittedly they were very heavy curtains at a big old bay window but I've never seen that before or since.)

Things I've thought about hugely compared to when I grew up with cats...

I am fussy about what they eat & getting food that is truly high % meat (or even grain free). It's worth researching the best value high meat foods, and I honestly think it makes a huge difference to their coats & teeth. Zooplus is popular place to buy.

I have decided on balance not to insure, especially after discussions with local CPL sharing their own experience, but it's a gamble no matter what you do.

I curfew mine at night which CPL asked of us; nights is when cats tend to get in most trouble.

The modern cat expects you to make a warming device available for them to lounge across at all times. It's called a laptop...........

Our cat was taken from her mum too early- she missed out on the learning how to climb down trees. It's do hard to teach them!

Put butter on their paws for their first trip outside.