ATTN all cat owners! Need advice - Page 2

aephi alum · #16 05-31-2003, 07:07 PM

The cat will be coming by tomorrow morning!

I suspect that if my husband reacts adversely to the cat, he will do so within a few hours, and this means we can return him later tomorrow rather than having to keep him overnight.

The woman who's adopting them out is definitely loaning us a scratching post in addition to a litterbox and food/water bowls, and she will leave us with some cat litter and some food, so we don't have to run out and buy stuff immediately (esp. if we end up having to return the cat). If we keep him, of course, we will buy our own things for him.

Hopefully he will adjust well to his new surroundings, and not leave any "presents"!

pinkyphimu, good point about the litterbox. We have a living room that is currently empty - maybe we'd be better off putting the box there, rather than in a place (like the kitchen) where guests like to congregate.

I do hope my husband doesn't have a bad reaction. To be honest, I'm not holding out high hopes - he's only been on the allergy shots for a few months - but if things don't work out, the woman has agreed to take him back (which is good, because the local animal shelter is not a no-kill shelter

), and we can try again in a year or so, maybe with a younger kitten.

KappaKittyCat · #17 05-31-2003, 08:03 PM

My biggest advice for your husband is that it's okay to pet Kitty, but he needs to wash his hands immediately after doing so. Both my mother and I follow that rule, and our allergies to our three cats do not bother us at all. You can get vacuums with HEPA filters in them, which also helps.

Also, if you (not your husband) brush Kitty often, he won't shed as much (and he'll have fewer hairballs, too). Grooming can become a daily ritual. Most cats love it-- they equate it with petting.

If Kitty seems interested in the furniture, just pick him up, say "NO!" and put him immediately on his scratching post. After a few times, he'll get the idea.

To pick up Kitty: start by petting him. If he runs away, chances are that he doesn't want to be picked up, and you will be clawed. If he acquiesces, put one hand behind his front legs, under his "shoulders." Lift that hand first, then support his hindquarters with the other hand. I usually hold my cats so that they're in a sitting position, with one hand under his front legs and the other forearm against my body, forming kind of a ledge for his hind paws to sit on. Also, never pick up a full-grown cat by the scruff of his neck. Their bodies can't support the weight. Eventually, if you need to give him a pill or something, you can hold his head still by the scruff, but don't let him hang by the scruff; always support his full body weight with your hands.

I'd suggest having Kitty's current owner hang out at your house for a while after she arrives with Kitty. You should get the litter box, food, and scratching post set up where you want it, and then she should walk through the room with you and Kitty and show them to him. She should put him in the litter box, set him next to his food, and put him on the scratching post. Then she should pet him and tell him that she's leaving him with you and that he'll have a good time. Then you should let him wander around and get his bearings on his own. Some cats do better if they're introduced to one room at a time.

And I'm serious about the talking to the cat thing-- they really understand what "their" people are saying.

Good luck and feel free to PM me with any more questions.

OUlioness01 · #18 05-31-2003, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Roseblum15
Just a question...

Does anyone elses cat love to eat bread? If we leave any bread out my cat will steal it and eat it. Doesn't matter if it is dougnuts, muffins, bread, or any other food like that, my cat will get it if you turn your back.

I think my cat is nuts.

my cats love pizza because when i was in high school right after they were fixed one of my friends fed them pizza to keep them from biting at their stitches. now they think pizza crust is the best treat in the world and we have to hide people food of all kinds frmo them.

ToBeSororityGrl · #19 06-01-2003, 01:12 AM

I hope the cat works out for you!!!

I love my gal dearly. We adopted her from someone when I was younger and she HATED to be touched, and I LOVED to hold her but when I'd open a door she dig claws in terribly bad and I'd scream and touch her head and say no and she learned quickly that wasn't good and hasn't done anything like that in a long time.

Hope it works out!!

UKDaisy · #20 06-01-2003, 04:06 AM

I am so happy for you and especially for your new lil' kitty! My roommate and I adopted a 3 year old female from a local shelter and she is the highlight of our lives. Cats are such interesting creatures! All of the advice is great, so I dont' think I could add any more.

