More about kitties

[MEmama]

I didn't want to derail the other kitty thread...

So after practicing part time on a neighbour's kitty, cat love has become a serious issue/distraction/borderline obsession in our house. 

The humane society just got in a new little darling, and I think tomorrow I'll go and check her out/maybe come home with her. So what do I need to know? DH already bought a big bag of kitty food " just in case",  I have an adorable handmade felted wool kitty bed in my Amazon cart but it won't get here for a few days, and I can pick up a carrier at the pet shop or get a box at the humane society.

So what I'm really perplexed about is a litter box. Top loading? Covered with a door? One that looks like furniture? Does it need a rug? And where do I put it? Yes, I am totally overthinking, but it's an obvious need before I can even go look at kitty, so I need a plan. I'm afraid if I wait for Amazon to bring me one I'll miss out on cutie.

Advice? Words of Litter Box Wisdom? What else am I missing? 

(In case anyone is worried, DH is apparently over the declawing requirement, so that has become a non issue)

[TechWife]

Get a simple litter box without a top if it’s a little kitten. When it grows you can get one with a cover if you want to. Pick up a box or bag of cat litter. I prefer clay but many like scoopable, just realize if you don’t like the first  one you try you can change it. Most young cats are adaptable. Find out what kind of food kitty has been eating and get a small bag. Make changes in food slowly, many kitties are finicky. If you need to change the food, mix new & old together, gradually increasing the proportion of the new until the change is complete. Kitty will appreciate a space to call his own the first few days/weeks, so he can retreat when tired or overwhelmed but if you can’t make that happen, don’t stress over it. Kitty will likely find a spot under a piece of furniture to take a nap! Oh, kitties eat stuff - pick up small items from the floor and make sure your cabinets are closed. It cost $1K to get a LEGO removed from a cat - ask me how I know ;). 

Remember to post pictures - very important! 

[goldberry]

Best. Litterbox. Ever.  For humans and kitties both.  This one was a little pricey but I hear you can make them yourself fairly easily.  It's the design that's great.  No litter flying, no corners, crevasses for urine to soak into.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F2316X4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Oh yeah... probably won't work for a kitten due to size!  For later though!

Edited November 14, 2018 by goldberry

[Barb_]

If the kitten is very young, (younger than 10 weeks or so) Handle her a lot. Carry her and hold her whenever possible to have her bond and grow used to human contact before she gets too grown up and adventurous to tolerate it. The best cat I’ve ever had was handled constantly for the first six weeks or so that we had him. His feet never hit the floor in that time ?

Stroke her belly and tail and feet little bits at a time so she is used to it and is less likely to attack a child for touching those sensitive places or to attack your fingers during nail trims. Don’t allow her to use her claws or teeth on you. Don’t use your hands to play fight with your kitten even if it’s adorable and funny now. Make a hissy SSST noise and pull your hand away if she tries. 

Ive used the clever cat box goldberry linked up there from about 10 or 12 weeks. Prior to that a little cheap open litter pan with low sides is fine. I wouldn’t get the hooded style. A lot of cats loathe being trapped in there with their own stink and will go outside of the box. The clever cat keeps most of the litter inside the box. Even still, get a litter mat for underneath the box to catch pieces stuck to her paws and your floor will stay a lot cleaner. I have this one and it’s great:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MDNDDYS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542234894&sr=8-3&keywords=litter+mat&dpPl=1&dpID=51PUI8W%2BJ7L&ref=plSrch

Just remembered a couple more things. A lot of cats won’t scratch, bcut if yours is one of them there are claw caps you can use if she tolerates her paws being handled. I’ve had really good luck with these:

https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Claws-Cats-System-Medium/dp/B0006343W2

You have to trim her nails and then fit the caps on but it’s easier than it looks with a cat who lets you handle her well. 

Our litter box is in the under the stairs storage closet. We used to keep it in the bathroom but the litter seemed to go everywhere. I prefer having a mat on top of the carpet and the box on the mat. The carpet grabs any stray crumbs the mat doesn’t get and hangs onto it for the vacuum. It’s a lot less messy that way. 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Barb_

[Terabith]

If it’s a kitten, I’d seriously consider getting two.  Kittens are best in pairs.  

