Thread: Shopping List for new MC

Hi WileyCat,if you are getting a cat tree it will cover both options as the posts normally double up as a scratching post,mine all do use it, very often after I have clipped their nails,reckon they use it as their emery board.
There is another thread going on at the moment about carriers so have a read up on there but it really is down to your preference,all I would say though is whatever you pick make sure it has a top opening,some have both front & top,if cat is not keen on going in carrier it is a lot easier to drop them in from above,but,heaven forbid,if cat has an accident of any kind its a lot easier to place & get out through a top opening carrier,working at a vets I have spent a lot of time along with the vet trying to get a very badly injured cat out of a front only opening basket,also if the cat happens to be a bit firey it is easier to grab from the top than having to put your hands inside the carrier {not that I would expect that behaviour from a MC}...
I started off with the white wire carriers which I do like,nice for the cats to be able to see out & very strong but also have got the sof krate because with having so many cats we were running out of storage space & the crate collapses flat & find that equally as good,over to you....! Nearly as hard as choosing your kitten..

Thanks JCK, I think the cat tree is something I will have to buy. You make some good points on the carrier, I will keep these in mind - thanks again. Do you have more information on the soft krate? I can't seem to find it on any websites.

On the cat carrier thread Meradith found one on Amazon that she has posted,the one I have if you just gogle sof krate it will come up but as dog carriers,thats what I went for,I am no good at putting links in,not clever enough on these machines.....

My vote is for a fountain too, on a practical note I don't see how they can tip one over also you never have to worry about them running out of water during the day

With regards to beds mine have never had one, they sleep on the stairs or on the shelf under the coffee table on my very expensive memory foam pillow covered in a fleece throw.

OK, as newish 'slaves' to 2 Coonies (8 months & 6 months), these are some of the things I can think of off the top of my head that have proved very useful :

Water Fountain - not essential by any means but I asked for one of these for Xmas thinking it might be a bit of a novelty and they LOVE it!

Cat Tree - initially we invested just £35 on the largest tree I could get from Argos - they both adore it but Gracie has already outgrown the top level and hangs off it now. I wanted to purchase a much sturdier and larger version that would last until adulthood and I knew it would be an investment. Tigger Towers come highly recommended but sadly this was just outside of our price range so we've opted for the Pagoda cat scratcher from Russell Hardy Designs.

Pagoda Cat Scratcher --- CATSCRATCHER.COM

I only ordered it a week ago and am now excitedly awaiting it's arrival!

Toys - ones that have proved the most popular for our two are the laser pen (just £2 from ebay) and a chirpy bird ball with feathers (Zooplus). Of course we've got loads of balls, feather ticklers etc and every time you move a piece of furniture you find something else but to be honest they are just as happy playing with scrunched up receipts, sweet wrappers, empty cardboard tubes - basically anything they can bat around or sink their teeth into

Cat Litter - very much a personal choice but my preferred supplier for this is Zooplus as we order 2 x 25kg bags at a time - which the postman loves - not!!! I use a fine grain ultra clumping with a baby powder scent.

Cat Litter Disposal - most recent purchase was for a Litter Locker and I can't praise it highly enough! With two kitties we now only have to make the trip to the dustbin once a week (twice at most) and fortunately the dustmen are no longer overwhelmed by the stench on bin day (the nappy bags we used previously just didn't cover it and our only loo is upstairs so flushing wasn't a practical option for us).

Cat Litter Tray - we have the super jumbo covered litter tray from Zooplus which is fab and seems to suit them both fine.

Them's the main things on the practical side - other than that I would just add Tena Lady's if you're of a 'certain age' because they literally will make you pee yourself laughing at times, a camera to capture all the moments with an exceptionally large hard drive for storage and lots of tea and coffee to cater for all the neighbours, friends and relatives who will be so captivated by your new arrivals that they'll keep just popping by!!!

