Adopting a boy!

[DidYeAyee]

I've wanted a cat for a long time now, but lived near a main road and near lots of dogs before so decided against it.

Recently moved to a much quieter area away from busy roads and no dogs and tonight spotted a gorgeous boy on my local CP page who sounded like he'd fit right in with us.

We are going to visit him at his foster-home next week and have been told to bring carrier and adoption fee as we can take him straight home if the visit goes well.

Obviously that's really exciting but I need to prepare at least some basics for him to come home to and I've never adopted a cat before so can anyone advise on what I should get to begin with and questions I should ask his fosterer?

Read this, really comprehensive (and good) advice: www.catchat.org/index.php/new-cat-in-the-home

Ideally you should prepare one room for him to settle in, with all his stuff in. You'll need at least a litter tray and litter, food and water bowls (ceramic is better than plastic), wet food, dry food (ideally from Pets at Home or somewhere, some supermarket brands like GoCat are absolute rubbish...), something to scratch (a good sized scratching post and/or one of those flat cardboard box scratchers), some toys, something as bedding (not necessarily a cat bed though, a folded fleece blanket on a chair will be great).

Make sure any house plants are not toxic to cats (avoid lilies from now on in any form!).

As it's CP I assume he will come neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Do you get a one month's free pet insurance voucher? Look into insurance anyway.

Great advice above. Just to add, if you can find out what brand of food he is eating at his foster home, buy some of the same - it will help him settle in and avoid any tummy upsets.

If you want to change him to a different brand once he's settled in, the best way is to mix the two over a few days, gradually increasing the proportion of the new food.

I don't think we have to adjust our home too much - there are definitely no plants or anything to be rid of.

I wonder what the best room to use initially is. We don't have a spare room so practically it would need to be my bedroom or the living room. I suppose we could steer clear of the living room for a short period and let him settle there first of all.

I had planned on letting him out and then leaving for a couple of hours to let him explore, that worked well with a friend's cat who was very timid and staying with us for a couple of weeks but I see now thats not always the best advice.

Will definitely see what food he is on at the moment and stick to that.

Scratching post is a good shout will add that to my list along with bowls, litter equipment etc.

I had wondered about getting a lead when its time to introduce him to the garden - we are in a flat so he has to go downstairs via the shared landing to reach it. Would that help him find his way a bit?

We used our bedroom to settle a new cat when we were in a house with no spare room. Some cats are eager to explore, but others hide themselves away for a period (last new cat took three days to come out!) though they will pop out when no one is there to eat, drink and use the tray.

You should allow a few weeks before letting him outside, by which time he will know the smell of your apartment and will probably find his own way there and back (but you can go with him the first few times).

I have never tried to lead-train a cat - you would need to get him into a harness first and spend some time getting him used to it. Even dogs don't 'understand' a lead automatically - they don't know without training how to be led.

I would say unless you are planning to walk him on a lead in the long term, it's probably not worth the hassle. Getting a cat to wear a collar can be quite a struggle, let alone a harness.

Thanks all

I was considering a lead purely to let him wander around the garden for the first few times we show him out there, as you say until he gets used to our smell and can find his own way around. If its not really worth it I'm happy to forgo the idea, he's an older boy and I'm sure he'd prefer to be independent at this stage than me lead training him and taking him for actual walks.

My thoughts on using the living room were mainly that we can completely forgo using that room while he gets settled - bedrooms we would be in and out of more to get dressed, go to bed etc. DS has a tv in his room and I'm happy to spend time in my bedroom reading to give the cat some space. I think I might let him have the living room for a few hours, then maybe leave the door open incase he fancies a mooch around whilst we're all asleep.

Is pets at home the best place to get the basics? We have one of those nearby.

Pets at Home will have all the basics - it may not be the cheapest place, though. The Range is generally cheaper for food. If you just want standard cat litter, supermarkets tend to be cheapest but as with food, check what litter he is using at the moment and get the same type to begin with.

I could get to The Range but its much further away than P.A.H. which is basically 3 minutes from my house.

For litter and food I'm happy to stick with what he's settled on.
I didn't want to stock up on loads of things just incase he doesn't take to us. I was hoping to start with a few basic items to make him comfy for the first night or two. I will definitely make a point of going to the range once we know we're definitely keeping him!.

I'm sure he will take to you! I agree with not going mad buying stuff at the beginning - you'll get to know his preferences! It can be tempting at PAH to buy loads of toys and things, but you are best just buying one or two and waiting to see what he likes

Most cats go bonkers for 'Dreamies' cat treats - giving treats can be a good way of bonding and training your cat to come when called, so a little bag of Dreamies (PAH or any supermarket) might be a good investment.

You don't have to vacate the living room, as long as he has somewhere he can hide a bit e.g. between the sofa and a wall, or under a table. As long as you are reasonably quiet in there (TV low, no shouting etc) it can get them used to your voice & presence. Then the only issue is remembering to shut the door until you're ready for them to explore the rest of the flat.

Don't forget he needs to be kept in for the first 3-5 weeks.

Thanks all, it's been a long time since I've had a cat and first time adopting an older one so just trying to get an idea of whats best.

The house will be quiet during the day so I'm thinking he could explore on his own terms when we are at work and school. There are a good few hidey holes for him to escape into if need be and someone else suggested a wee igloo bed. I've found lots of advice online and trying to think of ways to adapt that to work for us.

Definitely be stocking up on dreamies - when I looked after my friends cat she became much braver at the sight if those and hopefully his foster-mum will be able to give me an idea of toys and things he might enjoy to begin with.

He'll be in for the first few weeks for sure then hopefully I can show him the way downstairs and out to the garden when he's ready. I'll need to make sure my LL is ok with a catflap too!