THANK YOU for saving the life of a homeless kitty.

Adopting an adult cat (vs kitten) will often give you a chance to pick the cat's personality. Some are lap cats, others are more independent.

Have you considered adopting two? Adopting already bonded cats is often easier than trying to integrate a new cat into an existing house with a cat.

Have you had a cat before? If not, rescue folks can be very helpful. Also suggest getting a feline specialty vet (cats are not little dogs). Good luck!

We had two. They are easy compared to dogs. We had an Irish Setter which was a nightmare. Loved him anyway. Never had a problem with the kitties. One was gotten from the shelter, the other was a stray we fell in love with on the street and took home.

This was in an apartment in NYC. It all worked out.

We moved to Westchester, NY about 30 miles out of Manhattan and bought a house which would fit our dog and two cats. It was the best thing for all of us!

Get a cat, get two, three....

I had two cats in a garden apt turned condo before moving to our house. They did well there. I don’t let my cats go outside (much safer), so being in an apt versus a house wasn’t an issue. Have a designated spot for the litter box, for food and water dishes, etc., and you should be fine.

FWIW, consider getting two cats together instead of one. They’ll keep each other company when you’re not home (after we’re all out of lockdown), and you’ll be rescuing two lives! ☺️

PS I recommend taking out pet insurance. It definitely comes in handy.

What a wonderful idea to adopt a cat! They are such easy animals, and they can provide you with a kind of quiet, constant companionship that I find very satisfying.

Hints: Find out what kind of kitty litter your new cat has been using and continue with that. Keep the litterbox scooped out, using a plastic scooper. With a clean litterbox and the preferred litter, your cat will not make mistakes, but keep the box available to Mr./Ms. Kitty at all times, and reasonably clean. Clarify any questions with the adoption people.

Feed the cat a good cat food. I am currently using Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers for wet food - my two cats love this - and Hills Science Diet for dry. They get the wet food twice a day and the dry kibbles are out all the time for free feeding. You could also continue with whatever dry food the cat is already having, but I especially like the Hills (and so do the cats).

Have at least one scratching post for the cat to exercise and "groom" its claws. There are hundreds available online! You can also get them at pet supply centers. Mine consists of a post and has a couple of steps attached and a snug perch/bed on top, all upholstered. Put this near a window if you can. The cat can do its scratching and napping and looking out the window all at once. It's a very good thing!

Have a glove that fits on your hand and on the palm are tiny rubber "prongs" that groom the cat and remove excess hair. I've never had a cat that didn't enjoy being petted with a glove!

I also concur that two cats are better than one. They will have a best friend of their own species and will keep each other company when you are not around.

Most of all, just enjoy this lovely animal. You are saving it from a lifetime in a cage and giving it the human companionship it needs!

I can’t tell you how many times in the last few weeks I’ve sat with her and thought to myself how thankful I am to have her.

She is the source of so much amusement and comfort. I love her. Sunshine.

We live in an apartment.

We found out she had allergies two years ago when we had a health scare with her. We switched to a grain free diet. She seemed rejuvenated.

Keep the box clean They really are fastidious.

It’s wonderful to have her in our lives.

I think it’s a wonderful thing if you could do it. So many of them need a loving home.

You'll need a really good scratching post. This is absolutely the best:

PetFusion 3-Sided Vertical Cat Scratching Post

Once I discovered it, I never had scratching on furniture again. Oh, I wish I'd had it 50 years and many cats ago!

We got two kittens together though they were from different litters. They've gotten along beautifully that way.

Our vet recommended we get them a kitty condo and they *love* it. They use it all the time. It's legs are covered with ropes and it has spared our furniture a *lot* of clawing. Plus they love to climb it and chase each other up and down it all the time. Esp with an apartment cat(s), they will need that kind of entertainment. We got ours from overstock. The fabric is more like a fleece so, unlike those with loopy carpeting, they can't shred the fabric...though they do a great job on the ropes.

When they were kittens...

Cats are perfect apartment pets!!! They sleep a lot, unless they're a kitten!

Mine love boxes, and one is in it all the time. The other is usually in the carrier, which is out all the time. They love sleeping in someplace cozy as they feel protected.

