Want to get a cat, a few questions!
Discussion
Hi Guys
My girlfriend and I want to get a cat now that we've settled into our new house. My parents have always had cats since I was a kid, so I've spent a lot of time around them, but I have a few practical questions specific to my circumstances that I wanted to get some opinions on.
1) I'm struggling to identify a good place for the litter tray. Due to the open plan nature of the house, combined with a tiny kitchen, I think the only suitable place would be in a small downstairs bathroom. It's relatively cold/dark in there (especially in winter) because it's fully tiled (basically an understair cupboard that was converted into a WC during house renovations). Is this likely to cause a problem? Will they soon adapt to wherever it's placed?
On the plus side, I gather that a quiet space where it's not likely to be disturbed is a bonus, and due to the 'tucked away' nature of the bathroom, that could be a good thing.
2) Our back door opens straight into our living room, and onto a cream carpet. Sounds ridiculous but I'm a bit OCD about dirt, so I'm worrying about the effects of a wet/dirty kitty coming in from outside throughout the winter months on the carpet/furniture. I guess that's just one of those things that I have to get over if we're going to have a cat! But any tips to mitigate the damage, short of replacing the carpet with laminate or similar?
3) Same question about the furniture in the house - solid wood furniture through the house which no doubt would make excellent claw sharpening devices! Do scratching posts that you can buy work? Or will they likely ignore it and use the preferred implement of choice (dining table, sideboard) etc
4) If someone could give me a very general steer for the costs we're likely facing in terms of vets, food, insurance etc. that'd be very helpful. It won't be a problem in terms of affordability but would be good to get an idea.
5) Our area is VERY dog-centric. There are two yappy little things (one next door, one over the back) that yap away for long periods every day. You can hear next door's yapping a lot through the adjoining walls. Is this likely to cause a lot of stress? Am I worrying too much? I don't want to get an animal and have it stressed all the time, especially as we both work full time and will be away from 7-5 or similar, most days. Having said all that, I have seen at least 3 or 4 other cats around outside the front/back of the house so I guess it can't be too bad!
Appreciate any advice
Thanks!
My girlfriend and I want to get a cat now that we've settled into our new house. My parents have always had cats since I was a kid, so I've spent a lot of time around them, but I have a few practical questions specific to my circumstances that I wanted to get some opinions on.
1) I'm struggling to identify a good place for the litter tray. Due to the open plan nature of the house, combined with a tiny kitchen, I think the only suitable place would be in a small downstairs bathroom. It's relatively cold/dark in there (especially in winter) because it's fully tiled (basically an understair cupboard that was converted into a WC during house renovations). Is this likely to cause a problem? Will they soon adapt to wherever it's placed?
On the plus side, I gather that a quiet space where it's not likely to be disturbed is a bonus, and due to the 'tucked away' nature of the bathroom, that could be a good thing.
2) Our back door opens straight into our living room, and onto a cream carpet. Sounds ridiculous but I'm a bit OCD about dirt, so I'm worrying about the effects of a wet/dirty kitty coming in from outside throughout the winter months on the carpet/furniture. I guess that's just one of those things that I have to get over if we're going to have a cat! But any tips to mitigate the damage, short of replacing the carpet with laminate or similar?
3) Same question about the furniture in the house - solid wood furniture through the house which no doubt would make excellent claw sharpening devices! Do scratching posts that you can buy work? Or will they likely ignore it and use the preferred implement of choice (dining table, sideboard) etc
4) If someone could give me a very general steer for the costs we're likely facing in terms of vets, food, insurance etc. that'd be very helpful. It won't be a problem in terms of affordability but would be good to get an idea.
5) Our area is VERY dog-centric. There are two yappy little things (one next door, one over the back) that yap away for long periods every day. You can hear next door's yapping a lot through the adjoining walls. Is this likely to cause a lot of stress? Am I worrying too much? I don't want to get an animal and have it stressed all the time, especially as we both work full time and will be away from 7-5 or similar, most days. Having said all that, I have seen at least 3 or 4 other cats around outside the front/back of the house so I guess it can't be too bad!
