cat questions

[SusieJJ]

Alright, I know I've been asking about dogs up and down and all over this forum, but now I've fallen for a... cat. My stance has been that cats are icky, boring, mean creatures. But this cat is like a dog. I've been volunteering at the humane society walking the dog they have there now (a wicked sweet older chocolate lab mix). Since I started this cat comes up to me whenever I'm there and has me pet her. She'll sit on my lap, she loves to be brushed. I thought she was doing that thing where cats get tired of being petted and try to eat your face, but my sweatshirt string was hanging down and she was playing with it. Amazing. Most cats I know don't play. That's why my boyfriend doesn't like them. He'll pet them and then they get mad and try to eat him.

So long story short, I might adopt this cat. The only catch is they want her to go with her sister who is also there, but from what I could see they don't get along all that great.. I don't know if it's the situation they're in now, being with about 10 other cats in the same room or what, but whenever any other cat comes near me when I'm with this one she swats and starts a small argument. What should I do about that..? Take the 2 or just adopt the one separate?

Also, what do I need for a cat..

My list includes:
litter box
litter
those scratch things you put on the door
scratch post
bed (because i think they're cute!) / cubey thing
food they recommend at shelter (or if someone could recommend something high quality and natural-ish)
collar and tags
travel carrier
any recommendations on good quality / natural treats?
toys
brush


do i need:
flea treatment - oral
flea collar?
supplements

do they need wet food and dry or is just dry ok?

 

[ChilliPepper]

There is a lot less good quality organic cat treats on the market than there are for dogs. Wellness has a good turkey jerky treat that the kids like. I usually feed them Whiskas chicken and cheese soft treats and they love those.
As far as toys, every cat is different. My cats want nothing to do with things designed for cats. Dickens has a large dog toy that I spray with catnip and he "kills" and Neela plays with Lucy's tennis balls and anything she can thieve, such as a zip tie, a battery, a bottle cap. You must watch that little one, lol. I bought $30 worth of cat toys and she snubbed them all.
That said, a laser pointer is a must!
Wet food in our home is a reward for giving us the dead thing and trips to the vet. And Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner. It is not a staple of their diet.
With two cats, you may want to get a cat tree so they can climb and interact.
Good luck!

 

[equus_peduus]

indoorcat.org talks about things that an indoor cat needs. It's geared towards people who have cats with inappropriate urination issues, but since one of the causes of said problem is stress, I send a lot of people to this website.

For flea control, there's some thread that I put a really really long post on recently. Flea collars only work where the flea collar is.

You also want to have kitty on a good monthly heartworm and intestinal parasite preventative. Heartworms cause respiratory problems in cats, and intestinal parasites can cause problems in the cat as well as in in-contact humans. Neither is *common* but both can occur. Talk to your vet (though not all vets are on this boat yet). I personally like Revolution for cats. An indoor-only cat could do something like Program for fleas and Interceptor or Heartgard for the parasites and heartworms. Program is a 6-month injection that prevents any fleas from reproducing.

There is growing evidence that an all-canned food diet is better for cats - higher protein, lower carb, more moisture. Evo and Wellness are decent brands (but for the most part, almost any wet food is better than many dry foods). However, if you're using a good quality dry food, unless there's a medical reason wet food is preferred, dry should be fine for most cats. The whole dry-food-is-better-for-teeth thing, btw, is a myth. You may want to talk to your vet about things you can do to help slow progression of any dental disease.

If this kitty seems to do better without the other cat, then I would probably just get the one. You don't want to spend the next 15 years with a cat that doesn't really like you, and you really don't like it. Though you're right, maybe it's the environment; maybe you can do a short-term foster kind of thing to see how it goes?

Be prepared for her to not like the cat beds/toys/etc you chose! lol. And have fun!

 

[JennyBug]

As far as toys go, the halves of plastic Easter eggs thrill my cats. There are also some cheaper toys, but a must have is a laser pointer.

We have two of them, and the cats will chase them until they are panting and about to fall over from exhaustion. They are easy to use and fun to watch the cats play with.

Good luck with your new kitty!

 

[Sesame]

When I adopted my two cats when they were itty bitty kitties, they came as a package deal (shelter claimed them to be sisters). After a few years, for some reason their relationship dynamic changed from best of friends to mortal enemies. It was quite distressing, but our house was big enough so they could get their own space.

I would suggest only getting the one cat if they do not get along. The short-term foster seems to be a good idea to see if it works out.

I have also read that wet food is important to the cat diet because of the moisture content (plus, cats seem to really like it too). I give about 3 times a week and of various brands & types that I've learned my cats like. A higher-end dry food does make a big difference! In the beginning, we were quite naive about the cat diet, but once I switched to a better brand, I've noticed a dramatic difference in hair softness & sheen.

I was feeding my cats on Nutro, but since the recall a few months ago... I've switched. Try Royal Canine, Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, Evo, Wellness. Some of the higher-end have a higher protein content and cats that aren't used to it, may experience some upset stomach. Evo and Wellness are grain-free foods I believe.

For beds, I would recommend having a few around the place. Use small empty boxes/baskets and stick old sweats/sweaters/pillows/blankets/towels in them for a soft cushion. Stick them near windows where a cat can sunbathe, near the computer (so maybe you can train your kitty to cozy up to that particular bed instead of hogging your computer screen), on a chair (so it won't get a pile of cat hair on the chair; it's easier to wash the bedding imo).

