Preparing for a Kitten’s Arrival: How I Prepped for Ivy

Welcome to the Wednesday Cats of Catster! Each week, we share a narrative from certainly one of our cat-loving Catsters. This week is about Crystal and her soul cat, Ivy.

Hello Catsters!

When you’ve learn my introduction, you’ll know a bit about how I adopted Ivy and the way not sure I used to be that I used to be able to tackle such an enormous duty.

Right now, I’m going to be taking you thru how I ready for Ivy’s arrival.

Having by no means owned a pet alone, saying that I used to be nervous is an understatement.

First Issues First: The Cat Service

After Ivy needed to be taken away from her authentic household (storytime on that to come back!), she was staying with a girl who had her personal rescue shelter.

Ivy needed to be vaccinated and spayed earlier than I might decide her up – one thing that I wholeheartedly agree with.

I used to be requested if I had a cat provider and, unusually sufficient, this was the very last thing I had considered. I’ve thought of cat meals, bowls, beds, scratchers, litter packing containers, however not the precise factor I’d use to get her to my home. (This will inform you numerous about how I’m as an individual, haha!)

The woman expressed that the cat provider is of utmost significance – it shouldn’t be a kind of fundamental, plastic cat carriers which can be discovered round each nook. It wanted to be sturdy, ideally have a steel gate/door, and be capable of lock securely. It might even be preferrred if it couldn’t be opened from the highest. All of this to verify she wouldn’t escape throughout the 2-hour journey to my home.

This led me on a journey and a half of attempting to find a provider that might tick all of those packing containers, in a approach that I might afford. I couldn’t consider the costs of those carriers in our native pet outlets. I finally ended up shopping for a second-hand, barely used cat provider from a really candy outdated woman. I completely washed and sun-dried the provider and received approval from Ivy’s non permanent foster mother.

Cat provider: test.

Subsequent Up: The Bowls

Now this was approach earlier than I knew about cat whisker fatigue and their dislike for having their water proper subsequent to their meals, so no judgment, please!

I settled for 2 fundamental steel bowls. Straightforward to scrub and never needing as frequent changing as plastic bowls.

Meals and water bowls: test.

The Cat Mattress

So, I knew that cats had a repute for not essentially sleeping of their beds the identical approach canines do. All over the place in the home is truthful recreation – together with the sink!

However once I noticed the cutest plaid, spherical, pink cat mattress, it was a no brainer. I thought of all the cat snoozes she might take, curled up in her cute little mattress. (Yeah, proper. That was not the case in any respect.)

However nonetheless: cat mattress, test.

The Litter Field and Litter

I had been doing loads of analysis within the days main as much as her arrival, and actually, it wasn’t sufficient.

I knew the litter field’s measurement was actually necessary, however I didn’t actually know the way large/small she was. I settled on a really fundamental, customary litter field and non-clumping, extremely absorbent, biodegradable cat litter.

Litter field and litter: test.

Final Up: Toys & Equipment

I, as soon as once more, foolishly believed that she would love all the toys broadly obtainable at each pet retailer. Little squeaky mice, light-up balls, and even a self-moving mouse.

I’d later discover out that no, she truly hates all of these.

Out of all the toys I received for her, the one actual winner was the wand toy! (Despite the fact that that curiosity didn’t final lengthy.)

I additionally received her a collar and a nametag along with her title and our quantity on, simply in case.

I additionally received her a cat tree made by yet one more very candy woman, who I discovered on certainly one of our Fb teams. Granted, it wasn’t the prettiest or the sturdiest, nevertheless it must do for the primary couple of weeks. Oh, and we additionally stored each single field we had from buying our first kitchen home equipment, as one does.

And that checked off the final on my checklist: toys & equipment.

This was the lengthy and wanting how I prepped for Ivy’s arrival! I used to be a bit misinformed on the time, and my judgment could have been clouded by my pleasure. However the fundamentals received us by way of the primary few weeks!

Since then, we’ve upgraded large time.

Ivy now has:

And this checklist retains rising, each single week. As a result of actually, she deserves it!

How did you put together on your cat’s arrival? Are there some stuff you want you knew beforehand? What are some stuff you’ve modified or acquired further since then?