YAY!

[rosebee]

We're gonna get a kitty!! :)

She's a really cute small orange tabby named Maia that was a stray taken in by HTB's brother & sister-in-law. This new cat didn't get along with their existing 2 cats and a dog, so it's been living out in the shop. :(

Maia's been to the vet once already for her first round of kitten shots, but needs to go again for her second round and also to be spayed.

HTB & I are going to get all the necessary cat supplies next weekend, and then go pick up Maia from HTB's brother & SIL. Obviously, none of us want poor Maia to have to recover from being spayed while living in an unheated shop. (It has windows and a door so she's relatively safe anyway).

HTB & I went over to meet Maia this afternoon. She's SOOO friendly! She immediately let me start scratching her and she started purring and rolling around on her back, and it was SO cute!

I want to go out right away and get all the cat stuff so we can bring her home as soon as possible. But HTB & I both feel that the picking out of all the supplies and toys and things is something we should do together, and he just doesn't have the time to do all that tonight. So we're going to try to go get all that stuff next weekend. And then once we've got everything set up, we're going to go get Maia.

Here's the list of necessary stuff we've come up with so far.... those of you who already have cats, I'd *really* appreciate any advice you might have on what's good and what's not, and what's really important to have!


-Scratching post/pad
-food & water bowls (we want to get one of those water bowls you plug in and then it works like a fountain moving the water around all the time)
-food obviously (we plan to ask HTB's brother what they've been feeding Maia so far)
-some toys
-brush
-carrier (we're not sure whether the traditional hard-sided or soft-sided is better)
-Litter box, litter, & stuff
-nail trimmers
-teeth cleaning stuff?
-bathing stuff
-collar
-leash & harness?
-Climbing furniture


We've found a good place to put the litter box, and her food & water bowls. And we even have a nice spot near our living room window to put a climbing furniture thing that will let her look out and see the world (it over looks a nature area with lots of trees).

I think Maia will also really enjoy looking at the birds that come to the three birdfeeders we have hanging on our deck.

Comments

[rainbow.livejournal.com]

it is way easier to trim kitty toes with people clippers. we use the clippers like this (http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/skin-etc_1937_38328954)

baths are not good for cats. it takes off the oils and causes skin problems.

for getting off dander just wipe her down every day with a washcloth damp with plain water. if you make it cuddle time she will probly love it, ours do. we do hot water when it is cold and warm water when it is hot out, and wring the washcloth to get out all the water you can.

for the first time you can rinse the wash cloth (or use a couple diffrent ones) to get more of the built up dander. ruffle her fur good as you do it, too.

i think hard sided is safer for carriers.

the healthy pet carries some good grain free foods. (grains are bad for cats cause they are carnivores, but grains are cheap so they are in almost all cat foods).

if you want to make homemade food i can give you the feline future recipe we use.

make sure you go around the house before she comes and figure out things to protect, like computer cords and power cords and drape cords and plants (make sure you dont have any poison ones!) and easy to get to food storage. kitties are sneaky hunters.

[rosebee.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you Boo!!

That's all REALLY good information! I have some of those kind of people nail clippers, so I won't even have to go get any!

I saw some wipes in the pet store, but I think just using a regular old wash cloth would work just as well and be a lot cheaper!

And that's a good point about the hard-sided carriers, if the carrier were to shift around a lot in the car, a hard-sided one would make Maia lots safer!

I think I'm going to try to find some really good natural pet food. A friend of mine recommended Innova, and I googled it and found out I can buy it at Down to Earth! They have a store that's fairly close to where I work downtown, so it'll be really convenient.

Hmm... we have LOTS of computer & power cords in this room! Any ideas about how to protect them (& protect Maia from chewing on them?) She's a year old, so I think she's past the chewing stage.

[rainbow.livejournal.com]

you are welcome. washcloths are safer for you and kitty too! you dont need all those chemicals for your asthma and she does not need them on her fur where she will wash them off and eat them.

i thnk innova is sposed to be a good brand.

the best thing for cords is to cover them. if youget a cheap hose you and htb can cut it to lengths that work and slit it and tuck the cords inside. but you can wait and see fi she shows intrest first.

oh! soemthing not on your list is a squirt bottle. a plain old bottle with plain water it, to teach her no-no. it works really good on almost all kitties (a few kitties LIKE water but most do not).

