|
Required for cat survival: Carrier, litter and box, poop spoon, food and bowl, water and bowl You don't need anything else if you are okay with being a terrible person.
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 19:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 18:03 |
|
|
Riatsala posted:My girlfriend and I have been talking about getting a kitty from our local shelter for months, and she's extremely excited about adopting a furball "any day now". I have never had a cat before, but I would like to put together a starter kit as a christmas present, and I was hoping for some ideas on what to buy for a young cat you haven't met yet. I was thinking maybe a carrier, a litterbox + supplies, maybe some toys and treats? Food and water bowl? Do cats need a sleeping crate? I've only ever had dogs You need a carrier, a litterbox, and toys. Check out chewy.com, which has a really good selection and cheap shipping. I use human food bowls for food and water. If that grosses you out, sure, cat bowls. Look for bowls that can't be knocked over. As for toys, you want things that skitter around the floor. Go cheap and light at first: crinkled Mylar balls, small toy mice with tails (v. important for chewing purposes), and then they will play with poo poo lying around the house anyway. Have fun!
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 19:40
|
|
|
My cat has been drinking from a mug on an end table for over 5 years. I set it down one day and came back to her face buried in it. These days, if it's too low, or I forget to replace it, she'll sit on the back of the couch and stare at me.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 19:57
|
|
|
Thank you guys! I have every intention of spoiling the kitty but comments like this:Iron Crowned posted:My cat has been drinking from a mug on an end table for over 5 years. I set it down one day and came back to her face buried in it. These days, if it's too low, or I forget to replace it, she'll sit on the back of the couch and stare at me. definitely give me some perspective on the matter, too. I will get some basic supplies and toys and go from there when we better understand the cat's personality.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 20:04
|
|
|
Iron Crowned posted:Cats sleep wherever they want, hth. They do but they also benefit from having safe spots that is "theirs." There's also this weird effect where as soon as you put a pad or a towel or something on anything, they decide that makes it a fine spot to sit down even if it's somewhere they normally don't linger. Riatsala posted:I have never had a cat before, but I would like to put together a starter kit as a christmas present, and I was hoping for some ideas on what to buy for a young cat you haven't met yet. Picks that have been extremely successful with my cats: https://www.coolcyberstore.com/ Closed for the holidays, but they make cat teasers that are really good quality. Their buffalo or deer hair mice are a hit with kitties. The feather on a string are a great interactive toy. The original catamazing is really effective too: https://catamazing.com/pages/classic but might not work well for kittens. Once they're six months or older it'll be great, especially if they're treat motivated. The ripple rug gets five stars from me, even at 4.5 years our current cats love the poo poo out of this thing: https://ripplerug.com/ It's always big excitement when I rearrange the rug into a new shape. A "turbo scratcher" is standard equipment for cat homes, I think everyone has one of these. They seem to get bored of them after a couple years but it's worth it for a kitten. Scratcher bowls are real popular with my cats too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753DQT5F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 There's no such thing as too many scratching posts. If you want to keep nails off furniture you need to litter your house with alternative options. Sisal rope ones are my favorite, carpet ones work too but they shed carpet fragments all over the house.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 20:19
|
|
|
