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 considered one of our cat-loving Catsters. This week is about Crystal and her soul cat, Ivy.

Hello Catsters!

Should you’ve learn my introduction, you’ll know a bit about how I adopted Ivy and the way uncertain I used to be that I used to be able to tackle such a giant duty.

Right this moment, 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 Provider

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 service 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 could inform you numerous about how I’m as an individual, haha!)

The girl expressed that the cat service 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 metallic gate/door, and be capable to lock securely. It could even be supreme if it couldn’t be opened from the highest. All of this to verify she wouldn’t escape through the 2-hour journey to my home.

This led me on a journey and a half of making an attempt to find a service that might tick all of those packing containers, in a manner that I might afford. I couldn’t imagine the costs of those carriers in our native pet retailers. I ultimately ended up shopping for a second-hand, barely used cat service from a really candy outdated woman. I completely washed and sun-dried the service and obtained approval from Ivy’s short-term foster mother.

Cat service: examine.

Subsequent Up: The Bowls

Now this was manner 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 metallic bowls. Simple to wash and never needing as frequent changing as plastic bowls.

Meals and water bowls: examine.

The Cat Mattress

So, I knew that cats had a status for not essentially sleeping of their beds the identical manner canines do. All over the place in the home is honest sport – 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, examine.

The Litter Field and Litter

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

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

Litter field and litter: examine.

Final Up: Toys & Equipment

I, as soon as once more, foolishly believed that she would love all of the toys widely available at every pet store. Little squeaky mice, light-up balls, and even a self-moving mouse.

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

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

I additionally obtained her a collar and a nametag together with her identify and our quantity on, simply in case.

I additionally obtained her a cat tree made by yet one more very candy woman, who I discovered on considered 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 record: toys & equipment.

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

Since then, we’ve upgraded large time.

Ivy now has:

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

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