Everything You Need for your New Cat

what's up my mojo tears it is jackson galaxy your cat daddy today i'm very excited to give you this video today because this is for you newbies this is for you guys who just are bringing home a cat for the first time you've adopted a cat or two you have uh got yourself into a situation where you're fostering your cat you just found one in the street whatever it is congratulations for having a new feline family member it makes me of course very happy and you know what you're doing you're saving a life and you're going to make your life so much better at the end of the day so i'm just i'm just so psyched to give this to you because what i'm giving to you is the list of essentials the stuff that you want to bring home with your cat or if it's too late the cat's there just make sure you got this stuff okay well i'm going to break it down for you really quickly before i start i want you to know if if you're bringing home kittens if you're bringing home really little ones neonatals if you're fostering bottle babies if you're bringing home an eight week old kitten fresh from getting spayed or neutered out of the shelter whatever it is please go to this link right down here the kitten lady hannah shaw uh put this all together for you and this is the list of essentials for kittens i'm not even gonna get into it that is her territory that is her kitten ballpark so please go and visit that link and get all the stuff she's telling you to get don't mess around okay so just to say this ahead of time you guys most if not all of the topics in this video are covered either in other videos or they're covered in my books which you can get in the link below so just know that it's all there if you want to take a deeper dive i'm going to really gloss over a lot of these things but i'm trying to take care of you guys the best i can i'll point out the videos when they happen like i said there's a lot of videos and you can just rewind and check out the whole channel when you get a chance but let's start where we need to start today so let's start with the beginning and the beginning is you know you're going to bring home a cad so you haven't brought home your new adoptee or however it is if you have the opportunity to set up a space for your new arrival and it doesn't matter how old they are old young doesn't matter the concept of base camp really comes into play here base camp is setting up a space that they can soak with their scent in a positive way rub up against things get them to be their own in a safe space so that when you slowly open up their world to them they do it with what cat mojo so check out this video right above my head right here this video is all about establishing base camp how important it is how wonderful and lovely it is and how to use it as sort of a series of signposts when you do open up the home to them everywhere they go it's lovely and scent soaked and oh this belongs to me god this is my world i love it that's what you get out of base camp so check out that video all right guys so let's break it down to the very essentials i mean the stuff that obviously you're going to need but we're going to give you some hints along the way the first one of course a food bowl well jackson of course food bowl no both food and water bowls i'd like to see you avoid plastic to the best of your ability plastic is porous it lets in germs and nasty stuff and it is the most common place where cats get chin acne from and yes they get chin acne along with why would you want them to drink all that sort of regurgitated little germy stuff what you want to do is get either ceramic or stainless steel bowl or glass pyrex i've seen wonderful bowls that are made of sort of a pyrex glass so it's not as breakable but these are things that are non-porous best way to give your cats fresh water also when it comes to water i'm a big believer in having running water for your cats as well because if you've seen your cat just go to the faucet and just be like oh i could do this all day long they need a fountain as well so again i recommend cat fountains that are made primarily of ceramic or glass or stainless steel all of these things is keeping that water running through you change it every day it's nice and fresh and it's running and really there are a lot of cats who just love well they love playing in it also but they do love drinking from it as well and one of the most obvious things if not the most obvious thing that you need for your cat is a litter box but not just one litter box i know bear with me you guys i know what i'm talking about if you're bringing home one cat have two litter boxes two cats three litter boxes and so on and so forth just it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to litter boxes and i know a lot of you guys don't like looking at them but you know you just got a cat you know litter boxes are good of course i've got lots of videos and talk a lot about litter and litter boxes in my book total cat mojo so check both of those out in the meantime go for big okay go for big go for broke you don't want your cat to have to sort of move around in a box where they just don't feel like they can turn around and dig with enough freedom so give him that freedom uh also remember with litter my big recommendation is go natural go unscented period there are a lot of good litters out there now my