This kind of litter scoop is the bomb. It has a bottom so that it catches stuff that falls off the scoop as it dries, and it hooks on to the side of the litterbox. A friend of mine turned me on to Bos bags a couple of months ago, and they rock. A litterbox issue is what you do with the stuff you raked out of the litter boxes. You can't compost it, you can't flush it down the drain (no, really, don't), you don't want to toss it loose in the trash because smells. You can buy overpriced devices that seal poop into long snakes of poo that you eventually have to remove and throw away, or you can use Bos bags. The glory of these is that, once sealed (by tying a knot), they do not smell. At all. I throw away cat poop in the kitchen trash. https://bos-bos-en.com/ e: Also, a significant problem with carpet-covered scratchers is that they teach the cats it's okay to scratch carpet. Which is a problem if you have wall-to-wall.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 20:20
|
|
|
Target sells some no-name litter scoop made out of metal. That's my favorite these days. A lot of cheap scoops have too-small holes and it makes sifting worse than it needs to be. Plastic just never seems like it cleans properly either, I'll attack the metal one with a garden hose and brush every so often and it takes it like a champ.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 20:26
|
|
|
My cat’s bed is a folded pair of sweatpants that I left on top of the dresser one day. She decided that was her spot and I didn’t have the heart to object. Also, her favorite toy is just a sheet of regular printer paper crumpled up into a ball. IMO the best toys to buy are some wand toys for you to use when you play with the cat. Get some mice and whatnot for independent play, sure, but don’t be surprised when they prefer to play with literal garbage.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 20:56
|
|
|
Riatsala posted:Thank you guys! I have every intention of spoiling the kitty but comments like this: Get a wide variety of cat toys without spending too much - more than likely the cat will latch onto one in particular as their favorite (and it's NEVER the one you spent the most money on). One of those variety packs from amazon is great, and make sure you get at least one wand toy and kitty kicker. That said, if you want to spend a little more on a nice gift that most cats will use, get a sizable (5+ feet) cat tree. xzzy posted:They do but they also benefit from having safe spots that is "theirs." There's also this weird effect where as soon as you put a pad or a towel or something on anything, they decide that makes it a fine spot to sit down even if it's somewhere they normally don't linger. My 3 cats never ever ever used the cat beds we got them. The two fosters we had (who just got adopted - yay!) absolutely loved them and slept in them all the time.  All the cats love the cat tree though. Khizan posted:My cat’s bed is a folded pair of sweatpants that I left on top of the dresser one day. She decided that was her spot and I didn’t have the heart to object. Also, her favorite toy is just a sheet of regular printer paper crumpled up into a ball. My cats like sleeping on paper, plastic bags, and on my printer. Rotten Red Rod fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Dec 13, 2021 |
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 21:42
|
|
|
Something that makes a difference is rotating toys. I keep a toy bag that is a brown paper bag with handles. It goes down on the floor and the cat picks out something she isn't bored with and wanders off. Toys on the floor that are not moving from place to place (indicating played-with-ness) go back in the bag for next time. Nobody is ever bored by the Turboscratcher. It is magic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 21:53
|
|
|
Fabulousity posted:The magnificent tabby beast in the below photos went into sudden kidney failure and had to be put down at the end of last month and he was only 4 years old. He was so sweet he gave us all diabetes. gently caress this reality. Your cat was gorgeous and regal as hell -- he looks like a little lion with a fluffy mane in that first picture. I'm so sorry for your loss -- I'm in a very similar situation and know how you feel.   My cat Raphael was diagnosed with metastatic cancer on Oct 28th and given weeks/months to live, and not even 48 hours later I had to have him put to sleep. (I posted about it a few pages ago in this thread.) He was the love of my life. Now my other cat Tobias is showing signs of separation anxiety when I come home from work every day, and I want to get a second cat (older kitten) to keep him company, but I have three major issues:
Any suggestions/advice on how to handle the introduction? I was thinking of buying a medium-size dog crate for the new cat to stay in, and each day putting Tobias in the bathroom while the new cat roams around the apartment for a while. (I would just have to figure out where to place the dog crate.) Does this sound like a good idea?