[almondbutterandjelly]

I second getting two, especially if you ever travel at all, even day trips.  I had a lone cat that went seriously downhill health-wise during a week where we were traveling, but had my parents visiting her at our house every day.  Never again will I own a single cat.  We currently have two and will only ever again own pairs of cats.

[MEmama]

Oh these are good tips! Keep them coming! 

We are *probably* looking at getting a cat, not a kitten. But listening to all the coos from my boys going on the house right now while looking at kitty photos, who knows. Lol

[Terabith]

Litter boxes depend a great deal on individual cat, but I’d start with a standard open dish pan type box.  I would give wet food once or twice a day, if possible.  Cats don’t tend to drink enough.  Cats are unlikely to sleep in a cat bed, but who knows?   Might want to look into some toys, but what they like vary a lot from cat to cat.  Lots of them like to bat at things, but even caps from bottles can be good.  Some like flying toys; some like toys you drag; some like puzzle toys.  You probably want a scratcher.  We have had the best luck with the cheap cardboard ones.  Messy but easy to sweep.  Enzyme cleaners are awesome if there are accidents, but it was really only our elderly cat that necessitated that.  (Although they work equally well on human bodily fluid clean up.)

Edited November 14, 2018 by Terabith

[MEmama]

1 hour ago, Barb_ said:

Just remembered a couple more things. A lot of cats won’t scratch, bcut if yours is one of them there are claw caps you can use if she tolerates her paws being handled. I’ve had really good luck with these:

https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Claws-Cats-System-Medium/dp/B0006343W2

You have to trim her nails and then fit the caps on but it’s easier than it looks with a cat who lets you handle her well. 

 

The person who helped us at the humane society this weekend told us about the claw caps! I'd never heard of them but they sound awesome. I'm glad to hear they are easy enough to use, if necessary. Thanks for the tip!

[Pawz4me]

Most people like covered litter boxes. The thinking by most cat experts (however that is defined) is that in general cats HATE them. With a fiery hot passion. I wouldn't use one, I think it's just asking for inappropriate elimination problems. But I know lots of other people use them w/o problems. So I'm basically just throwing that info out for you to consider. For a small kitten you want a low, easy to enter box. Also, the general recommendation is one box per cat plus one more. So two boxes for one cat, three boxes for two cats, etc.

[ktgrok]

A scratching post is a must as well. You want kitty scratching in the right place so she doesn't scratch the wrong thing. It should be STURDY so she doesn't knock it over or move it when she puts some weight on it. I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000634MH8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A bit of catnip rubbed on it can attract them to it. 

Small kittens tend to like the cardboard type as well. 

[Garga]

6 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

A scratching post is a must as well. You want kitty scratching in the right place so she doesn't scratch the wrong thing. It should be STURDY so she doesn't knock it over or move it when she puts some weight on it. I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000634MH8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A bit of catnip rubbed on it can attract them to it. 

Small kittens tend to like the cardboard type as well. 

You beat me to it! I was going to say you must have a scratching post.  If the kitty claws somewhere she shoudln’t, gently, but firmly, say “no” and  take her to the scratching post and start scratching it with your nails like crazy.  Scratch scratch scratch!  My cats picked up pretty easiy on what was ok to scratch and what wasn’t.  

If the kitty jumps where you don’t want her to (kitchen counter or table or somewhere) also firmly and gently say “No” and put her down from there.  

Cats like tall places, so make sure there is somewhere high that she is allowed to jump.  A cat tower in front of a window is a favorite for basically all cats.  

For the litter: I have 5 cats and have recently decided to switch to a lightweight type of litter.  I’m not sure if the cats will like it, as I just bought the first box the other day and haven’t used it yet.  The reason is that the regular litter is getting too heavy for me to lift.  So, consider getting a light litter to start with so your kitty doesn’t get finicky about her litter, and you’re not stuck trying to handle heavy litter as you get older.  Or get the Slide brand.  I hear that that brand is super good at keeping the box clean. 

I’m pretty firmly of the mind that cats need to come in pairs.  Cats seem somewhat solitary, but they’re social animals.  They do like to live together in prides, after all.  

[Lizzie in Ma]

We have always just used a deep litter box, no lid and a mat to catch the stuff underneath it.

This is the best deal on cat litter around.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009X29WK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Our cats love treats and we just get samples of other cat foods and use those.

