1st time cat owner - recommend me some things

[CaptainBarnacles1]

I’m super excited to have put in an application to our local cat shelter to adopt a cat. I’m starting to plan what we need. I’ve never had a cat and I’m completely lost on the Pets at Home website looking at all the different products. I am very cautious of accepting any advice from Pets at home as they have a terrible reputation for recommending and selling inappropriate items for Hamsters (my previous pet) and so I’m looking for advice on

• where do you buy the cat basics (are the things sold at Pets at Home generally safe for cats - I know this might sound odd, but some of the hamster products they sell aren’t safe for hamsters - cages too small, dangerous chew toys etc).
• and any recommendations for any of the below (what do you have that your cat loves)
• litter trays
• cat tree
• scratching post
• Toys

Thanks in advance for any advice

Talk to the rescue and keep food and litter the same to start. They may also be able to give u a steer on wether your cat is likely to prefer being a lone cat or with company, (i have had kitten pairs who hated each other as adults)
I like a covered litter tray as it reduces the amount that gets knocked over the side. I also find woodpellet litter doesn't smell as bad as other types and may be slightly better for the planet. You can transition litter and food across to your chosen brand by mixing small amounts of the new in w the old and gradually increasing proportions.
I would buy a cheap scratch post and toy of each type and see what your cat likes before spending lots. Mine now has one of those ridiculous cat trees that cost over £100 😆
Enjoy your new life as a cat servant xx

A litter tray bigger than you thought you'd need
Clumping litter
Good quality wet food 60% meat/fish min
Good quality dry - I use Hills
Mine like the two layer barrell, with circular scratchy sides - it's next to the radiator and they use it.
Horizontal cardboard scratchers with catnip - they come in a chaise longue model which mine love
Shallow bowls
Large water bowl
Mat to go under their bowls
Mine like toys on a stick with feathers, ribbons, bells.

Feliway difuser
Throws for furniture
Pet insurance
A plan with your vet for: flea/worming drops, vaccs and 6 monthly check ups
Microchip
Microchip activated cat flap

Mine tend to sleep on well made, usually freshly laundered adult beds or in the laundry basket, on top of clean clothes.

Oh yes, love and patience but you can't buy that.

Good luck

re unsuitable toys: the feathers-on-a-string-fishing-rod toys can be dangerous as the feathers clip on with a metal clip which my cat bit into and recoiled so i think it hurt her tooth or gum. Now i only get ones that do not have interchangeable feathery bits as those tend to be sewed on so no metal. You can see clearly if you look for the metal so it’s easy to avoid.

I have had cats all my life and the one thing I will recommend is a cardboard box or basket with a fleecy blanket for sleeping in . Over the years we have had various cat beds and my cats have always preferred home made ones from boxes or baskets with a blanket .

Ours love their £34 cat tree

you need bowls for food and a few for water, basic litter tray, we use catsan litter, crinkle balls are a hit here and little mice and chase toys on string oh and a tunnel!

pots of catnip are always appreciated but not all cats react to it.

fluffy throws as well - never had a cat that used a cat bed.

biggest hit here is the radiator bed

Don't fall into the rookie trap of buying beds and blankets and all that stuff. Cats will snort with derision at your puny efforts and choose where they want to sleep.

You will need a litter tray and some cat food.

Literally nothing else. Don't waste your money. Doesn't need toys, special bowls, beds, drug diffusers, scratchers or climbing posts.

I would keep the cat in for a while, until it knows you and your house, maybe a week or two depending how it adjusts to you and how nervous/confident it is. Then slowly let it into your garden with you there the first few times.

Cats are great and very easy pets, try to ignore the pet industrial complex and just enjoy it.

Thanks everyone, loads of amazing advice. I’m waiting patiently to find if I’ve been matched (I’ve picked out a favourite from their website that I’m obsessed with him already). Fingers crossed. I will of course come back and pay the cat tax if I manage to get him.

If there’s a specific cat you want then do call up and tell them! Don’t just put in the application and wait patiently. That cat will be gone by the time they get round to your application. Apols if I have misunderstood and you have already done this.

I think we’re weird as our cat loves a cat bed, so we have several dotted about for him - our previous girl also slept in an actual cat bed. He likes being up high and enjoys his cat tree which has a sleeping platform bit at the top, whereas our girl had no interest in the one we got her.

I tend to buy things from Amazon, but if we’re passing Pets at Home I love a wander round and will usually come out with bits and bobs.