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 22:09
|
|
|
Perdy is making her presence known a little more. When all the cats are out with us at night, she's up on the bed. She's even hopped up on the bed with my wife a couple times and aggressively demanded love, then curled up for a catnap at the foot of the bed 
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 22:16
|
|
|
Arsenic Lupin posted:Something that makes a difference is rotating toys. I keep a toy bag that is a brown paper bag with handles. It goes down on the floor and the cat picks out something she isn't bored with and wanders off. Toys on the floor that are not moving from place to place (indicating played-with-ness) go back in the bag for next time. I’ve seen ping pong ball-in-tracks like that at the store but I always thought the ball would immediately come out. It’s not like they are bolted in there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 22:43
|
|
|
drunken officeparty posted:I’ve seen ping pong ball-in-tracks like that at the store but I always thought the ball would immediately come out. It’s not like they are bolted in there. There's enough of a lip that the ball is trapped in there. I've never had a cat that could pry it out.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 22:46
|
|
|
I can't find it now but we once picked up a new scoop in a pet-store on a whim and it is truly the best invention ever? It's an extra big scoop shovel but it has this spring-loaded clamp that covers the back half of the scooping surface so you scoop, open the clamp by pressing a tab on the handle, and let the clumps slide in there. Release the clamp and continue scooping without having to empty in between scoops or balancing a full load. God, this is so hard to explain lol, I love that thing tho.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 22:51
|
|
|
Arsenic Lupin posted:Something that makes a difference is rotating toys. I keep a toy bag that is a brown paper bag with handles. It goes down on the floor and the cat picks out something she isn't bored with and wanders off. Toys on the floor that are not moving from place to place (indicating played-with-ness) go back in the bag for next time. My cats would just play with the bag until it was in pieces
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2021 22:55
|
|
|
I would add that if you have nice furniture you will need a scratching post or twelve because otherwise a cat will shred your stuff if you give them no other outlet. If you have all Ikea and don't care then your couch sides can double as their scratching post.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 00:07
|
|
|
Scratching post is super important, ideally a floor to ceiling post that they can climb on. Most cats love to perch in high places. Cat beds are not that important, cats can generally make themselves comfortable in many places. There are cat hammocks that most cats enjoy, but pillow-like beds are hit and miss.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 00:12
|
|
|
Rotten Red Rod posted:My cats would just play with the bag until it was in pieces That's the point! This is a fairly tough boutique (for lack of a better term) bag with twisted paper handles and a reinforced top. Cat climbs in and out of the handles a few time and chews them before going for the toys. My cat likes her hand-me-down dog bed (daughter's chihuahua didn't like it) because she likes taking things away from the chihuahua. When the chihuahua was visiting for Thanksgiving, cat pointedly slept in the dog's actual bed.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 00:18
|
|
|
For the goon looking at getting a cat: I cannot stress enough that you should keep your cat toys cheap until you figure out what they like. Cats are capricious, arbitrary, mercurial little creatures, and while they try very hard with what few brain cells they have sometimes there's just not one available.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 01:00
|
|
|
Rabbit Hill posted:Your cat was gorgeous and regal as hell -- he looks like a little lion with a fluffy mane in that first picture. I'm so sorry for your loss -- I'm in a very similar situation and know how you feel. https://www.chewy.com/outback-jack-kitty-compound-cat/dp/138525 You would at least have the space to fold up some blankets or something in there for hiding, maybe even a litter box and food / water. The soft walls might not provide as much sense of safety as a rigid crate though. Depending on the access way between the upstairs and downstairs sections, you might be able to block it off sufficiently with a baby gate or the like, and keep Tobias upstairs with temporary food and water and the box in the closet. Another option if you travel with Tobias (like over the winter holidays) and stay somewhere with multiple rooms for a while might be to adopt a new cat and do introductions there, then bring them both back to your new place together in separate carriers. I don't know if it's viable, but my partner considered doing this at her parents' house when she lived in a studio apartment. As luck would have it she changed jobs and got a bigger place before it came up, so we didn't have to get too creative.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 07:15
|
|
|
kw0134 posted:I would add that if you have nice furniture you will need a scratching post or twelve because otherwise a cat will shred your stuff if you give them no other outlet. If you have all Ikea and don't care then your couch sides can double as their scratching post. You also want to try different kinds of scratchers. My cat wants nothing to do with cardboard or carpet ones, but she loves the sisal rope scratching posts.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 11:35
|
|
|