A cat tower is always a huge hit and usually has a built in scratching post.

They adore catnip pillows, kick toys and fuzzy mice but a twist tie is also a huge favorite. ?

Cats are awesome.

[ktgrok]

8 hours ago, Garga said:

You beat me to it! I was going to say you must have a scratching post.  If the kitty claws somewhere she shoudln’t, gently, but firmly, say “no” and  take her to the scratching post and start scratching it with your nails like crazy.  Scratch scratch scratch!  My cats picked up pretty easiy on what was ok to scratch and what wasn’t.  

If the kitty jumps where you don’t want her to (kitchen counter or table or somewhere) also firmly and gently say “No” and put her down from there.  

Cats like tall places, so make sure there is somewhere high that she is allowed to jump.  A cat tower in front of a window is a favorite for basically all cats.  

For the litter: I have 5 cats and have recently decided to switch to a lightweight type of litter.  I’m not sure if the cats will like it, as I just bought the first box the other day and haven’t used it yet.  The reason is that the regular litter is getting too heavy for me to lift.  So, consider getting a light litter to start with so your kitty doesn’t get finicky about her litter, and you’re not stuck trying to handle heavy litter as you get older.  Or get the Slide brand.  I hear that that brand is super good at keeping the box clean. 

I’m pretty firmly of the mind that cats need to come in pairs.  Cats seem somewhat solitary, but they’re social animals.  They do like to live together in prides, after all.  

The Slide brand litter is AMAZING!!!!!!! I will never buy anything else again. It scoops firmly, with no crumbly bits, and never ever sticks to the side or bottom of the box. Black magic, I tell you! It's amazing. 

 

[MEmama]

So much kitty wisdom! 

Thanks for tip to show kitty how to use a scratching post-I wouldn't have thought to give lessons! Lol.  I have a nice open corner in the living room for one, near the couch (our only piece of upholstered furniture). And DH picked out a sunny corner by a big picture window where we can put a tower so she can look outside and watch the squirrels. 

Good tip on litter brands, too. I've read about using some kind of horse litter? Does anyone know about that? Definitely keeping tracking down is important, to whatever degree it's possible. 

Interesting to hear that kitties should come in pairs. DH (who went from no cat, no way to full on cat obsession) has been slyly advocating for two. I've warned him I could enter Crazy Cat Lady territory if he's not careful, but truthfully he might claim that title before I do at this rate. Hmmm....the humane society does have a number of kitties that want to be adopted with a sibling...off to give that a thought. 

 

[Selkie]

2 hours ago, MEmama said:

So much kitty wisdom! 

Thanks for tip to show kitty how to use a scratching post-I wouldn't have thought to give lessons! Lol.  I have a nice open corner in the living room for one, near the couch (our only piece of upholstered furniture). And DH picked out a sunny corner by a big picture window where we can put a tower so she can look outside and watch the squirrels. 

Good tip on litter brands, too. I've read about using some kind of horse litter? Does anyone know about that? Definitely keeping tracking down is important, to whatever degree it's possible. 

Interesting to hear that kitties should come in pairs. DH (who went from no cat, no way to full on cat obsession) has been slyly advocating for two. I've warned him I could enter Crazy Cat Lady territory if he's not careful, but truthfully he might claim that title before I do at this rate. Hmmm....the humane society does have a number of kitties that want to be adopted with a sibling...off to give that a thought. 

 

We have two sibling pairs that we adopted as kittens - a brother and sister who are now six years old and two brothers who are five. It is so cool to see the close bond between the siblings. Our cats all get along with each other and interact just fine, but they prefer to play and wrestle and snuggle with their sibling. There is just a close connection between them that they don't have with other cats.

We also have a sixteen year old male former stray and a five year old female that we just recently adopted, so we are definitely in Crazy Cat People territory.?

Have fun picking our your kitty/kitties! Can't wait to see pics.

[Chris in VA]

You may be tempted to let the box go several days without scooping, but I urge you to get into the habit of scooping daily. It will keep the cat stink totally down, and your cat will appreciate it. It's less gross a little turd at a time, too. lol

 

[ktgrok]

5 hours ago, MEmama said:

So much kitty wisdom! 

