Scratching tower is not optional. Although you might want to wait to see your catto prefers scratching vertically, or horizontally on the carpet. If your catto is a horizontal scratcher by preference, then you might want to swap the tower for floor level scratch pads. Tower is still useful for your cat to rest on out of the way of nuisancy hoomans underfoot. And a great launch pad for ambushes and zoomies. I would also add a box of cat grass if catto is to be an inside only catto. I think you’ve covered all bases for a start. You can always add more toys etc. later when you know what your catto likes.
EDIT: forgot to mention hairbrush for grooming. Great way to get your cat used to being handled/cuddled, and reduces the amount of cat fur around.
Awesome! Any recs for scratching tower / food / litter or is that all personal to the catto? Where do you get a nice quality tower? Don’t mind spending a bit more if it means the quality is much higher
Any personal experience is long out of date and food/litter depends a lot on the cat. Some are fussy, some aren’t. Ours wasn’t - she would eat anything from day 1 and didn’t care what sort of litter was provided. The place you’re getting the cat from will tell you what the cat is used to for food & litter. Start with that, and make gradual changes if you want. For a tower, I’d start at Petbarn or similar or Kmart for the basics. Even Temple & Webster stock towers. Some go from floor to ceiling and look quite stable and don’t take up much floor space.
You might want to wait a bit to see what your catto’s personality is like - they might enjoy a view out the window later on as they get used to their new home. To start with, they’ll probably be pretty cautious as they get accustomed, and will be looking for security over stimulation. Once they get confident, they’ll use the tower more and more I reckon. So this might not be an immediate purchase but a later one. Even a stack of sturdy cardboard boxes taped together would do to begin with.
Jackson Galaxy has excellent videos on youtube about how to introduce a cat to a new home - worth looking up.
Try to go for a tall one where your cat can comfortably reach / stretch up and scratch on it. A bed on top of it would make a great viewing point for a cat that likes to be elevated or as high as possible.
You can place this in front of a scratch prone couch to try encourage the cat to use the post instead of the couch.
As for horizontal scratching, those cardboard scratching boxes are great for this. You can chuck em anywhere in their walkway and they’ll use it as they go about their day. Makes for a good alternative bed if the cat is feeling like it.
Scratching tower is not optional. Although you might want to wait to see your catto prefers scratching vertically, or horizontally on the carpet. If your catto is a horizontal scratcher by preference, then you might want to swap the tower for floor level scratch pads. Tower is still useful for your cat to rest on out of the way of nuisancy hoomans underfoot. And a great launch pad for ambushes and zoomies. I would also add a box of cat grass if catto is to be an inside only catto. I think you’ve covered all bases for a start. You can always add more toys etc. later when you know what your catto likes. EDIT: forgot to mention hairbrush for grooming. Great way to get your cat used to being handled/cuddled, and reduces the amount of cat fur around.
Seconding the cat grass. You can also grow Nip if Cato happens to be susceptible to it. Brush type will depend on coat length.
Awesome! Any recs for scratching tower / food / litter or is that all personal to the catto? Where do you get a nice quality tower? Don’t mind spending a bit more if it means the quality is much higher
Any personal experience is long out of date and food/litter depends a lot on the cat. Some are fussy, some aren’t. Ours wasn’t - she would eat anything from day 1 and didn’t care what sort of litter was provided. The place you’re getting the cat from will tell you what the cat is used to for food & litter. Start with that, and make gradual changes if you want. For a tower, I’d start at Petbarn or similar or Kmart for the basics. Even Temple & Webster stock towers. Some go from floor to ceiling and look quite stable and don’t take up much floor space.
You might want to wait a bit to see what your catto’s personality is like - they might enjoy a view out the window later on as they get used to their new home. To start with, they’ll probably be pretty cautious as they get accustomed, and will be looking for security over stimulation. Once they get confident, they’ll use the tower more and more I reckon. So this might not be an immediate purchase but a later one. Even a stack of sturdy cardboard boxes taped together would do to begin with. Jackson Galaxy has excellent videos on youtube about how to introduce a cat to a new home - worth looking up.
Can recommend Jackson Galaxy’s videos, they’re good.
Any food that is grain free is a good start. Both it and litter are cheaper the bigger quantity you buy, think about storage.
Try to go for a tall one where your cat can comfortably reach / stretch up and scratch on it. A bed on top of it would make a great viewing point for a cat that likes to be elevated or as high as possible.
You can place this in front of a scratch prone couch to try encourage the cat to use the post instead of the couch.
As for horizontal scratching, those cardboard scratching boxes are great for this. You can chuck em anywhere in their walkway and they’ll use it as they go about their day. Makes for a good alternative bed if the cat is feeling like it.