Things To Buy For Your Cats

The following ist a list of items you can get for your cat. They’re merely recommendations of items I own myself or of items that are very similar to those I own myself.

• Cat carrier – To get your cat safely to the vet or the cat hotel. Cat carriers are available in many different shapes and sizes. The cat carrier linked to down below is made from hard plastic and seems safer than cat carriers made from fabric (so nothing can fall on your cats while they’re in there). This carrier can be opened from the top as well – which is to say the upper half comes off and you can take the cat out that way, you don’t have to pull it out through the front. We used to have the small version of this for both kittens, then we got a second small one when they grew up a bit. Meanwhile our cats are 5.5 kg (12 pounds), so we have a big one for each.

• Litter box – The litter box is an annoying thing about inside cats. (But still better than chasing after your pet with a plastic bag!) The general advice is to get one littler box per cat, plus an extra one. So for two cats, you’re supposed to have three litter boxes in your home. Few apartments have that kind of space. I would generally advise you to get a big litter box to make it less likely for them to miss, plus a high edge that will prevent them from peeing over it. It’s best to take a cat toilet without a top on, so your cat will always feel it has a way out if it has to flee. This should be the model we have, which has been working well for us:

• Litter scoop – To scoop out the cat litter. We have this scoop for Cat’s Best Original, but it’s best to go to your pet store and check out which scoop fits to your cat litter. (We also have a smaller litter scoop* from before, but it doesn’t work very well with less fine cat litter.)

• Dustbin – Depending on the rules in your state or city, it might not be legal to flush your cat litter down your toilet, even if the packaging says its fine. (Might cause issues with septic tanks, too!) Make sure you know the rules in your area. If you’re not allowed to flush your cat litter, get a dustbin for it. It’s not a tasteful addition to any home, but it’s useful and it’s convenient.

• Cat tree – The cat tree I’m linking to is very similar to the one we have. Cat trees should also appeal to you, not just your cat. They should have sisal wrapped around them, which is a great material for your cats to sharpen their claws on. They should also be stable so your cat enjoys it, otherwise it might sharpen its claws on your sofa instead. If it has a little bed to sleep in at the top, your cat will enjoy that, too. If you want a great cat tree for little money, you can look for a used one on eBay or Craigslist. You can also find a lot of different ones online that are not too expensive, (like Go Cat Club*), or scratching barrels* and wall shelves*. There’s something for everyone – your cats will thank you.

• Brush – Which brush is best for your cat surely also depends on your cat. Our brush looks like the one linked below. We had a different one previously, but the cats didn’t really like it. This new one they love and they will purr loudly and contently when we brush them with it. Our cats have short hair, but if you have a cat with very long hair, you might need a different brush. Check with your local pet supply store!

• Food bowl – A bowl made of metal so it can’t break. It’s easy to clean and dishwasher safe. The rubber bottom makes sure it doesn’t move around too much when they eat from it. We have to of them, one for each cat. As a “slow feeder” for dry food, we bought the Tiger Diner. It’s made of ceramics – there’s also a plastic version, but you’ll want something sturdy that doesn’t move too much. Cats have to reach in to get the treats out, which slows down their eating.

• Water bowl – We only have one water bowl for both cats, but they don’t drink much in general. We used to have a bowl made of ceramics, but then the cats broke it. Now we have a very nice metal one on a metal stand.

• Automatic feeder – Automatic feeders are a great invention for giving your cats snacks between their main meals. I’ve looked far and wide until I found an automatic feeder that works for two cats: the Petpod feeder*. Since I’ve found the PetPod, we’ve constantly used it for a snack between feeding times and I can definitely recommend it – if you can find it. A cheaper alternative is the Trixie TX2*, which won’t set you back quite as much. However, if you have one dominant cat, it’s not clear if both cats will get to eat from it once it opens.

• Wand toy – A classic among cat toys. It’ll help your cats get a workout and still make sure you won’t injure your hands in the process. They’re available in many different sizes and with different things attached. Other recommendations for cat toys are available in the article Cat toys as tested by cats.

• Scratching pad – A scratching pad or scratcher is a nice toy for your cats to sharpen their claws on. They’re fairly cheap and sometimes they come with catnip included, as does the one linked below which we have flying around in our apartment somewhere. They’re not made for eternity if cats really use them, but they’re not expensive and you can recycle them, and don’t we all agree that it’s better to have your cat scratch up a cardboard fish rather than your sofa?

• Nail trimmers – These are useful to clip your cats’ nails without splintering them like normal nail clippers might. I wait till my cat falls asleep on my lap, and then I quickly trim one or two of his claws until he lets me know that he’s had enough. Admittedly, though, our cats are very tolerant when it comes to touching their paws.

• Odor and stain remover – If your cat pees outside the litter box for whatever reason, you’ll need a stain and odor remover that breaks down the urine smell with enzymes. If it keeps on smelling like cat pee, your cat will pee there again. If it smells like detergent, your cat might want to pee on it to get rid of the detergent smell.

• Cat tin lids – To cover up opened cat food tins. That’s one of those items you’ll only realize you need when you find yourself with a partly emptied cat food tin. It’s not fun to do try to cover them with cling film (except maybe reusable silicon lids*). They’re cheap and very handy.

• Cat grass – Cat gras is available for a few dollars at any pet shop. It’s important for cats and ours love it – that’s why it doesn’t last very long. You can save some money by growing it yourself, but it’ll take a while for it to appear. I recommend this one, as it has broad leaves and our cats find it easy to chew off:

• Cat basked for your radiator – This is a cat basket for radiators, which my cats really enjoy in winter. It’s made for European-style radiators, though. It’s a bit small for a 12 pound cat, but Garrus likes small enclosures. The basket was on sale when we bought it and well worth the money. There are other cat beds for radiators* that are a bit cheaper, too. If you have one of those flat wall heaters, make sure the cat bed you order for it fits in size.

• Wall shelf – A wall shelf for your cats. We have two on the wall for our cats to enjoy our vertical space, plus a little cat hammock. I definitely encourage you to buy proper wall plugs with this, otherwise it might not hold your cats.

• Sticky Paws – If your cat prefers to dig her claws into your sofa rather than the scratching post, these sticky strips might prevent that behaviour. Cats don’t like sticky things on their paws, so they will look for something else to dig their claws into – ideally your scratching post. I’m a little bit surprised that the product has some bad reviews on Amazon, as we really found it helpful. The sticky strips came off the sofa again without any residue.

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