Author Topic: Getting a Cat! Tips please (Read 11691 times)

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #50 on:** 12 March, 2023, 07:09:46 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 12 March, 2023, 05:34:58 pm

How are the new recruits, Phanta?

Arriving tomorrow.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #51 on:** 12 March, 2023, 07:16:47 pm »

F5

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #52 on:** 13 March, 2023, 01:31:24 pm »

They're home...and hiding (as expected!).

matthew · « **Reply #53 on:** 14 March, 2023, 04:50:54 pm »

What, still no photos ...

Kim · « **Reply #54 on:** 14 March, 2023, 05:53:00 pm »

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #55 on:** 14 March, 2023, 06:12:07 pm »

Aw, I got all excited when I saw there were new posts on this thread. Come out little kitties.

numbnuts · « **Reply #56 on:** 14 March, 2023, 06:58:45 pm »

Put a bell on it

Pingu · « **Reply #57 on:** 16 March, 2023, 10:49:52 am »

toontra · « **Reply #58 on:** 16 March, 2023, 12:30:17 pm »

I've been looking after a couple of aged cats and found the tips here useful

Changed to the wood pellets (much lighter & easier to manage/clean out) and a high-sided litter tray - no more gravel scattered everywhere and no more of them standing in the tray but doing the business over the side

Still waiting for the pics though!

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #59 on:** 17 March, 2023, 10:28:17 am »

I think I forgot to mention cardboard boxes.

Cats love cardboard for some reason.

You can buy cat beds - forget them. Get a small fruit/tray cardboard box from the supermarket box bin. your cat will love it, and when the box gets dirty, put it in the recycling and get another one.

Boxes with lid/flaps are also adored. Keeps cats occupied for hours.

If I were keeping cats indoors only, I'd be tempted to use the amazon boxes to build a cat fort.

Kim · « **Reply #60 on:** 17 March, 2023, 10:46:44 am »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 17 March, 2023, 10:28:17 am

If I were keeping cats indoors only, I'd be tempted to use the amazon boxes to build a cat fort.

My brother and I did this a few times. Usually around Christmas when there was a surplus of cardboard.

Those boxes that hold six bottles of wine were abundant, and when joined end-to-end make excellent cat-ducts for joining larger boxes. Hours of fun.

Flite · « **Reply #61 on:** 17 March, 2023, 02:50:13 pm »

My present cat does not understand cardboard boxes at all.
Every other cat we have had in the past 45 years loved them.
So I bought an expensive cat tower/adventure thingy which she also ignored (raffled that in aid of the local cat rescue).
She has a choice of shelves and windowsills with vet bed cut to size, and a couple of those corrugated cardboard scratch pads that seem to be cumfy, and of course all the chairs are fair game.
But best of all is lying on anything the humans are trying to read - especially maps.
She will use one sleeping area consistently for a while, then totally ignore it in favour of another.
They will choose......

rafletcher · « **Reply #62 on:** 17 March, 2023, 03:47:28 pm »

Ours will mostly use fleecy cat blankets on a couple of different chairs - until she changes her mind of course. But one other place she loves is in the “wardrobe.” Curtained off recesses at the side of a chimney breast. Accessed from the top of the chest of drawers, and nice nesting amongst my wife’s many jumpers. On occasion we’ve been awakened in the small hours as she jumps down and decides it’s time to go mouse hunting in the garden.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #63 on:** 17 March, 2023, 05:43:08 pm »

andrewc · « **Reply #64 on:** 17 March, 2023, 06:09:35 pm »

Looks like the new arrivals were Fierce Kittehs and have etted Phanta

Kim · « **Reply #65 on:** 18 March, 2023, 12:49:57 am »

Ah, it's caturday...

<F5>

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #66 on:** 18 March, 2023, 05:18:11 pm »

Quote from: andrewc on 17 March, 2023, 06:09:35 pm

Looks like the new arrivals were Fierce Kittehs and have etted Phanta

Sadly not.

Here's Goose, my goofy boy:

And his smaller, shyer brother Emu:

They're both settling in well. Goose wanted to explore everwhere from day one, but Emu mainly wanted to hide (he barely moved from behind the filing cabinet for the first day; he's since claimed a comfy spot in one of the under-bed boxes we use to store bedding and towels. He still spends a lot of time there, but will happily come out when he wants to, and also sleeps at the top of the cat tree a lot. I think he's just an introvert who needs his alone time, which I totally understand).

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #67 on:** 18 March, 2023, 05:23:13 pm »

Quote from: Flite on 17 March, 2023, 02:50:13 pm

My present cat does not understand cardboard boxes at all.
Every other cat we have had in the past 45 years loved them.
So I bought an expensive cat tower/adventure thingy which she also ignored (raffled that in aid of the local cat rescue).
She has a choice of shelves and windowsills with vet bed cut to size, and a couple of those corrugated cardboard scratch pads that seem to be cumfy, and of course all the chairs are fair game.
But best of all is lying on anything the humans are trying to read - especially maps.
She will use one sleeping area consistently for a while, then totally ignore it in favour of another.
They will choose......

These two seem ambivalent about boxes. However, the enclosed cat cave I bought has seen exactly zero use. The cat tree I rescued from next to a bin has been a hit, and they've tried all the chairs we have - the preferred one is usually the one I use as my office chair.

Pingu · « **Reply #68 on:** 18 March, 2023, 05:26:30 pm »

andrewc · « **Reply #69 on:** 18 March, 2023, 05:30:37 pm »

Squee!

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #70 on:** 18 March, 2023, 07:14:38 pm »

Squeee indeed! Goose has a lovely looong belly!
They both look like splendid chaps, I look forward to more contributions to the gratuitous cat pics thread in future

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #71 on:** 24 March, 2023, 02:10:22 pm »

Forget what I said about Emu being shy: it was all an act.

He's now become the more boisterous of the two, and is normally the instigator of any scuffles, despite being significantly smaller. He's not really been under the bed lately, and is currently curled up on my lap.

After all my litter box dilemmas, I've decided we need to try one with a lid - of the two boxes we have, they both have a strong preference for the one in the en-suite bathroom. Unfortunately, they also have smelly poo, and this is not ideal when they need to go in the middle of the night.

Emu also doesn't bury his poo, which I suspect is him trying to assert his territory.

So, I've just bought a hooded litter box and put it in the en-suite instead (same litter, as I don't want to freak them out too much - and I've left the flap up). We shall see what happens.

Jaded · « **Reply #72 on:** 24 March, 2023, 02:26:13 pm »

Our girls don't bury their poo. The kitteh poo is very stinky as she is on kitten pouch food. Eye watering...

The older one is largely on dry food and hers are not smelly.

Goose looks gorgeous!

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #73 on:** 24 March, 2023, 05:30:48 pm »

hooded are so much better - prevents them from spraying cat litter around. Also, sometimes they will toss a turd when scratching to bury it.

Scoop and flush frequently!

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #74 on:** 08 April, 2023, 06:29:18 pm »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 24 March, 2023, 05:30:48 pm

hooded are so much better - prevents them from spraying cat litter around. Also, sometimes they will toss a turd when scratching to bury it.

Scoop and flush frequently!

If only they'd actually use the hooded one! Of course, they prefer the open one, and the hooded one gets very little use.

In other news, Emu appears to have chipped one of his fangs.

No idea how it happened - just noticed it this afternoon. Earliest vet appointment I can get is next Friday, so I'm hoping it's not too serious.