To do this afternoon/evening:

[camwyn]

- Go over web site redesign with co-worker and figure out how to improve the place's look as it's currently much too stark
- Install database system on two other co-workers' computers
- Order new HP printer for new co-worker, that or buy it at local Staples
- Get out early 'cos the office closes early
- Call Jersey City cat rescues to ask about their requirements, unless I hear from the person I contacted through Petfinder first (an Abyssinian cat in the NY area whose human is dying of cancer; the human wants to keep the cat in his/her home as long as possible for companionship, but wants the cat to get used to the new person in the meantime through visits)
- Go to pet supply store, or pet store that doesn't sell cats and dogs, and get an idea how much I'll have to lay out to get started with cat
- Shop for comforter, maybe new pillows
- Go to Lush store in Herald Square tonight as they are having party & am considering getting some kind of hair colouring product from there anyway
- Go home, call parents, eat dinner, write, read, watch DVD, talk to people online, etc.

Comments

[unmisha.livejournal.com]

Basic cat accoutrements should run you maybe $50-70 depending on how basic you get:
Litter box & litter
Bag of Food
Food & Water dishes
Cat bed (optional, as they will quite happily take your pillow from you in the middle of the night, leaving you with a giant crick in the neck)

Super-duper cat accoutrements run a bit more:
Auto-scooping Litter box (Some cats are scared of the noises these things make)
Gravity Feed food dish
Extra food dish for canned food for the picky eaters
Filtered water fountain to keep the water fresh
10 billion catnip mice, scrunchy balls and other things to chase around at 2am and generally sound like a herd of elephants
Giant carpet-covered cat furniture from which to survey their domain

Good luck with finding a cat to own you!

[camwyn]

I've always been more of a dog person, but it wouldn't be right to keep an animal that psychologically dependent on a human when I don't always know how late I'm going to work. Not to mention walking them vs. litterbox training. I figure a cat, or possibly two (to keep each other company), is a much more sensible choice for now. And I get along with cats okay- I just don't know them as well as I do dogs.

As for the toys, I've got a good bit of yarn set aside and some knitting patterns for catnip mice... and know where to find patterns for cat beds.

[unmisha.livejournal.com]

Two depends on disposition. Two dominant cats in one house is usually too much. Two laid-back fluffballs will happily share a cat-carrier. (Unless they're on the way to the vet. They *know* when they're on the way to the vet.)

I intend to try out my first felting project on a cat bed - it looks like fun!

[kemayo.livejournal.com]

Cats are dependent. Just in subtle ways, and less so than dogs.

They tend to get stressed out if you ignore them too much (exactly how much this is depends on the cat). Playing and petting keeps the stress down. Some like to have non-interactive ways to keep you company (one of ours can almost always be found sitting on the tallest point she can reach in whatever room we're in...).

[kemayo.livejournal.com]

Lots of your choices on initial brands for litter and food will be determined by what the cat is currently using. Domestic cats can react unfavorably to sudden changes in food and litter. The litter can lead to them not using the litterbox, and the food can lead to poor digestion and vomiting. Both can lead to stress. You don't want a stressed cat; it leads to peeing, and the destruction of all you hold dear (or your couch, at least). You can change the brands over time, by mingling two types, and adjusting the proportions slowly.

Even if you're going basic, it's probably worth springing for some of the better catfood. Our cats have been throwing up a lot less (it's a cat thing -- sometimes they gorge themselves, toss it up, then eat it again) since we switched to Science Diet.

I very much recommend that any cat toys you buy not contain any bells or rattling bits. They'll make more than enough noise on their own at 3am without the extra assistance.

[kemayo.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the prices on litter and food will be much better at a store like PetsMart than a local pet store or feed store, in my experience. (PetsMart offers, literally, half the price on the litter I use, compared to the local pet shops....)

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

Animalkind.info - is the best cat rescue group in NY state. :D They're up in Columbia County, but they RULE.