Where to buy stuff, vet recs, window screen confusion, etc.

I lived in the UK previously, a million years ago, but didn't have pets then so I am completely out of touch with what is available for pets.  I am now a totally crazy cat lady.  I have four!!! 

-What pet stores are available/the best?
-Where is the cheapest place or best deals to buy pet supplies?  Basically how do you save the most money?
-Can anyone recommend good pet insurance?
-Can anyone recommend a good vet, preferably a cat vet, in London (likely the SW area)?
-Can anyone recommend an at home vet?
-Are there pet sitting services anyone can recommend?
-I seem to be really overwhelmed by litter brands, as I have never heard of any of them, so is there just a good, normal clay clumping litter people would recommend?  Similar to Everclear in the US?
-Can anyone recommend a pet vacuum brand/type?
-Am I ever going to find a place to rent with four cats or should I just start building my cardboard city now?

Also, my 4 cats are completely indoors and due to various medical issues they will stay that way.  I am completely at a loss over window screens not being available and how to actually keep them indoors.  One cat in particular is really dumb and would totally jump out a window even if multiple stories up.  How do people manage this issue, particularly in a rental?

I lived in the UK previously, a million years ago, but didn't have pets then so I am completely out of touch with what is available for pets.  I am now a totally crazy cat lady.  I have four!!! 

-What pet stores are available/the best?
-Where is the cheapest place or best deals to buy pet supplies?  Basically how do you save the most money?
-Can anyone recommend good pet insurance?
-Can anyone recommend a good vet, preferably a cat vet, in London (likely the SW area)?
-Can anyone recommend an at home vet?
-Are there pet sitting services anyone can recommend?
-I seem to be really overwhelmed by litter brands, as I have never heard of any of them, so is there just a good, normal clay clumping litter people would recommend?  Similar to Everclear in the US?
-Can anyone recommend a pet vacuum brand/type?
-Am I ever going to find a place to rent with four cats or should I just start building my cardboard city now?

Also, my 4 cats are completely indoors and due to various medical issues they will stay that way.  I am completely at a loss over window screens not being available and how to actually keep them indoors.  One cat in particular is really dumb and would totally jump out a window even if multiple stories up.  How do people manage this issue, particularly in a rental?

I buy dry food online from Zooplus and tend to buy the wet food in the supermarkets because it's cheaper that way.

Pets at Home is a brick and mortar store here but I rarely buy anything from them as they are almost always more expensive for everything.

Scratching posts, beds and trees mostly come from Zooplus. Litter trays, I like the Van Ness high sided cat pan, giant, came from various online sources because they are less easy to find here being a US product. Feedem currently has them for a good price.

I buy clumping litter from Aldi although if they are out of it, my fall back is Lidl. They are both cheap supermarkets and quite popular. Their own brands are by far the cheapest clumping litter and although not as good as the Arm and Hammer I used to use in the US, it's decent and at under £2.00 doesn't break the bank.  There are a million different kinds though and you can spend much more if you want to.

My cats are all indoors too and I'm sure at least some of them would jump straight out of the window, given the opportunity! I believe there are some products available specifically aimed at indoor cats but I just settle for only opening the windows an inch or two.

I use Vax vacuums, again, not too expensive and do the trick with the cat hair.

I think you might struggle to find a rental that will allow 4 cats. Very often if pets are allowed there is a limit of one or two imposed. You might have better luck with private landlords rather than letting agencies. Do ask for every property. Many will say no pets but will be open to it, perhaps with an extra deposit/rent.

Thanks that is all excellent info that I didn't know!

And yes, I am so nervous about finding a place to live.  We just don't think it is smart to buy right before we know what the effect of Brexit will be and we wouldn't have time to secure a mortgage and close before we move anyway.  I am just really not sure how that is all going to pan out.

Zooplus is good and fairly inexpensive. We head to pets at home if in a pinch. We use Tesco branded wood pellet litter. It's a little more expensive but I prefer it more than regular as does our cat.

We have a Vax and it does a good job at keeping cat hair away.

Zooplus as well for us - we order it ALL - food (crunchy and wet), scratching posts, water fountains, and litter (the one from Canada that smells like honey). The DPD guy just loves us

Litter box- we actually went to Ikea and got one of their underbed storage plastic boxes and fill it with clumping litter. Works great! (we only have two cats by the way).

Vet - we have a mobile vet come to us, its just easier than wrangling these two into their carrier + taxi. You ay want to look up options in the SW.

