Looking for a kitten and cat supplies

[MacDaddy]

We're looking to add a kitten to our family. Do any of you know:
a) where to find one – shelters, vets, etc
b) a veterinarian in Colegiales you could recommend for checkups, shots, etc
c) any large pet shops that might sell cat supplies. We've noticed that BA is really a dog town – looking in Jumbo, Disco, Carrefour, Coto, Easy, and the small pet shops, we've mostly only found dog supplies. Things like scratching posts I have yet to find.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MizzMarr]

This is a link to a nice adoption shelter: http://www.centromichimiau.com.ar/
Otherwise, you can check and see if some of the cats that people were looking for homes for recently have found homes, there was a particularly cute orange guy up for adoption only a week or two ago. I did a quick search and just found these two recent threads:
http://baexpats.org/expat-life/15238-kitten-looking-home.html
http://baexpats.org/expat-life/15568-loving-kitten-needs-new-home-palermo.html

There are also tons of street cats that need some love!

As to supplies, well, just about any pet store will have kitty litter and cat food. Royal Canin is one of the better brands that they sell here and they have a nice kitten variety (eta: the standard food you'll find in grocery stores has a bunch of gross stuff in it that your kitten probably shouldn't be eating, as Amelia noted below. If you do a bit of research you'll find some shocking info about the things they will include in the cheap food, including sometimes the remains of other cats! gross. better to pay a bit more for quality food as you would for yourself). Scratching posts and the like are generally very $$. We made our own. But for things like kitty beds, if you don't want something makeshift (like a fluffy towel) sometime there are pet vendors around Parque Centenario on the weekend, check it out! Good luck and enjoy your new addition when you finally find him/her!!

 

[Ashley]

I live in Colegiales and have been taking my cats to a vet in Belgrano (Mendoza y Amenabar). I was recommended one in Chacarita though so will check it out and let you know.
Michimiau is a good rescue centre but I actually saw some kittens living on the street the other day (on Teodoro Garcia by Zabala) so you could check that out if you're in the area.
As for scratching posts, etc...definately check out Morween cosa del Gatos (on Mercado Libre and Facebook). She does some great posts/play things for cats and is much cheaper/better quality than pet shops. For basic supplies, I get cat litter in the supermarket and I bought a litter tray etc from Happy Frog on Cabildo and Hernandez.

 

[Tangerine]

Snag a cat at the Carlos Thays Garden, they have enough.

 

[mikaela]

On mercardolibre - the shelters use that to promote their cats, but you don't need to pay for them -

 

[MacDaddy]

You guys rock. Lots of great ideas here.

We have an appointment to check out the Michimiau shelter.. their prices are certainly quite reasonable, and they gave us some nice information by email.

I found Morween Cosa del Gatos on FB, but not on Mercado Libre. I'm sending her an email now to ask about cat furniture.

I'd love to build my own scratching post / perch extravaganza, but I don't have any tools down here, and hate to buy drills etc just for this one project. I'm surprised there isn't a market for that stuff here.

For others on a similar hunt, I found these adoption websites that look promising:
http://adoptandonos.blogspot.com/search/label/Gatitos en adopción
http://gatitosdelasarmiento.blogspot.com/
http://www.gatosdelbotanico.com.ar/adopciondegatos.php
http://www.mascotasenadopcion.com/cgi-bin/index.php?nota=catalogo&especie_id=4

 

[Davidglen77]

Hospital Tornú in Villa Ortúzar has a lot of cats on their grounds (old campus style hospital). There is a woman who manages the cats and people who want to adopt them. I got my cat Billy from there and he is awesome! If you don't get matched up with a cat by the other means you have posted so far, let me know and I will send you contact info.

Kitty litter you can find in supermarkets as well as cat food. Almost all pet shops have other accessories for cats, brushes, toys, beds, etc. I feed my cat Purina dry, Whiskas moist and he eats 1kg of raw chopmeat each week. Cats need the enzymes in raw meat as that is what they would have eaten if they had stayed in the wild.

 

[ameliamcg]

Saving a street kitten is best (but not the easiest) if you can get your hands on one. As far as food goes, I would avoid the crappy Whiskas/Cat Chow etc. Lots of salt and added junk your kitty does NOT need. Being a cat lady for many many years, I fed my cats dry food from the vet ONLY. It's a little more expensive but in the long run you will have less visits to the vet, they will be less hungry with less food and won't be constantly drinking water. Plus, their coats will be softer and shinier.
Hope this helps! and GOOD LUCK!

 

[Ashley]

Yes...and don't buy the "suelto" food either at the vets...always get bagged. Apparently they cut it with cheaper varieties. We learned this hard way when our young male cat got a urinary tract infection last year (which led to complications and hundreds in vet bills). Now we feed both cats on Royal Canine (renal mix...in a sealed bag) and haven't had a problem since. There's a small supplier near the corner of Alvarez Tomas and Lacroze... They stock most decent brands and will give you a discount if you buy a couple of big bags at a time.

 

[ameliamcg]

Yes...and don't buy the "suelto" food either at the vets...always get bagged. Apparently they cut it with cheaper varieties. We learned this hard way when our young male cat got a urinary tract infection last year (which led to complications and hundreds in vet bills). Now we feed both cats on Royal Canine (renal mix...in a sealed bag) and haven't had a problem since. There's a small supplier near the corner of Alvarez Tomas and Lacroze... They stock most decent brands and will give you a discount if you buy a couple of big bags at a time.

YES!! Same thing happened to me! If you have a male cat be VERY weary of cheap food, it blocks up their urinary tract and your vet bills will be very high. Feeding your animals good quality food is always good in the long run.