favorite is sustainably yours but hey i'm biased and you can buy that at jacksongalaxy.com anyhow that's my recommendation natural unscented soft okay so that we're basically going for the lowest common denominator when it comes to cat's preference some cats want litter that feels like sand itself really nice and soft a lot of cats don't like those strong perfumes and i don't recommend that whatsoever and i'm just not a big believer in clay litter there it's out there right now i'm also a believer that we shouldn't be using those plastic liners in litter boxes nor should we start out with hoods on those boxes at all it's a real fallacy to say that cats like their privacy and they want the hooded box come on that's that's for us let's just fax this facts here and also when it comes to the liners again it's for our convenience seen a lot of cats when they scratch they get their claws stuck on that liner and that just tells them not to go in that box so again why take the risk and don't forget a litter scoop as well for each litter box try a litter scoop and hey check out litter genie also if you haven't before because man i'm telling you you want to talk about a life changer not having to walk around with a scoop full of poop and take to the toilet or bring a little shopping bag with you everywhere it is a lifesaver as far as i'm concerned but anyway in terms of scooping do it at least once or twice a day make sure that that litter is kept clean because most cats don't like walking over a minefield in order to do their thing so just playing it safe all right so when we talk about essentials there's nothing more essential than what you're going to feed your cat now of course i've talked about this ad nauseam in a lot of different places here's my belief in things i don't like dry food i don't think you should start your cat on dry food a lot of shelters and rescues will feed dry because that's what gets donated and it's a lot easier than getting wet food so you want to make sure to do a slow transition over the course of about a week or so but if you can get your cats onto a raw or a wet diet that's the thing to do that to me makes for a longer life and a healthier cat and a happier cat because cats are what they are obligate carnivores which is they need to eat meat all the time a grain-free wet is best raw is even better dry don't do it so the next thing that we want to get you going on and we've talked about base camp already but what do you put in your base camp again take a look at that base camp video it talks about the concept of scent soakers and scent soakers are those things those soft things that cats can leave their scent on just by rubbing their body on it just by pawing at it and just by scratching at it they are claiming territory in a very positive way so make sure that you have a lot of scent soakers and that includes beds of all shapes and sizes you know it doesn't have to be the fancy ones there are some that i just call bed frisbees those little flat pads that you just deal out like a deck of cards and those can be on top of your couch or bed it's just a great thing to take and move to another place again your cat knowing their scent is somewhere makes it sacred and safe scratching posts of course are one of the best things that you can get for your cats of different textures so you get to know your cat do they like sisal rope do they like carpet do they like the bare wood you can find out by getting a number of different things and trying them and that's a hint all the way around don't assume that you know that all cats will like x you got to try it out with your cat first get to know your cat personally when it comes to scratching surfaces we talk about it a lot in the books catification and cadify to satisfy the design books that i wrote with kate benjamin check out that link down at the bottom in the description and you can get your own copies but in the meantime we talk about is your cat a vertical or a horizontal or somewhat in between scratcher where do they like to scratch the most because then you can get flat corrugated cardboard scratchers and you can put those all over the place because they like to scratch horizontally or they like those sort of incline scratches the ones that are sort of triangular or they love to just pull down the one shopping tip i'm going to give you on this one is it's a wide base man there are tons of just bad scratchers out there which is which is to say your cat will extend themselves all the way up pull down and if that scratcher pulls away with them you think they're ever going to go back to that thing again no you know where they're gonna go they're gonna go to the arm of your couch so go for something that is sturdy has a nice wide base and is tall enough to accommodate your cat at their tallest and that is your golden tip of the day cat trees of course are really important and i think another important thing to remember is that it used to be the cat trees were just so expensive and yeah you can get really nice expensive cat trees also you can get sturdy cat trees that are just not going to break you and you can have a couple of them my big recommendation is that wherever there are windows you have a place for your cat to go in that window sit and watch what i call cat tv that's the birds outside of the traffic or whatever that is and and just settle in that window