Thanks for tip to show kitty how to use a scratching post-I wouldn't have thought to give lessons! Lol.  I have a nice open corner in the living room for one, near the couch (our only piece of upholstered furniture). And DH picked out a sunny corner by a big picture window where we can put a tower so she can look outside and watch the squirrels. 

Good tip on litter brands, too. I've read about using some kind of horse litter? Does anyone know about that? Definitely keeping tracking down is important, to whatever degree it's possible. 

Interesting to hear that kitties should come in pairs. DH (who went from no cat, no way to full on cat obsession) has been slyly advocating for two. I've warned him I could enter Crazy Cat Lady territory if he's not careful, but truthfully he might claim that title before I do at this rate. Hmmm....the humane society does have a number of kitties that want to be adopted with a sibling...off to give that a thought. 

 

The pelleted pine litter is NOT preferred by most cats. Many a cat has started peeing outside the box when the owners switch to it. of course, some are fine, but you never know which yours will be. Cats prefer scoopable litter because they like to dig in it and cover their waste. It's not nice to dig in the pellets so much. So natural material, but not natural for their behavior if that makes sense. 

And yes, two are definitely better than one! One veterinary behaviorist advises adopting a mama and her kitten as the very best plan to avoid behavior problems. The mama cat will discipline the baby for you ?

[ktgrok]

And they really really DO like to have a kitty friend to snuggle with. When we got our second my older cat hated him at first, but evne hating him, he'd still snuggle with him. We called it hate cuddling, lol. Now they are pretty good friends and snuggle and hang out every single day together. 

I figure if aliens kidnapped me and took me to live in their home, I'd be happier if I had another human with me, who spoke my language, understood my customs, etc. Same for cats. 

[MEmama]

5 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

I don't know if this has been mentioned upthread, but there is such a thing as flushable kitty litter. Just in case you'd ever want that. The world's best cat litter is flushable, and it's made from corn. It's wonderful cat litter and doesn't bother most cats, but corn can be allergenic. I can't use any of the perfumed clay cat litters. Sometimes when cats develop allergies, the litter is never suspected as a potential source of the problem. Anyway, I have recently switched to wood based cat litter, also flushable. I absolutely love it. No perfumes and very hypoallergenic for me and my kitty. It's good to be aware of these choices in case you find that some of the perfume clay litters bother you or your new kitty.?

I love flushable because, if you keep the box near the toilet, just just scoop and flush. Some say even flushable litter can be problematic for septic tanks, but I've used it for years and years with no problem. The new wood-based litter is even better. It literally turns to a thin mush as soon as it hits the water in the toilet. Both The World's Best Cat Litter and It's A Tea Potty (wood-based) are scoopable and very, very low odor. I think Petco has a more affordable wood-based litter.

 I've had many people say you can't tell I have a cat in the house at all, and then they want to know which litter we use. And scooping daily is good, of course. I keep my scoop inside a tall, clear cylinder under my bathroom cabinet so it doesn't touch anything else. I wipe the area around the box daily with non-bleach disinfectant (that safe Lysol stuff that you can spray on pacifiers). I also like to avoid harsh cleaners in general and mop with non toxic things. Avoiding harsh, perfumed sprays, etc. (This is just what I do....so not saying YOU should.....)

I also think stainless steel or glass is safer to feed your cat from. This is just my personal opinion, of course.

Not likely to happen but be aware of these:

If you have reclining chairs in your house, be aware that kittens and cats will climb up under them when they are unfolded and could be injured or worse when they are folded back in with kitty under it.

Christmas tree tinsel and tape (and any other small items) could be very dangerous and do great harm. If you give kitty a string or yarn to play with, supervise her while she's playing and take it away and put it up when she's not playing with it. Give her safe toys that she can keep lying around to have whenever she wants them.

Be aware that a curious  kitten (or cat) will jump into the dryer when you're not looking. Or dishwasher.....etc. Especially when they are young, they really are like watching a toddler.

I really like that cat litter box posted upthread that has the hole in the top! My cat is used to the regular box with top and open front door. She wouldn't even use it when it put the little flap-door thingy on the opening. I'm afraid it would throw her for a loop if she had to figure out how to jump inside of a hole on top. If you start now and show your kitty how to get in there, she'll get used to it now and you'll have no trouble!

