rescuing a cat...

[marie73]

She's adorable! And the perfect age!

[Robin1109]

She's a pretty kitty! I had both my cats from kittens and it was my first experience as a cat owner. I've fumbled through a lot of it. All the recommendations on here are good ones. I also purchased a pet bed for my cats. They love it. Somewhere to climb or sit in a window sill is very ideal too.

As for toys, I swear by these two:
Cat springs (so cheap): Spot Wide Colorful Springs Cat Toy (10 pack)
Auto laser pointer: FroliCat TL1 Bolt Automatic Laser Toy

IF you find that you have a cat that likes cords, try "crittercord". Not all cats chew though.

Good luck!

[onyxsham]

The apartment aspect is fine, we live in a 1000sqft apartment and have two cats and think that is the limit. You should try to adopt when you have a longer weekend, to let the cat get familiar with surrounding while you are around. The cat may scratch your furniture, but certainly get scratching posts and other toys for it to play with. Cats like to sleep and hang out, and we did get another cat in order for one to have a companion, but it certainly is not necessary. Giving the cat a nice home, with plenty of space is already good enough

[BigDaveyL]

Originally Posted by marie73

She's adorable! And the perfect age!

Yep, and she'll be a companion for a long time!

[Nan]

She looks adorable! A trackball toy like this one is popular with both my cats.

[Marcia]

Originally Posted by CatMonkeys

Great advice. I have a few tables in my house that the cats have inadvertently left claw marks on; for me, having the cats is worth a table with scratch along the edge. This isn't misidrected scratching (they use their scratching posts regularly), but just a side effect of the cats climbing and chasing each other on smooth surfaces.

I have the same scratched tables - and my cats ARE declawed in the front!! You cannot avoid scratches or broken things with cats. Period.
If you don't want scratches, barfing, poop smells or broken things, better get a stuff animal!

[MV0087]

Okay...spent boatloads of money today. Bought:

-Cat bed
-Nail clippers
-Covered litter box with carbon filters
-Litter mat
-Liter scoop
-Cat Tree (~50") with three platforms, a wood post, rope scratching post and a dangling toy.

• Question on this: I want to put the tree on top of 3 computer cases I have lying around with a blanket over them. This will give the cat more height and fit my room nicely. Will this be an issue for the cat?

-Food and Water bowls
-Curvy scratching post for the living room
-Cardboard scratching post for the bedroom
-Pet carrier
-Collar with engraved tag
-Brush
-Stain and odor remover
-Double stick tape for the corners of the furniture to protect it from scratching
-Three small mouse toys
-A ball on a string for interactive play
-As suggested above, a track ball with dangling mouse toy

Litter, food, and treats will be next up when I contact the shelter and ask what they are giving her now. Should I buy a higher quality food to ensure the cat has a better and healthier diet?

Well...that's about all I could think of. Am I missing anything essential?

Edit: Do you guys use a liner for your closed litter box? Should I be doing this?

[LunaTheHimmydoll]

Originally Posted by MV0087

Edit: Do you guys use a liner for your closed litter box? Should I be doing this?

My kitten ripped the litter box liner I had. In several places. It seemed pretty pointless.

[ezmeray]

You mentioned she doesn't like being held at the moment,my cat has never liked being held. She loves sitting/sleeping on me and being petted, but hates being physically "held", especially if I try to pick her up. So I wouldn't be too concerned about her not liking to be held or if she never warms up to it, it definitely doesn't mean she doesn't feel comfortable/secure with you.

Also, if you don't have a windowsill (or an easy way to get up there), you can try putting an appropriately tall piece of furniture by the window. I have a couch with the back to a window and my cat likes lying on the back/top on the couch and looking out the window or napping.

[scottd]

I don't use a liner, they're rather useless.

No one has mentioned it but if scratching is an issue, there is an alternative to declawing. You can buy nail caps and put them on the claws. They're not painful and your cat will quickly adjust to having them on. Soft Paws and Soft Claws are the 2 brands I'm aware of.

Oh, what type of bowls did you get? Plastic can harbor bacteria and cause cat acne. Glass or stainless steel is the preferred material.

About food... Most of us will agree that wet food is preferred. You probably don't know what they feed her so it's hard to know if she will eat it. Nonetheless, you will want a grain-free low carb/high protein food that's free of by-products and vague ingredients such as "meat" or "poultry". There's many brands. You could check at a good pet store and ask them to show you grain-free food and you can look at the ingredients.

A lot of people either use World's Best Cat Litter or Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat but there are also Tidy Cats and Fresh Step fans around here. I like WBCL because it's made from corn which means no harmful silica dust and it handles odor well. Tidy Cats Small Spaces is also pretty good but it does have some dust.