Covered litter boxes aren't necessarily advised. It keeps the odours at bay, outside of it, but really traps it inside where the cat has to do it's business. Often cats will pee outside of the litter box if it's a covered one. Just scoop a few times/day and wash it regularly and your cat will be happy.

Gotta have a window or two to look out. It doesn't matter what is out there. Something to park themselves on (a table or chair) and just watch.

I had a cat in an apartment (it was actually a condo but it was apartment-sized). A little rascal-ly when a kitten, but it still worked out - just don't do what I did and name the feline, "Rascal"...

Getting scratching posts/boards helps. You can make your own, too. I use sisal, or at least use a tough fabric not identical to that on your couch or sofa. I'd put one both in the living room and the bedroom.

Have a place where the cat can look out the window. If your window sills aren't wide, pull a small table up there by one of them, or build something rough and ready.

Getting two already pair-bonded is helpful for the cats - although you can certainly be the pair bonded partner during this crisis.

I was tempted to get a cat from my local shelter during this time to take the stress off the staff there, but my two current cats would not be happy about that.

Cats are purr-fect for an apartment! They sleep a LOT! They're just happy to have companionship. They really do say "hello" about 20 times a day. :0)

We adopted an un-adoptable cat. At first he'd shake violently if we reached to touch him. He's bonded with us completely!

It took two weeks. He trusts us. Loves us. Greets us at the door when we come home. Sleeps with us. He's the most loving little friend we've ever had! He's the cleanest, chubbiest little dude. (vet says he is NOT over weight, it's ALL fur) We are sooooooooooooooooooo glad he's ours! He's also the funniest.....crooked tail runs through the house. Belly rubs while he paws the air and purrs. Nose bumps. His excitement when he finds a spider.

He likes wadded up paper as a toy. He has a tunnel he likes to run through. He was 7 years old when we got him. He's such a happy little guy.

I have always had a cat, for almost 60 years. I always had one cat at a time, until a few years ago, when my now husband insisted we should get a second cat in order for them to keep each other company. It's true, they do enjoy playing together. We call them "Team Cat." But in my experience, it's a much, much stronger and more enjoyable bond when you have only one cat. You'll really tune into each other. Cats are fine as solitary animals and some are insistent on it. When you go to the shelter, they will even have some cats that they will only place with people who have no other cats, due to their personality. Also, the cost of keeping one cat in food, litter and vet bills is exactly half the cost of two. (Actually, one cat costs less than half because if one gets sick, you have to run tests and sometimes treat both.)

As far as space, cats don't need a lot. I lived in a 180 sq. ft. NYC studio with a wonderful cat for many years. When we moved into a five room apartment, she still liked to spend her time mostly in one room. What a cat does appreciate is a place where they can be up high. A cat scratching tree with a perch near the ceiling will delight her. If you can't get one that high, make sure that the scratching post you do get is higher than your cat when she stands up on hind legs with paws extended. Cats love big stretches, and if your furniture, say, the back of the sofa, is higher than the post, that will be the preferred scratching place.

Cats like to sit up in the litterbox and some are bothered by the covered variety. A good alternative is to get a cheap, uncovered litterbox and put it under a small table that is covered with a floor length tablecloth. That keeps in any smells, gives your cat privacy and also hides the box, which is great in a studio apartment.

Except for a cat that I adopted who was 8, I have never had an overweight cat, even in my tiny space. A vet told me years ago that there is nothing in nature that resembles dry food, and feeding it to your cat is like feeding it McDonalds every day. You can leave wet food out and if you add a tablespoon of water (I like to swish a bit of hot water in the empty can and use it like warm gravy.) the food will stay fresher. Also provide a dish of water, not milk. Try to stick, more or less, to feeding around the same time morning and evening and try not to give snacks in between. Otherwise you'll be like a friend of mine who can't go near her kitchen without her overweight cat demanding food.

Congratulations on adopting a cat. You are about to fall in love.

A few months before this whole thing began, my 90 year old dad went to a shelter and got himself a kitten. At the time I was a bit mortified. His apartment bldg doesn't allow pets of any sort, and him being 90, I know that kitty is eventually going to end up living with you know who.

