Can haz cat?

[oyceter]

I should probably try and write up Wiscon at some point, but my brain has been pretty unfunctional of late. In more exciting news, we are looking at cats to adopt! CB finally got allergy shots set up, and the clinic recommended getting kittens or young cats to get them used to being bathed every week. We haven't really gone to shelters to looks yet; the first one we went to had a case of ringworm, so all the cats were being quarantined, and it generally seemed like you don't go until you are ready to take a cat home that very day.

I am also completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff available for cats. After moving, I basically would just drive an hour to my old indie pet store to get the rat food and litter that I liked, since most of the stuff in chain pet stores isn't very good. But the cats have aisles and aisles! I am hoping wherever we adopt the cat from will have brand recs and whatnot, because I am too confused.

But yeah, still having a really hard time dealing with the lack of cute furry pettable creatures in my life. Also, I really resent comments from well-meaning but clueless (offline, none of you!) people implying I am taking it too hard or they are just rats or whatnot. And I really, really hate talking about it with people who didn't know or like them, probably due to too many past incidences of having to sell rats as pets.

Anyway! Any advice for cats? I know I have pinged some people already, but I am nervous and am therefore overresearching everything to compensate.