Preparing for a cat-tips?

jasmineh7777

Hi ladies.
FI and I went to look at cats today, and I think we found one that will fit our family. We are taking some time to think it over, and get all of the neccessities.
Litter box, scratch pole, treats, cat cube
We are also reading the literature about introducing our dogs to the cat.
Any tips? Anything we need to buy that we are overlooking?
This will be my first cat ever, and I want to feel prepared.
TIA

WildRumpus

Have your dogs ever been around cats? Has the cat ever been around dogs? I know when my parents brought their cat, Nell home there wasn't much of an introduction. The dogs sniffed her, she smacked them with her paw, and that was the end of it.

LesaBear

food, litter and toys! OUr cat is the only furbaby so I don't know about dogs. Good luck!

jasmineh7777

They haven't really been around cats. We brought them to the adopt-a-thon last week, and they were utterly disinterested in the cats.
The cat is comfortable with dogs. She has had a rough life, and apparently isn't afraid of anything.

Nebb

Hah the subject "preparing for cat-tips" confused me, I thought "wtf is a cat tip?!"

sisybermudiana

Definitely get a nice brush, no matter what kind of fur.   Brushing every other day or so will keep the coat soft and help with shedding.  Also, I suggest learning how to trim her claws yourself.  I trim about once a month, but my cats are VERY receptive to it and I know some that are not, so you would have the have the vet do it. 

I also suggest some tarter-reducing treats to minimize cat breath (kind of a no-brainer!). 

Mostly I would suggest having a spot just for her, where the dogs can't get to her, so she can retreat there and feel safe if stressed out.  Read some literature about cat body language, as it can be very counter-intuitive and much harder to read than a dog's. 

Good luck!

angel2210

Tip: don't bother buying a bed for it, it will not use it.

FI and I argued over this extensively before we got Sophie and he just insisted it would get used. Never, not once, has she laid in it.

PsyDet 2155

Ditto cat clippers.  Their nails can grow to be little needles.  Make sure the scratch post is one that is verical because I guess that's how cats like to scratch their claws (my vet advised this).  Good luck with the new family member I hope you post pictures!

jasmineh7777

I wouldn't have even thought about cat breath! haha Thanks.
We are actually going to build her a little walkway. We have an addition, which has an open window-thing. So, we will build her a ramp that connects to planks near the roof, which will lead to the office. The dogs aren't allowed in the office, so that will be her space.

Nebb- Maybe a cat tip is like a cat tail? Those cool brown plant things.

jasmineh7777

http://montanapets.org/pps/pictures/10-025.html

This is her listing Psy. She only has one eye now, and she has a really deep "x" cut into her nose. The adoption groups strongly suspect that someone carved it, because it is so perfect. Despite that, she absolutely adores people. I'm pretty in love.

However, I think we will change the name. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

sisybermudiana

Woah, I forgot the catnip and the laser pointer!  Total necessities for a cat's happy fun time.  And also, your happy fun time.  Bottle of wine (for you) + catnip toys + laser pointer = endless hilarity. 

jasmineh7777

I have a lazer pointer for the lab. She looooves it.
What exactly does catnip do?

Nebb

We had this cat nip SPRAY once for our cat, one spray was enough tod rive her absolutely batty. She had a little blanket we would spray it on and she would just roll around meowing and going nuts.

sisybermudiana

Catnip, I think, produces a semi-hallucinagenic effect in most cats (Isomething like 1 in 4 has no reaction to it).  They sell an abundance of toys infused with it, or you can buy it loose and rub it on toys you already have (and it's just a dried herb, which makes it really easy to just call it "kitty pot").  They'll cuddle and bite the toys and roll around on their backs all happy and tripped out.  They become incredibly playful and kitten-like... it's actually suggested for overweight cats as a means to get them more excersise because they get all excited about it.  When I got my first cat, she was nervous for the first week or so, but after I gave her catnip, we were bffs. 

jasmineh7777

If getting some kitty pot will make the transition easier, I will definitely go get some.
We are thinking of getting one of those covered litter boxes. The furminator would be great too, although she doesn't have two pounds to lose! She is full grown at 4.5lbs.

Brie2010

Get a GOOD cat food.  Most commercial brands of cat food you find in a grocery store are crap.  Check out dogfoodanalysis.com and look for a dog food that's 4 stars or higher--if the brand makes good dog foods, their cat foods are high quality as well.    Purina, Science Diet, Iams are the equivalent of feeding your cat McDonald's--they are made from the lowest dregs of meat and disgusting grains that aren't fit for animal consumption.  It's sad, really.

And enjoy!  Our cats and dog adjusted fine to one another without much fanfare, so I don't have too much advice there.

jasmineh7777

Thanks Brie, I will check out that site. I may end up doing some home cooking too. We already do it for the dogs.

LauraT25

Everyone gave you good tips already, so I only really have one more weird thing.  If your cat has claws, and you don't want to get it declawed, you might want to check out claw covers.  They're these little rubbery things you glue over their nails so they can't scratch you or your furniture- kind of a PITA to get on the cat, but we were required to get out cat declawed for our last apartment and in the meantime we got the covers.  They worked really really well, I was surprised!

jasmineh7777

We aren't too worried about the furniture, and I feel like the cat needs its claws as a natural defense. De-clawing is a form of amputation, so it's not something woud consider.
Also, I think my dog may need one good swat on the nose. haha

LauraT25

We weren't too worried about the furniture, either, but she had an issue clawing us like crazy.  I know a lot of people aren't interested in declawing, which is why the covers are a nice alternative.  If your cat is going to be outdoors, though, I suppose I can see your self defense argument.

jasmineh7777

There is a law against letting your cat out of doors here. Also, she had a rough go because she used to be an outside kitty. We just don't want her to ever feel defenseless in regards to the two, fairly large, dogs we have.

kbmeow

My cat love the feather toy on the end of a stick.  Another idea if your cat is not receptive to there nails being cut is when you are petting the cat try and masage the cats paw pads.  After a while they get used to it and it is easier to trim the nails.  I also always have pet bath wipes in the house.  Sometimes the cats do not clean as well as I would like ( they get smelly)

apnk2005

You might also get one of the super cheap cardboard scratch boxes...the vertical posts are good, because it lets them stretch and claw and climb, but every cat I've ever had LOVES the cardboard scratch boxes.  I have no idea what is so enticing about them, but if you have carpet or rugs, it'll help stop her from clawing those up, if she's inclined to do so.

esmurphy

We have found that our cat won't play with any toy specifically for cats - she loves bottle caps, wine corks, my hair binders, etc.  Just learned today that mint drives most cats just as crazy as cat nip - our cat just attempted to eat a pack of gum, wrappers and all.  Also not sure how "house broken" your kitty is, but ours was a rescue and we still can't keep anything on tables, counters, night stands because she knocks everything over! Cute to watch her do it, frustrating from a decorating stand point. 

As far as adjusting with other animals, we were told to take an item (typically a blanket) from each animal and place it with the other.  So take the dogs blanket and put it in a room with the cat. 

jasmineh7777

Thanks for the tips!
We will be doing the blanket thing, and giving the kitty her own room for at least a day or two.

LisaTyler1984

I definitely second the laser pointer  (my cat goes crazy!) and it's great that you are adopting a cat without an eye. I think a lot of people avoid cats with such obvious physical problems and they really need more people like you. 

jasmineh7777

Thanks Lisa. She really is a doll, and she should fit in well with my bunch of misfits.