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

Hi Catsters!

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

Today, I’m going to be taking you through how I prepared for Ivy’s arrival.

Having never owned a pet on my own, saying that I was nervous is an understatement.

First Things First: The Cat Carrier

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

Ivy had to be vaccinated and spayed before I could pick her up – something that I wholeheartedly agree with.

I was asked if I had a cat carrier and, strangely enough, this was the last thing I had thought of. I’ve thought about cat food, bowls, beds, scratchers, litter boxes, but not the actual thing I would use to get her to my house. (This can tell you a lot about how I am as a person, haha!)

The lady expressed that the cat carrier is of utmost importance – it shouldn’t be one of those basic, plastic cat carriers that are found around every corner. It needed to be sturdy, ideally have a metal gate/door, and be able to lock securely. It would also be ideal if it couldn’t be opened from the top. All of this to make sure she wouldn’t escape during the 2-hour trip to my house.

This led me on a journey and a half of trying to locate a carrier that would tick all of these boxes, in a way that I could afford. I couldn’t believe the prices of these carriers in our local pet shops. I eventually ended up buying a second-hand, barely used cat carrier from a very sweet old lady. I thoroughly washed and sun-dried the carrier and got approval from Ivy’s temporary foster mom.

Cat carrier: check.

Next Up: The Bowls

Now this was way before I knew 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. Easy to clean and not needing as frequent replacing as plastic bowls.

Food and water bowls: check.

The Cat Bed

So, I knew that cats had a reputation for not necessarily sleeping in their beds the same way dogs do. Everywhere 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 about all of the cat snoozes she could take, curled up in her cute little bed. (Yeah, right. That was not the case at all.)

But nonetheless: cat bed, check.

The Litter Box and Litter

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

I knew the litter box’s size was really important, but I didn’t really know how big/small she was. I settled on a very basic, standard litter box and non-clumping, highly absorbent, biodegradable cat litter.

Litter box and litter: check.

Last Up: Toys & Accessories

I, once again, foolishly believed that she would love all of the toys widely available at every pet store. Little squeaky mice, light-up balls, and even a self-moving mouse.

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

Out of all of the toys I got for her, the only real winner was the wand toy! (Even though that interest didn’t last long.)

I also got her a collar and a nametag with her name and our number on, just in case.

I also got her a cat tree made by yet another very sweet lady, who I found on one of our Facebook groups. Granted, it wasn’t the prettiest or the sturdiest, but it would have to do for the first couple of weeks. Oh, and we also kept every single box we had from purchasing our first kitchen appliances, as one does.

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

This was the long and short of how I prepped for Ivy’s arrival! I was a little 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:

• A Hepper NomNom Bowl
• A water fountain
• Not one, but two cat trees
• Close to one million ping-pong balls
• Two cat scratchers
• A de-shedding brush
• We also ended up mounting floated shelves in our apartment for her to galavant on

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

How did you prepare for your cat’s arrival? Are there some things you wish you knew beforehand? What are some things you’ve changed or acquired extra since then?