Shopping List for new MC

[WileyCat]

Hi,

We are going to be picking up the new addition to our family later this month, a beautiful silver and red MC male kitten - first cat in the family (although I grew up with cats). Does anyone have a shopping list of what we'll need to buy, I would prefer to get products which will last into adulthood - to save money? Links to where I can buy them would be appreciated as well.

My initial thoughts are:

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

Thanks in advance.

WC

[jckkerrison]

Nail clippers & start getting kitty used to them pretty early on,most MC breeders will have done their nails before they leave,mine does, so its a case of carrying it on,comb to go along with brush & also an item called a slicker brush is really good at lifting a MC's coat when they get a bit older,bedding,lots to choose from but don't forget kitty will grow very quickly so if you want to get a snuggy one to begin with get the cheapest,these cats are like childrens feet they soon outgrow those expensive items & then you can move on to a more expensive lasting one & by then you will also know if kitty likes to snuggle up or stretch out,some of mine like the flat bedding & a couple like to lay their backs into something,scratching post of some type or tree so you have something to take it too when it decides the carpet is fair game,some might be frightened of a covered tray to begin with so might pay to have another cheap open litter tray on hand as well,normally the breeder gives you a sample of the litter they have been used to using but have to say all of mine came home & just got on with the one in the trays,no problem,food same,normally breeder will tell you or give sample & then you can very slowly introduce different if you wish,toys all types of.....dishes plenty to choose from but avoid plastic if you can,just a bit more to add to list & I am sure there will be a lot more come your way.Not sure where you live but in UK Zooplus has a good site as do Pets at Home & Amazon...
Looking forward to hearing about & seeing your baby,he sounds lovely,really excited for you.
OK just read your post again & saw where you live so give above places a try,having a thickie day,nothing new....!

[Peter Galbavy]

My initial thoughts are:

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

My list has that plus, roughly:

Scratching post(s) - defend the furniture early
Climbing Tree - Big French Window out back for them to look at birds
Harnesses - Get them used to them and see the garden early too
Toys - Laser pointer, balls, tunnel, ball track ?? Who knows
Water fountain - my old cats used to like running water and apparently so do MCs
Litter Kwitter - I'm going to try it, they might just take to it

What I have also read is that your breeder should tell you what exact brand of litter and food they are on and to get supplies of those to lesten the inital changes in their new environment. Then gradually introduce whatever food and litter you intend for the longer term, but allowing them to move from one to the other.

[WileyCat]

Thanks to both of you for your comments, my breeder has given me the brand of cat litter and food that she uses, we may or may not change this over time, we'll see. With respect to the scratching posts, do all MC's like these? I grew up with burmese and siamese cats and they never used them, only used the carpet and sofas!

Has anyone got a cat transporter recommendation please? I would like to get one that I can use to take Wily to the vet when he is older as well.

Thanks
WC

[jckkerrison]

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..

[WileyCat]

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.

[jckkerrison]

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.....

[Helen & John]

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.

[Rachel-C]

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

[Heather2mc]

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