Adopting our first cat

[Rosio]

We had a home check this weekend and have been approved to adopt a 4 year old female 😍 very excited. Any tips? I'm going to get a cat carrier and litter tray today and some food. I don't know when she'll be coming but will be sometime this week. I have bowls and dreamies so far.

Cat litter- 3 people have all recommended different types to me. Clumping/non clumping/wood so not sure who's advice to take! What's the difference?

Do cats have a bowl of biscuits out all day? I know she has a pouch of gourmet perle morning and night.

Will have more questions soon no doubt

Stick to the same food and litter she already uses. You can change over gradually once she's settled if you want or need to.

I've always kept new rescues in a spare room with all their stuff for at least the first night, they'll let you know when they're ready to come out.

A top opening carrier makes things much easier!

Allocate a room for your cat to settle as they tend to be really anxious and confused at first.

keep inside for a few months until settled as cats tend to try and go back to their previous home when they have been moved.

keep on same food if possible as a change in food can cause stomach upset in some cats

cats will eat if they have access to food so don’t leave a bowl out full. This can cause over eating and weight problems. Set mealtimes are better but access to fresh water all times

cats are very clean so make sure litter is changed at least once a day. Otherwise they might go elsewhere

feliway spray and plug in is very good for settling cats, I used this with moving home with my anxious boy and he settled within a day happy as anything!

lots of cuddles! You will know if they want to be left alone

how exciting for you!

Ferimone spray and plug in great, help calm a cat

You absolutely don't have to change the litter every day! Scoop out solids, yes, but we're fine with a full change once a week.

And not all cats overeat. Most of ours have been fine with dry food left out; one can't be trusted. YMMV.

Don't go overboard buying things for her. But do get in a couple of cardboard boxes and some rolled up bits of foil (the foil off mint viscounts is especially fun because of the smell!).

Thanks for the tips! Good idea about having a quiet place she can hide, we have 2 kids under 4 so will be noisy at times (she's lived with a 4 year old before) so I'll make sure she can get upstairs for quiet. (Kids can't get past the stair gate but hopefully she can climb through or over it as she pleases)
I also like the cardboard box and foil idea! Thank you 😊

As pp have said, keep on the same food and you can gradually change over time, same with the litter. I use wood pellets and scoop out poo and pee as & when, topping up if it gets low, with a full change every 2 weeks (to fit in with bin day!). I do leave dry out 24/7, as a) mine self regulate their food intake and b) they are grazers, so eat very little & often e.g. half a pouch at breakfast today (between 2 cats) is still only half eaten, rest will probably go in little bits during the day. Check with the rescue whether they seem to prefer wet or dry as cats, like humans, have different tastes.

Quiet room yes, but try to spend some time in there with her. Reading, watching TV, talking quietly etc. so she just gets used to your presence & voice. Let her come to you, don't push the contact.

Ideally 2 litter trays, preferably in a tucked away place so she feels safe there. Another vote here for Feliway or similar, works with the majority of cats.

Get good insurance, ideally with lifetime cover. One of mine has just been diagnosed with kidney failure and he will need blood tests, urine tests and BP checks every month for as long as he lives. This could be a few years yet, and lifetime cover means that he will get that paid for as long as he's with us and I only have to pay the excess once a year.

Watch Jackson Galaxy on YouTube. He is the ultimate cat whisperer and has loads of tips on settling in new cats, or resolving problems etc.

And finally remember the cat tax when you get her home - we need pics!

Wow I’m quite surprised some don’t change the litter every day, we have always done that to keep it clean.

it might be because ours is very fussy 🤣

Thanks so much! she's coming Thursday evening 😻

Yay - only 36 hours to go then 😁

50/50 chance she will run & hide away for a few days, mine lived behind the sofa for 3 days except after I'd gone to bed & they snuck out to eat, drink & use the tray. Don't worry, that's quite normal. Just make sure there's plenty of food and water, a littler tray nearby, and spend time in the room with her

Start with the cheapest cat litter and if she accepts it you are onto a winner as it really does add up.

Most cat shelters will send the cat home with a blanket it had in its pen. It’s reassuring for the cat for you to keep this with them as they will be familiar with the smells so I would put that in the quiet room.