Except...at Wal-Mart they have this thing called the "super scratcher" and it is a cardboard box thingy w/ cat nip in it. All of my 3 cats and now miss daisy love these boxes and it gives them a nice "high" when they scratch so its kinda of an award.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

mmcat · #21 06-01-2003, 07:38 AM

i adopted my guy, shadow, from the humane society. he was 1 1/2 when i got him a year ago and has developed into a very nice cat. he knows his name and comes when called and has quite the personality. i echo kittycat in that you must talk to your cat and give it as much people stimuli that you can so it learns to love you.

aephi alum · #22 06-01-2003, 11:46 AM

The woman who was adopting out the cats just called. Apparently, when the time came to pack up the cat and bring him over here, she got very emotional... she's decided that he's part of the family, and she can't give him up. She knows 7 cats is a lot to take care of, but she can't bear to part with any of them.

So, no cat for me.

It is probably just as well. DH's allergy shots are nowhere near full strength yet, and I would hate to get attached to the cat only to have to give him up.

So the new plan is to wait a few months, and then get a shorthair kitten that's a few weeks old (old enough to be separated from mommy cat, old enough to be trained to use the litterbox

but young enough to still be a kitten).

KappaKittyCat · #23 06-01-2003, 11:56 AM

Aww, I'm sorry to hear that you're not going to get a cat right now. I'm glad you'll be adopting later, though.

Actually, it's funny, but momma cats train their kittens to use the litter box right away-- it's an evolutionary thing. Most kittens are fully litter-trained by the time they're weaned. When you get them, you just have to put them in the litterbox a few times and they figure it out.

I can understand why you'd want a kitten-- they're hilarious!-- but I'd encourage you to think about getting a full-grown cat from a shelter. You can still get full-grown cats that are only a year or two old, so they've got a long, full life ahead of them. Another bonus is that often they're already fixed, so you're saved that vet bill. It's kitten season right now, so the shelters will be full of them and it'll be easy to find one, but in a few months most of them will have been adopted out to people who want a kitten, and all that will be left are adults who'll be put down if nobody adopts them.

Just my two cents. Either way, yay for getting kitties!

lauralaylin · #24 06-01-2003, 11:58 AM

That is so mean. The woman should have thought of that before promising the cat to you. That's really too bad! Kittens are a lot of fun though, so when you do get a kitten you will have a blast! It'll be worth the wait!

bruinaphi · #25 06-01-2003, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by aephi alum
I am also an avid knitter and cross-stitcher... I'm thinking that all those supplies should be squirreled away upstairs where he can't get at them and swallow a needle or get tangled in yarn...

I am an avid knitter and my cat is never interested in my knitting unless I am knitting. As soon as I set it down the yarn is no longer interesting. It is a bizarre attention thing. If I pay attention to the yarn and knit it she swats. If I stop paying attention she is content to let it co-exist with her.

Everyone is giving you great advise. Good luck on getting a new kitty! Sorry it didn't work with the others. I come from a very allergic family and highly recommend that you get a cat that is part siamese (sp?) to help with your husband's allergies.

laura

aggieAXO · #26 06-01-2003, 03:36 PM

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!

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.

ZTAMiami · #27 06-02-2003, 10:50 AM

AEPhiAlum,

Sorry this kitty didn't happen but I hope you decide to adopt soon. I've had my boy for 12 years now! When you pick up a kitty hold him under the armpits with one hand and hold his hind legs with the other. Don't pick them up from the middle. It could hurt and might make them puke! As for your kitty running out the door- you'll have to adjust your life a bit if you are in the habit of keeping the door open for any period of time. Just be sure to close the doors all the way. Tommy can open the door with his little paw very easily. He can also open doors with those french door handles. He can just reach up and pull down. He used to walk in on me in the bathroom all the time in my old house, LOL!
You also have to be careful with medications, aspirin, tylenol etc. If you drop anything be sure to pick it up. Don't give them milk (yogurt, ice cream etc). As much as they love it, it is very bad for them. My cats on a special intestinal diet because he had abnormal liver enzyme count. Thats from eating too many human treats.
Good luck and let us know what happens!

CutiePie2000 · #28 06-02-2003, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by aephi alum
My husband is allergic to cats, but he has been taking shots for some time now.

As an allergic person as well, my suggestion is don't let the cat in your bedroom. Keep the door closed at all time, so that kitty doesn't take a nap right on top of hubby's pillow (which undoubtably will happen). I realize that it's a nuisance to keep the door closed 24/7, but I live with a cat (not by choice), and I just keep my bedroom door closed, which keeps my room allergen free.
------------------------
a few minutes later.....
I just read that the cat arrangement fell through.
I'm sorry for your disappointment.