where they get the sun as well and you can put those frisbee beds i was talking about in that in that window if you've got a nice ledge or you can have cat trees in the window anything like that will really help boost your cat's confidence scent soakers boost confidence so don't skimp on those get as many as you can to put in their base camp toys let's talk about toys man you got to be santa claus when it comes to your new cat right you want to make sure that you are playing interactively with your cat you have to what play with your cat play with your cat play with your cat that is just such a key to life with cats and my big recommendation is interactive toys which are usually the ones that are like a fishing pole with a string and either a feather or some other toy at the bottom of it of course jackson galaxy makes his own toys so go check out that at the link below as well and in the meantime just always have that on hand make sure that you're putting that away it's a special toy play time is a bonding time between the two of you so just remember take that interactive toy out of a cabinet out of a drawer when it's time to play don't leave it on the floor don't let them play unsupervised with a lot of different toys because they could be dangerous if your cat's just sitting there exploring it i mean don't forget as you get to know your new feline family member are they a troublemaker is it like a little dennis the menace thing where if they can get in trouble they will are they really into play do they have to be coaxed into play what kind of toys do you need just load up on interactive toys on what i call remote toys or sort of self-play toys where it's just you know the little stuffed mice and things like that and just get to know them and what they like to do of course i talk about playtime every time and every place i can so just dig around for that resource now i definitely don't want you guys getting off on the wrong foot as you get to know your cat so check out the video above my head right now which is the things in your home that can hurt your cat and you need to just sort of cat proof your house just think about like what i said in that video it's about what cats are like toddlers that can reach the ceiling so whether it's avoiding certain plants foods putting child locks on medicine cabinets and underneath the sink and and what's in the garage i cover all of that in that video might as well just go down that checklist so carriers are really important facets to a cat's life and i think it's really important that a cat get a really good association with their carrier right off the bat that carrier should feel like they're den it should feel like their escape hatch it feels feels like their panic room you know where they can go to escape all the craziness so of course it goes in their base camp at first you can take off the door if you want to you can even take off the top of it put a nice little uh blanket inside it it can even smell a little bit like you as well give them their favorite treats then of course you have to find out what those are but their favorite treats they only get it in their carrier in their den in their place you know and that way when you finally have to take them somewhere to the vet or on a trip or anything like that then they're not panicking the second they get in there it's the opposite they settle into it so make sure it's big enough that they can turn around inside it make sure that it's not too open too close and you may want to check to make sure it's airline friendly as well just in case you guys are traveling together you want to make sure your cat can go under the seat in front of you okay so let's talk about safety a little bit if you're getting a cat from a shelter or a rescue they're going to come 99 of the time with a microchip if they haven't come with a microchip and planted please go and do that because if they get lost that's really the best way for them to get back to you but in the meantime you don't want to skimp and you don't want to cut any corners you do still want them to have a collar and a tag with your phone number on it make sure that collar is a breakaway collar just in case they get hung up on something if they're running they won't choke on it in the meantime so a breakaway collar tag make sure they're microchipped so they can get back to you and it doesn't hurt right off the bat to get the best full front picture that you can get of your cat just in case they go missing that picture is one of the keys to getting them back home grooming let's talk grooming i think it's really important that right off the bat you start to get comfortable with the thing that people get all sketchy about which is trimming your cat's nails and i know that at first it feels like a really big job here's what i'm going to tell you to do start off by when you guys are having sort of a relaxing time together we're kind of napping we're hanging we're doing a little petting start to just handle their paws very lightly touch the paws touch the paws keep touching the paws give them nice soft reassurances while you're doing that then after a little while you're gonna start pressing right here on the knuckle and when you do that the claw comes out just do it a few times claw comes out claw comes out then we're gonna start trimming nails people use different things i mean whether it's human