Preparing for the Arrival of a Kitten: How I Prepared for Ivy

Welcome to Wednesday Cats of Catster! Each week, we share a story from one of our cat-loving Catsters. This week is all about Crystal and her soul cat, Ivy.

Hi Catsters!

If you’ve read my introduction, you’ll know how I adopted Ivy and how unsure I was that I was ready to take on such a huge responsibility.

Today, I will take you through how I prepared for Ivy’s arrival.

Having never owned a pet myself, to say I was nervous would be an understatement.

First up: The Cat Carrier

After Ivy was removed from her original family (storytime on that to come!), she was staying with a lady who had her own rescue shelter.

Ivy needs to be vaccinated and spied on before I can pick her up – something I wholeheartedly agree with.

I was asked if I had a cat carrier and, strangely, it was the last thing I thought of. I thought about cat food, bowls, beds, scratchers, litter boxes, but not the actual thing I would use to bring him into my house. (This should tell you a lot about how I am as a person, haha!)

The lady stated that the cat carrier is of the utmost importance – it should not be one of the basic, plastic cat carriers found on every corner. It needs to be sturdy, ideally with a metal gate/door, and lock securely. It’s also fine if it can’t be opened from the top. All this to make sure he doesn’t escape the 2 hour drive to my house.

This led me to a trip and a half of trying to find a carrier that checked all of these boxes, in a way that I could afford. I can’t believe the prices of these carriers at our local pet shops. Eventually I bought a second-hand, barely used cat carrier from a very sweet old lady. I washed and dried the carrier in the sun and got approval from Ivy’s caretaker.

Cat carrier: check.

Next: The Bowls

Now this was way before I learned about cat whisker fatigue and their dislike for having their water right next to their food, so no judgment, please!

I settled for two basic metal bowls. It is easy to clean and does not require frequent replacement of plastic bowls.

Food and water bowls: check.

The Cat Bed

So, I know that cats have a reputation for unnecessarily sleeping in their beds just like dogs do. Anywhere in the house is fair game – including the sink!

But when I saw the cutest plaid, round, pink cat bed, it was a no-brainer. I thought of all the cat snoozes she could be taking, curled up in her cute little bed. (Yeah, right. That’s not the case.)

But still: cat bed, check.

The Litter Box and Litter

I did a lot of research in the days leading up to her arrival, and honestly, it wasn’t enough.

I know litter box size is really important, but I don’t really know how big/small he should be. I lived in a very basic, standard litter box and non-clumping, highly absorbent, decomposable cat litter.

Litter box and litter: check.

Last Up: Toys and Accessories

I, once again, foolishly believed that he would like all the toys widely available in every pet store. Little mice, flashing balls, and even a mouse that moves on its own.

I will find out later that no, she actually hates all of those.

Out of all the toys I got for him, the only real winner was the wand toy! (Though that interest was short-lived.)

I also gave him a collar and a nametag with our name and number, just in case.

I also gave her a cat tree made by another very sweet lady, who I found in one of our Facebook groups. Granted, it’s not the best or the strongest, but it has to be done in the first two weeks. Oh, and we also kept every box we had from buying our first kitchen appliances, as one does.

And that checked off last on my list: toys and accessories.

This is the long and short of how I prepared for Ivy’s arrival! I was a bit misinformed at the time, and my judgment may have been clouded by my excitement. But the basics got us through the first few weeks!

Since then, we’ve upgraded big time.

Ivy now has:

And this list keeps growing, every single week. Because honestly, she deserves it!

How did you prepare for the arrival of your cat? Are there some things you wish you had known before? What are some things you’ve changed or gotten more of since then?