Many people do not realize that cats need the extra protein of wet food throughout their lives, and dont worry too much, when you adopt, they usually give you a free packet from a food company to get you through a couple of days before you need to go to the pet store.
A small can of wet food, a little will go along way with a kitten, some dry food, a water dish, a comfy space to land, some toys and kitty litter stuff ad you are set.

Sorry to hear about Wally - sounds like he had a good long life and was very loved!

I foster kittens for my local shelter - one thing I would recommend if you are getting small kittens - non-scoopable litter. I didn't realize this, but the shelter staff told me that small kittens might eat or inhale some of the litter and if its scoopable, it will clump in their throats and its impossible to get it out. They use all non-scoopable litter for their kittens and cats. I only use it for my foster kittens. For my own cats, I use scoopable. Not sure at what age you can switch over.

Other than that, toys! My fosters love those round plastic things that have a furry mouse or ball inside that they can bat around and around. The one we have has a mouse in it, but they have shredded it so much it now just looks like a gray blob inside the tube. They love it still.

Have fun picking out your new furbabies! Let us know what you end up with!

Sher

You will need a great sense of humor, lots of patience, and an abundance of love. When you're used to the relative calm of living with elderly felines, it's easy to forget how maniacal, destructive, and downright hilarious little kittens can be. When mine were babies, they would throw bar stools down the stairs, shred the curtains, and constantly clear every table, book shelf, and counter top of whatever was on it. They were also firmly committed to making sure I NEVER slept at night.

Kittens are an absolute joy, but they can also test the patience of a saint. You're going to have a wonderful time with your new babies as long as you keep laughing.

Wally and Beaver will no doubt be watching as you raise your mischievous little Eddies. ;-)

Have fun,

Laurie

I'm sorry for your loss:-(

For your new fur babies, make sure you take your pet carrier. Some places won't allow you to take them without one. Also if you don't have any, pick up a nice pair of pet nail clippers and start right away getting them used to being clipped.
Also a sturdy scratching post and some sort of catnip or catnip spray to put on it.
Good luck. Please keep us posted.

Pretty much everything is covered for you but I just wanted to suggest one of the cardboard box scratchers. They sell them at the big pet stores. My cats have always loved them more than any of their other scratching posts which also saved my furniture! They are just flat boxes that you sprinkle a bit of cat nip on once in awhile. My cats even nap on them! Like they don't have cat beds and a huge cat tree too, go figure it's always the cheap stuff cats love the most. Mine is addicted to playing with post it notes balled up, since I have dogs and they eat the furry mice this works out great! Wish I could get a new kitty too, just lost one of mine to cancer at 4 years of age.

I will second Jenme's suggestion of the cardboard scratcher. Those are great, not expensive, and hopefully you can train kitty to use it and not your sofa.

Have fun!

They're here! Two beautiful girls, named by the shelter as "Spring" and "Belle". Springer is 5-1/2 and Belle is 5 months. Spring is a gorgeous gray long hair with white paws and chest with long white whiskers. So affectionate. She's a big ball of gray fur.
Belle is a perfect brown and black tiger and is she friskie! She is also a cuddler.
Spring is still shy. She hides all day and comes out around 6:00 at night. Her tail is low to the ground and always moving unless she's on our lap or snuggling with us. I am hoping she will get used to things. She's really afraid of noises and people other than us.
They both sleep with us. The first night they were crawling all around us and flopping on us. Last night Belle stole my pillow so I had a little corner of it. Springstein goes all over the bed between me and my husband to snuggle up.
I can't believe what joy they are. I only hope they will play with each other. Okay, maybe that's asking too much. But Belle needs a playmate.
Thank you for all your kind words. I just placed a VERY large online order for toys and I have improvised with some stuff around the house for Belle. Spring isn't interested yet.
I love the cutest girls in the whole world!

I just adopted a fluffy tortie at a rural shelter. I paid for her but they won't let me have her until she's spayed next week. She's three months old. I haven't had a kitten for a long time either - not one so young anyway.

Thanks for adopting from a shelter.

vicky

Congratulations, nancita! They sound like WONDERFUL new additions to your family. It also sounds like you choose two very different personalities - Spring the shy but loving introvert, and Belle the boisterous extrovert. What a joyful life you'll have with those girls.

Any chance you'll be able to post pictures? Spring must look a lot like my boy, Weasel.

Laurie

NANCITA and Vicky!
Congrats to both of you! You made my morning. I know there are 3 more babies that found their forever homes today. I got a big old grin on my face. :-)
Let us know when yours comes home vicky and nancita keep us posted.

Yes, congrats to both of you! I hope everything goes great as everyone makes adjustments to each other and you. I bet they will be enjoying that big shipment of toys! :)

Sher

Thank you all for your well wishes. These girls are so fabulous. I noticed they both have a teensy problem with gas. How cute!
Springtime simply will not have anything to do with Twizzller (we already have a ton on names for her). Whenever her little sister is around, she leaves. Maybe I should call her Gretta (Greta) because she "vants to be alone).
We are working on a new digital camera so we can capture the girls. They grow up so fast! Well, Springer is already quite full grown, but the Twisted Sister is still gawky.
Anyone have those kitty condos? The girls had the most incredible condos at the shelter. I thought they might like something like that.
I have three outdoor cats, Schwartzie, Big Guy and Lady Jane. When the people across the street sold their house, we inherited the homeless cuties. Hopefully, they will all get along through the window and French doors.

Just a thought, but before you load up on supplies, give the shelter you are going to visit a call. We use to have an over-abundance of some items. In those cases, we would clean the items well and put them up for sale in the lobby. The extra money went to pay for cat litter and veterinary supplies. We often sold kitty condos, carriers, and toys at a big discount. That way, both the adopter and the shelter wins.

Thank you for the great idea. I will call the shelter tomorrow. Any money that goes their way would be terrific.
Thank you again.

Did your boys have cat grass of some kind? I can't remember when young cats start looking for grass to chew, our high-rise cat in Asia used to cry for a fresh crop of wheat grass that I sprouted regularly. Others would keep a pot of lawn grass growing on a balcony.

Two cheap items in our flat that Tommy took to as scratching objects were rubber thongs (translation?? footwear, anyway) and kids' swimming kick boards. We would just wedge them under the leg of the sofa for example and he never touched the furniture.

Have fun!

Wow! what a cool idea.Flip flops are definately cheap. I don't know what a kick board is.

beeanne
a kick board is a rectangular, dense-foam doover that kids hold onto in the pool. It's used when they do laps with leg action only, or just for support when resting. There's a US equivalent?

Check the FAQs link at the top of this page. It will give you some more ideas.

Also, I am glad you are getting more than one. Save two lives, and as the saying with kittens goes: "No extra work but twice the fun!"

Also, I am glad you are getting more than one. Save two lives, and as the saying with kittens goes: "No extra work but twice the fun!"
............................................................

My husband has a T-shirt that says "Every life should have 9 cats"
We still have 5 to go. :-)