Getting ready for a Kitten’s Arrival: How I Prepped for Ivy

Welcome to the Wednesday Cats of Catster! Each week, we share a narrative from one among 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 not sure I used to be that I used to be able to tackle such an enormous accountability.

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 by myself, 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 woman who had her personal rescue shelter.

Ivy needed to be vaccinated and spayed earlier than I might choose 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 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 provider is of utmost significance – it shouldn’t be a type of primary, plastic cat carriers which are discovered round each nook. It wanted to be sturdy, ideally have a steel gate/door, and have the ability to lock securely. It will even be excellent if it couldn’t be opened from the highest. All of this to ensure 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 containers, in a approach that I might afford. I couldn’t imagine the costs of those carriers in our native pet outlets. I ultimately ended up shopping for a second-hand, barely used cat provider from a really candy outdated woman.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 obtained approval from Ivy’s short-term foster mother.

Cat provider: verify.

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 primary steel bowls. Straightforward to scrub and never needing as frequent changing as plastic bowls.

Meals and water bowls: verify.

The Cat Mattress

So, I knew that cats had a status for not essentially sleeping of their beds the identical approach canine do. In every single place in the home is truthful recreation – together with the sink!

However after I noticed the cutest plaid, spherical, pink cat mattress, it was a no brainer. I thought of the entire 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, verify.

The Litter Field and Litter

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

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

Litter field and litter: verify.

Final Up: Toys & Equipment

I, as soon as once more, foolishly believed that she would love the entire toys extensively 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 really hates all of these.

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

I additionally obtained her a collar and a nametag along with her title 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 one among our Fb teams. Granted, it wasn’t the prettiest or the sturdiest, but it surely 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 just a little misinformed on the time, and my judgment could 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 checklist 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 stuff you want you knew beforehand? What are some stuff you’ve modified or acquired further since then?