Help our rescue boy arrives Thursday

[MarthasGinYard]

This is our first family pet.

We get our approx 2 yr old boy on Thursday. He is adorable and we are very excited, dd is 7 and has been adding to a comprehensive list of things to get. Fab Rescue lady has sent a list of a things too.

Can anyone recommend anything that's fab and where best buys are? We have lovely new beds but nothing else.

We need a soft brush as he's quite fluffy although partly shaved at present as he was found very neglected.

We need scratching post and toys and anything else you can think of.

Any help at all would be hugely appreciated. Many thanks.

Look on zooplus.co.uk cat section everything you could want and more and good prices!

If you have a Home Bargains nearby their scratching posts are only £5 and they often sell litter trays, toys, food bowls etc cheaper than pet stores.
Post a pic when you can!

Fantastic, yes will look at both and we have a huge home bargains in next town hadn't thought of there that's great.

Many thanks

Will post a pic ASAP
So excited

Congratulations!
Get lots of things for him to scratch- but be ware he’ll probably ignore all of them and go for your sofa’s instead!
I bought an expensive cat bed only for it to be ignored for 10 months until I (whispered) that I might give it to my brothers cat... he’s barely left it since😹
One of the best things I was advised on here was to get a litter tray plus one extra- I’ve had no accidents since.
Also ‘Da Bird’..... my cat is very indifferent to a lot of toys but he absolutely loves this.

I got a soft brush from pets at home , the make is ‘the groom room’. Mine is a short hair so doesn’t need much brushing but he will just about tolerate it with this.

The rubber Zoom Groom brushes are really good, get loads of hair off. Keep all the cardboard boxes, cats love them and look for a fluffy or fleece blanket, they are only about 5 pounds.

Catnip toys are always popular and will be fun for you to watch his reactions

Thanks Ski

Just googled 'Da Bird' hadn't got a clue what would come upthink our boy will be getting one of those for sure.

Do you mean a really large litter tray or two separate ones

Sorry if silly questions

Lots of Kong chew toys. Lots of balls. A big soft blanket .

Loads more to google now this is great thanks all.

Also What kind of carrier can you recommend?

Oops I have just realised it is a cat not a dog

There's a UK made alternative to Da Bird that's even better, look up the Purrsuit available on Purrs In Our Hearts.

And Yeowww branded catnip toys are the best, especially the banana.

I'd get one of those multi-level cat towers if you have the space, so he has somewhere to climb higher up and they also come with built in scratching posts. Zoo Plus and Amazon have them at good prices. The smaller ones only take up a 60cm x 60cm of floor space.

And for carriers the top opening metal type are the most secure and easy to put cats in, we love these at our rescue. www.metalcote.co.uk/

Two litter trays

Astrantia

Thought they looked a bit big

I've only just bought a zoom groom, omg it's brilliant. Also get a tangle teaser if he's fluffy.

My cats adore their mice from Mollies mice. I have a curver picnic basket style carriers. I very handy if they refuse to come out of their boxes at the vets.

I managed to get a carry crate from Amazon with a front door, a top door and the whole top half can be removed. I load them in the top door, and they come out of the front.

Mine love the laser pointer as well as Da Bird. Remember lots of Dreamies for bribery . Oh & I've been told that they prefer ceramic bowls to plastic ones, especially for water.

When you get him home, let him approach you in his time. Some cats are all over the house & their new slaves in minutes, others can take days to emerge from whatever hiding place they've found. And remember he shouldn't go out for 3-4 weeks until he is 100% sure that your house is his new home. A Feliway plug in or similar should help him settle.

Get him a cat tree m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/large

He might be a confident lad and take over the house immediately, or he might be a shy one and need a little bit of time to get to grips with your household. Give him something to hide in, a box, and let him come to you in his own time.

Hope he settles in well for you and you all have a lovely life together. Your DD must be so excited

Ah yes, seconding the advice above. At our charity we recommend dedicating one room of the house for the cat initially for a few days at least - close the door and let them get used to his new surroundings in that room first (with litter tray, food, water and toys in there). That way, if he turns out to be shy, he won't hide in some awkward space and can gradually get to know you all.

Oh and if you have any open fireplaces, block them off to start with! Lots of shy cats end up hiding up chimneys, there is usually a little ledge just inside and somehow they know this and choose to go there...

Super tips and advice here

Thanks for all the well wishes

Think I'll be on 'litter tray' regularly

Mine will only use the flat cardboard box type scratchers. Pets at home do one for about £9 but it has a ball in and comes with cat nip too!
Wouldn't go crazy, I planned for mine to hide for weeks to settle in. He came out the carrier, gazed around, went "this will do" and sat in my lap. He hasn't really moved since and toys are wasted on him
Apart from da bird, which even sent my neighbours ancient cat crazy. He's too arthritic to jump apparently, they said as they gazed upon him leaping into the air

Dcat has no time for balls and what he dismisses as silly little pretend mice but likes toys big enough to wrestle with - a kickeroo and a cuddly cat sized soft toy. But they’re all different!

He came yesterday and he is totally adorable but we do need some advice.

We picked him up and he did a poo in his carrier on way home he must have been so nervous bless him. We showed him litter tray and food, water etc and left him to settle in.

We let him check out house and he seemed to feel very safe under our bed, we left him to it and he came out every now and then for a snuggle and fuss which is so lovely.

We found he had done a wee then on top of bed. We left him in kitchen last night and when we came down this morning he was full of fuss, he's lovely. He then came into hallway and did a wee on some carrier bags which were near the door waiting to go back into car.

I have contacted his foster carer who has referred me to the lady who is in charge of adoptions for some advice.

I thought I'd ask here too.

How best to get our gorgeous little boy to use his loo?