First pet in the house

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Aug 12, 2011
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HELLO BITOG-ers.

Did you do anything special when you got your first furry "kid"?

We just adopted a shelter cat and she is still terrorized/really scared.

Just makes you wonder how some people treat animals....

Also, i would appreciate any suggestions for good nutrition and stores/source
The shelter give us some Hills samples and they contain wheat + fillers galore.
 
I would suggest a bag of Hills Dental and get the cat to eat 4 nuggets a day to clean tartar. Having a cats or dogs teeth cleaned is about $200.

Cats are picky. I give my cat a 1/2 a normal size can of cat food in morning and another 1/2 a can of a different food at night. They may not like what you deem healthy. Like something today and refuse it tomorrow. My cat also has dry food. And water. I give my cat all the Hills Dental he wants.

You will need to decide if cat can go outside.

Keep cat litter clean. Otherwise he will find other places to go.
 
quiet room, with food/water, litter box, and place to sleep.

Cats go native fairly quickly compared to dogs, so I wouldn't automatically assume it was poorly treated.


TheCatSite
 
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She'll warm up in a matter of days. Our last 2-3 cats were rescues. All great ones.

Currently have a rescue pooch. We've had her about 10 months. She's still skittish and afraid of the outdoors and still messes in the house, so it's been a challenge. She was 10 months old when we got her from a shelter down south that a local rescue organization works with.
 
congrats Pandus! Just relax, she'll figure it out quickly!

I don't have any great recommendations for food. I tried fancy, expensive food and she would never eat it. I giver her Purina dry food and some occasional Trader Joe's wet food. She's made it to 20 years old on this, so no complaints.

Enjoy kittenhood, it'll be over before you know it.
 
Thank you guys.

What do you do for water? We change each day or twice daily. Filtered from the fridge, since it seems to taste better.
Just curious about water fountains (not plastic made)
 
Originally Posted by JTK
She'll warm up in a matter of days. Our last 2-3 cats were rescues. All great ones.

Currently have a rescue pooch. We've had her about 10 months. She's still skittish and afraid of the outdoors and still messes in the house, so it's been a challenge. She was 10 months old when we got her from a shelter down south that a local rescue organization works with.


It broke my heart the look on the faces of some pooches at the shelter...
 
Originally Posted by JTK
She'll warm up in a matter of days. Our last 2-3 cats were rescues. All great ones.

Currently have a rescue pooch. We've had her about 10 months. She's still skittish and afraid of the outdoors and still messes in the house, so it's been a challenge. She was 10 months old when we got her from a shelter down south that a local rescue organization works with.


My company office went dog friendly and my neighbor brings in her dog. You can tell it was abused as a puppy. Very nice dog but very skittish and untrusting especially of men. I raised my hand to wave hello to someone above the dog and the dog flinched. Breaks your heart that someone would hit such a sweet dog. Takes a lot of patience.

My advice for the new cat is to mostly ignore it. The cat will feel safer if she's allowed to hide. Going looking for her and pulling her out to assure her everything's ok will only stress her out more. Put out food and water and litter box and the cat will come to you when she's ready. I had a very skittish cat years ago. The cat did not like strangers would hide when my mother came to visit. It would take her two days to reappear. After about a year, the cat stopped hiding and would hang around and interact with strangers.
 
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Cats like boxes, one deep enough she can easily fit, on its side so she can hide and feel safe. Giver her a few days to acclimate.

Box, litter box, food all in one room. She will start to come out to be fed pretty quick. Use her name when you come in to feed her.

People come at a cat to pet it with the hand outstretched over the cats head. That can be terrifying to a cat that has been hit. Come up from the side slowly and pet the back. It she rolls over, she is NOT wanting its belly rubbed. She wants to play. Cat play can be rough, so have a toy.. She can learn to play nice, it can take a while.

Do not free feed until you know if she will over eat. Some cats once starved will over eat until they look like a fuzzy basketball with legs.

Rod
 
IAMS for food

If you have a robotic cleaner, introduce the cat to it after it's acclimated to the new house. Cats take change very traumatically.
 
Originally Posted by pandus13
Thank you guys.

What do you do for water? We change each day or twice daily. Filtered from the fridge, since it seems to taste better.
Just curious about water fountains (not plastic made)


We have a self watering bowl with about a 2 QT hopper. Its plastic. Don't be surprised if the cat dips her front paws in the water.

Seresto cat flea & tick collar. Its $60 but lasts 8 months. Forget the rest.

