So, I will post more about my awesome job of continuing joy in the next few days, but for right now, I have a question for my very knowledgeable and slightly cat-crazy friends list
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I am sure taradvm and others have a lot more advice to offer, but as secondhand experience an FIV+ cat isn't really all that different from an FIV- cat during the latency period of the virus. They should be kept apart from non-infected cats, so spayed/neutered and indoors is the way to go, and as with HIV the progress of the virus from infection to full-blown immunocompromise varies, so you might have a couple years with the cat or you might have ten. You might, rarely, have only a few months.
I guess it's down to whether you're up for the increased vigilence, the possibly decreased lifespan, and the increased future vet bills.
Then again, Max the Money Pit is FIV- and has still cost me around $2500 in non-routine vet bills over the course of his lifetime, so that's no guarantee either.
Oh, for the list -- get a bottle of catnip spray or some catnip leaves. If your future cat is in the 80% that adores catnip, it can be a quick way to get them to define a scratching post or cat bed as being 'theirs'.
Ooh, both our cats love the fresh catnip. Definitely recommend growing it! We put ours in a wide and low, bowl-shaped planter, and they'll chew on the leaves and play with the overhanging tendrils. When we got Trog back after his two month disappearance, one of the first things he did was have an orgy with the catnip.
No help on the FIV (except that you might want to get insurance with a view to later vet bills? If you can even get an FIV cat insured...), but in response to your list of things
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The scratching post we got actually comes with a fairly high platform on it: around 3.5 feet. The ones that were higher, we'd have a hard time fitting into our living space, because the base was a little too big. Also, we'd have some issues with transporting it to our house, just given the size of our car. ;)
I'll get a water bowl, though: that's a good idea (and pretty cheap; we're getting basic stainless).
Yeah, if you can't fit it into your living space, there's not much point getting a bigger one, because the whole point is to give the cat a place where it can securely watch the goings on (I know people who keep cat trees in bedrooms, but they don't get used).
3.5 feet is a decent height, and of course, your children are mostly older than mine, so escaping from them should be less of a priority for your cat!
Otherwise I think you're pretty well supplied. A lot will just depend on your cat's personality. Our kitten adores toys of all sorts. My cat refuses to touch all but one. Etc.
The one thing that's a real must is a good scratching post, because i've found that introducing them to it early keeps them from digging into your furniture.
Also a must: bedroom doors that latch. This is currently an issue in our apartment. ;)
We use it with KMart brand, which is my favorite cheapish brand. It'll work with anything that clumps. It's basically just making the scooping process easier. And yes, it works just like in the videos.
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I guess it's down to whether you're up for the increased vigilence, the possibly decreased lifespan, and the increased future vet bills.
Then again, Max the Money Pit is FIV- and has still cost me around $2500 in non-routine vet bills over the course of his lifetime, so that's no guarantee either.
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I'll get a water bowl, though: that's a good idea (and pretty cheap; we're getting basic stainless).
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3.5 feet is a decent height, and of course, your children are mostly older than mine, so escaping from them should be less of a priority for your cat!
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I loooooooove it.
Otherwise I think you're pretty well supplied. A lot will just depend on your cat's personality. Our kitten adores toys of all sorts. My cat refuses to touch all but one. Etc.
The one thing that's a real must is a good scratching post, because i've found that introducing them to it early keeps them from digging into your furniture.
Also a must: bedroom doors that latch. This is currently an issue in our apartment. ;)
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