What do you wish you knew before bringing home your first cat?

[yantzee]

I've just met our pfc (precious first cats) for the first time - we'll be bringing them home in just under three weeks. I've got a week off to welcome them.

They're brother and sister (Albus and Luna - thoughts?? I know not factually correct but I can't ignore that lightening bolt on his head and Harry is too obvious!) and will be 10.5 weeks when we get them.

We're in central London on the second floor (huge balcony and the run of a big flat), and have disposable income to spend on them if we need to - toys, treats etc

What do you wish you'd known before you got your kitty?? What's a waste of money, what should we spend money on, how do we make them feel safe and secure?? They're already very loved but I know they'll be scared. Help!

That they'll much prefer sleeping in an old
cardboard box rather than the nice cosy cat bed you spent money on!

Those expensive toys? Forget them. Nothing is more interesting for my 3 month old than random, worthless stuff. Think bits of plastic, wrappings...

That they can get into a gas fire and any other hole that you think they can't fit into

-but the daft things generally can't get back out again so it's best to plug up all holes before you have to pay a fortune to get the gas engineer to come and rescue them

They don't sleep in cat beds.

Also - I had a friend and his kitten fell out of his balcony 🙁
So - do be very careful - little kittens are fun, and play a lot, and can chase just about anything - so a bird on a tree, or a fly might send rhem off...

I'd also make sure you find a vet nearby, just to have his details. And take them there for check/ups and vaccination.

My vet showed me how to trim my cat's nails - which came handy a both for my furniture and hands - before kitty learned to play with soft paws.

What else - I didn't know my current cat splatter her litter all over - she is a vigorous one, lol
And luckily - when I realised that I found a litter tray with a cover
👍👍👍

They'll have you wrapped around their paws as soon as they're home.
Practical question, will the balcony be cat proofed so they can't fall?

That the stress of a move can cause toileting issues, ie the cat using soft furnishings rather than the litter box. My cat was a bit older when I brought him home (10 months) but after he repeatedly wee'd on the bed and pooped on the couch, I spent the 4 months sloooowly acclimatizing him to our house. At the time I regretted getting him, but 5 years later all is well and it's a distant memory!

The best value of all the stuff I've bought over the last few years (I have four) are two little laser lights that I bought from the pet shop for €2 each. Drives them mental, great fun. The minute I even a pick one up and the eyes on our ginger furball go all big and black, ready to play.

Tried a scratching post but they still prefer the couch .

Bought a cat tunnel from Lidl / Aldi (can't remember which) and they love that too. And the sticks with the toys on the end are good for their hunting instincts .

mom that's awful, how sad

its fence (can't think of a better word...) is solid glass and comes to boob-ish height, and I'm quite tall. There are cats above and below us that I see on the balcony but it is something I'm worried about! I think it will be supervised access to start with (luckily it's scorchio so I can work on my tan lines)

I know this might seem really basic, but is the cat food specifically for kittens helpful to them??

Boob-high glass should be OK, provided you don't push chairs next to it.
When we moved from one flat to another with a balcony - my cat was a little over a year - so sort of fully grown, yet, a little kittenish in behaviour, still.
Our balcony has metal railing - easy to squeeze through. So I did a demonstration - I held her (firmly) in my hands and moved her over the railing. I wanted her to realise that it's high. And be scared a bit.
We have trees near the balcony and birds sometimes sit there and tease kitty 🙁
Don't know is the shock exposure helped - but she's been quite careful.

As to the food - best really is to ask your Vet.

The vet told my friend it's just a con kitten food. I use it on my 14 week old but I don't think I'll be as strict as I was with my first one who I gave it to for a year. I'm in a flat also. Can you get some floating shelves fitted?with supports. They've been very handy. Make sure your wardrobes etc are tethered to the walls and if you have Venetian blinds put them up Afew inches and took the pulley but in. Flat cats are great if you intended to open your windows they've been a godsend to me. www.flat-cats.co.uk/mobile/index.php and if you have money to burn these litter trays are great for a flat m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter_litter_boxes/litter_boxes_nofilter/litter_boxes_without_filter/213992?gclid=CM2Vi_DYzdQCFU8o0wod1iYE9Q keep checking in here everyone has been so helpful to me over the past year. I'm having central London flat envy!!!

Cat beds and scratch posts are a waste of money . Ours are still standing untouched 5 years after we got our kitty ! The carpet however is a different story !

I thought our cat was going to be a pet that would slot nicely into our life. Ha ! Wrong ! She has us at her beck and call , we are her slaves . She won't just go and eat her food on her own, she pats me with her paw until I get up ,walk her to the kitchen and watch her eat.

And don't even get me started on the palaver of her wanting to go outside! Sits by the door and meows, I get up , open the door , she smirks at me and goes to sit in the chair I've just vacated. I sit in another chair, she gets up sits by the door and meows .......

Wouldn't be without her though.

They piss. Everywhere. Never again!

We got a kitten in a flat with a balcony. Within a year we had moved to a flat with a garden. He was so bored and unhappy without outside space. I think by nature they need it

id still be concerned about a balcony, because cats are nosey and will eventually try and jump onto the railing. are you able to put something along the top to stop them? or even get them harnesses and attach to extendable lead when theyre on the balcony

Just that you will become a slave to them. Enjoy.

Some cats like uptight scratching and others like flat on the floor scratching. They are fussy about cratching posts, had to try 3 before one was adopted, have not had a problem with the sofa being destroyed since. Wood pellets are amazing, much better than clumping clay. Food away from the water or they don't drink much. Research cat food, the quality is really uneven.

I didn't know I was handing over all power and authority of my household to a small furry dictator.

i didn't know that wallpaper would become a thing of the past.

I didn't know i would fall in love!

m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/scratching_posts/scratching_barrell/194645?gclid=CJjH6JDFztQCFUQ6Gwod3_AA_w mine use it all the time

Sirius and Regulus just had to say hi.

This is supposed to be good.

Omg those cats are divine what breed are they?

Get a covered litter box (something like this), it keeps the litter (and smell!) in!
One of ours is a vigorous digger! The other is very stupid and can't work the door, but if you train them from kittens they'll be fine!

Covered litter box is a must for indoor cats. Also lots of people are getting into raw food now, supposed to be very good for their teeth. If money no object, check out Nutriment. A few of the people I cat sit for use it and their cats are glossy beauties!

I also recommend a covered litter box (or three!), we had a corner one which worked well. We had a big barrel scratching post for a previous cat which she loved, these guys would rather use the sofa.

Each not sure if you meant me or the OP, but mine are rescue moggies of unknown paternity.

pants they are beeeautiful!

There's a pure white love downstairs who escaped a few weeks ago, her poor owner was chasing her around our (muddy) park. Her nonchalant yet mischievous attitude spurred me on to commit to our two!

I wasn't sure if the covered boxes were a gimmick so good to hear them get good reviews!

Thank you everyone!