Equipment advice

[Mumdiva99]

Firstly...apologies for lack of picture. I don't yet have mu kittens but will happily post when I do.

I am just preparing for the happy arrival of 2 kittens. What is the best scratching post/tree/mat to get?

What is the best type of cat carrier? I didn't know there were so many choices.....will I need 1 or 2? Obviously at the moment they can share but what about when they are grown up? Soft or hard? Easy to store? Easy to clean?

Your advice is gratefully received.

I have a kalven scratching post, pricey but really good quality. Top entry baskets are good, especially if they don't like going in to the basket. And you don't have to take the whole thing apart at the vet, when they refuse to come out. I'd get a hard one. As it will give more protection in the everybody a crash. Get two because you won't get two cats in one carrier.
People on here will say that you don't need beds because they won't use them. But mine do use theirs. The fluffy marshmallow beds seem very popular.

Kittens often seem to like igloo beds to hide away in. I agree with PP to go for top-loading, hard carriers, and you'll need one for each cat. There's no need to spend a fortune as they'll hate being in their carriers no matter how fancy they are! Line the carriers with newspaper when you use them as the stress of being boxed up can sometimes cause little accidents.

I’ve splashed out on padded airline carriers. My cats love to use all my cat carriers as beds. - it wasn’t the plan, I just wanted carriers I could strap into my car and the digs wouldn’t squash. Sometimes they decide to share and sometimes not.
There are some gorgeous cat trees out there. Just try to pick a strong one. I let my cats scratch in select places - for example the log basket and various pieces of carpet (the sample pieces from the carpet shops).

I bought a scratching post that was about £25. They use it occasionally now, but prefer real trees outside.

We had a metal cage already for when we had a dog, and just use that for trips to the vet. It is hard, but easy to soften up with a towel or fleece. It fits both of them.

As with children, resist the temptation to overbuy. Cats find their own places in your house, eg under a bed or in an Amazon box.

My cat is quite happy with large amazon basics scratching posts and hates any type of bed designed for cats rather than humans. Yours will no doubt have their quirks so I wouldn’t spend too much money on anything until you work out their preferences.

Definitely get 2 top entry carriers. When we had 2 we’d try to put them in together because they preferred it but it wasn’t always feasible so often needed to use the second.

I bought 1 carrier to start with as they both fitted in one for a while. Got the second when they were too big to fit together. I got plastic ones with a metal door from pets at home. They sit open stacked on top of each other in our spare room and one of my cats goes into the top one for a sleep sometimes. There is a small blanket in it.

Tall scratching post was from pets at home and cat tree was from zooplus. They like cardboard boxes and the kids beds for sleeping. One sometimes hogs the couch too

Thank you all for your advice.

I have ordered the basic amazon cat carrier for now. @Bargebill19 I'd be keen to know the brand of soft carrier you also have. (As I might need a second one...)

I have got the triangle scratcher as it looks like fun to run up and jump off. I can turn it around too.

It’s from Zooplus (as was cheaper then amazon)

It has a shoulder strap and a carry handle. Our vets love them (I have two so far and will order another soon). The floor is suspended so the cat is less jostled. They are airline approved.

If you are buying items online, keep the cardboard boxes they came in and cut some slots and holes in for the kittens to get in/out of or pop their paws through! Our two spent much of the first week sleeping in a laundry basket, but one does like the mushroom bed.

When we bought them home we were advised to put both in the same carrier.

Scratch posts, ours only use big thick vertical ones - they completely ignored the horizontal cardboard and catnip ones.

Definitely top loading hard shell carriers, having recently had to deal with a poosplosion on way back from vets I am glad the carrier was easy to clean! Top-loading makes life so much easier, especially if you ever have to take an injured cat to the the vets.

I would get a basic (but tall) scratching post and a flat cardboard scratcher.

Thanks @bargebill19 I will look that up.

@Madcats we are already collecting boxes to make into beds/play areas. Great idea.

I only trust the top entry metal wire carriers - made by either MetalCote or MDC, both brands are pretty much identical. Cost a little more than some but they will last for the lifetime of your cats. These are what the rescue I fostered for use and they are pretty much the only escape-proof carrier if used correctly.