It’s a good idea to put the tops you and your partner wore the day before in the corners of the room (not right by their own blanket) so the cat can get familiar with your smells.

Get at least one scratching post per floor of your house.

Get a feliway plug in.

Get different shaped and sized toys and spray them with cat nip.

Always have the water bowl in a different area to the cats food as most cats don’t like them close together

Keep all windows shut for the first fortnight at least.

Before she goes outside, when you put her food down every morning and night shake the cat biscuit box and say her name. Then when you start letting her out shake the box and say her name when you want her to come back.

I need to get to shop tomorrow to get a feliway plug in since you all recommend one. Think we are all set apart from that. Good advice about saying her name and shaking the box when feeding her so she knows what I sound like too

Ooh how exciting!

Youve had some good advice here including to stick with the food and litter she’s currently on. If you look at moving her to something different, I really rate Cat’s Best clumping wood litter. Can go down the toilet, is more environmentally friendly as it’s wood, and clumps making litter cleaning much easier.

Book a vets appointment quite quickly so you’re all set in case of any emergencies. I’d prioritise a vet who is close over anything else. Ask them about insurance plans - practices and practice chains often do good health plans that can be more cost efficient than insurance companies (eg our old vet did a health plan which included regular free teeth cleaning and nail clipping which was important for our very feisty older cat).

I would get a collar - a stretch one, not a ‘quick release’ one. This means you’re less likely to have someone inadvertently steal your uncollared cat thinking they are stray. Quick release - there are so many horror stories of them not releasing and cats getting stuck, so I’ve always been advised to get stretchy instead.

Covered litter boxes are a thing that exist and are amazing and are 10000% less messy than litter trays.

Cats are creatures of habit, keep food and litter the same for the time being. Water bowls need to be kept as far away from food and litter as possible so food water and litter as far away as practical! My cat has 2 litter trays one for pee and one for poo. Cats best is brilliant, it isn't cheap but it definitely doesn't need changing once a day...or even once a week! Daily you need to scoop out poo and wee clumps, top up trays as they need it. Your cat will guide you 😸

Oh no I've got some quick release collars today doh. I'm sticking to the food and litter she's already on, apparently she's picky about her food, gourmet perle only 😅
Interesting that her food water and litter all need to be far apart from each other.

Good advice about the pet plan through the vets rather than insurance too thanks guys

Vet plans and insurance are very different things!

The vet plan will cover regular checkups, jabs, flea & worm treatment and sometimes some dental procedures e.g. cleaning. Sometimes it also comes with a bit of a discount on products and services at the vets. It will NOT cover non-routine appointments due to injury or illness, related tests & drugs, or operations.

Insurance covers injuries and illnesses, with all related treatments tests & drugs. In addition, some cover advertising for lost/missing cats. It will NOT cover routine checkups, jabs, flea and worm treatments, special diets, most don't cover any dental costs.

My pair are indoor only so don't need monthly worming or flea treatment, so a vet plan is not economical for me with (usually) only the 1 visit a year for MoT and jabs.

However I am very grateful I have insurance as Boycat has renal failure so having already cost me about £300 for appointment, tests & diagnosis, will need to go in for checks about every month for what's left of his life which could be a few years still. This will only cost me my £95 excess once a year.

She's here she's mostly been under the bed since she arrived and is snoozing there now. I'll leave her to it for tonight, she's had some dreamies under there ☺️

@Rosio congratulations!!

i hope she settles in well. I’m picking up my two new babies tomorrow I’m so excited. Any chance of a picture once she has settled in?

Cat tax!
(please may we have a picture of her? 😊)

Beautiful girly 😻 she came out from under the bed about 230am after I'd settled toddler back to sleep who had been crying. She was meowing and I thought probably wanted the litter tray which she then found outside the room. Then came in and was purring and having cuddles 🥰 she jumped on our bed for a bit then went downstairs til morning where she is now hiding back upstairs again from the toddler lol. She's lived with a young child before so I'm sure she'll come round soon, and he will get used to her too

She's gorgeous. I love baby panthers.

Oh she's lovely!!! Congrats on your new family member 🧡