Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
New to owning a cat
We've taken the plunge and adopted a cat from the RSPCA. She is a beautiful little black cat, about 1 year old, with the biggest green eyes ever. She's been with us since lunchtime and has already played with the children, had some food and water, explored the whole house and generally looked very cute.
She doesn't seem keen on going into the kitchen which is where her litter tray is. Any advice on how I should encourage her in and get her to use it? I think maybe it's a bit too open and light for her in there - the whole of the back wall is glass and she seems to be intimidated by it.
Her current favourite place is under my son's bed where she's found and laid claim to the old cot matress that is stored under there. She's also discovered that the corners of my house and under the bookcase are very, very dusty.
I've never had a pet before so any other general cat owning advice will be gratefully received.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by LOUISA LIVERMORE on
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Hi - congrats on the new addition to your family! Hope these hints help.
Litter tray - gently lift her into the tray - take her right paw and gentle scrape it through the litter tray a few times. Then leave the room - she will probably just jump straight out but this exercise mimics what they do to dig a hole in the garden and cover it up.
Repeat this a few times a day. If she does her business elsewhere in the house, pick her up and take her to it. Gently put her nose near the mess so she can smell it, say a loud 'No' and then take her to he litter tray and do the paw thing saying 'Good girl' etc.
If you feel she isn't settling, some people suggest rubbing a little bit of butter on their front paws - this makes them wash which gives them a feeling of comfort and security.
Let her go wherever she wants to - my current cat spent the first few days behind the piano but is now the friendliest cat!
Good luck!
Louisa
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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First - you don't own her. She owns you now, they are clever at keeping that from the press.
Keep her indoors for a few weeks or risk losing her.
Let her come to you, don't chase her out if she's hiding, make sure the children understand this tho they may be keen for her to come and and play - cats sleep 80% of the time.
I suggest that if she hates the open space of the kitchen, give up for a while and move the litter box to where she is comfortable and confident. You can then nudge it towards where you want it to end up, over the space of several days.
Vary her diet - it's the pits to get stuck with a cat who will only eat the posh stuff at £1 a tin. If you're meat or fish eaters, give her a corner of whatever you're eating (but not cooked bones). Adult cats shouldn't have milk, they need fresh water in theory but prefer puddles - probably the chlorine in tap water puts them off. (Cats have a very powerful sense of smell.) They don't usually like much veg, though my Diddles used to enjoy christmas pudding, but only with custard. If she's kept indoors, she will enjoy a bit of fresh grass, no need to buy the special seeds, just bring in a clump from somewhere.
Once she's settled, teach her a sound that means food - rattle a box, bang a spoon on a dish or whistle, using simple conditioning, it will make it easier to find her ever after.
Their hearing is some 100 times more sensitive than humans'. Please don't put a bell on a collar to save birds, that would be like your having a siren blasting in your ears 24/7.
Toys - best of all is a bit of screwed-up paper on a string. Pet shops will tell you otherwise. I bought an unlikely-looking brush with blunt rubber teeth for my last cat. She loved it, and it dragged out dead hairs better than any comb did. Long haired cats will need brushing every day. With any cat, don't brush their tummy unless you are very well acquainted, or it will cost you some skin.
If she's come from the RSPCA I guess she's already been chipped, if not I do recommend this as it gives you some peace of mind - also means she can tour Europe on holiday once she gets her passport.
Cats are pretty good at looking after themselves, you can go away for a day at a time without needing to pay for kennels, clockwork cat feeders are handy. She'll just be asleep anyway. They are meant to be nocturnal but that does seem to vary a lot once they are 'tame'.
Even young cats like a bit of warmth, and old cats really appreciate a special warm spot - you can get hammocks to hang on radiators, I even had a special pet electric blanket with chew-proof cable.
I think one of the best things about cats, is that however much of a fat old pet they become, you can still see the wild animal underneath. Best to respect that.
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Permalink Reply by JulieB on
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Thanks that's great advice. I've moved the litter tray to just inside the kitchen door and I've put her in and done the paw thing. She has just started exploring the kitchen so hopefully she'll get the idea soon. I got the litter from the RSPCA lady and it's the one they've used at the shelter.
She does seem really confident actually, and she seems to like the children. But they know not to bother her when she's gone off under the bed.
The RSPCA lady said she might hide and not eat for a couple of days but she's had lunch and supper and some water. She has now just jumped up onto my desk and is behind my computer looking out of the window. So I think she's settling into her role as head of the house pretty quickly.
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Hi, its always best to put the litter tray in a very quiet part of the house. its definitely not advisable to put it in the kitchen and you should always keep it as far away from the food bowls as possible. i found Vicky Halls book THE COMPLETE CAT absolutely brilliant when i got my two. she's also very good on settling in rehomed cats. her website is also a useful resource as well as this one http://www.fabcats.org/
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Permalink Reply by tigha on
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good for you, I got my cats from RSPCA
I would get her microchipped in case she goes wandering
As far as cat bells on the collar, I totally disagree with the previous person who said not to use them. Yes cats do have ultra sensitive hearing, but having a cat bell in the ear doesnt seem to bother my cats, and Im glad to say they have never caught a birds- cats are the cruellest of animals and love to torment anything they can catch, so i think it is every cat owners responsibility to minimise this
As far as cat food, Im great believer in dry food as less smeally ,unless boy cats in which case it needs to be half wet/dried- Im gret fan of james Wellbeloved as its good value and was recommended to me by a homeopathis=c vet I saw years ago as lerss additives to most food
Sounds like you have a really lively little thing, and will be good with children, enjoy
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Thanks for the advice again. Thankfully she'd been microchiped, neutered and vaccinated at the RSPCA.
