As some of you have heard, B and I are adopting a cat soon!
Our neighbor's cat had kittens 2 months ago, and we're adopting a little female. So far my mother-in-law has equipped us with a fancy litter box (complete with an air filter), some toys, a food bowl, carrier case, and a cat-house (if you can call it that....).
Now what I need is input from all you cat owners in France on where we should get our litter and food, and brand recommendations as necessary. We're on a budget, so I don't think we'll be able to buy top of the line, but considering I have never looked for cat food or litter in France, I have no idea what prices are.
A friend who's going to veterinary school recommended we change the food often with the kitten so she doesn't get 'stuck' to one brand or variety. As for litter, my mil recommended Catsan, but apparently it's kind of expensive.
Any opinions on buying at the grocery store versus pet shops or gardening stores?
I just discovered this website, and I kind of feel like I'm entering the world of cats, unknown to those who aren't a pet owner.
Pictures to be posted when we bring the cat home (1-2 weeks)!
4 comments:
For litter, I use the store brand (usually Cora), agglomerant kind. We tried a few different ones, and he likes them all, but agglomerant is easier cleanup! Without odors is always best. A 5L box lasts about 2-3 weeks for us, scooping every day and adding a little, total change once a week.
Have you come across this hint? Cats are nutso for bleach, so if she pees somewhere she shouldn't DON'T clean it up with bleach, it'll just make her pee there again! A tablespoon of bleach in the litterbox before you put in the litter will draw her to it, if she seems hesitant to use it.
As for food, we tried like, ten different wet foods and he only likes one (the cheaper one, yay!) but since we're not around much during the day it's mostly dry food, Purina One. At the supermarket we go to, we get coupons for the stuff we buy the most, so it's not that expensive in the end.
Good luck! Can't wait for pictures!
I used to buy the really fine, clumping cat litter from the supermarkets and it was fine. Now I buy the expensive (Canadian!) kind from petstores because we have 2 cats and I don't want any kind of smell and I find a 5kg bag lasts longer.
As for food...Noé eats Friskies "chat d'intérieur" dry food, but you've seen how big he is, so maybe it's not designed for weight control after all. Mini (the Sphynx) comes from a breeder who only gives her cats Royal Canin for inside cats, so I've switched them over to that. It's impossible to have 2 cats eating 2 different kinds of food because they share the same bowl. Of course you'll be feeding her kitten kibble until she's fixed, then switch over to something designed for sterilised, indoor cats.
I've never heard of changing a cat's food so that they don't get "stuck" on it. I wouldn't recommend changing brands, but perhaps changing tastes once in a while if you want (ie. Friskies seafood medley then the chicken kibbles later on).
Cats actually have a lot fewer taste buds than dogs, so they are usually less finicky about food. They also LOVE bits of canned tuna (packed in water, not oil of course) and I give mine a few bits from time to time as a treat.
Can't wait to see pics of your new baby!
We were just using the store brand litter, though I personally preferred the Carrefour brand litter to the Auchan brand, but Rasteau didn't seem to care and he would use either. I just personally found the Carrefour brand was less powdery and therefore made less of a mess in our house!
For food we've tried a million different things, and I think Rasteau is a bit of a picky cat, but the food we used for the longest time was Friskies dry food (we used for chats sterilises because it's what our vet recommended for weight control but before we got him fixed we used a different kind of Friskies and he liked that too). We usually buy the 2kg bags of dry food and they last us 5-6 weeks for 4-5euros. He also got wet food and that was where he was pickiest...we started with Friskies wet food, then had to change to Whiskas, which both are similarily priced. Then we went to Purina Gourmet after he had it on vacation at my inlaws and now he won't eat anything else, which is proving to be a problem since he is now in the US and they don't see it there.
My inlaws usually give their cats just the Carrefour brand for wet food, and occassionally a fancier treat, and they have no problems with it.
I recommend going to the big supermarkets, Carrefour/Auchan, and stocking up on food when you see it on sale. We often bought the "cheaper" brands (ie Friskies, Whiskas) of wet food on sale at the big supermarkets when we saw it on sale and would have enough to last about a month for around 7-8 euros, but we also generally buy the little sachets instead of the big cans which are generally cheaper. The vet recommended that he get one sachet a day, half in the morning, half at night and dry food for the rest of the day.
We never really went to the big animal stores, but then in Paris it wasn't really very practical.
Good luck with the new cat, can't wait to see photos!
I am sure that kitten is gonna get lots of love :)
And I saw on the website you linked that there is a photo contest where you can send pictures of your cat. Go Bart!!
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