The Cat Thread

Celeste is a very long haired white cat, whereas I am a) quite allergic to cats and b) a fan of black clothes. She enjoys being brushed, which helps keep the shedding down a bit but despite hoovering a few times a week there's still tumbleweeds of white fur all over the house. Also now she has Meabh to fight with, her fur isn't quite so sleek...

So I decided a more serious brush was needed and bought a de-shedding brush.... holy shit. I wish I could spin all this hair into yarn as I seem to get a Celeste sized amount off her every day. I also wish I'd got this brush sooner as I found three dreadlocks that I couldn't brush out and had to cut out with scissors (I feel like such a bad owner)!!

de-shedding brush

Interesting, will look this up. Ours is a furry guy too. Scared me by attacking from the garage roof when I was taking out the garbage last night.

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You obviously haven't seen this yet!

If you can think it, it's probably been done in Japan already :D

bwahaha

Luna in her regular attention seeking pose

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And again as she is getting more fond of human contact as she gets a little older

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Where are you? That's not a London street... Love the way the cat is simultaneously majestic/cute/scary. Can almost see teeth.

I like this grey cat. Looks very cat-ey.

That's not a London street...

Very true. It is in fact a suburban area of Gothenburg, Sweden.

One of the many things I don't like about this is that this cat is wearing a hat made out of one of fur from a different cat...

Look at that belly!

The brush I got looks like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Grooming-Tool-Undercoat-Dematting/dp/B01EZ7UOCM/

Celeste seems to really enjoy it, she sat on my lap while I brushed her yesterday - she has NEVER sat on my lap before!

One of my cats is 16 now and is very insistent on being on my lap if I am sitting down anywhere in the house

There is a 4 hour (6-10pm) playlist curated by a pet behavioural specialist on classic fm to help with the fireworks tonight.

It’s on in our house and Maggie is nowhere to be seen, naturally.

Heh. Of course. The Floof Monster is hiding under the bed as I write.

I am getting cats.

Very soon.

Orpheus and Eurydice.

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Ohhhh they're very sweet! (and they look extremely naughty)

The male is the one with the white noise and apparently he's very cheeky in a naughty way. The female is the softer nose and she's cheeky in a adorable way. One will smash your vase, the other will sleep on your clean jumpers.

This may not be true btw, I haven't received them yet, and I detect a bias in the owner who really only likes female cats and people 😁

I have to buy all the things... What recommendations for:

• Cat litter stuff... Tray plus which litter
  
• Food and treats (we'll start on whatever the owner used, but will vary things)
  
• Toys and play things
  
• A climbing and scratching tree that is on the large side... Up to 2m high and space for both cats to be on it and look out of windows
  
  

It's more what works best

Super cute! 🥰

Yet still amazing how you can easily tell that they are troublemakers (at least the male) 🙂

Regarding your questions -
(I'll let locals comment on specific brands for food, litter, etc. as I don't think you have the same options in the UK as we do here in Germany)

litter
whatever the brand, the more expensive stuff is usually worth it in my experience.
most important thing to remember is to keep the tray clean (take out shit multiple times a week, re-fill a bit of litter every now and then, re-do the complete thing at least monthly) - otherwise they will not use it

food and treats
opinions vary regarding dry and wet food..
..we have fed some of our cats with dry food only all their lifes, they were very healthy and happy.
..we have fed some of our cats with wet food only all their lifes, they were very healthy and happy.
Personally I'd go quality dry food as I can't stand the smell of wet food, it's fucking disgusting.
Likely you will condition the cats quickly (meaning most do settle on either dry or wet, and also a specific brand, will later only eat other stuff if they're really close to starving).
Whatever you do, provide plenty of fresh water in one or more bowls, that are not next to the food bowls but somewhere else in the house. Cats will drink more if the water is in different places, don't ask me why, but it's true. Just like with humans, drinking a lot of fresh water is key to good health.
I would not do snacks and treats at all. Just like with humans, they're expensive, addictive, full of shit / sugar, and not healthy, to be frank.

toys
..whatever works! Maybe you heard how some people bought a nice expensive toy for their cat, bring it home and unwrap it, and the cat plays with the box the toy came in.
You will find simple stuff like a ball of crumpled auminium foil thrown in the corner of the room can be the most spectacular thing.

climbing / scratching things
If you have time and like building things I'd definitely recommend doing your own (building things that fit in your room / create a little "platform" to chill on etc. with wood, wrap parts of that tightly with rope..)

Hope this helps.
Have fun!

Worlds best cat litter, well, actually is. Flushable too which is very helpful.

Small squishy toys to start (don't break when you step on them) and lure on string type toys.

Cat towers are much of a muchness.

Get them comfortable with having their paws handled at a young age - makes claw clipping easier throughout their lives.

Cute beasts. Been reading Sandman lately?

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Yeah, that's going to be my front room (which I shall rename Hades)! I am 100% up for high level cat spaces to make the territory more interesting when they're indoors.

Whatever you install, they will look at in disdain and go and play with something MUCH more exciting like your clean clothes in the wardrobe or the living room curtains. Then just as you think about getting rid of whatever it is that they have so far ignored, they will decide that it's their favourite thing EVER and will not be parted from it.