Cats 101 for Dog People

So you accidentally got a cat?

That's what happened to me! I have a lot of friends who also found themselves with a cat with no prior planning. Now, please keep in mind, getting a pet is a BIG decision and should not be made impulsively or taken lightly. However, sometimes, the cat finds you. His or her piercing kittah eyes melt your heart and you become a proud pet owner. You never had a cat before? Now what?

Being in those shoes not too long ago myself, trying to find the most basic information on the web about what to do with a cat to keep it happy was a horrid experience. So the purpose of this post is to pass on to you what I have learned as a first time cat owner, not to mention a lifelong dog person.

Things you will need.

Litter Box.

The cat's gotta pee and poop. You have to give it a place to do so.
The problem - Which litter box is right for you?

First time cat owner trap - sifting litter pans.
Sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? You just lift the thing and you never have to scoop poop! WRONG! The pouring of the litter back and forth is MUCHO annoying. Little bits of grossness fall through the holes and you have to pick them out. But the worst part is, you cat is going to step in its own pee and clog up the little holes through which the litter is supposed to sift though. You wiill end up sitting there with a q-tip picking clumps of litter out of the little holes. Let me tell ya, no fun! No fun at all!

What worked for us
A sifting litter pan comes with 4 parts. 2 pans, the sifting thing and some weird top clip thing that I never did figure out how to use. Well, after I got tired of picking litter clumps out of the little holes, I threw the sifting pan and the top clip out and just used the plain pan as the litter box. In a few months, Juliet grew and needed more room. Luckily, I had a whole spare pan for her to use!

I can't give you advice on self cleaning boxes. Frankly, I feel that they are way expensive and I have no idea how my cat will react to it, so I never bothered.

Litter scoop
You NEED this. It's essential for scooping poop and the clumps of pee. Makes your scooping experience much easier. I have a plastic one. I feel that it is not the best, but it still works pretty well. It's easier to scoop if I turn it over and first detach the pee from the bottom of the pan and then scoop it out.

If you have had experiences with metal scoops, let me know! I've been thinking of upgrading.

Litter
So many litters. I found GREAT success with Fresh Step.
I lucked out into this litter. It was on sale when I first got my cat so that's why I bought it. I never switched because I am VERY happy with it. It clumps and the best thing about it is that is completely eliminates the smells that you might expect from a cat. Of course, you have to clean the cat box and switch out the litter regularly.

How often do I have to change the litter? This was the question that haunted me! I thought that I should switch the litter ever day. Soon I realized that not only is that a pain, it is also REALLY expensive. Turns out, you do NOT need to switch litter ever day. You add a little bit of new litter as needed after cleaning your cat's box. Now, I switch out the litter completely about once a month.

Feeding

Now that we have the pooping covered, what do you feed this new exotic meowing beast?

The cat food for us, just kind of happened as well. When I first got Juliet, she didn't really know how to eat cat food. She only knew how to drink milk (see Julie's full story)

I got so excited that my cat was finally eating solid food, I overfed her. She was on free feed for a while, which resulted in an obese kitty. Now she is on a strict diet and regulated food intake.

I went to the store and spent some time in front of the cat food, reading all the labels. After a while I decided to choose Iams Healthy Naturals food. Since then, I have switched Jules to a low-calorie version of the food because she got kind of fat. Advising on cat food is hard. This aspect really depends on your individual cat's needs. You may want to discuss your cat's nutrition needs this with your vet. I know that Juliet does really well with her food. She's happy and playful and her coat is nice and shiny.

Food and water bowls are pretty easy. Any bowl will work. Consider your cat's size when making this purchase. Just choose a cute design you like, I don't think your cat will care if her food bowls have paw prints or fish skeleton designs on them.

Cat Entertainment

So you love that beautiful couch you just bought? If you don't provide your kittah with scratching outlet, you can kiss that couch goodbye.

There are many fancy scratching posts on the market. If you want one, go for it. A really simple one works for us. Julie scratches at it and she seems very happy. Another good product, although a little messy, is a cat cardboard scratching post. Many cats prefer those to regular standing up scratchers.

What is your cat came declawed? Get him a scratching post anyways. Cats like to scratch, even if they don't have claws!

Toys

So many cute cat toys!!! You can't really go wrong here.
Juliet likes simpler toys. A mouse-looking fur thing with some ribbons on a string with a little bell is her absolute favorite. She also has some crinkle balls, fur balls, cat nip mice. But a lot of times, she really prefers a crumpled up piece of paper to all of those.

Grooming

• Nail Clipper


• Brush

Cats shed a lot! So get your cat used to regular brushing as soon as you get him. A cat that doesn't resist a brush will make your life a lot easier and your home free of fur tumble weeds!

Optional but desirable

• Collar & tag


• Nip


• Treats

The optional but desirable items we will discuss later! They are not absolute musts (other than the grooming tools. Apparently cat's shed A LOT! So get yourself a furminator right away) They are nice to have for your kitty!

Please remember, I am not a cat expert. In fact, I am a cat dummy. I learned about cats as I went along, tried different things and what I am going to tell you now is what works for our family. Every cat is an individual, so try out different things and find the right formula for yours. I do hope, however that my experiences can help you along.

~Ta-Ta