We just got a cat and I have some questions that I'm hoping all you wise pet owners will be able to answer. 
The cat is supposedly about four months old (a stray, from the humane society) and I'm trying to get her used to the house gradually. We live in an ~1650 square foot house with a basement and two other levels. Right now we're keeping her in an unused upstairs bedroom with her food, water and litterbox and are going in to play with her several times a day. She's also been out and followed us around the rest of the upstairs a little bit.
How do I make sure she always knows where a litterbox is and actually uses it? So far she's using the one in the bedroom just fine, but if we let her roam around the house, how do we make sure she doesn't get lost or confused? How many litterboxes should we have? I was thinking that eventually one in the top floor and one in the basement would be enough, but should we have one on the main floor for a while, too? If so, when can we remove it? And would removing it cause more trouble than just not having it there to begin with?
I had a cat as a kid living in a similarly-sized house and we only had a litterbox in the basement, so I'm not sure how to proceed. I don't want more litterboxes than absolutely necessary, but I also don't want the cat to become confused about where to go.
Another question -- what KIND of litter do you all recommend? Right now she's using some non-scented clumping litter and it gets EVERYWHERE. Not only was she kicking it out of the box (though I just switched her to a covered box, so hopefully that will help and she'll be okay with it) but it sticks to her paws and she tracks it around. I found something called "Yesterday's News" that's recycled paper in the form of pellets. Is this stuff any good? I like the idea of the clumping as far as scooping the ickies out goes, but I hate how the litter has been getting everywhere.
And how do you dispose of the stuff you scoop out? I could have other people save the bags their newspapers come in (we don't get the paper) and use that, but then I hate to just throw it in the garbage because I don't want my garbage to smell. Anyone have an alternative or a system?
Also, she will be an indoor cat, but should she be wearing a collar with tags anyway? With a three-year old in the house and a husband who carries music gear in and out of the house regularly I worry about the cat getting out. She is microchipped, but I think it would be better if she got out if a neighbor could just read the tag and call us. And if she should wear a collar, should I worry about it strangling her? The pet store had some expandable collars. Do they work?
Finally, what kind of pet food should I be feeding her? I know someone who owns a raw meat natural pet food business here in town, but it's pretty expensive. Is it worth it? Could I do half-and-half? Is the raw stuff safe as far as the cat eating it and then her licking us or whatever?
I'm sure I'll have more questions, lol, but any advice on the ones I've asked already would be VERY much appreciated!
TIA.
The cat is supposedly about four months old (a stray, from the humane society) and I'm trying to get her used to the house gradually. We live in an ~1650 square foot house with a basement and two other levels. Right now we're keeping her in an unused upstairs bedroom with her food, water and litterbox and are going in to play with her several times a day. She's also been out and followed us around the rest of the upstairs a little bit.
How do I make sure she always knows where a litterbox is and actually uses it? So far she's using the one in the bedroom just fine, but if we let her roam around the house, how do we make sure she doesn't get lost or confused? How many litterboxes should we have? I was thinking that eventually one in the top floor and one in the basement would be enough, but should we have one on the main floor for a while, too? If so, when can we remove it? And would removing it cause more trouble than just not having it there to begin with?
I had a cat as a kid living in a similarly-sized house and we only had a litterbox in the basement, so I'm not sure how to proceed. I don't want more litterboxes than absolutely necessary, but I also don't want the cat to become confused about where to go.
Another question -- what KIND of litter do you all recommend? Right now she's using some non-scented clumping litter and it gets EVERYWHERE. Not only was she kicking it out of the box (though I just switched her to a covered box, so hopefully that will help and she'll be okay with it) but it sticks to her paws and she tracks it around. I found something called "Yesterday's News" that's recycled paper in the form of pellets. Is this stuff any good? I like the idea of the clumping as far as scooping the ickies out goes, but I hate how the litter has been getting everywhere.
And how do you dispose of the stuff you scoop out? I could have other people save the bags their newspapers come in (we don't get the paper) and use that, but then I hate to just throw it in the garbage because I don't want my garbage to smell. Anyone have an alternative or a system?
Also, she will be an indoor cat, but should she be wearing a collar with tags anyway? With a three-year old in the house and a husband who carries music gear in and out of the house regularly I worry about the cat getting out. She is microchipped, but I think it would be better if she got out if a neighbor could just read the tag and call us. And if she should wear a collar, should I worry about it strangling her? The pet store had some expandable collars. Do they work?
Finally, what kind of pet food should I be feeding her? I know someone who owns a raw meat natural pet food business here in town, but it's pretty expensive. Is it worth it? Could I do half-and-half? Is the raw stuff safe as far as the cat eating it and then her licking us or whatever?
I'm sure I'll have more questions, lol, but any advice on the ones I've asked already would be VERY much appreciated!
TIA.
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