Appreciate any advice
Thanks!
Regards to number 3, cats don't use wooden furniture to sharpen their claws! you should be more worried about the carpet or sofa as what the cat is actually doing is removing a sheath from the claw to renew it type of thing, and yes cat scratching posts do work, a well aimed water pistol if the cat starts to scratch the carpet/sofa works well 
Saleen836 said:
Regards to number 3, cats don't use wooden furniture to sharpen their claws! you should be more worried about the carpet or sofa as what the cat is actually doing is removing a sheath from the claw to renew it type of thing, and yes cat scratching posts do work, a well aimed water pistol if the cat starts to scratch the carpet/sofa works well
Thanks Saleen, obviously I don't want anything to get scratched but carpet is better than furniture...I think!! BRISTOL86 said:
My girlfriend and I want to get a cat now that we've settled into our new house. My parents have always had cats since I was a kid, so I've spent a lot of time around them, but I have a few practical questions specific to my circumstances that I wanted to get some opinions on.
1) I'm struggling to identify a good place for the litter tray. Due to the open plan nature of the house, combined with a tiny kitchen, I think the only suitable place would be in a small downstairs bathroom. It's relatively cold/dark in there (especially in winter) because it's fully tiled (basically an understair cupboard that was converted into a WC during house renovations). Is this likely to cause a problem? Will they soon adapt to wherever it's placed?
On the plus side, I gather that a quiet space where it's not likely to be disturbed is a bonus, and due to the 'tucked away' nature of the bathroom, that could be a good thing.
Yep, sounds like a good place to put it. Put a doorstop against the door jamb to remind people not to close the door. Don’t forget the general rule is to have one litter tray per cat plus a spare, so you should really put 2 down (at least until its going outside regularly).1) I'm struggling to identify a good place for the litter tray. Due to the open plan nature of the house, combined with a tiny kitchen, I think the only suitable place would be in a small downstairs bathroom. It's relatively cold/dark in there (especially in winter) because it's fully tiled (basically an understair cupboard that was converted into a WC during house renovations). Is this likely to cause a problem? Will they soon adapt to wherever it's placed?
On the plus side, I gather that a quiet space where it's not likely to be disturbed is a bonus, and due to the 'tucked away' nature of the bathroom, that could be a good thing.
BRISTOL86 said:
2) Our back door opens straight into our living room, and onto a cream carpet. Sounds ridiculous but I'm a bit OCD about dirt, so I'm worrying about the effects of a wet/dirty kitty coming in from outside throughout the winter months on the carpet/furniture. I guess that's just one of those things that I have to get over if we're going to have a cat! But any tips to mitigate the damage, short of replacing the carpet with laminate or similar?
Put a mat in front of the cat flap? BRISTOL86 said:
3) Same question about the furniture in the house - solid wood furniture through the house which no doubt would make excellent claw sharpening devices! Do scratching posts that you can buy work? Or will they likely ignore it and use the preferred implement of choice (dining table, sideboard) etc .
Should be fine, as others have said it is carpets & sofas/chairs you need to worry about.. Mine LOVE their (3) cat trees (climbing frame made of scratching posts); and use them a lot. They still use the stair carpet though
BRISTOL86 said:
4) If someone could give me a very general steer for the costs we're likely facing in terms of vets, food, insurance etc. that'd be very helpful. It won't be a problem in terms of affordability but would be good to get an idea. .
I think we pay £90 for both once a year for their booster & check up.I buy 2 3kg bags of ProPlan dry food for £30 every 3 months or so. They get 1/2 a pack of Sheba between them am & pm, I buy it in bulk when it is on offer (eg 8 for £3).
Insurance depends on what you go for. There’s a great site here http://www.petmoneysaver.co.uk/
BRISTOL86 said:
5) Our area is VERY dog-centric. There are two yappy little things (one next door, one over the back) that yap away for long periods every day. You can hear next door's yapping a lot through the adjoining walls. Is this likely to cause a lot of stress? Am I worrying too much? I don't want to get an animal and have it stressed all the time, especially as we both work full time and will be away from 7-5 or similar, most days. Having said all that, I have seen at least 3 or 4 other cats around outside the front/back of the house so I guess it can't be too bad!