For treats, I made sure I had hard crunchy ones and soft ones available. I usually buy whatever looks good and my cats know when they hear a bag being shook, that it was treat time. My cats seem to like the Greenies (crunchy treat). As for soft treats, there was this one that I bought from Petsmart that came in a shrimp/salmon flavor, in a ziplock little blue bag and you had to refrigerate it after you opened it... can't remember the name of the brand. They also like the more cheapy treats like Pounce. I don't really give them treats that frequently.

If you have carpet, I would suggest getting some good cleaner to help remove stains should your cat experience some hairballs. I also use the Arm & Hammer litter deodorizer which I use to help keep the litter area smell nicer in between the cleaning. IMO, Clumping litter > to cheapy litter.

Good Luck! Welcome to the Cat Lover ::cough cough:: better ::cough:: side!!!

 

[tkc1038]

Toys : anything that was NOT bought for them, for example the bag that the toy came in, the soda bottle top(all night long), the wool bits that my sister thinks I need from her sheep farm. My sweater, my shoes, my phone.
As far as the scratchy thing for the door, it never worked for me just taught my cats that they can scratch my door, I like the ones that are placed on the floor and thats what they scratch.
Food: I like EVO cat and wellness when I can get it. I cook some chicken up without any seasonings for treats they go balistic for it.
Litter: I use Yesterday news, for ferrets and the cats, it is a bit expensive but keep the kitty fumes down. I also use a covered litterbox .

 

[Tiatrack]

I'm totally on the same page as you! I really don't care for cats, but my husband is a big cat fan. We adopted one almost a year ago from the shelter I volunteer for, and I love him because he's really a dog in a cat body. He's friendly, always wants to be by us, sleeps on the bed, and loves everyone. Nothing phases him.

Your list looks good for supplies. As for the flea treatment, I respectfully disagree with equus. Indoor cats don't need heartworm and flea meds (unless you have a dog, which changes the story). The shelter I volunteer for does 3,000 adoptions per year. In the 5 years I've been volunteering, we had ZERO cases of heartworm. I also don't put any flea meds on my indoor cat. Why would an indoor cat need it? My philosophy is to avoid unnecessary chemicals for my pets. I also don't give my cat a rabies vaccine or an felv vaccine (past the one the shelter gives) for the same reason. He's inside and not exposed to those things.

As for the pair - what is the shelter's policy? At ours, if it is longer than 30 days or clear that they aren't truly bonded, they can go alone. You don't want to adopt a cat that isn't right for you. I'd just adopt the one that you like. One adoption is better than zero! Good luck!

 

[CTChin]

I'm totally on the same page as you! I really don't care for cats, but my husband is a big cat fan. We adopted one almost a year ago from the shelter I volunteer for, and I love him because he's really a dog in a cat body. He's friendly, always wants to be by us, sleeps on the bed, and loves everyone. Nothing phases him.

There are actually quite a few cats like that. You just have to take the time to get to know them and they you. My cats are not independent, stuck up, mean creatures that a lot of people claim. Mine are friendly, lovable, playful and dependent pets. I think people that keep their cats indoors tend to have a better relationship with them.

 

[equus_peduus]

As for the flea treatment, I respectfully disagree with equus. Indoor cats don't need heartworm and flea meds (unless you have a dog, which changes the story). The shelter I volunteer for does 3,000 adoptions per year. In the 5 years I've been volunteering, we had ZERO cases of heartworm. I also don't put any flea meds on my indoor cat. Why would an indoor cat need it?

The idea is to prevent flea infestations before they occur. I see enough indoor-only cats with flea allergies that I think it's better to have them on it all the time. Maybe not quite as vital as cats that go outside, but it's still enough. And even in places where it gets too cold for the flea life cycle to continue... most people don't keep their houses the same temperature as outside, so indoor cats are a great way to continue the flea life cycle. By the time you see fleas, there's thousands of eggs, larvae and pupae developing in your home. Fleas are also very good at hiding in the fur, so by the time you actually see them, there's likely dozens on your pet.

As far as heartworm in cats - it's difficult to diagnose, but studies indicate that as many cats are exposed to the disease as dogs, and the feline response to it is very similar to "kitty asthma." Diagnosis is difficult because it doesn't complete its lifecycle in the cat - the easy dog dianostic is basically looking for adult worms, which rarely happens in the cat. You are also in Oregon, which is not a high heartworm state. Neither is Massachusetts, but it's got more heartworm than Oregon does. the website dogsandticks.com has disease prevelance maps for heartworm in dogs (and anywhere dogs get heartworm, cats are exposed). http://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/feline-heartworm.html

I also feel that intestinal parasite control for indoor pets is also important, both for the cats and the people in the household. Many of the heartworm products also get the major intestinal parasites. http://petsandparasites.org/cat-owners/

Ultimately, talk to your vet. They should know what the prevelance of disease in your area is, and what their preferences for products is. Every vet has a different opinion on the importance of parasite prevention, but current evidence is starting to point towards it being an important part of a wellness plan for your pets.

 

[Ash]

Ditto protecting cats against parasites and fleas regardless if they're indoor or outdoor. You can pick things up simply walking across the yard to bring into your cats, bringing things home from the shelter on your shoes(parasite-wise), etc. Better to be safe than sorry.