I hopefully can answer some of your questions if not all-I haven't read everyone elses responses so hopefully I will not repeat anyone else. Make sure the cat has been tested for FeLv/FIV and had a fecal also (I also recommend re-testing in 6 months to ensure negative status). What vaccinations has it had? I recommend a yearly visit to the veterinarian but I do not recommend vaccinations every year especially if it is going to be an indoor cat. You have to be careful some vets make their living on vaccinations and will push you to vaccinate every year-I strongly disagree with this and the AVMA is continually reviewing vaccine protocols. Vaccinesare great and protect your pet from many diseases but they do not come without risk such as severe reactions and fibrosarcoma. What area do you live in? Iseem to remember the northeast so heartworm prevention is probably not a huge push but if you live in the south cats, dogs and ferrets should be on HW prevention. Easter Lillys are toxic and can be deadly to cats-if you have any throw them out. See other advice below:
Quote:
Originally posted by aephi alum
I have about a zillion questions, most of which could probably be answered by "Cats for Dummies" or some such thing, but I figured I'd pick your brains too 
I'm assuming we'll have to "cat-proof" the house like you would "baby-proof" a house... remove all breakables and household cleaning supplies from the cat's reach, make sure there's nothing he can knock or pull down, etc. What about curtains? Every cat is different. If the cat in question has never been outside then most likely he will leave your curtains alone but even some indoor cats think of them as play toys. Make sure the string that is use to pull any mini blinds is out of reach b/c just like with children it can choke a cat.
Do I have to worry about my plants? (Most are outdoors now, but I have some African violets inside. I'm worried both about him eating them and getting sick, and him damaging the plants.)
If you ever have any question abpout your cat eating a potential poisonous substance and you cannot find out info. ASAP call the Illinois Animal; Poison Control at 1-888-4-ANIHELP-it is 45$ a call so have your credit card ready -they are so helpful and knowledgable about many different chemicals. I cannot have any indoor plants b/c my cats will eat them then they usually end up puking the plant up-yuk. My friend has 2 cats and they usually leave her plants alone-so again it depends on the cat. I would say most cats tend to explore and will "taste" any plant available at least once. There is a toxic plant book at my clinic and African Violets are not listed.
We have hardwood floors. Will that be hard on his paws? Would his claws damage the wood?
if the claws are not kept short they can scratch the surface.
Where is a good place to put his food/water bowls and his litterbox? (I'm guessing not next to each other!  )
I like to keep the litterbox as far away from me as possible-so I keep it in a walk in closet. I keep my cats food an water in my bedroom. It really doesn't matter-the cat will likely eat no matter where it is. Most cats are grazers-meaning they will eat small amounts through the day but if your kitty starts to gain wt. on this type of schedule I would suggest scheduled meals twice per day.
How do you pick up a cat if you don't want to get clawed? (I gather he is 16 lbs)-trim the nails!
I already figured we would be getting him cat food and not people food, no matter how plaintively he meows for a piece of sushi  yes no people food (though I admit my calico finishes my milk from my cereal-it is a tradition and she is the only one that drinks it and she knows exactly when I am eating it.)
I've heard milk and cream are actually bad for cats, and they should only get water to drink? Yes only water (again I am a bad person I sometimes buy evaporated milk and dilute it with water but this can give some cats diarrhea)
What about grooming the cat? This is likely to be my job.
If the cats is shorthair you will not have to groom it unless the cat is lazy-yes just like some people there are cats out there that are poor groomers and are too lazy to do it themselves.
What do you do with a cat when you go on vacation?
Hire a petsitter and leave instructions for the local emergency animal clinic and a credit card number for any necessary treatment or you can board your cat at a vet hospital (make sure you tour the facilioties and if they don't let you tour them then run away and go somewhere else). If I am only gone for 2 days I will leave my cats at home unattended but 2 days is the max. I have seen many unprepared pet sitters with a sick cat, the owners are on vacation, the pet sitter has no way to pay for treatment and the cat is very sick-be prepared and don't let this happen to you. I have also had people go out of town for 5 days and come back to a cat that is in liver failure (from not eating)or kidney failure (from being blocked which can kill). I do not recommend leaving your cat alone for more than 2 days.
I figure some cats are self-reliant enough to be left alone for a weekend, but are there places where you can board cats for a week or two? (Neither my parents nor his would cat-sit, and most of our neighbors have dogs that might not get along well with a strange cat.)
Of course, we will need to find a vet if we keep him, but I was thinking of taking him to his current vet for now - we'll cross that bridge when we come to it
Thanks for the suggestions, keep 'em coming! 
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Any other questions PM me or E-mail me at
Felinedoc@yahoo.com
Karen
edited to add that most of my replies are just below the questions you asked.