Advice for a New Cat Owner

Hi!

My Dh and I are thinking about getting a cat. As of right now we have a super sweet pit bull who is cat friendly (she slept with kittens when she was at the rescue group). I'm not too worried about her since she gets along with EVERYONE! I'm planning on foster to adopt and seeing how it works out with the cat.

I never had a cat before and I dont know what I should expect. I know cats are not dogs so I dont know what to expect.

I know people say that the litter box should not get too stinky if you clean the box out after they go. But no one has told me about cats spraying. Do cats pee like dogs? squatting and lifting their legs?

I know cats are very temperamental when it comes to their litter. the foster group told me which litter to buy but didn't say anything about a box. I was thinking about getting a covered one so if the cat scratches in the box it wont go flying everywhere, but will the cat freak out if I get a covered one if they're not use to it?

Sorry for all these questions but I want to make sure we all get along and I dont want to stress out the cat and have it move around. Any information about cats would be helpful

TIA

Re: Advice for a New Cat Owner

Re: Advice for a New Cat Owner

I grew up with cats & have a cat as well.

Cats like thier litter boxes super clean. If they aren't cleaned they will look else where to relieve themselves.

We use the Crystal litter because I feel like it absorbs much better than clay & does not smell.

We change it every Saturday & wash out the litter box with bleach. We scoop everytime he goes to the bathroom. Unless we are not home - the poop NEVER sits there longer than 5 mins.

I would get the box with the higher sides, it will minimize the amount of litter that gets kicked out.

Cats squat when they urinate. As far as spraying - they lift their legs. I would get the cat fixed as soon as it is old enough. You don't want them to "mark" their territory on your furniture. The smell is IMPOSSIBLE to get out. My mom learned this the hard way with one of our cats growing up.

Also, if you hold, play, hug the cat as much as possible when they are smaller, they will be more mushey loving as opposed to stand-offish. IMO anyway.

Good Luck!!

Re: Advice for a New Cat Owner

Thank you so much!!!! This information is very helpful! When do you throw out the litter and add new litter? Will the litter box get really stinky during the work hours? I plan on cleaning it every time the cat goes to the bathroom. The foster group recommended Swheat litter. My friend also said it helps with the urine smell.

Re: Advice for a New Cat Owner

ive had cats my entire life.... we dont scoop the litter EVERY time they go to the bathroom... we also have 2 cats and 2 boxes... they get scooped maybe twice a week with no problems.... and they get emptied and washed out wit bleach every 3 weeks or so....

the box wont get stinky during work hours... they normally cover anything they leave in there..... but ours love to go to the bathroom just as we are sitting down to eat dinner and when i take the cover off to scoop, the older one feels it necessary to sh!t in my face.... turns out its actually a good thing bc you can assess the health of the cat by looking at the poop LOL....

i have been using Ever Clean extra strength unscented for the past 7 years and they love it.... no complaints other then the cost (its a lil pricey, but is on sale often at petco)....

they will absolutely get into EVERYTHING!! so be prepared.... straighten up and/or cover exposed wires, make sure straps/strings from your clothes are not sticking out of the closed/dressers....

check out the thread how to discipline a kitten for some tips on establishing the dominant role..... very important...

Good luck and feel free to ask me any direct questions if you'd like.

Re: Advice for a New Cat Owner

Thank you thank you! I'm going to put all the wires away and check things at cat level to make sure they dont fall or hurt the cat

Re: Advice for a New Cat Owner

Message edited 7/12/2010 4:24:12 PM.

Re: Advice for a New Cat Owner

Oh boy, I forget cats jump haha. Will do I will put away everything!