So back in late August, I adopted this shy 3-year-old guy from a local shelter here in Stockholm. The shelter named him Ion, but he didn't seem to respond to that name - or much of anything, really, he always quietly hid in the back corner of his room whenever anyone visited him at the shelter and just looked silently sad and scared. I ended up picking him because he was the only shelter cat that didn't aggressively hiss the moment I showed my face, and I changed his name to Captain John Ketsele while I was at it because, hey, he wasn't responding to Ion anyways. He's warmed up, to a certain degree. For the first week at my apartment, he just hid under my bed, and then he started to explore around, but only when he thought I wasn't watching, and then he started to explore around while knowing I was watching, and then he started just not caring if I was around and would walk around wherever he pleased. If he's up in a box I put on top of some ikea bookshelves, I can even scritch his head- but only his head, he'll recoil if I ever start trying to scritch his neck or his back and look shocked and offended at what I've just done. Captain John is still incredibly wary of ever being within an arm's length of me. Outside of his little shelf-box, he quietly backs away from any attempted contact, and still skitters if I seem to be walking directly towards him. My apartment is thus far his whole world since he's been adopted; I'd love to be able to get him comfortable with a cat harness, so I can safely lead him outside and let him explore the world with supervision, but I can't do that if he can't stand contact or close proximity. What can I do to encourage that sort of, what'd be the terms, socialization and comfort with physical contact? Ofaloaf fucked around with this message at 12:20 on Dec 14, 2021 |
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 12:18
|
|
|
Ofaloaf posted:So back in late August, I adopted this Just give him time. Don't approach him, let him approach you when he wants attention. Just hang out quietly nearby and let him do things at his own pace. If he's this nervous in just your apartment after several months then he's almost certainly not the sort of cat who will enjoy walking on a harness, he will be too scared of all the strange people and things. You might not ever be able to approach him directly - one of my cats will still run away from me walking towards her and I've had her for *six years* and never done anything but be patient with her. Some cats just don't like it, we're big scary giants to them remember. What she will do is instantly come to cuddle with me if I'm sitting on the couch, but she needs to feel like it's on her own terms.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 12:25
|
|
|
Ahoy Capt'n
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 13:37
|
|
|
My poor cat is unwell. Yesterday and this morning he was not himself. Uninterested in most of his food but happy to eat treats, generally less active but alert enough to investigate the Christmas tree, and sleeping in a different position. Normally he'd be stretched out, on his back with his paws in the air snoring, but yesterday he was curled up and often looking at me (which doesn't sound weird but is a definite behavioural change). This evening he is definitely worse: not interested in treats, just curled up sleeping. I've left a message with the vet and will be chasing them for an appointment tomorrow unless there's a drastic improvement overnight. Fingers crossed it's just a bug.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 21:04
|
|
|
Organza Quiz posted:Just give him time. Don't approach him, let him approach you when he wants attention. Just hang out quietly nearby and let him do things at his own pace. This is Perdy after five years. She is only just now warming up to the idea of affection. Occasionally she'll let me pet her when I feed her, but she has been actively seeking affection from my wife for a few weeks now. It was sure something last night watching her roll and flop around like a different cat while my wife scritched her. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2021 21:25
|
|
|
gloom posted:Wouldn't the new cat also want some space and a hiding place of their own while getting used to their new situation? I would feel really sorry to keep a cat in a crate for any period of time, even if it's probably not harmful. If you have the floor space (or maybe on your bed?), what about a cat tent with a tunnel, something like this: Thanks for the advice! That particular cat tent is a little too big for my apartment, but I'll look for something similar and smaller. I like the idea of putting it on my bed, or maybe even my extended kitchen table (I mainly eat sitting on the couch), since Tobias never jumps up onto tables/counters. The baby gate idea could work, too. The layout of the apartment is unusual and has some floating and cut out walls that don't connect to the ceiling or the other walls, but I think I could block the open gaps with boxes. Lots to think about... Lady Demelza posted:My poor cat is unwell.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2021 17:12
|
|
|
Rabbit Hill posted:How is your cat doing this morning? I don't want to scare you, but your description of his behavior sounds like my cat Raphael when he was very sick, so I heartily encourage you to take him to the vet if you haven't already. Good luck! Don't worry, he had an appointment this morning! The vet nurse suspects a kidney infection and we're waiting for the blood test results to see if he needs antibiotics.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2021 18:20
|
|
|
Cat thread: I've lived with some friends and their four cats for about a year now, although I'm leaving them soon. The cats are generally healthy (one is a overweight but they're trying to engage him in Activities more/watching his food intake), but I'm a bit worried they don't get enough stimulation/exercise. I play with them when I can, which isn't often (I'm mad busy with work), and the roommates also engage with them, but they're pretty busy too. They play with each other, of course, although the "play" is usually more territorial fighting (one of the four cats tends to be a bit more solitary, because two of the other three desperately want to fight her whenever she's present). I'm wondering if I can knock out a few problems in one go by getting them a cat wheel - they'll have something to do, it'll prevent the other cats from getting fat, and maybe if they tucker themselves out on occasion they'll be too tired to fight. I've read reviews on a few cat wheels/read general articles about them, and the main complaints seem to be that it can be difficult to get them started with using one and that they can be real fuckin' expensive. I don't mind buying my friends a nice going away present, and something that helps take care of the cats would be a hit (I got them a cat fountain last year and they love it) - but I don't want to buy them something that won't actually get any use. Was wondering if any of you had experience with them/had one to recommend.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2021 18:27
|
|
|
That's a sweet idea but buying things like that for cats is super risky that they'll never use it. What makes you think the cats don't get enough to do?