I think she's settled in well, we all love her already. She's using the litter tray no problem, eating and playing well. It's only day 3 and this morning she was staring out of the window longingly so I'm not sure how well she's going to cope with being indoors for 4 weeks!
She has found a favourite spot in the hallway upstairs and I've made her a bed from an amazon box and a blanket which she's napping in now.
I've ordered a 'how to look after a cat' book today, because I've realised I don't know things like how often I should completely clean out the litter tray and do I need to brush and wash her.
She seems to be very active in the morning and evening, but napping most of the day - is this normal cat behaviour?
Finally any advice on cat flaps - magnetic, normal, microchip recognition?
Here she is keeping me company on my (messy) desk:
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I've been through all the catflap permutations.
Just a hole with a bit of curtain works fine except it doesnt close itself so not good in wintertime. Ordinary £5 ones work OK except for one thing (or a thousand things) - other cats. So it could depend on how territorial yr cat is, to keep others out - probably not. Then I got one with the magnetic closure, so only my cat with the 'key' on her collar could use it. Worked great until one of the neighbours got the identical device, so he could help himself to our shelter and food. (Also one small prob was that she would turn up with a collection of pins and staples and all sorts dangling from her collar.) Went for the nuclear solution, the coded infra-red device, at about £50 on e*ay. Except, despite being from the same manufacturer, the door cut-out needed to be 1 cm higher, and 1 cm narrower, than the other two. I did manage to kludge it into the old gap, with much cursing. These fancy ones have about five different keys, so the odds of another cat w/the same key being nearby are low, not least because of the high cost.
Maybe Stayprest or whatever they're called will have rationalised this annoying size difference. If not, if you can manage it, go straight for the I-R one, to avoid the wrong size hole problem.
The latter two mean yr cat has to wear a collar all the time, I didn't like this and neither did Eliza.
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Permalink Reply by Danzigger on
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Lovely looking cat!
With regards to a catflap I think chip recognition is the best option, although typically it is the most expensive.
The magnetic collars pick up all sorts of rubbish - screws, nails, bottle tops etc, and are even strong enough to pick up cutlery, should your cat be so disobedient to jump up on the counter. I was slightly worried when one of ours was found with a sharp kitchen knife stuck to his collar!
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Thanks, looks like I'm going to have to spend some money on this. Luckily she's not allowed out for 4 weeks so we have a bit of time. Is it possible to fit them yourself? We're not good a DIY but I'm hoping it's a simple-ish job?
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As you have to cut a hole in the middle of a door panel, simplest is to use some kind of jigsaw. Measure and mark it up, drill holes in each corner to let the blade get started, it's fairly easy. I have cut them using a sawblade fixed into a stanley knife, in the days when power tools were exotic and cost lots.
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Permalink Reply by KP on
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I felt very nostalgic hearing about your new cat. It's great that you got her from the RSPCA. When I was a child we got a kitten from the cat rescue. She was with us for 19 years! I hope your cat brings you as much happiness and fond memories. Yes it's normal for them to sleep most of the time - that's what cats do. I wouldn't wash her because she will do that herself but brush her fairly regularly. My cat loved being brushed.
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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Congratulations Julie! I have 4 rescue cats in various states of messed up-ness, so have been through the mill a few times.. Just wanted to say, that if you do see your cat do her business anywhere else in the house, and you catch her in the act, then tell her off, she'll get the message. Pick her up and put he rin her litter tray so she can finish if need be.
If you find a poo later on, do not rub her nose in it whatever you do. Cat's brains are not wired to connect the dots like ours are, and she will not know why you're rubbing her nose in it, all that will achieve is a frightened cat who will eventually be scared of you. Same goes for dogs if any dog owners read this.
And do not fall for the big green eyes and the "I would love to go out, why are you keeping me prisoner" look. I know it's hard, but it will be a lot harder if she goes missing because you let her out too early. 3 to 4 weeks should do it, like the RSPCA says. I got a 6 month old kitten a month ago, and it was REALLY hard to keep her in, she so wanted to go out, but I did it, and she's coming back just fine. Still nervous when she goes out though.
Am thinking about getting the microchip cat flap myself, is there a relatively reasonable model on the market? I have heard that some of them only read a certain brand of microchip, does anyone know?
Oh, and if you have a fireplace it might be an idea to cover it up for a bit. Getting a sooty, frightened cat out of there is no fun. I've made that mistake once. Never again!
Have you got a scrathing post? I find it saves the furniture quite a lot. Spray it with catnip spray, she'll get the idea. Catnip spray is brilliant, spray it on her toys, she'll go nuts!
Good luck, and so glad you got a rescue cat!
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