Getting our first cat this weekend!! I've got a few questions.......

[Liza]

RE the sofa's my 2 kittens have never scratched at the leather sofas, although when rushing around the lounge and in trying to jump onto the top they have been scratched quiet a few times............we then put throws over them (keeping them on the whole time) for about 6mths, infact only took them off last weekend!!  Obviously this won't apply if you don't intend to allow her on them, which lets be honest is impossible.  And who doesn't like having their baby curled up on their lap having strokes and purring away loudly 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I can't add much to the above but re the sofas - if she shows signs of scratching it you might want to look into sticky paws (double sided stick tape specially designed for furniture) or repellent spray.  I put a throw over mine but Mosi just burrows underneath it!

[Em]

Forgot to mention - there is no hard and fast rule about keeping cats in. None of mine have ever been restricted for more than a couple of hours, and that was only so they didn't get underfoot when we moved house. There's certainly no need to keep her in one room for any length of time if she's already house trained. Make sure she knows where the tray is (use the same litter as she's used to to start with so she knows what it smells like, in fact if you can bring some out of her old tray that will give you a head start - just a small amount, preferebly used).

As I said, every cat is an individual so you're going to have to play it by ear.    and welcome to the life of a cat slave

[Em]

Wow...

The pros will probably be able to give you some more tips, but I'll get you started...

* multiple bowls are good, although you'll probably find that you only need 2-3 down at once - the meat one should be washed pretty much as soon as it's empty, it's a good habit to get into as in the summer it can get yucky - and you won't want milk down all the time as even the special milk for cats can be bad for some kitty tummies. Ceramic bowls are much much better than plastic ones (you didn't say what yours were?) and you can get cheap ones from Wilkos.
* Get some catnip spray and spray the scratch posts, possibly the hut too. It's an added incentive.
*never leave a young cat unattended with any toys that have long stringy bits - my neighbour once had to rescue our kitten after she nearly strangled herself on one while we were out.
* try the covered tray without a flap to begin with, or even without the cover until she gets used to it
* don't try to introduce the dog in person until you've had the cat for a while. if you can get your cat used to a cage in the meantime that would be good, also bring home stuff that smells of your dog, and take stuff to your mum's that smells of the cat that will help too. That way they can spend a few weeks getting used to the smell of each other. When you finally introduce them, do so on the cat's turf so she feels safe, and make sure she can either get to somewhere high up and that the dog is restrained so can't chase, or that the cat is in a cage. Talk reassuringly the whole time, so that the cat can see that you're not worried and it's all completely normal. Since you don't actually live with the dog you can take it fairly slowly, so just keep it to a few minutes at a time if you can. It's also a good idea to take the dog for a nice long walk before each meeting, and feed the cat so that they're both fighting the urge to sleep - that way neither of them should get too excited. Reward them both for being calm. As soon as either of them start fretting, take the dog out of the room and cuddle and stroke your cat.

Have a look on www.dfordog.com/forums for advice from a dogowners perspective.

The only other bit of advice is - enjoy!! We'll all be here for you if you have any more questions or any problems, but don't forget that every cat is an individual and it's entirely probable that she'll take you by surprise whatever you do!!

[Duncan and Findlay]

I always thought Cows milk is bad for cats....? For the litter tray, I'd keep the lid off for a day, so that they at least know where it's kept, and then put it back on. I'm not sure if Cats like to scratch leather, either. But to have throws over them will catch their escaping hairs. Why do you want to keep them in one room? Unless you already have a cat in the house, I suppose that's the only reason. We were told to separate Findlay from Duncan for up to a week. We waited a day.

I think, because the cat will be already there when you bring the dog back, it won't have much of a problem. It will be different if the dog is there and then bring a cat in. Only an opinion that, I'm only going by what happened when my parents got a dog and there was already a cat residing.

The rest, well, I don't think I'm qualified to pass comment. 

[kittykat]

We're sooooo soooo excited!  My husband and I are picking up our first kitten this weekend.  There was a delay in getting her but finally the time has come! 

I just want to make sure we've done everything we can for her.

I've got 4 bowls - one for water, one for milk, one for wet food and one for dry.

I've got a litter box with a lid over it (hoping that will stop any bad smells) - Shes used to an open tray at the moment so do you think she'll be able to work out the box with a lid and flat?

I've got 2 scratch posts.  I've got a little suede bed for her.  And we've got a straw hut.  Its a bed up high, a hut she can go into, and it can be used as a scratch post.  Got a few toys for her too.

Anything we're missing??

We're going to keep her in the lounge as its the biggest and warmest room.  Although i'm a little worried about my leather sofas.  I think we're going to put big throws over them when we're out so hopefully she won't get to them.

How long are you meant to keep them in one room for?

I want her to get used to my dog (who lives with my parents) so should i introduce them after a few days of her settling in?  Or should i wait a few weeks?

Any other advice on how to settle her in would be great!

Thanks!