I got a Cattleya! Now what?

[butterfly_muse]

Good evening, everyone! I was out at Lowes this evening with my fiance and while he stared at electrical equipment, I wandered off to the garden section where I found a nice, large (compared to the tiny $6 bags) cattleya selection.

Since we have recently moved and my phals hate my west facing window, I decided to try something new. I have read that catts like more light than phals by a lot, so I figured I might give it a go. My cats also seem to like it, lol.

I have some questions as to how to care for it. It's an epilaeliocattleya golden sunburst, according to its tag. The instructions that it came with said to put it in bright light but no direct light - is this true? Can they handle western-facing windows? How often do they like to be watered? What kind of medium? When I picked up the bag it was packaged in (it was in a plastic bag and there was a white mesh net over its pot), water came out of the bag, but I'm not sure if it was maybe due to an overhead sprayer used on everything, or what. It seems very dry and its roots are white instead of green. The tag says water twice a week while warm and once a week while cool (I'm having to do this with my phals, so that seems like it could be right, though I wouldn't want to overwater it), or is this a kind that likes to dry out totally between waterings? It also looks to be in a mix of lava rock and bark, but I haven't dug down further to see what else may be in there. How often do I fertilize? Should I repot it? It doesn't seem to be in distress, it looks very healthy. Is there anything else specific to catts I should know? Also what is that tan-brown sheath thing on the outside of what I think might be a new p-bulb? Is that normal for cattleyas?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for the advice!

I have attached pictures