Other pp have given good lists but top of mine would be insurance. Our girl racked up thousands of pounds over a few days in vet tests to discover she had aggressive stomach cancer and we had to sadly have her pts. I’m so grateful we had good insurance and there was no worry about money during a terrible time. When we adopted our boy from CP he came with free insurance - I set up a policy to begin 48 hours before that ended so there was no gap in cover.

High quality cat nip. Hours of fun for you and your cat and a laser chaser thing.

We adopted a disabled cat three years ago from Cats Protection. Their branch had a shop attached with lots of secondhand reconditioned items including bed, carry case and litter box so we bought those along with some toys. We also bought the food he'd been eating there and they gave us his sleep blanket.

It kept the costs down for us, and tbh he really didnt mind secondhand. Worth having an ask at the shelter if they have some of this stuff too.

We bought him a new scratching post and new food/water bowls and a got a raised platform for him to eat at head level.

I've found Amazon tends to be best value for money for things like scratchers, trees, beds etc. For food Zooplus is marginally better than Pets at Home, and to the pp who talked about PaH only selling lower quality food they DO usually have prescription food plus most of the more expensive brands as well as their own brand, Felix, Whiskers etc.

If you ask your vet they would probably recommend whichever brands they sell (usually Royal Canin and/or Hills), but it will be much more expensive from them than from the shops.

Depending on the rescue, some give you a blanket or towel that's been in with the cat for a while so they have familiar smells round them; if they don't, ask if you can take something to go in with "your" cat between being chosen and you taking them home. Scent is very important to cats, so that's another comfort factor.

Be prepared to cat proof your home waaay more than you would to child proof it! Cats can get into the tiniest spaces, go up chimneys etc and certainly for the first few weeks while you're keeping them in until they settle properly they will find these places leaving you frantically searching everywhere & wracking your brains to try to work out if they've managed to escape somehow.

A faux fur blanket (or two) that you can put in your cat's favourite spot to stop the bed / sofa of his or her choice from getting covered in cat hair (and muddy pawprints)! We have several on rotation, the cat loves making biscuits and drooling on them and then we can just swap for an identical one and wash the grotty one.

@AltitudeChecki second a flies or faux fur blanket. All my cats, (except Penelope) absolutely love the texture. Some of mine also loved towels.

One of the first things you will need is a decent cat carrier. Top loading ones are a lot less stressful than the traditional front loaders.
Nice deep litter tray. I used Tesco non clumping hygiene litter. I have heard clumping litter is bad if they ingest it - sets like glue!
Stainless steel feeding bowls. Easier to clean.
Scratching poles - hard and soft - try B&M or similar.
Igloo type bed.
Ask the rescue what they have been feeding the cat. Start off with that to avoid upset tummy and then gradually change to something else if you want to.
You can always add to the basics once you know your cats character.

As a "luxury" you can purchase a water fountain - Catit does a good selection - so your cat has constant access to fresh water 24/7. They also make a nice relaxing water feature sound which is a bonus.

She was just answering a direct question to someone who asked if the cat would be indoor.

Insurance
Good wet foot - someone mentioned 60/40 and I’d love to know what that product is.

I think the main must haves for me are litter tray, poop scoop, I prefer wood pellet litter as it makes less mess and reduces smell better than standard litter, bowls, monthly flea/worm treatment, I used to have scratching posts but my cat wasn't at all interested. I didn't bother with a collar as they're a risk for cats getting them caught and hanging themselves. And I think it's the law to get them microchipped although I assume if you're getting a rescue that will be done already

• cat tree

thats what your curtains are for

• scratching post

thats why you have carpets

• Toys

your toes are a good starting point.
or get a fish tank.
or a cardboard box.

and remember the house?and everything in it, including you will be owned by the cat.

Some people recommend a second cat for company but I've also seen where it's been said that cats prefer being solo. Plus if they aren't from the same litter and don't get on you're asking for trouble. Plus double the vets bills.
Keep your new cat in for 6 weeks at first otherwise they may disappear if you let them out. Be careful if you buy flea treatment etc online. Make sure its from a genuine pharmaceutical company. There have recent reports of cheap ones selling products that have been lethal for animals.

Pets at Home are great for cat items in my experience. A lot of people say cat scratchers get ignored but my kitty loves playing on his, they love it if you play with them by dangling things around the scratcher and above it. Good luck with your new cat, you’ll get so much joy from it.

The most important thing for any new cat owner: gold standard (condition insured for life) pet insurance. I wouldn’t own a cat without it.

Large durable cat tree. Cheap ones are pointless. Also floor scratchers! Good luck on your new cat!