Getting A Cat At Last

[TheNoodlesIncident]

After years of waiting, we are finally in agreement that the time is right and we can actually have a cat

We have found a little cat who needs a new forever home and she should be delivered by the foster carer in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I have the prospect of a bit of shopping, as we have nothing and need to start from scratch... well, all we have is two bowls and a collar with fish printed on, all of which we bought recently while on holiday ( we got a bit over-excited)

I've been surprised at how ordinary items seem to have become a lot more fancy, like litter trays - where is it best to get all these things from? Does anyone have any recommendations for cat stuff, like things we would need and things we really wouldn't...? We have a Vets4Pets nearby and intend to insure and spay her asap.

Please share any thoughts/suggestions/ideas, oh wise and lovely mumsnet cat-people!

(I always thought the time was right, tbh. Only DH had other ideas)

Ooh! Very excited for you!

Sure there will be lots of great advice coming along here.

Off the top of my head:

Don't bother with a cat bed, they find where they want to be so a cardboard box with old jumper in is fine.

Water bowl as well as food bowl/s.

Dreamies cat treats

Cat toys. Although these can be easily be made too. Things like ping pong balls.

Cat stratching post

I got mine from the local garden centre/pet shop place. They were well stocked. I have also found the online company fetch to be good. They are part of ocado.

Also, we need a photo here

I know the score re photos, and wouldn't DARE not supply but I don't have any just yet

Thanks for that, hadn't thought of garden centres either. I never need an excuse to go there....

OK there is an update:

Foster carers have asked that we take on one of the kittens as well, which is super - they hoped to keep one of the kittens, were aware that their resident cats might not take too kindly, but it turned out the level of resentment was just too high.

So. We now have mum cat and one fluffy kitten. The foster carer gave us the leftover kitten food that they had, but the problem is that the kitten doesn't seem to like it and mum eats it instead (or rather, she licks all the jelly off). The kitten apparently doesn't much like wet food and prefers dry, mum is vice versa.

Mum is busily scoffing the wet Applaws; she calls the kitten to come and have some, but then seems to think "Aw, what the hell" and gobbles the rest before kitten can appear. But the kitten DOES seem to like the Applaws and gets the bowl dishwasher-clean.

I wasn't expecting a kitten and only have adult food in stock (wet and dry Applaws), and I'm not comfortable giving it to a kitten (if she could get any). But she's not eating much of the stock kitten food she was on before. Is it just new home blues and she will recover her appetite when she settles, or do I need to try different kinds of kitten food? Thankful for any suggestions...

Separate rooms to eat.

Actually I think it's a Cat Law that they prefer each other's food.

Thanks Kitties, we've tried that but mum sits and yells at the closed door and kitten looks disdainful at the wet stuff. She has had a little dry food today but that's all

rofl at Cat Law... here is kitten

I gave up bothering with kitten food after a couple of days. Pearl wouldn't eat it and just scoffed the others' food and they tried to eat her food which was bad because Fat Cat was meant to be on a diet

I don't know whether they actually need it as she's grown up fine and had no problems eating adult food.

Get a laser pointer for them to chase. Mine love theirs and follow me around the house trying to get me to play with it all the time.

If you can, get a cat water fountain. It's good for them to drink water and they often don't like bowls of water. Get a ceramic or metal one as plastic is bad for their skin. Try to get ceramic food bowls too.

Congratulations on getting kitties

The kitten is lovely

I would feed a mixture of wet and dry food as all dry food can be bad for them. Cats need moisture in order to avoid urinary problems and they often don't drink enough. All wet food is bad because it can lead to tartar build up and gum/dental problems. I think a mixture is best.

Ooh thank you Hidden I suspect in due course they'll be drinking rainwater puddled in the garden rather than the bowl of water lovingly provided (I nearly put in bottled mineral water but then suddenly Got A Grip) which is in a ceramic bowl though. Pic of mum too

We have separate bowls either side of kitchen but they swap over half way through their meal.

Oh, mum is lovely. She looks very poised and elegant

Rainwater is what they like best. Preferably, with some horrible green algae in

Oh my they are both utterly beautiful.

They are both gorgeous but mum is particularly beautiful. I have only 1 cat now but 2 years ago I had 2 oldies and a kitten, feeding them was a nightmare as they all wanted to eat each others' food (we had kitten food & 2 different prescription foods). In the end we stopped using the kitten food & this didn't seem to cause the kitten any ill effects, he is now an enormous healthy adult cat.