Enjoy - it's making me all broody

Rach xx

I would strongly recommend a cat tree of some description. All mine love them and use them to scratch instead of the furniture. I got a handy friend to make mine and add bigger tops and also reinforce them with metal pieces to carry the weight. The poles are thick and sturdy for them to lean on and scratch

I would also recommend a quick unpick ( sewing item that you use to unpick clothes). It was recommended by my breeder and when the kitten coat shifts and the knots start you can just cut through the knot with the unpicker and comb out - it is brilliant and much easier than the scissors I used to use.

You can just see the metal plate in the tip right corner of the pic

Originally Posted by WileyCat

My initial thoughts are:

Cat litter
Covered cat litter tray
Cat transport
Food and water bowls
Brush

Thanks in advance.

WC

How great you've chosen an MC - welcome to the forum! I'm going to apologise in advance for the length of this post but you did ask for links!!

I'd agree with everyone's comments, and had a couple of additional observations from my own experience (I also became a cat owner for the first time since childhood this year!) and with hindsight I could have saved myself some money:

Jackie (JCK) has got a good point on the bedding front... I'm a touch obsessive when I've got the bit between my teeth and invested in a Tigga Tower with some really lovely chunky soft cushions, and my first MC turned out to be a cat that doesn't like comfy things! So I then bought some slimmer versions of the cushions and Freyja seemed to prefer that, then went off that too. I've now learnt that she prefers the fabric-covered platforms, plain basket bases or corrugated-cardboard benches to sit on. Wasted unnecessary pounds on cushions and cat beds before finding out what my cat actually liked!

Cat Tree/scratching post is essential - not just to protect your furniture but they use them to stretch against and excercise their muscles. And there's no cuter sight than watching your MC spread their toes in a stretch up against a scratching post first thing in the morning Over the last 7 months we've invested in two large Tigga Towers and there are three other cheap and cheerful scratch posts dotted around the house - all 5 get used. We've also got a couple of corrugated scratch/benches and both cats use them to loll on, play on and scratch - they last remarkably well unless they get wet - one of ours has been here 4 months and it's not in bad shape.
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hagen-Catit-Pattern-Scratching-Butterfly/dp/B0032GEEDS/ref=sr_1_50?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1294439634&sr=1-50"]Hagen Catit Pattern Scratching Board Butterfly: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WIL5XccvL.@@AMEPARAM@@51WIL5XccvL[/ame]

Rachel's already suggested the Litter Locker and it also firmly gets my vote Search Results. I also recommend getting some poop bags (some excellent deals on ebay (125 for £1.99 versus roughly that price for 50 at Pets At Home!).
pet food items - Get great deals on catnip, Cat Toys items on eBay.co.uk Shops!

Cat fountains have also been mentioned and I wouldn't use anything else now. We've got two different models and don't get me wrong, cleaning one of them is a horrid job as there are so many bits to clean, but both get used constantly and I've never had to worry about the cats not being drinking enough. They're also a good way to minimise MC's turning bowls upside down and soaking the floor! Our two models are:
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drinkwell-D2WB-RE-Platinum-Pet-Fountain/dp/B000L3XYZ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1294439126&sr=1-3"]Drinkwell Platinum Pet Fountain: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41yHxHdD8YL.@@AMEPARAM@@41yHxHdD8YL[/ame]
(this is the one that's a pain to clean, and collects the most fluff and rubbish - although has a HUGE reservoir and the cats find the tap fascinating), and the other one is:
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Catit-Fresh-Clear-Limited-Fountain/dp/B0034UGBRY/ref=sr_1_5?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1294439210&sr=1-5"]Catit Fresh and Clear Limited Edition Pink Water Fountain: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31QuSQaL79L.@@AMEPARAM@@31QuSQaL79L[/ame]
To be fair, this one gets used the most, I suspect because it's in a room that we spend a lot of time in. It's a doddle to clean, has a virtually silent motor but a tichy reservoir. When the motor in the Drinkwell finally burns out though, I'll swap it with another one of these.

