Taking back Pixel, my stepdaughter's fur baby...

[haele]

Pixel is getting on elderly (probably around 11 years old now), and has not been handling the 2nd baby-now-toddler very well at their place over the past year.
It doesn't help that both parents are hoarders, there are two other cats and one other child, and the apartment they live in is only 640 sq ft. Over the past year, he's been developing stuvite crystals and urinating over the children's clothes (we just took him in for treatment a month ago), and stepdaughter just can't handle it anymore. Im thinking it's stress over the baby and the constant yelling around that apartment. So tonight, we're supposed to pick him up...
While we now have a larger house, we also have four other cats - three of whom he is familiar with and who are staid enough they shouldn't bother him when he comes back, but there's also a young cat he's never met before here. He's also a floofy, goofy orange boy, and utterly bonded with stepdaughter. Even though he's lived with us until up to three/four years ago when the kids finally moved out to play house on their own while we moved into our new forever home, it's not going to be fun for him for a good long while, if ever.

I'm thinking of getting one of those multi-layer cat wire condos that we can put by the front window so he can get familiarized with the new household and have a place where he doesn't have to compete with the other cats for food and litter box use while he's coping with the change. I'm also putting my foot down about tonight; we'll have to pick him up tomorrow for me to be able to get the house ready for him.

Any recommendations for something quick and inexpensive? As usual, stepdaughter needs "rescuing" a week before payday, and we'll run short trying to get him set up for rehoming here.

I was looking at a "Midwest collapsible Cat Playpen", which seems to be large enough for full sized cat (around 13 lbs), a small litterbox, two levels that can be padded, and a place to put food and water up away from the litter box.

He looks rather like this cat, even though he's not a Maine Coon.


Haele

[blogslut]

1. I like Jeffer's Pet

https://www.jefferspet.com

https://www.jefferspet.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&animal%5B%5D=&q=cat+cage&button=search

[procon]

2. Add height for escape routes and perches that are designated safezone.

Most cats are natural climbers and enjoy being above they frey. If you don't have floor space for a tall cat condo, try wall shelves. They make them designed for cats, but you can also make your own from ordinary shelves and even include a wider sleeping nook, and its easy to add on more as you can afford to. Older cats may not have the strength to make a big leap to reach their sanctuary, so plan an easier access route for them to climb from one level up to to the next.