I get many questions from our kitten's new owners, as well as from the people on the waiting list, about the preparations they need to do before kitten arrives.
I am glad that they care so much, and I also understand that preparing your home and shopping for your kitten before it arrives is a very special time.
I can still remember clearly how excited we were before Harski came, I think we did not go to a city without visiting pet shop.
Of course we overdid it at the time, for Ulla we bought just a couple of toys, as there was still a bunch of things still unpacked left over Harski's baby days.
Yet there were things we had to learn while going, and we had it ready for Ulla, but Harski learned by his and our mistakes.
House preparation
The first thing that comes to my mind is...if you have ceramic cooking sruface, or any kind of cooking surface that stays hot for extended period of time after you are done with cooking, you need to find a way to cover it.
Harski got burnt once, I still remember the smell of burnt hairs on his paws, and it is not a nice memory.
You can cover it with extralarge pot cover, or place a large pot over it when you are done with cooking, just do not leave it hot and unprotected, especially for the first days.
Plants...our cats have this plant obsession thing. Maybe all cats do, but anyway, do not risk having a cat toxic plant in the house. There is a good chance your kitten will have a snack, and then you will both have a hard time.
So be sure you donate all the plants that are not cat friendly, and double check the ones you keep.
If you think you can keep them on high surfaces, where kitten will not touch them, I am sorry to inform you, it is ocicat kitten you are getting, not a ragdoll, so there is such place as " it will not be reached ".
And remember to get some cat friendly grass too. You can use oat seeds too!
In case you opt for picking it outside, be sure to wash it before serving, you can bring all sorts of parasites to your precious kitty with it!
Cat scratching post...we were dumb and tried with small scratching board. One destroyed chair later, we finally realised we needed a cat tree. You cannot avoid it,and do not go for a cheap one, as in the end you will hav to get a sturdy, well built, high quality one that will last for years, so why buy twice.
Your ocicat kitty will grow into a large, athletic, active cat. My suggestion is, get a tree that is fixated in the ceiling so it will not trip over, or be sure it has a large base and is not above your shouolder height if you go for a self standing one. It might not be a bad idea to fix it in the wall too.
When it comes to chosing a tee, take one that gives your kitty a chance to climb all the way up to the ceiling, but also gives platforms for safe descent.
If you can chose, platforms need to be soft and made in such a way that you can remove them and have the material washed in the washing machine.
You are buying a cat tree that will last for many many years, so being able to wash it from time to time is a good thing.
Do not go for one with cones less of 12 cm in diameter, and position it in such a way to give the kitty the view on the whole room, and maybe out of the window too.
A great cat tree placed in a dislocated aerea in the house will not be used enough, and also you will not have the chance to enjoy seeing yourcat playing.
We positioned our cat trees in such a way to allow cats to run, develop speed and then climb.
Should I say there is nothing nicer and more relaxing than watching your spotted kitten running and playing? It is like an Animal planet in your own living room.
And a bonus...no furiture damage whatsoever. Give to an ocicat its own furniture and it will not touch yours!
Sisal cones are great too, and cats love them too.
Heat pads....our kittens love to sleep on warm. If you have acces to ebay there are wonderful heating pads from UK, they heat up on 37 degrees andhave aditional plug in for car too. They are economical and safe.
They are very useful in case of any kind of accident, so you can keep your kitty warm on the way to vet and back, but lets hope you just use it for trips and home pampering time.
Cat toilet...go for as big as you can get. Be sure base is deep enough. We do not cover it, as seeing a cat "on a duty" tells you a lot of its health. Also, raw fed kitties do not have stinky pooh.
If you have more than one cat, you will need more than one toilet.
Cat litter choice. We opt for wooden pellets mixed with clumping sand. Clumping sand on the bottom, pellets on the top. They all mix together and are easy to scoop.
Cat litter scoop. Forget about the pet shop ones. Get yourself a nice scoop for taking fried potatoes out of the pan, a metal and strong one.
Cables, as in computer, tv etc cables...sometime might be chewed upon. If you want to be extra safe, especially for the first days, protect them in plastic tubes.
Nothing else will work, we got the off! spray, Harski licked it right after we sprayed it, and we almost passed away from the smell.
If you do not protect them with tubes, be prepared for patience and saying no! many times, it will work fine too.
Kitten arrives in the new home at the teeth changing time, and their gums are itching, so it is natural that they will look for something to chew...keep their little mouth occupied with chicken wings or necks, and your cables should be fine.
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