Newbie owner

[N0tfinished]

Hi All
We're brand new cat owners, a gorgeous ginger boy moved in over the summer & has charmed us all. He is so fun & sweet, we're all mad about him. Can't find any sign of owners locally, so we guess he was dumped (we're on a country road) or is lost. No collar, but a spayed boy.

He's been wandering in & out so does his business outside. As winter approaches I want to get ready for him being inside overnight, I can't imagine putting him out when it's cold and raining. Also he starts calling outside our windows in the middle of the night which isn't great.

I need a litter tray and something for water as he has never drank water indoors. What kind of litter should I look for? How is it disposed of? Is there any type I can put on the compost heap?

Also are there specific types of water dispensers that encourage them to drink indoors?

Thank you all very much. I always considered myself a dog person but this little chap (Paul) is a total charmer!

He's lovely. But have you had him scanned for a chip? Cats can wanted a long way, and he may still have a family who are missing him.

I scoop the litter and put it in a for poo bay and it goes in he bin.

Oh Paul is gorgeous.I love ginger boys. It might be as well to check if he has been microchipped in case he is lost and has an owner looking for him.

Regarding litter trays, I've always found that cats take to one really easily.
My cat is a feral street boy, but used his litter tray straight away as we kept him n for 6 weeks when we first rescued him.
I just bag the litter up and bin it.
I can't bear litter hanging around so just put a sheet of newspaper in the bottom, a litter tray liner, another sheet of paper then a sprinkle of litter.This is completely changed every time he uses it
This way the tray is always clean.I use Catsan.
Maybe a good idea to take him for a check up too.Good luck he's lovely.😻

My boys have a cat flap and no litter tray, they just go out when they need to. If the weather was absolutely dreadful with deep snow I might give them a tray on a temporary basis (I use the crystal litter, which is brilliant) but generally they manage.

Just a bowl for water,but if he is anything like my previous cats he will drink from any odd water source rather than clean water in a bowl. Also depends on the food he is given, my current cat doesn’t drink much as he has a frozen wet food and only drinks noticeably when I forget to defrost his food and he has biscuits.

Paul is a very handsome chap, I think he has found his place in life! If you haven’t taken him to a vet yet then it would be a good idea, they can check for a chip, get him one if he hasn’t got one ( I think they are going to be compulsory at some point) and get hold of decent flea/tick/ worm treatment as well as innoculation against cat flu. Cat ownership isn’t cheap, even when they turn up on the doorstep.

You need to take him to the vets. He's probably chipped

Ok will check for chip. That will involve buying a car carrier for transport to vet I guess... I was suspicious that he wandered off as he was far too confident & not even a tiny bit scared. Also too healthy looking to be feral. Thanks everyone xx

If he is chipped needs to go back to his owners.

Some animal charities locally may have a chip reader without having to carry him to a vet.

If you are keeping him, you will need a carrier anyway.

Please get him checked for a chip - some charities will come to you so you won't need to take him to the vet.

Cats can wander miles and miles from home - if he's healthy and neutered he's very likely to be someone's pet.