Forget anything Hartz. Vet said they are the poster child products for bad pet products.

Catnip.
 
Originally Posted by pandus13
Thank you guys.

What do you do for water? We change each day or twice daily. Filtered from the fridge, since it seems to taste better.
Just curious about water fountains (not plastic made)


Fountain for our two cats.

We change out 1 every 2 weeks. They have cheaper models. Our cats love it.
 
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Give the cat food, water, a litter box and ignore it. She'll get comfortable in her own time. Our last cat was a shelter cat, I ignored her, didn't feed her, try to pet her or anything. Guess who's armchair she always wanted to sit on the arm with? Cats pick their people.

BTW you just became a slave.
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Give the cat food, water, a litter box and ignore it. She'll get comfortable in her own time. Our last cat was a shelter cat, I ignored her, didn't feed her, try to pet her or anything. Guess who's armchair she always wanted to sit on the arm with? Cats pick their people.

BTW you just became a slave.

She's mommas girl. Complete with Meowing, play biting and cuddling/scent marking.

I get some purring, while she looks at me from under the bed. And i'm the litter cleaning expert.
Yup, I'm an accessory.
 
All very good advice. Your kitty will acclimate in her own time. Don't try pushing her into interaction with you.
 
Originally Posted by pandus13
HELLO BITOG-ers.

Did you do anything special when you got your first furry "kid"?

We just adopted a shelter cat and she is still terrorized/really scared.

Just makes you wonder how some people treat animals....

Also, i would appreciate any suggestions for good nutrition and stores/source
The shelter give us some Hills samples and they contain wheat + fillers galore.



We have an older cat that one of my wife's lady friends , gave to us . She ( the cat ) was skittish the first few days , until she became accustomed to us & the house .

My wife feeds her Meow Mix and snacks / treats . She is doing well .

Just give her space and time and love and attention ( when she wants / will accept it .
 
To a horse, cat, or dog an outstretched hand with the fingers spread out to them means a paw with the claws spread out. To them that is very threatening and they will respond with either flight or fight especially if they do not know the person.

To a horse, cat, or dog an outstretched hand with the fingers made into a fist and held steady means a paw with the claws retracted and an invitation to come over and associate with the person.

Some cats like treats, and some may not care for them. You only need to give them 4 to 6 pieces. Try Temptations, or Greenies. One thing I do to let my cat know that I am the boss is I use the fact that in the wild the alpha animal of the pack eats first and then the other animals eat. In the evening I eat my dinner, and after I finish my dinner I give our cat 6 pieces of Temptations beef treats. I go out into the kitchen and get the Temptations treat bag and put 6 pieces in one of her dishes and carry the dish to the bathroom on the first floor. I put the cat in that bathroom and close the door and hide the dish somewhere. Then I let the cat out of the bathroom and she hunts for the treat and finds it. Everyday before I finish my dinner she sits and looks at me and waits for me to get her treat. It is something she looks forward to.

Also, some cats like catnip, and some do not care for it. If they like it you can spread some on the floor or one of those round cat toys with the ball that goes around and the cardboard center for scratching, and they will rub or roll in it and makes them drunk and feel good. They may play for a while after that and then go to sleep.

Be sure to change your cats water every day, and wash out the water bowl with a dish rag and a little soap every other day so no slime builds up on the surface of the bowl.

The stainless steel small water bowls with holders that large pet stores sell are a very good idea. Plastic has small cracks in the surface that lets stuff you can not see grow, and it can make your cat sick or cause skin problems around their mouth that the vet will charge you a lot to diagnose and tell you to buy the small stainless steel cat dishes at the pet store.
 
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Originally Posted by JimPghPA
Give them a box turned on its side with a towel folded over on the side that is now the bottom. it makes them feel secure.


All good advice. But don't put the box in a location away from you. Otherwise you train the cat to hide in your presence.

Some cat's never warm up to the situation and remain aloof, despite all effort.
 
We have had many cats come through my wife's little rescue. Let her feel the place out in her own time. Don't try interacting if she is not receptive, and avoid direct eye contact until she starts approaching on her own. As far as food goes, we have had a lot better results with wet food than dry, especially in keeping them trim as they age. As far as Hills, we fed our first dogs Hill's and several developed dull coats and dry, itchy skin. Switched to a chicken and rice formula from another company and everything cleared up within a few weeks. Good luck, give her time and she will be fine.
 
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