Last minute panic!!

[Nicnavina]

Hey everyone,

I am so happy. We went on a shopping spree today to get ready for when Clara comes home! Tuesday she gets her last set of shots, then a week to ten days later she will be spayed. We should have her by the end of the month, which is really fantastic!

We bought her some of the essentials: Ear cleaning solution, eye cleaning solution, moisturising pet wipes (for in between baths) and coconut oil.

We also got some fun stuff... a pink harness and leash, a pink puffer vest that is lined with fleece (it's so cozy that I want to wear it!), a cute blue sweater, etc.

However; now that it is getting down to the wire I am starting to panic about being prepared enough. I have a few questions about what else I should put on my shopping list. Please let me know what you think, if you can answer any of these questions I would be so grateful for the help!

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  [*]I have noticed a lot of people on here talking about something called L-Lysine. Should I buy some of that too? What does it do?
  
  [*]I am worried as well about cleaning her nails. Is there something specific I am supposed to use to clean them, or do I just do it in her bath?
  
  [*]I have read a lot on here about coconut oil, which is why I bought some, but I don't know what I am actually supposed to do with it... lol.
  
  [*]What kind of shampoo am I supposed to use? The only cat shampoo I could find at the petstore was for fleas, and it wrned not to use it as an every day shampoo because it can irrtate the skin.
  
  [*]From what I have seen online, different people use different things to wash their sphynx cats. Should I use a soft baby washcloth, a normal washcloth, or something even rougher like exfoliating gloves?
  
  [*]Is there anything else I should buy her? I want to make sure I have all of the essentals, and price is not an issue. Although I love a bargain, I will also spend whatever it takes to make sure she has the best of the best.

Sorry for so many questions, I guess I am just overly concerned about making sure I have everything perfect and ready for her when she gets home. Thanks so much! ​

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Sounds like you have done a great job shopping for all the fun stuff. Don't forget food and a litter box. lol!

Just kidding I am sure you have gotten that. You seem to have everything covered, gosh Leo was our first and we had nothing, I picked him up and got home so late nothing was open. All I had was some food the breeder gave me and a bit of litter. We fed him on a paper plate and put his litter in a foil turkey pan.

Went shopping the next day, of course!

Lysine is a imune booster and since your little guy is being shipped I think it is a good idea to get him on.

The coconut oil works well for loosening dirt on tough spots, just be sure not to use too much or it will have the opposite effect.

Remember it is good to have some fleece blankets around to curl up and nap in or you can always check out the sphynxlair shop for a sphynx pocket. :Laugh:

 

[Nicnavina]

Sounds like you have done a great job shopping for all the fun stuff. Don't forget food and a litter box. lol!

Just kidding I am sure you have gotten that. You seem to have everything covered, gosh Leo was our first and we had nothing, I picked him up and got home so late nothing was open. All I had was some food the breeder gave me and a bit of litter. We fed him on a paper plate and put his litter in a foil turkey pan.

Went shopping the next day, of course!

Lysine is a imune booster and since your little guy is being shipped I think it is a good idea to get him on.

The coconut oil works well for loosening dirt on tough spots, just be sure not to use too much or it will have the opposite effect.

Remember it is good to have some fleece blankets around to curl up and nap in or you can always check out the sphynxlair shop for a sphynx pocket. :Laugh:

Thanks! We already have the general food bowls, blankets, and three cat trees as well, because we already have two cats. This is just my first Sphynx!

Clara isn't being shipped though. Should I still get her the L-Lysine?

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Oops I thought you said she was being shipped. It is preference really some swear by it and some never have used it at all. It is great for cats that need a boost or have a underlying medical condition or that are under stress. So really no need for it for a new healthy kitten, but just moving to a new home could add some stress.
See what others chime in with.

 

[susi794]

Ok, here goes: L-lysine is an immune booster--many of us give it daily but it is really good to have on hand when your cat gets runny eyes or seems to be coming down with a cold. It comes in lots of forms--I buy the powder from amazon.com, but you can buy it in paste form or even in treats. The dosage for an adult is 250 mg. daily and double that if they have symptoms. For a kit, if you want to give it to her daily, I'd do 125 mg. and again double that if she has symptoms.

Coconut oil is used to get really stubborn dirt off your sphynx--you rub it in, then wash the kitten
with shampoo to get the oil off.

Shampoo: I use baby wash to bathe mine--the no tears kind. Not baby shampoo, baby wash. You can use any mild shampoo, but don't use flea shampoo. When mine were kits, I used one of the net kind of bath puffs, but now I use the exfoliating gloves and like them a lot. Just don't get too rough with them. After the bath, I keep the gloves on and use them to clean their nails. I used to use a baby wipe and sometimes still do.

Cat trees, water fountains, stainless steel bowls, warm fuzzy blankies(I use heated throws ) some toys, food, litter, ae all essentials around here--but the most important thing of all is your love and attention.

Hugs,
Susi and the gang

 

[ZiggyStardust]

I talked with our vet about L-lysine and he said it certainly can't hurt currently healthy cats/kittens, but it is usually used if one is diagnosed with herpes. I now give it to all 5 of my cats, none of which have herpes but one has a heart condition and one is hyperthyroid, and I'll give it to our new Sphynx kitten when we get him in about 4 months. I use the powder from Amazon.com and sprinkle it on their food. Comes with a handy little scoop.

I used to use shea butter body wash on Ziggy. And I used a regular wash cloth mostly but did use exfoliating gloves when prepping him for shows. I'll probably use the same on the new kit.

I bet you're getting really excited! It's going to be tough for me to wait as long as we have to. Once you get her you'll be hooked! We miss having a Sphynx in the house.

 

[Nicnavina]

I talked with our vet about L-lysine and he said it certainly can't hurt currently healthy cats/kittens, but it is usually used if one is diagnosed with herpes. I now give it to all 5 of my cats, none of which have herpes but one has a heart condition and one is hyperthyroid, and I'll give it to our new Sphynx kitten when we get him in about 4 months. I use the powder from Amazon.com and sprinkle it on their food. Comes with a handy little scoop.

I used to use shea butter body wash on Ziggy. And I used a regular wash cloth mostly but did use exfoliating gloves when prepping him for shows. I'll probably use the same on the new kit.

I bet you're getting really excited! It's going to be tough for me to wait as long as we have to. Once you get her you'll be hooked! We miss having a Sphynx in the house.

I know what you mean! We have been waiting since the beginning of July. It wasn't as hard to wait until recently!

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[Pascale daily]

you must be soooo excited and it sure looks like youre ready!!!!!

 

[KitCatty]

It looks like you have your bases covered llysine gives kitties an immunity boost and is good to give daily but I only used it when my boys came home because stress and travel can cause upper respiratory issues. Coconut oil is good as a treat (my boys love it) and for bathing... it helps get the dirt off. Make sure you get it all off or little Clara will get more dirty.... I use it and dish soap. As far as nail cleaning I use my nails and the edge of a towel to get the crud off after a bath but any type of pet friendly wipe will work too. J&J wipes are great!

So excited for you!!! You will do great