The Cat Thread

Hi all, need some advice! have a two year old very much outdoor cat and I am moving from a house with garden to a first floor flat (its quite spacious). Although there is the possibility of letting her out eventually this would involve only street access (dead end though so no traffic) through two front doors and a set of stairs plus loads of big burly city cats outside. I wonder if anyone has any experience moving a cat from outdoor to indoor and can give any much needed advice? Its for a year until I move into a house with a garden once more.

She's called Boo.

Bed? they're cat, you don't need anything like that.

Don't bother with toys, a piece of string will keep them entertained.

The only thing you need to concern yourself with is litterbox and food.

I see! Litter box will be from pets from home. Doesn't really matter I guess.

Any experiences on a cat tree?

I am looking at this. It will be an indoor cat so will need scratching posts.

Leopet® KBD008/2blue Cat Tree Scratching Post Sisal Height about 180cm Blue: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

^ this. I've spent loads at the vet's on what I thought would be excellent toys. Doesn't give a shit. Apart from catnip, he likes that.

Yeah I think a stick with some string will do.

Ping pong balls, loads of them... A laser pointer would also be good.

Have a look at the cardboard scratchers from these guys. Their stuff is usually a tag cheaper than pets at home, so if you the getting a starter pack so to speak, you could consider these guys.

Litter tray wise, a couple of pages up a few of us have discussed hooded littler tray, have a look, they are usually bigger and well, has a hood, so less mess... As far as 'bed' goes, mine tends to sleep on the same spot, so I bought a couple of the argos value pillows and cheap blanket and she is very happy.

Dude you really don't need those stuff, if you're really looking for something, a scratch pole would be idea.

If you can't get the kitten to scratch it (encourage them not to scratch furniture), rub some catnip on it.

Pure awesomeness. Did it require any training / encouragement to begin with?

My scratch post cost less than a tenner. I have a cat tower similar to the link from amazing, only smaller, her highness doesn't care.

Boxes, they also like boxes. Any old boxes... Oh cats love boxes and kitchen sinks... Or is just mine?

Cat love boxes because they feel secure in them, it's part of their nature behaviour.

Chill Ed, I know that, no need to take it so seriously... :-D

Really ed? How fascinating!

Pure awesomeness. Did it require any training / encouragement to begin with?

I had a feather, on a length of string, the other end of the string was tied to a stick.

I dangled that over the balcony, and drew it up past the end of the pole- James jumped up at it, hooked the pole and then ran up the rest of it.

Higgs and Tesla go up and down the pole, James leaps off the balcony onto the top of the car to go down, runs up it.

Those cat names....are...pure win....
Which James though?

Drug mouse: http://www.wilko.com/cat-toys/wilko-catnip-mouse-toy/invt/0292370?VBMST=Catnip

No longer has the tail, ears or much of a face left, but has been a firm favourite for well over a year.

Those cat names....are...pure win....
Which James though?

One of mine is rarely bothered by anything except those little plastic covers you get on plugs with new electronic shit, she goes mad for them.

Let me see if I can get this right...

James - the ginger one as showed in the pics above
Higgs - the long hair one who camped out in the garden when
Tesla - the lfgss cat arrived...

That right, Dammit?

Correct

List time.

Best ever cat toys.

1 Fish a receipt out of your pocket, scrunch it into a bit of a ball. Throw it to the top of the stairs.
2 Find something small and clattery and put it on the kitchen table. Every time the cat knocks it to the floor return it to it's original position.
3 Get a zip tie and run it across the bannister rails.
4 Tie a couple of knots in a piece of string and drag it along the floor.
5 Lazer pointer on a wall.
6 Foolishly allow your feet to poke out the end of the duvet.
7 Tell them off when they do something bad or annoying. Will ensure hours of repetition.

Best ever cat toys.

1 Fish a receipt out of your pocket, scrunch it into a bit of a ball. Throw it to the top of the stairs.
2 Find something small and clattery and put it on the kitchen table. Every time the cat knocks it to the floor return it to it's original position.
3 Get a zip tie and run it across the bannister rails.
4 Tie a couple of knots in a piece of string and drag it along the floor.
5 Lazer pointer on a wall.
6 Foolishly allow your feet to poke out the end of the duvet.
7 Tell them off when they do something bad or annoying. Will ensure hours of repetition.
8 Happen to place your recycling and packaging in a receptacle without a lid. Anything and everything goes.
9 Install blinds with chain pulleys. Eventually the entire blind will be a cat toy regardless of cost or installation.
10 Wear a hooded top with drawstrings. You are effectively a dead man walking.

Pringles foil tops are good to be scrunched up, noisy enough to keep them entertained and they're quite robust.

A plastic straw: when the cat swats one end the other end moves.

A length of string tied to the end of a stick at one end and to a short length of old inner tube at the other end. Ours go mad for this, they can get a bit of a grip on the inner tube but not so much that it's too hard to pull it away from them.

If you have more than one cat, then a cardboard box with holes cut in it, with some holes too small for them to get through but big enough for them to reach a paw through and attack each-other.

10 Wear a hooded top with drawstrings. You are effectively a dead man walking.

That reminds me, if you have pajama bottoms with draw strings in the waist, get rid of them before the cats arrive or bad things will happen to your nadgers.

Higgs has a fluffy yellow mouse-toy which she throws around, chases, "kills" etc.

Tesla kidnaps it and grooms it- until it looks like a punk mouse, hair stretched out and frozen in strange spikes and tufts.

James has a catnip cigar which he loves.

Best ever cat toys.

1 Fish a receipt out of your pocket, scrunch it into a bit of a ball. Throw it to the top of the stairs.
2 Find something small and clattery and put it on the kitchen table. Every time the cat knocks it to the floor return it to it's original position.
3 Get a zip tie and run it across the bannister rails.
4 Tie a couple of knots in a piece of string and drag it along the floor.
5 Lazer pointer on a wall.
6 Foolishly allow your feet to poke out the end of the duvet.
7 Tell them off when they do something bad or annoying. Will ensure hours of repetition.
8 Happen to place your recycling and packaging in a receptacle without a lid. Anything and everything goes.
9 Install blinds with chain pulleys. Eventually the entire blind will be a cat toy regardless of cost or installation.
10 Wear a hooded top with drawstrings. You are effectively a dead man walking.
11 buy new shoes, or simply new laces. tie laces. untie laces. see how long the laces now last.
12 roses/quality street/heroes etc wrappers. eat chocolate, throw wrapper somewhere/anywhere.