[crashcat.livejournal.com]

Hi there! So happy to see someone so conscientious is getting a new kitty! I agree with what's been said - hard-sided carrier all the way. Innova is a very good brand of food - again, go with something low in carbs (ie, grains) and high in meat. The food you feed REALLY makes a difference in both long and short term health. If you get the water fountain thingy, have another regular bowl of water out too - some kitties are scared of the movement, others love it. Baths aren't necessary - again, washcloth is fine, but mostly, she should look after her grooming quite well on her own. For now, I'd skip the leash and harness - cats are rather Houdini-esque when it comes to squirming out of those things, and it just makes me nervous if you're near any roads... If you have stuff for her to climb and scratch on, a place to see outside, that'll be super and will provide her with plenty of activity and stimulation. And I can tell from the way you write that she's going to get tons of attention - she's going to be one very fulfilled and content kitty!

Kiss Maia on her perfect little head for me when you get her!

[crashcat.livejournal.com]

Ooo and, if you use people nail clippers, do be careful to just take the tips of the claws off - there's a blood vessel fairly close to the end, and it'll bleed like a uknowwhat if you cut it. If she has light coloured claws, you can easily see the vessel. A little kitty toothbrush (from the vet or pet store) is a good idea, and if you plan on brushing kitty's teeth, best to start when she's young - I have older ones who would never tolerate it now, never having had it. There are flavoured kitty toothpastes too, so the brushing experience isn't quite so unpleasant for them. Checking your cat's mouth on a regular basis is great too - I recently lost one to oral cancer, so if you know what her healthy mouth looks like, you'll be able to quickly pick up on any abnormalities later on.

Ok, that's all for now :) May add more if I get a brainstorm later!

[crashcat.livejournal.com]

Me again. (I have tapioca for brains)
One more thing: I'd skip the collar. Without going into detail, cats can get stuck on things with their collar, and if you're not home... well, it can be bad. Very. So personally, I'd forego the collar. It's simply not necessary.

[crashcat.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm nuts. I'll try really hard to make this my last comment for now! So sorry...

There is a LOT of controversy surrounding vaccinations. They can make them extremely ill, causing everything from an immediate response of skin problems, vomiting, etc., to future issues such as cancer, etc. There's a ton of information out there on it... easy to find with a quick Google. If you decide to still get all the shots, I'd do three things:

1) Do NOT get the shots all together, in a cocktail form. It's asking a lot for their bodies to deal with all that at once! Get the shots separately. Any good vet will accommodate you in that.

2) Do NOT spay her at the same time as you get the shots. Again, VERY hard on the body's immune system. I had a cat who barely survived when it was done all at once. I'd never do it again.

3) If she's to be an indoor cat, not exposed to others, there is no need to get the shots on a yearly basis. Every 3 years should be plenty. If you're worried, you can run a yearly blood titre - this will show the level of a given antibody, and will help determine if a shot is needed or not. Much safer than shooting her full of something she doesn't need. Personally, my cats (all indoors, always) never get vaccinations - having come as strays, they already have a natural amount of immunity, simply from having been exposed to the world. I'm sure it could be argued against, but I believe the shots can do much more harm than good. But again, if you want to, every 3 years should be fine (again, not in "cocktail" form!). Most vets are good with this approach, since the debate in medical circles rages on - it's a (sort of) happy medium. If you do get the vaccinations, be prepared for her to feel like crap for a day or so (at least, barring anything worse).

[rosebee.livejournal.com]

I don't mind in the slightest! Thanks for all the fabulous info (& welcome BTW)! :)

I'm ADHD myself which means if I didn't write it down somewhere then it doesn't get remembered (& even then it's a toss up as to whether I'll misplace the written 'memory'). ;)

[lemniskate.livejournal.com]

Orange KITTY! eeee :)

I'd just say that if you and your HTB work a lot of hours, you may want to consider getting two kittens, just so they have each other to play with and keep from boredom. I know cats aren't pack animals by nature, but a bored animal is a bored animal ;) and I'd say to look for one of the collars with a break away close, and get them used to collars while they're young; I have one who will wear one, and one kept taking his off so I quit trying, and he won't tolerate it at all now. :(

also, if you live in an apartment, keep your hard carrier someplace accessible in case of a fire alarm; you may want to stash a zip lock of food and a temporary litter box in your car in case you can't get back into your apartment for some reason.

[rosebee.livejournal.com]

Wow! I totally wouldn't have thought of keeping a carrier in an easy to get to place or food & litter box in my car. Very important, because you never know what's gonna happen!

She's only a year old and doesn't have a collar now (& I'm not sure if she's had one in the past), so I'm hoping she's still young enough to get used to & comfortable with a collar.

I had a cat when I was young who could NOT stand the little bell that was on his collar.

I'm still waiting for pictures, I can't wait to share them! :)