Getting a cat. Need advice. ';How to's'; and ';what should I get'; Questions.?

Ok well I am living in a realy wonderful .apartment. where no kids or pets were wanted before I moved in, but my landlord thinks I am responsible enough to take care of an animal and he is allowing a cat.. now, I am thrilled, but at the same time, nervous.





Ive had cats in the past, never multiple at a time, just one, and some of them wouldnt touch the scratching posts and would prefer to use my couch. I also seem to recall a couple of them loved to stretch in the windows and claw up my screens... this wasnt a huge deal before since I lived in a dump that needed so much work anyway, but now that I am out of college and have a career, I can afford so much better and its important that I keep it in good condtion, as I dont want to be replacing everything.





I will be getting an older cat. Kittens are tons of fun, but there also tons of trouble! lol. I need advice on getting her to use the scratching post rather than my couch or even CARPETS. Oh lord, I cannot replace them.. CONT...Getting a cat. Need advice. ';How to's'; and ';what should I get'; Questions.?
An older cat will certainly save you some trouble. For one thing, unlike a kitten, any cat that isn't maladjusted will already have clean habits and not poop or pee on your carpet. It might, if it is upset or for some reason doesn't like the environment and wants to get the heck out of there.





Love your cat and feed it. Easy peasy. Cats are very low maintenance.





Okay - the scratching issue: As far as the cat is concerned, it is no longer your house, it is the cat's territory. The cat tolerates you because you are the meal ticket. What works is those cardboard scratching boxes laced with catnip that you can buy real cheap at the pet store. That *might* save your furniture. If your cat still prefers your couch to the scratchers, then more drastic measures are called for, like a spray for your couch whose scent cats hate and avoid the area.





That a cat likes you is a great compliment. They will choose whom they like and since they hold humans in contemptible regard, you should feel flattered that they consider you an exception.





And when they are ready for affection, they are incredibly sweet. They have their own special way of connecting with you, and they are quite telepathic.





I like cats.Getting a cat. Need advice. ';How to's'; and ';what should I get'; Questions.?
take a female cat because males run away
I agree with the squirt bottle thing. My cats were trained from the beginning that water is ';punishment';. I use fresh step litter, and feed my cats purina one food. the scratching posts they use are smartykat super scratchers (they are cardboard covered in catnip in a box, basically.) I've never had bugs in my cats' food...but we do live in the desert, so we don't get many bugs period.
Ok.. Take a deep breath and calm down. :)





There are sprays you can get to deter your cat from scratching up your furniture. Also Catnip spray may help it adjust to using the scratching post. Pieces of lattice can keep your kitty from getting to your screens. Just put in inside the window frame when you have the windows open. A small tack or two on each side will hold it in place.





I have a feeder for my cat and never get bugs in the food. I also have a waterer so I don't have to keep checking on that either. I feed my cat indoor cat food. There are several brands now that offer that.





I use a clumping litter (Tidy Cats) for multiple cats even tho I only have one cat and a covered cat box. The reasons, the litter doesn't start to smell as fast if you aren't a scooper (and I'm not) and the covered box helps keep the litter from being slung everywhere.





I also have carpet pieces under the feeder and waterer and in front of the cat box. This makes clean up a tad easier if your cat likes to scratch things into the food bowl. (mine did that when we had a dog that would eat her food. It was her way of ';hiding'; her food from the dog.





I'd also get her some catnip toys as well as this ';thing'; that looks like a big donut with a ball inside. It will keep the cat entertained while you are away from home.
the only thing you can really do to keep a cat scratching at the post and no where else is either get a cat that is already trained to do so, or be willing to deal with some ';accidents'; while training the cat. when the cat scratches where it shouldn't you need to swat his butt or spray with water (some cats water doesn't work, like mine... i used to spray him and he'd sit there and just get soaked) (now don't hit hard just enough to catch its attention that it is doing wrong) then bring him over to the scratching post... also reward him when he does use the post... another option is to get him declawed. I suggest tidy cat litter, it seems one of the best for keeping oder down, but doesn't cause sickness in cats (some can cause sickness if injested and yes, cats can and will accidently injest litter) I also suggest Purina food for cat or dog, there are many that are good, but purina is cheaper and still good for your pets... it really is very hightly recommended by vets... Another suggestion i have heard is you should have 1 more litter box than you do cats... so if you have 2 cats, 3 litter boxes... this keeps messes in the litter not on the floor. Otherwise cats are pretty easy to take care of. Do you already have a cat in mind? I am looking to lose one of mine (personality conflict with my new baby) and he is 8 years old, already well trained... just not too lovey until you get to know him... he is... for lack of a better word, shy around strangers... if you are interested let me know... its hard to find a shy cat a home. :)
get a little squirt bottle and fill it with water and a bag of cat treats (or a can of tuna, it's cheaper and cats love it) whenever the cat goes to scratch somewhere you dont want it to spray a stream of water at it, it dosn't hurt them but since they don't like water they will stop scratching, once they associate the water with certain scratching places they will stop scratching there. when it scratches at the scratching post reward it with a treat, this will affirm the cat and make them want to go back to that scratching place. once the habbit is set it isn't necessary to keep rewarding it.