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 01:39
|
|
|
Yeah unless they're exhibiting signs of boredom - over-grooming, constantly seeking attention, getting really fat, destroying stuff in the house - I doubt that they're bored. Especially if there are 4 cats in a household with multiple people - there are TONS of opportunities in a place like that for exercise and stimulation for any cat. If you really want to help them, get them more high places to climb to (i.e. big cat trees) and play with them yourself when you can. I really doubt a wheel would help. In fact, there you go! Get them a really nice cat tree. Tall (~6 ft), sturdy, with plenty of perches. Even if they already have some, they'll appreciate more places to climb, especially if they have territory issues. Rotten Red Rod fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Dec 16, 2021 |
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 01:44
|
|
|
I bought a One Fast Cat wheel for Pan and it's great. She's literally using it right now (instead of hassling me for attention when I'm meant to be winding down for sleep). She's also gotten into the habit of running in it while I use my rowing machine so we can be exercise buddies It did take about 6 weeks (maybe even 2 months, it was a while ago now) before she learned how to use it. I would say it's a risky gift unless someone is going to be happy to work with the cats to teach them how to use it, and that they won't get frustrated if not all the cats use do (Onca absolutely won't touch it, even after seeing Pan use it regularly). I wouldn't recommend it for weight loss, because even though Pan uses it every day she's still getting <60min of overall exercise per day on it, and a lot of that is just walking. Overall, I think you should check if it's something they'd be interested in receiving rather than surprising them with one, and if not maybe suggest throwing in some money for a Litter Robot if they'd prefer that, or a few cat trees. Obligatory cat pic (from the very first time she realised she could control it herself and didn't need me there to spin it for her): 
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 11:45
|
|
|
 We only had one here because leela (right) was the only one who used it but finn (left, kind of an rear end in a top hat) started taking it from her so we put another one there and waited.. It took some coaxing but it finally happened last night. If you have the same furniture from ikea they also sell the little cat cubbie inserts, but we put a couple throw pillows inside to make them a bit more comfy. When she's awake in there she's usually hanging an arm out the side like she's driving down the road
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 15:41
|
|
|
HazCat posted:She's also gotten into the habit of running in it while I use my rowing machine so we can be exercise buddies Oh my goodness
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 15:56
|
|
|
explosivo posted:
great cat storage solution!
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 19:32
|
|
|
Somebody upthread recommended this, which looks pretty cool. I can't spare the floorspace myself. https://ripplerug.com/
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 20:43
|
|
|
Arsenic Lupin posted:Somebody upthread recommended this, which looks pretty cool. I can't spare the floorspace myself. https://ripplerug.com/ That does look cool as hell, although floor space is at a premium here too. God that website is a wild layout though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 23:29
|
|
|
Arsenic Lupin posted:Somebody upthread recommended this, which looks pretty cool. I can't spare the floorspace myself. https://ripplerug.com/ My shy guy really loved his ripple rug but we had to get rid of it because floor space. i bought a fabric basket from Kohl’s and put some packing paper in it and he loves it just as much. The basket is made of wide felt strips that are woven together in a criss-cross pattern so there’s plenty of little holes to shove toys partially through and play peek-a-boo with my shy kitty. I also have a lofted bed now and cut a bunch of holes in a large cardboard box and shoved some packing paper in that and shoved the whole thing under my bed. he loves that too.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 23:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 18:03 |
|
|
Another alternative is those long strips of brown paper that sometimes gets used as packing materials. You spread it out and make a little kitty fort out of it and they go loving nuts for it for a few hours, pretending they're fierce hunter kitties in the jungle. Then after a day or so when you're sick of the mess you can wad it up and put it in the recycling and repeat the process next time some paper shows up.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2021 23:54
|
|