You can get diffusers and plug them in which will help de-stress a cat, from Pet Remedy and Feliway. In fact I’d recommend that you have them plugged in for a week or so before you get it any way as this will help it settle when it moves in.If you are going to leave it on it’s own for that long & are worried about it being stressed; look at adopting a couple of kittens from the same litter or an older bonded pair? The Rescue Centre will be able to help you with choices for both
A cat will bring you and your o/h a lot of joy (:
Just a couple of comments, I own a property that sounds similar to yours (small kitchen, limited space).
- I've ended up placing the litter tray in the kitchen. As long as you use decent cat litter (Catsan or the like) it won't cause problems from odour or hygiene.
- Cats WILL shred wooden furniture. If I could i'd upload a photo of my sofas. They're made of a wicker weave and my cat has ruined them. I would be lucky if I could sell them for £50 now, they cost £400 new, so be careful!
- If you're not at home and the cat is left alone, then it might get used to scratching things it shouldn't.
Good luck with the feline. Cats Protection have a good selection of cats for rehoming
T
Just a couple of comments, I own a property that sounds similar to yours (small kitchen, limited space).
- I've ended up placing the litter tray in the kitchen. As long as you use decent cat litter (Catsan or the like) it won't cause problems from odour or hygiene.
- Cats WILL shred wooden furniture. If I could i'd upload a photo of my sofas. They're made of a wicker weave and my cat has ruined them. I would be lucky if I could sell them for £50 now, they cost £400 new, so be careful!
- If you're not at home and the cat is left alone, then it might get used to scratching things it shouldn't.
Good luck with the feline. Cats Protection have a good selection of cats for rehoming
T
ali_kat said:
BRISTOL86 said:
My girlfriend and I want to get a cat now that we've settled into our new house. My parents have always had cats since I was a kid, so I've spent a lot of time around them, but I have a few practical questions specific to my circumstances that I wanted to get some opinions on.
1) I'm struggling to identify a good place for the litter tray. Due to the open plan nature of the house, combined with a tiny kitchen, I think the only suitable place would be in a small downstairs bathroom. It's relatively cold/dark in there (especially in winter) because it's fully tiled (basically an understair cupboard that was converted into a WC during house renovations). Is this likely to cause a problem? Will they soon adapt to wherever it's placed?
On the plus side, I gather that a quiet space where it's not likely to be disturbed is a bonus, and due to the 'tucked away' nature of the bathroom, that could be a good thing.
Yep, sounds like a good place to put it. Put a doorstop against the door jamb to remind people not to close the door. Don’t forget the general rule is to have one litter tray per cat plus a spare, so you should really put 2 down (at least until its going outside regularly).1) I'm struggling to identify a good place for the litter tray. Due to the open plan nature of the house, combined with a tiny kitchen, I think the only suitable place would be in a small downstairs bathroom. It's relatively cold/dark in there (especially in winter) because it's fully tiled (basically an understair cupboard that was converted into a WC during house renovations). Is this likely to cause a problem? Will they soon adapt to wherever it's placed?
On the plus side, I gather that a quiet space where it's not likely to be disturbed is a bonus, and due to the 'tucked away' nature of the bathroom, that could be a good thing.
BRISTOL86 said:
2) Our back door opens straight into our living room, and onto a cream carpet. Sounds ridiculous but I'm a bit OCD about dirt, so I'm worrying about the effects of a wet/dirty kitty coming in from outside throughout the winter months on the carpet/furniture. I guess that's just one of those things that I have to get over if we're going to have a cat! But any tips to mitigate the damage, short of replacing the carpet with laminate or similar?
Put a mat in front of the cat flap? BRISTOL86 said:
3) Same question about the furniture in the house - solid wood furniture through the house which no doubt would make excellent claw sharpening devices! Do scratching posts that you can buy work? Or will they likely ignore it and use the preferred implement of choice (dining table, sideboard) etc .