Pet sitter - we use London Cat Sitting company. They have their regular sitter (Karen, she's so East End I swear they meow with an accent by the time we get home), she has a set of our keys, so we just order days and services via the online portal and voila! she appears and takes care of them.  The kids get to stay in their home and its easy to arrange. to note - we onl have her come for a half hour or hour each day to clean, feed, and play with them (they have an autofeeder too). They do offer overnight services if needed.

Window screens - for a temporary solution try Flat Cats (online). He sells screens that you can affix to windows with velcro that you can open in order to open and close the window. We use them and they were a great solution after our boy wiggled out an open bathroom window his second morning! We rent and have accepted that we will probably lose a bit of deposit for removing the glue used to affix the velcro to the window but I dont care. Its better than a dead cat.

Renting - good luck, but i imagine with a large enough pet deposit it could be doable. Money solves all problems (this goes triple in London!)

Zooplus as well for us - we order it ALL - food (crunchy and wet), scratching posts, water fountains, and litter (the one from Canada that smells like honey). The DPD guy just loves us

Litter box- we actually went to Ikea and got one of their underbed storage plastic boxes and fill it with clumping litter. Works great! (we only have two cats by the way).

Vet - we have a mobile vet come to us, its just easier than wrangling these two into their carrier + taxi. You ay want to look up options in the SW.

Pet sitter - we use London Cat Sitting company. They have their regular sitter (Karen, she's so East End I swear they meow with an accent by the time we get home), she has a set of our keys, so we just order days and services via the online portal and voila! she appears and takes care of them.  The kids get to stay in their home and its easy to arrange. to note - we onl have her come for a half hour or hour each day to clean, feed, and play with them (they have an autofeeder too). They do offer overnight services if needed.

Window screens - for a temporary solution try Flat Cats (online). He sells screens that you can affix to windows with velcro that you can open in order to open and close the window. We use them and they were a great solution after our boy wiggled out an open bathroom window his second morning! We rent and have accepted that we will probably lose a bit of deposit for removing the glue used to affix the velcro to the window but I dont care. Its better than a dead cat.

Renting - good luck, but i imagine with a large enough pet deposit it could be doable. Money solves all problems (this goes triple in London!)

Great info! Thank you!

Can you share your mobile vets details? I will look for one in our area once settled but it’s always great to get personal recommendations. We have a lot of medical issues and a good vet is priceless. You can PM if you don’t want to post them openly.

Sure - we use Home Vets London however, they may only serve the East and North Central part of town, but I'm not entirely sure. Very responsive, we were able to set up a visit for our girl pretty quickly when she had a UTI. You may as well give them an email and see where they serve. We get Dr Caesar.

Reviving my own thread to ask a really embarrassing question.  I am a bit perplexed by UK cat litter as most seems to be non-clay based.  Most of my experience is with clay litter or silica (which my cats won't touch).  I can get on board with the idea of corn or walnut litter, whatever, but am I understanding correctly that it's completely biodegradable and you can flush it?  Do most people actually flush their cat litter?  For real? My mind is blown so I am just trying to understand how practical this is.

Reviving my own thread to ask a really embarrassing question.  I am a bit perplexed by UK cat litter as most seems to be non-clay based.  Most of my experience is with clay litter or silica (which my cats won't touch).  I can get on board with the idea of corn or walnut litter, whatever, but am I understanding correctly that it's completely biodegradable and you can flush it?  Do most people actually flush their cat litter?  For real? My mind is blown so I am just trying to understand how practical this is.

Clay clumping litter is readily available, no need to introduce more changes to your cats if you don't want to. 

I get mine from Aldi or Lidl because it's cheaper there but you'll find it wherever litter is sold.

A question on flea treatment.  We use Revolution but that doesn't seem to be a name brand available in the UK.  I have seemed to find info that Stronghold might be the same thing.  Can anyone confirm what flea treatments they use? Also do you only get it through a vet?

A question on flea treatment.  We use Revolution but that doesn't seem to be a name brand available in the UK.  I have seemed to find info that Stronghold might be the same thing.  Can anyone confirm what flea treatments they use? Also do you only get it through a vet?

I use Broadline, I get it from the vet as part of their annual cat plan but you can order it from an online pet pharmacy with a prescription if you prefer.

It's a monthly spot on which provides cover for worms too.

Whatever you end up getting, do your research first, there are some horror stories out there.