However, it has been the best thing - especially now. I hope you are able to get one and that it as good a friend to you as my dad's is to him. Lots of good advice above. I'm going to research laceyvail's scratching post now. We have lost sooooo much furniture to our cats.

Re scratching post - Apparently cats are usually either vertical scratchers or horizontal scratchers. Get one of each and see which one they gravitate towards. Ours are horizontal scratchers so we basically have scratching mats and it saves our area rugs. The scratching post hasn't been touched in years.

have fun with your new kitty.

When I got my first apartment, I got a kitten from a coworker. The kitten drove me CRAZY wanting to play all. night. long. Attacking my toes when I slept, etc. I told my coworker I’d have to give the kitten back. He said, he needs someone to play with during the day, why not take his brother, too? Best thing I did. They kept each other company during the day, and I could play with them in the evening and sleep at night. Since then, we’ve only had cats at least 2 years old, just because that’s how life worked out. If you adopt from a shelter, they likely have a “bonded” pair that they want to keep together.

Where will you put the litter box? You’ll want a small dustpan and broom nearby to sweep up litter spills daily. What will you do with what you scoop out of the box? I keep a covered trash can with plastic grocery bag liner nearby, and take it out each trash day.

Remember, their food should not be in the same place. I suggest getting two sets of food and water bowls for each cat, so that you can put one set in the dishwasher each day and set out a clean bowl of fresh water each day.

Thank you all so much for the advice and support in my kitty quest! Completed the application form and awaiting a screening call.

The 2 large windows in my living room will be the perfect place for a cat condo.

The logical place for a litter box would be in the front entrance...has anyone had experience with a litter box enclosure (looks like a piece of furniture)?

These are certainly trying times for our world....your virtual encouragement means so much to me. Particularly since I'm starting week 4 of self isolation.

If you have visitors to your apartment, I don't think you want to put the litter box next to the front door. A better place would be the opposite, a better choice might be an out of the way spot.

Having two cats in one household is not necessarily a formula for friendship and play. One of my relatives has two cats and a dog. The cats are each more friendly with the dog than with each other. They fight like cats when they get too close (social distancing is essential except when an unintended close encounter happens). Maybe that's unusual but feline bliss hasn't been seen.

I always had a cat and so always made sure to rent an apartment that would have a spare closet to put the litter box in - like the nook for washer/dryer or the closet in a spare bedroom. I would get heavy plastic sheeting, like a painting dropcloth (heavy enough to not tear) and put it not just on the floor but also covered the walls to about 3 feet up. One way I did that was to get pressure spring curtain rods and fold/tape the plastic over that - so no tape or thumbtacks on the wall itself. Of course, I didn't keep anything else in that closet, but if I absolutely had to I would have contrived to enclose the litter box space entirely, with full sides and a top.

Yeah, if you could find another place not by the front door would be better unless you have no visitors so it's only you. But that is not something I'd want guests to be greeted with. Even if you clean it all the time, the cats scatter litter with their paws and it needs sweeping up a lot. So the more durable the flooring underneath it, the better. I keep a litter box next to our toilet in our bathroom (tile) and I have 2 others in the basement in a store room that the cats can access (painted concrete).

If you have a separate tub from your shower and don't use the tub much, it's also a good place for the litter box.

We keep our daytime kitty litter out on our balcony which is raised to our living area which is on the second floor. There aren't any stairs off of it and we keep the sliding glass door open if it's nice and they will meow to get out if it's closed.

Yes thanks for adopting a furbaby. Once you get him or her home you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. I agree with everyone's advice but will add 2 more.

Do you live in area where it snows? I do and every October I stock up on kitty liter and cat food. That way I don't have to carry it all bundled up. I buy 20 pound bags and always have 10 on hand.

Also...don't go crazy buying cat toys. Buy a few but For some reason cats find the oddest things to play with around the house. Mine loves a ball of crumpled paper lol.

SamKaren Your resident dj

:) Cats fit and are wonderful anywhere! :) I miss my furry friends from my

past. This is a wonderful time to have one come in and be in charge of

things for you. :) Happy head scratching and being loved.

Other than the litter box, I've found the perfect place for everything thing my cat-to-be will need.

