New kitten essentials

[wildeverose]

Hi there!
We are one week from welcoming our new kitten to our family, and are first time cat owners.
I've read up and researched quite a lot, I have her registered for her first vaccinations and microchip, she is also insured up to her eyeballs from the day we collect her.

We have heavy duty mesh for the windows and patio door, and she has an under the counter space in the kitchen for her litter tray and bed. In the conservatory she has another bed and some toys, and in the kitchen she has a large cat condo, with enclosed bed and climbing area with scratch posts, with a water cooler in the bottom area. We have bowls and mats, re usable puppy pads for the bedding area.
We also have a large cat tree in the lounge, a radiator hammock, another house with is made of scratch material on top, and a large scratch post. There are 2 other posts dotted around the house. She also has a large plus bed for our room if she wants peace. We have a basket of toys, and two months of kitten food and treats.

Please please hit me up with anything I need that I've missed, any tips for a first time kitten owner - and I've attached a photo because it would be criminal not to, she is so gorgeous! She's a rag doll cross short hair and her name
Is Stella ⭐️

She's beautiful ☺️. Speaking as someone who turned out to be totally unprepared for when ddog came to live with us - lots and lots of cleaning products for carpet accidents!!

Oooo watching with interest as our girl comes home in August!

Your preparation sounds very extensive though, am sure you will be fine...

Oh and Stella is absolutely adorable. Very exciting!

You probably don’t want her litter in the kitchen if you have somewhere else you can put it. It can smell quite grim for a few minutes when they do a poop.

Be prepared to move the scratch posts around a bit when you see where she is interested in scratching. Move the post to wherever she does and you can redirect her.

If she’s a chaser / biter don’t encourage her to play with or chase fingers - always toys or you’ll end up with a bitey cat.

Lots of snuggles whilst she’s so tiny, she might be a bit overwhelmed and shy for a day or two but she will come out of her shell.

Under no circumstances feed her with AVA or Applaws dried food - and check what she is being fed at present. If she's on either of these at present tell the breeder to stop immediately - there has been a recall.

Wow, lucky cat! I would reccomend paper bags and hair bobbles which is all mine like to play with!!

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

Under no circumstances feed her with AVA or Applaws dried food - and check what she is being fed at present. If she's on either of these at present tell the breeder to stop immediately - there has been a recall.

Thank you so much, I have seen the awful news about so many poorly cats. She's on whiskas kitten and I have stocked up with the same.

@RestingPandaFace

You probably don’t want her litter in the kitchen if you have somewhere else you can put it. It can smell quite grim for a few minutes when they do a poop.

Be prepared to move the scratch posts around a bit when you see where she is interested in scratching. Move the post to wherever she does and you can redirect her.

If she’s a chaser / biter don’t encourage her to play with or chase fingers - always toys or you’ll end up with a bitey cat.

Lots of snuggles whilst she’s so tiny, she might be a bit overwhelmed and shy for a day or two but she will come out of her shell.

This is all really useful thank you. Unfortunately it does need to be in the kitchen, however when she's older we do have one or the enclosed boxes with the cat flap and a charcoal filter to reduce the smell. I will be vigilant in cleaning up poop!

Thank you all for your replies so far - we are obsessed with her already!

Put the litter tray in a different room to her food and bed.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Put the litter tray in a different room to her food and bed.

Unfortunately they will need to be in the same room, however the food will be on the opposite side of the kitchen which is a fair way, and I will remove the bed from her litter area as you advised, thank you for this!

The litter tray smell can knock you out so I too would avoid kitchen area for litter tray for hygiene purposes. Is there a downstairs toilet or even the conservatory.

Over the years I have bought paraphernalia that has been left unused by our cats. They'd spend more time in a cardboard box than their fancy bedding. Our new kitten is no different. I bought a large scratching post and he barely uses it, preferring to scratch the couch. He's 3 months now and sleeps on Ds hoodie on the couch.

@Notaroadrunner

The litter tray smell can knock you out so I too would avoid kitchen area for litter tray for hygiene purposes. Is there a downstairs toilet or even the conservatory. Over the years I have bought paraphernalia that has been left unused by our cats. They'd spend more time in a cardboard box than their fancy bedding. Our new kitten is no different. I bought a large scratching post and he barely uses it, preferring to scratch the couch. He's 3 months now and sleeps on Ds hoodie on the couch.

We don't have a downstairs loo sadly, and the conservatory is a playroom for the kids. Not to mention it's SO hot out there, the smell from that would be absolutely atrocious. The place in the kitchen is under a counter top, and Well away from anything so hopefully will be ok. Once she's bigger she's got the enclosed one which will be much better x

Biokat litter from Amazon. Honestly the best. It lasts my two boys about two weeks per bag with absolutely no smell. (Clumps scooped out every evening).
I have tried just about every litter on the market as my two are indoor only and my Fiance is very sensitive to smells. He can hover right over litter tray and smell nothing.

The Yangbaga raised cat bowls from Amazon are the BEST! no food spillage, good for their necks, shallow enough that whiskers aren't irritated etc.
You may need to wait until she's a little bigger though.

Thrive dry food is the best on the market if you plan to add dry to her diet.

I highly recommend the window seats with the suction cups that hold them up. My two 4.5kg boys both snuggle on them, they can be moved easily and are perfect for looking outside if you don't have wide window ledges.

Pet remedy plugin is the best imo. It calmed my boys right down when I got them home. I've used it sporadically over the last year also when moving.

Start trimming her claws as soon as she's settled in. My boys are really used to it now and I just take off the sharpest tip. They don't cause any damage to sofas and it's not uncomfortable for them at all. Check out some videos so you can do it safely.

I don't know if I saw a water fountain on your list? I struggled to get mine to drink until I got one. Most cats prefer fresh moving water.

I recommend not using your hands or feet as toys. I never did, and my boys will freeze if we are playing and my hand gets too close. They are really good at knowing not to attack them at all, even playfully. Tiny kitten claws may be harmless but they get ruthless fast!

Sorry for the essay! Good luck and she looks like the sweetest little thing!

@ScottishNewbie

Biokat litter from Amazon. Honestly the best. It lasts my two boys about two weeks per bag with absolutely no smell. (Clumps scooped out every evening). I have tried just about every litter on the market as my two are indoor only and my Fiance is very sensitive to smells. He can hover right over litter tray and smell nothing.

The Yangbaga raised cat bowls from Amazon are the BEST! no food spillage, good for their necks, shallow enough that whiskers aren't irritated etc.
You may need to wait until she's a little bigger though.

Thrive dry food is the best on the market if you plan to add dry to her diet.

I highly recommend the window seats with the suction cups that hold them up. My two 4.5kg boys both snuggle on them, they can be moved easily and are perfect for looking outside if you don't have wide window ledges.

Pet remedy plugin is the best imo. It calmed my boys right down when I got them home. I've used it sporadically over the last year also when moving.

Start trimming her claws as soon as she's settled in. My boys are really used to it now and I just take off the sharpest tip. They don't cause any damage to sofas and it's not uncomfortable for them at all. Check out some videos so you can do it safely.

I don't know if I saw a water fountain on your list? I struggled to get mine to drink until I got one. Most cats prefer fresh moving water.

I recommend not using your hands or feet as toys. I never did, and my boys will freeze if we are playing and my hand gets too close. They are really good at knowing not to attack them at all, even playfully. Tiny kitten claws may be harmless but they get ruthless fast!

Sorry for the essay! Good luck and she looks like the sweetest little thing!

This is all amazing - thank you so much

Whiskers will make her poo smell awful! Gently convert her to a grain free food like Arden Grange and your nose will thank you!