Should be fine, as others have said it is carpets & sofas/chairs you need to worry about.. Mine LOVE their (3) cat trees (climbing frame made of scratching posts); and use them a lot. They still use the stair carpet though
BRISTOL86 said:
4) If someone could give me a very general steer for the costs we're likely facing in terms of vets, food, insurance etc. that'd be very helpful. It won't be a problem in terms of affordability but would be good to get an idea. .
I think we pay £90 for both once a year for their booster & check up.I buy 2 3kg bags of ProPlan dry food for £30 every 3 months or so. They get 1/2 a pack of Sheba between them am & pm, I buy it in bulk when it is on offer (eg 8 for £3).
Insurance depends on what you go for. There’s a great site here http://www.petmoneysaver.co.uk/
BRISTOL86 said:
5) Our area is VERY dog-centric. There are two yappy little things (one next door, one over the back) that yap away for long periods every day. You can hear next door's yapping a lot through the adjoining walls. Is this likely to cause a lot of stress? Am I worrying too much? I don't want to get an animal and have it stressed all the time, especially as we both work full time and will be away from 7-5 or similar, most days. Having said all that, I have seen at least 3 or 4 other cats around outside the front/back of the house so I guess it can't be too bad!
You can get diffusers and plug them in which will help de-stress a cat, from Pet Remedy and Feliway. In fact I’d recommend that you have them plugged in for a week or so before you get it any way as this will help it settle when it moves in.If you are going to leave it on it’s own for that long & are worried about it being stressed; look at adopting a couple of kittens from the same litter or an older bonded pair? The Rescue Centre will be able to help you with choices for both
Must admit I hadn't considered the option of taking in more than one kitty...will have to have the conversation with the OH!
On the subject of cat flaps - that's something I'd completely overlooked...would it be imperative to get one so that it can come and go as it pleases during the day? I guess it's not cool to keep it indoors all day whilst we're at work so that's something I'll have to look into.
Also, you mention about rescue centres - would you advise acquiring said kitty(s) via this route rather than the 'personal ad' type of acquisition?
NorthernSky said:
A cat will bring you and your o/h a lot of joy (:
Just a couple of comments, I own a property that sounds similar to yours (small kitchen, limited space).
- I've ended up placing the litter tray in the kitchen. As long as you use decent cat litter (Catsan or the like) it won't cause problems from odour or hygiene.
- Cats WILL shred wooden furniture. If I could i'd upload a photo of my sofas. They're made of a wicker weave and my cat has ruined them. I would be lucky if I could sell them for £50 now, they cost £400 new, so be careful!
- If you're not at home and the cat is left alone, then it might get used to scratching things it shouldn't.
Good luck with the feline. Cats Protection have a good selection of cats for rehoming
T
And me, I've always wanted a kitty of my own too Just a couple of comments, I own a property that sounds similar to yours (small kitchen, limited space).
- I've ended up placing the litter tray in the kitchen. As long as you use decent cat litter (Catsan or the like) it won't cause problems from odour or hygiene.
- Cats WILL shred wooden furniture. If I could i'd upload a photo of my sofas. They're made of a wicker weave and my cat has ruined them. I would be lucky if I could sell them for £50 now, they cost £400 new, so be careful!
- If you're not at home and the cat is left alone, then it might get used to scratching things it shouldn't.
Good luck with the feline. Cats Protection have a good selection of cats for rehoming
T
Kitchen is just a non starter unfortunately - it's not an odour/hygeine concern, it's literally a shoebox and it would have to be moved every time we wanted to get into a cupboard/freezer/dishwasher which I think would soon become very annoying...so possibly better to try and find another location where the kitty has a bit of peace and we're not tripping up over the litter tray!
BRISTOL86 said:
Thanks Ali - all really useful advice
Must admit I hadn't considered the option of taking in more than one kitty...will have to have the conversation with the OH!
On the subject of cat flaps - that's something I'd completely overlooked...would it be imperative to get one so that it can come and go as it pleases during the day? I guess it's not cool to keep it indoors all day whilst we're at work so that's something I'll have to look into.