Small apartment with 2 closets that store clothes/shoes. Open kitchen/living room. Laundry is in a closet with no room for even a broom. The only bathroom is a decent size but doesn't have a separate shower/tub but there is room between the tub and toilet.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions.

Forgot to mention, I do have a balcony but its not an option - right now it's covered with snow and minus 11 Celsius.

I think two cats is always good as well. Even if they aren't in love with each other they are company. Cats that seem to actively dislike each other will pull together when times are tough. It is rather like any sibling arrangement. Still you never know with cats. I had a found kitten, about two weeks, for whom I decided to get a companion. We found her a buddy when they were both about six weeks old. She hated his guts and never ever accepted him though he was desperate for company as he came from a cat colony, he passed fairly young and I thought never again when a dumpling showed up. She was starved to a fur rag and a bone and eager to move in even if it meant with hyenas and low if Margaret P. Jones didn't take to her at once. She does not want to be touched by Charlotte but she has learned to play and be cat like at a relatively advanced age. I never would have expected her to accept another cat after the way she treated Wesley.

Definitely invest in a tower, put it near a window if you can. You get every kind of scratching and climbing as well with fun options for hanging off

In one apartment I had the litter box in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. The way it was set up, I could leave the cabinet door open without it being in my way, but I could also have just taken it off the hinges and put it back when I moved. I put a large dish drainer pan under it, it sat in the open end, and the other three sides helped keep the litter scatter in.

I would never use a balcony with a cat. They believe they can balance on anything and can be horribly wrong. You can get special barriers for them though.

We used to have a carpeted litterbox enclosure right in the entryway. It is a super strong piece of furniture. Ours is a shoes off household, and we sat on it to remove/put on shoes. It's so strong that you could stand on it. Many people who came over had no idea that there was a litterbox inside. It just seemed like a weird bench. https://www.newcatcondos.com/premier-litter-box-enclosure/

Scoop litterbox at least 1-2 times daily. Cats prefer clean litter boxes. If urine/feces present, they may not use it. (Think about what you do in a public restroom where someone has not flushed...) Don't let litterbox non-use even start to be a problem.

https://moderncat.com/articles/cats-carnivores-eat-like-one/

"Dr. Deb Zoran, a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, said the best way to mimic a cat’s natural diet is to feed them canned food that has a protein content of 40 percent or higher and a carbohydrate content of 10 percent or lower.

Eating canned food will also help your kitty meet their daily water needs. “Cats are used to getting a large percentage of their daily water needs from their diet,” Zoran said, adding that if a cat is primarily eating dry food, it may have a harder time staying hydrated. “All dry foods are low moisture, so cats that eat only dry foods consume less water and are more prone to dehydration.”

Dry food diets can also present other health challenges because they are typically high in fat, carbohydrates, and calories. In fact, a high-carb diet can lead to obesity and diabetes, Zoran said. In addition, a dry food diet may also upset your cat’s stomach, since cats are not “built” for carbohydrate digestion and absorption.

So what should you feed your cat? Zoran said it is best to choose a canned-food diet that says on the label “complete and balanced.”

Before you adopt try to find a shelter that will allow you to pet the cat/cats before you adopt. Touch you face, around eyes and under nose. Spend at least a half hour with the baby. Too many people do not realize that they have an allergy to various animals and it is unkind to bring one home then have to reject if when it makes you sick.

If you are fine and decide that you want to adopt asked if the shelter has any of what are called "mated pairs". They are generally ones that have lived together and have problems being separated.

You may want to consider fostering to make sure you are a good match. Foster parents generally get priority for adoption.

In addition, the rescue often covers vet costs during foster periods. Some even provide food.

I agree about the balcony. I took my brother's cat once to keep for him for a little while. I let her out on the balcony (2nd floor), she jumped off and ran away and I never forgave myself for that.

The advice above has about covered everything. I just wanted to add that you should look into using Chewy.com. You can get food and litter delivered to your door and the pricing is very good. Have a great time with your new friend(s).

I'm grateful for all your suggestions.

Jupidupi that's a great idea to hide the litter box.

I'll be back once I adopt ... to show off my new love!

If a cat was on the streets for a while they may not accept a closed litter box as anything without a way to exit rapidly is considered to be too dangerous to use.

Jupidupi....love your cats! That tortie is so cool!