Got a cat...and I'm feeling nervous

[Mirabeladawer]

My DD (almost 5) was desperate for a cat. We are all animal lovers, I grew up with cats and dogs and I loved them dearly. But I grew up in the countryside, with lots of land around the house and the pets were independent and easy to look after.

Different situation now, we live in a suburban house with a small garden. I got a kitten today (half heartedly) but I thought DD will love it and it will be worth it.

Of course, it's only our first day, but house already stinks of cat food and cat wee as I suspect she's done something behind the furniture where she spent all day. She's not eaten or drank anything until late in the eve, she's crying non-stop...and my DD wasn't even so fussed about the kitten. We put it down to her being in a bit of a shock that's she's finally got a cat.

Overall a bit overwhelming for everyone.

Please tell me it gets better.

We don't have a cat flap and the cat will be mostly indoors with controlled outdoor play. I dread the mess and the smell in the house, it gives me severe anxiety.

Please be gentle, I just need some advice on how to adjust and what to expect.

Zooplus is a good website for cat towers. Ours also have an extra tall scratching post which we have put near a window. They often perch on the top and look out.
Kittens love variety and get bored of toys quickly. Keep a variety of toys but rotate them. Boxes with holes in, pop up tunnels and scrunched up paper are all good fun.
I used to make a play den most days for mine to play with. Move bits around and it keeps them amused.

I had huge amounts of anxiety when we got our kitten last year. It was a bit along the lines of post natal depression, it was that bad
But he's been her for over a year now and we love him sosososo much. Even when he takes the whole sofa while I am trying to work while lying on there.
I'd recommend this litter, he mostly goes outside now but when he was still using his tray a lot of the time it really helped with the smells:
www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/tigerino/tigerino_special_care/707385

She is gorgeous! 😍

Look up Jackson Galaxy videos on YouTube, really helpful on cat behaviour and how to keep them active & happy , especially if mainly an indoor cat.

I also recommend a cat tree, ideally near a window it can see out of, and lots of play toys to rotate through. The smell problem will go as others have said - just remove the poo immediately. If it starts to smell like wee add a fresh thin layer of litter half way through the week, and ventilate the room when you can. Don't use air fresheners or litter fresheners as the smell can put cats off - they have a much more sensitive sense of smell than humans.

Pop a small Teddy of some sort into her bed for her to snuggle up to.

She's beautiful. Do you know if she was toilet trained before you got her? It's worth trying to put the litter tray somewhere quiet so she feels safe there and if you can shut her in that area for a few hours she'll get to know it's there. Obviously leave a few toys in there and some food the other end! If you've got time, might be worth cleaning the litter tray out about four times a day. It's not a good idea to change her food as she's got enough to adjust to, but you might be able to find something that doesn't smell so much later on.

I had two cats previously, and DH only committed to two others as long as his sleep didn't get disturbed. I got up at 5am the next morning for work and there was no containing them, they were bombing around the house. I really wondered what I'd done, but I love them to bit know and they're well worth it.

Thank you. The family said she was litter trained but I couldn't see the litter tray and I suspect they were just going outside, under supervision. She did mention that. We will have to do the training I think.

Yes, that's a good idea putting the litter tray somewhere quiet and shutting her there. We did it for the night but didn't seem to work. I'm sure we will get there. Just takes some time.

Good idea, we have hundreds of teddies that never get played with 😁

Thank you, I'll check the videos!

When the cat is old enough to go out let it out when it wants to go out. It's kinder to the cat and your house won't smell.

oh she's beautiful OP. Very good news to hear she's purring this morning. Kitty purrs are very hard to ignore 😍

In terms of smell - this cat litter is the best I’ve found for preventing odour, and now my cat will refuse to use anything else! We also have one of those litter trays that has a lid/door, and that really helps too.

www.amazon.co.uk/Odoulock-70011-Cat-Litter-Cats-12kg/dp/B00LXYHLQI/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?crid=1JBGUN8BW4IAZ&keywords=odourlock+cat+litter&qid=1663322906&sprefix=odour+lo%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-8

Enjoy!

She is so pretty!

This is very true! I’ve been raw feeding my girl for almost two years and she has no more stinky poos!

😊 thank you, she is a darling. She is following me around the house today and purring. She's playful so I think we are on the right track

I'm a pet lover, I was obsessed with cats when I was younger so I do think the animals feel that. We seem to develop friendships very quickly so I surprised myself last night with feeling like I made a mistake. I was feeling really down, so thank you everyone for your advice xx

Thank you, I'll look into that x

If she pees on the floor again, mop up with kitchen towel and put it under the litter in the tray. The scent of her own urine might help encourage her to go there. They often toilet in the same place and recognise it by smell.

Oh that's a good idea! x

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/cats_best/42875?zootopia_rec=true&cn=initial&si=3&pn=web_pdp&pr=container_1&strategy=51920183&rk=1-2&slot=2&pi=42875&rri=11c3b04d-4c1e-4a26-b01c-ce038e8f7e69 this is the best cat litter.

i agree with others get another one soon, can’t you rescue one? Or ask the irresponsible owner for a sibling.

Awww 😍

Yes, I felt like I was starting PND yesterday. Feeling a lot better today. Posting here has made a lot of difference, at least at recognising that it's very normal.

We had a better day today. Kitten was very playful and has been purring a lot. Follows me around the house and played with DD too. Still has moment of distress looking for her family but we are getting there. Litter tray still a challenge but I'll look into the zooplus. Reading some reviews not everyone seems impressed with it.

I love having our cat, she is no problem at all, but we adopted her when she was about 6 years old and she was already house trained. Also we live in a quiet place with a cat flap so she can come and go as she pleases. Kittens sound like hard work so I would go for adopting an older cat every time. Too late for you now but hang in there, it gets better when they’re older.

Mine have always been 'single' kittens, and it's never been a problem. You really do not necessarily need two kittens. Mine have always been happy. In fact sometimes two kittens may not get along once they become adults. Stick to one!

Aww, she’s lovely!

I highly recommend Cats Best Litter - it’s a bit more pricey, but definitely worth it. Everything “clumps” which makes it much easier to clean out.

Is your litter tray open or enclosed. I ended up going for a large enclosed one. You can make the litter deeper, which makes it even easier to keep on top of the mess. No accidental spraying over the edge like with an open one. And the cat gets privacy for their ablutions! Basically, I put together two of my hates - pub toilets where you have to contort yourself to squeeze between loo and door to then shut the door - and nightmares where you’re on the loo, but there’s no door. Decided my cats bathroom would be fit for a prince 🤣

We did look into adopting an older cat, but the closest rescue (Battersea) had required a cat flap for all the cats we were looking at, so we gave up pretty quickly as it would cost us a huge amount of money having one. All the windows and doors towards the garden are double/tripple glazed and we would have to replace one window. I'd not be happy with the cat going through the front door into the street we live on. Not massively busy but busy enough.