Also, you mention about rescue centres - would you advise acquiring said kitty(s) via this route rather than the 'personal ad' type of acquisition?
pleasure Must admit I hadn't considered the option of taking in more than one kitty...will have to have the conversation with the OH!
On the subject of cat flaps - that's something I'd completely overlooked...would it be imperative to get one so that it can come and go as it pleases during the day? I guess it's not cool to keep it indoors all day whilst we're at work so that's something I'll have to look into.
Also, you mention about rescue centres - would you advise acquiring said kitty(s) via this route rather than the 'personal ad' type of acquisition?
Two really doesn't cost much more than one
and watching them play is more fun than the tv Mine are house cats, as my rescue kitty is blind & it wouldn't be fair to let the other out without her, but the 2 that went out used a window, that way I controlled exactly when they went out! So long as they were used to staying in during the day, that would be fine. They are very adaptable, as long as there is plenty to keep them amused, to climb & play in - hence I have 3 cats trees & a house full of toys & hiding places
I would always suggest going to rescue first. CPL over RSPCA or you may have a local rescue; they will always want them to be able to go outside unless you adopt one that's sick; but they don't check up on you afterwards
Regards to the Lily's Kitchen. That stuff seems very overpriced. In the natural habitat, cats are tough little things that can eat anything (there's videos of them eating people in Syria!) So, is this product really worth it, especially the marketing on it seems to me a bit OTT and targeted at Waitrose shoppers.
OP -
That is tiny!
Have you thought of removing a cupboard from it's hinges so the cat has a small lair it can have it's tray, eg. under the sink. Provided you don't need 1sq ft. of space in a floor level cupboard it should work out fine?
Depends how much you're stashing in the cupboards I suppose, worth investigating perhaps?
OP -
That is tiny!
Have you thought of removing a cupboard from it's hinges so the cat has a small lair it can have it's tray, eg. under the sink. Provided you don't need 1sq ft. of space in a floor level cupboard it should work out fine?
Depends how much you're stashing in the cupboards I suppose, worth investigating perhaps?
NorthernSky said:
Have you thought of removing a cupboard from it's hinges so the cat has a small lair it can have it's tray, eg. under the sink. Provided you don't need 1sq ft. of space in a floor level cupboard it should work out fine?
Depends how much you're stashing in the cupboards I suppose, worth investigating perhaps?
Why? The bathroom is perfect & it means no hygiene concerns or litter on the kitchen floorDepends how much you're stashing in the cupboards I suppose, worth investigating perhaps?
Saleen836 said:
Regards to number 3, cats don't use wooden furniture to sharpen their claws! you should be more worried about the carpet or sofa as what the cat is actually doing is removing a sheath from the claw to renew it type of thing, and yes cat scratching posts do work, a well aimed water pistol if the cat starts to scratch the carpet/sofa works well
Haha hahahahahaIf my dad still had his pine farmhouse table I could show you this was completely untrue, unfortunately it got burnt to a crisp in a fire.
The cats took almost half an inch off the legs scratching against them !
Rule NO.1 when getting a cat or dog, it will damage things !
You will always forgive them though
So, good news, we have decided to definitely go down the rescue route, and I've been speaking to a few local places to get a bit of an idea of the process etc.
We will not be getting a kitten as I don't feel it's the right thing to do with being full time workers - I was thinking the 1-3 age bracket might be more appropriate as they're not likely to want/need the same attention as a young kitten.
One question - we are chomping at the bit to give a kitty a home as soon as possible, however we go away for two nights in late May - would it be a bad idea to rehome a cat now and then have to make use of a cattery so soon after rehoming? I know it's only two nights but part of me is saying we'd be better off waiting until we get back before kicking things off....appreciate your steer
We will not be getting a kitten as I don't feel it's the right thing to do with being full time workers - I was thinking the 1-3 age bracket might be more appropriate as they're not likely to want/need the same attention as a young kitten.
One question - we are chomping at the bit to give a kitty a home as soon as possible, however we go away for two nights in late May - would it be a bad idea to rehome a cat now and then have to make use of a cattery so soon after rehoming? I know it's only two nights but part of me is saying we'd be better off waiting until we get back before kicking things off....appreciate your steer
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