Thread: Shopping List for new MC

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!