When it comes to toys, sometimes the stuff they seem to like the most is the stuff you've not paid for! Freyja loves Starbucks straws that have been knotted at either end - they're just the right length to cart around the house. They both love receipts and can bat those round the kitchen floor for hours. And sweet wrappers - something shiny like Quality Street (you can imagine they've both been in their element over Christmas!). Even lumps of the cardboard tube you get wrapping paper wrapped round, with some wrapping ribbon tied to it will keep mine amused. I also found that toys are a bit like the cushion thing - don't spend heaps until you've worked out what your furball likes; Freyja's not a fan of bells or rattles and prefers the silent stuff, especially if it's got feathers. Wicca likes anything that glides across a leather sofa (!) or the kitchen floor. They both love the laser pen, and like most of our wands-with-dangly things. Neither are very keen on motorized things (probably the noise).

I'd also recommend a cat tunnel with some holes along the side - my breeder recommended a good one and both cats love it. OH has got a little game he and Freyja play with it and both cats now chase each other through it.
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acticat-Combat-Play-Tunnel-150cm/dp/B001Q8MIJ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=pet-supplies&qid=1294437682&sr=8-1"]Acticat Combat Play Tunnel 150cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51kJ%2B0ucm9L.@@AMEPARAM@@51kJ%2B0ucm9L[/ame]

I also got a number of kitten cubes from Ebay which the cats love to pounce on, chase each other through, hide and sleep inside. Might not look like much but look them up on You Tube and you'll see why they're great!
pet food items - Get great deals on catnip, Cat Toys items on eBay.co.uk Shops!

My cat carrier is about the same size as the one Jackie uses. It's not the wieldiest of beasts to carry, especially with an 11 month MC in it, but it is now starting to fit Freyja (Wicca still looks like she could get lost). I've got a different model to Jackie's but as she's already pointed out, a folding carrier (especially one 60cm's long) is handy unless you live in the Tardis. We've got [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carrier-Crate-Lightweight-portable-cats-Blue/dp/B000WCNQAW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1294439948&sr=1-3"]Pet Carrier/Crate-Lightweight+portable- For Dogs and cats. Blue 60cm x 42cm x 42cm: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hXKGCnbKL.@@AMEPARAM@@51hXKGCnbKL[/ame] and it folds down to maybe 3 inches deep. And it's very easy to clean - wipe down interior and a thin-but-warm layer for the base that you can chuck in the washing machine if you've got a cat that's not a fan of travel. If you get my drift...

I totally agree with Jackie on the grooming front - I wasn't insistent enough with Freyja early enough and now we battle with mats from time to time; she's now over 11lbs and dislikes being groomed so it has to be a two-man job; I learnt from that mistake and Wicca is much better about it already as we've started getting her used to it. Admittedly, blackmail is still required and a whiskas temptation doesn't go amiss...

I think cat eye wipes are useful - they all seem to get a little bit of crusty stuff on the inner corner of their eye and usually get rid of it themselves, but I find them handy to have around. You can get these at Pets At Home (PAH).

I ALWAYS have a bottle of dry cat shampoo in the house - you never know when something "unpleasant" will attach itself to their pantaloons and bathing the entire cat might not be necessary if you've got some foaming dry shampoo. Or at the very least, invest in some good cat wipes (again, PAH have some good 'Touchie Wipes').

Might be worth thinking about a Feliway diffuser for furball's arrival - I can't be sure but I think it helped settle Freyja in [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feliway-Feline-Facial-Pheromone-Diffuser/dp/B001A30AR4/ref=sr_1_43?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1294439570&sr=1-43"]Feliway Feline Facial Pheromone Diffuser: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41wS7D28TSL.@@AMEPARAM@@41wS7D28TSL[/ame]

I make sure I've got a supply of cat diahorrea tablets for emergencies. PAH stock these.

If you go through a breeder to get your MC, it'll probably arrive with a month of pet insurance and given how expensive the vets can be you might want to think about extending it or shopping around.

Which reminds me, find yourself a good vet and get furball registered and booked in for a kitten check up - my vet does this for free but I don't know if that's standard policy.

Clearly, a lot of these points are suggestions and recommendations as opposed to essential and am SO sorry for the length of the post! Looking forward to hearing more about your furball in the near future, and don't forget the photo's!