Also....just be aware! They all have their own personalities. My brother has a curtain climber. Yikes! He's doing it less and less as he gets older. I once had a cat that would jingle my metal blinds with her paws to wake me up in the morning. I started raising the blind at night so she couldn't jingle it. She just went to another room and continued her jingling. She would also lie on her side and scrape ONE piece of food from her bowl at a time out onto the floor with her paw. She'd eat that one and pull out one more. She'd eat the entire bowl that way. The one I have now is very sweet but can be moody, and she will sometimes give a little nip bite if she's irritated. She used to bite hard, but we consistently scolded her each and every time. So, now a couple years later, she still does it once in awhile but it's done very gingerly using light pressure. See, she knows better now, but she knows to be "easy". She still gets scolded, lol. We always say, "NO! BE NICE!" when her teeth touch skin. She is dearly loved and spoiled.

Sorry this got too long. I love cats......good luck with your new kitty(ies)!!

Thank you for ALL of this!

Right before I left for work this morning I jokingly wondered if flushable litter is a thing, but didn't have a chance to ask here. I guess it is! We will probably have the litterbox in the washrooms so that would be perfect--otherwise, what do you DO with it? 

Great safety tips, too. Our house is generally cat proof, I think--no reclining chairs, the dryer is a stackable unit, no tinsel (but I'll be super careful about lights), no little toys...of course no doubt she will find something I'll need to be cautious about. :)

[MEmama]

3 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

And they really really DO like to have a kitty friend to snuggle with. When we got our second my older cat hated him at first, but evne hating him, he'd still snuggle with him. We called it hate cuddling, lol. Now they are pretty good friends and snuggle and hang out every single day together. 

I figure if aliens kidnapped me and took me to live in their home, I'd be happier if I had another human with me, who spoke my language, understood my customs, etc. Same for cats. 

Ha! That's a good point. I'll definitely consider it. 

[MEmama]

We are all home today because it's a snow day. On our way to check out who is at the shelter, we stopped by one of the big pet box stores for kitty litter (we went with the flushable! Lol) and a scratcher...and they had kitties available from a different shelter! We fell in love with several...so we put in an application and now we have to wait for a call back. I'm so anxious and excited!

So we have a couple hundred dollars of kitty "necessities" set up around the house, but no kitty yet. It was soooo hard to put my favorite back instead of bringing her home to play with today! 

[Pawz4me]

1 minute ago, MEmama said:

We are all home today because it's a snow day. On our way to check out who is at the shelter, we stopped by one of the big pet box stores for kitty litter (we went with the flushable! Lol) and a scratcher...and they had kitties available from a different shelter! We fell in love with several...so we put in an application and now we have to wait for a call back. I'm so anxious and excited!

So we have a couple hundred dollars of kitty "necessities" set up around the house, but no kitty yet. It was soooo hard to put my favorite back instead of bringing her home to play with today! 

I hope you hear something quickly!!

[MEmama]

We found her! She's around 6 months old and the sweetest, cuddliest, most playful and curious little thing. We are so in love! ??❤️?

 

[Terabith]

Oh, she's beautiful!!!

[Kanin]

She is so cute! And she looks so soft... purrrrr ?  

[MEmama]

She IS so soft! And so cuddly. If we sit on the floor she will come over and sit in our lap. She has the loudest purrs! ?

 

[Selkie]

Oh, what a sweetie!? Congrats!

[itsheresomewhere]

Just a warning if you feed at the same time daily-  be prepared to wake up one morning to a pair of eyes staring you down  for being a few minutes late.  Some cats are scheduled and get very perturbed at you not being on time.  Or maybe that was just ours.....

Such a pretty cat. 

Edited November 18, 2018 by itsheresomewhere

[itsheresomewhere]

Just now, Indigo Blue said:

This is why my sweet kitty would make my metal blinds rattle and jingle, lol. 

Lol

[MEmama]

9 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

Oh I’m smiling from ear to ear! WHAT a cutie. Love those round eyes!

tip: if you don’t scoop after every time she uses her box, be careful not to flush too much at one time. Usually one clump of  tinkle and one clump of ...stinky ... at a time.

Good tip--thanks!

I think she might have decided to use it last night; she didn't want to before we went to bed. I'm still trying to figure out where she is this morning--I'm so curious about where she decided to sleep.