nail trimmers or the specialized cat sort of scissory looking ones you know whatever you're comfortable with is going to work just fine for your cat as well just make sure you take it off the tip you'll see the blood supply in pink just avoid that go for the tip it doesn't matter you guys if you only trim one nail a day i'm happy with that your cat will be happy with that you're just getting them used to it and not making it a negative association right off the bat so definitely have nail trimmers and speaking of grooming brushes all cats should be brushed especially our long-haired cats but short-haired cats too it's great it feels good it should feel good it just stimulates their oils to come to the top of their fur so their fur looks better gets rid of dander et cetera et cetera et cetera et cetera et cetera so you should have a brush now which brush is best for your cat there's a lot of debate about it my feeling is again this is one of those things of you getting to know your cats so check out a few different ones it's a couple dollars each you're not wasting that money we have those uh slicker brushes which is those little fine-tooth metal combs you've also got uh the ones that look more like brushes there's rubber ones with more pliable teeth to them your cat will tell you if it's something they like or they don't like just again you don't know the new cat that's in your life start here start on the cheek start on the top of the head don't assume that all cats like to be brushed all over their body it is worth the time all the way around to start slowly and to figure out what their preferences are before you just go to town on them so that what they look forward to every time that brush comes out of a drawer they're like yes bring it as opposed to being under the bed now look there's plenty of other things that you will want to get for your feline family but that comes after all of these essentials this is just where to start whether it's safety nutrition scent soaking grooming these are the things that start off your life with your cat in a positive way whether it's a carrier whether it's their beds their scratchers their trees etc all of these things are sources of mojo and they're also sources of a bond between the two of you this is about the beginning of a relationship as you go forward you're going to get to know the preferences of the individual that you've brought into your family the individual anybody who says that all cats will like this or that that's going to be just a source of constant frustration to you they will say no to a lot of things and there may be a bunch of things that you wind up donating back to the rescue or the shelter that you adopted the cat from and they will thank you very much but this is the process of getting to know you i know there's a lot of you guys out there who have had cats for many many years who are in rescue anything if you want to add to the list please do that's what these comments are for down below here so that we can be more of a community together exchange information and don't forget no matter what anybody says you guys double and triple check things this is also about the health of your cat make sure that you know whatever we say and i say we i mean me too go ahead and do your own due diligence learn about all cats learn about your cat that's the way to do it and look maybe i'm biased yeah i'm pretty biased but my book totalcat mojo is about exactly that getting to know cat history getting to know their their journey from the wild cat back then back there thousands of years ago to the cat that's sitting in your living room right now and then it's about exploring your relationship together you guys you're gonna have such a great time i am i am just so happy that you brought a new family member into your home that you saved a life think about that you saved a life and you know what they say you know that bumper sticker right it says who rescued who you're gonna find out what that means right the first time you have a really bad day and your new friend sits on your chest and purrs and you're like oh yeah it's all good you know you'll see that all right my mojo tears thank you for tuning in today and don't forget that if you want to see a video go ahead and put it in the comments below if you want to ask a question you can go to jacksongalaxy.com forward slash submit show me a video of yourself asking a question and a video of your cat doing whatever your cat's doing and i'll see if i can answer that for you that's why we're here we are a big old community of happy cat people or people on the road to happy katniss that's what it's all about all right you guys until next time all light and all love and i'll mojo to you meow

Channel: Jackson Galaxy

Views: 645,590

Rating: 4.9579749 out of 5

Keywords: jackson galaxy, cats, my cat from hell, animal planet, cat whisperer, cat guy, cat guy animal planet, cat expert, cat advice, cat health, cat behavior, pet care, pet, cat breeds, types of cats, cat care, cat training, cat supplies, cat toyskitten care, sick cat, cats and kittens, cat illnesses, cat symptoms, cat psychology, taking care of a cat, cat behavior problems, kittens, kitten videos, cat videos, kitten health, adult cat, adult cat videos, jackson galaxy videos

Id: KHmrh6eQ6EQ

Length: 18min 31sec (1111 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 17 2020