We're adopting a cat for the first time, any advice appreciated!

[notmydog]

Hi, we have decided that the time is right for us to get a cat. We are experienced dog owners, but have never had cats before. (no doggies at the moment). I was just about to start contacting local rescue centres when I got told about a lady needing to rehome her 2 cats due to a house move and not being able to take them with her. I have visited her yesterday and have decided to adopt her 2 year old female tabby (she says it is a Begal cross, but I'm not 100% sure).
She is absolutely gorgeous, mainly indoors cat, spayed etc. She looks to be in good health, I will obviously have her vet checked.
She is a nervous cat and quite scared of strangers. I know that we will have to be very patient with her and allow her enough time to get to know us. We have a quiet home, my daughter is 10 and I work from home all day.
Any advice from experienced cat owners on making her feel as relaxed as possible and helping her to settle in with us would be greatly appreciated!

[chockbic]

Yes, don't

[cozietoesie]

There are Bengal owners who post here so keep an eye on this thread for later on. Do you know what breed the other parent was?

[babygiraffe86]

you'll love her! and the love she will give you back in time will be well worth it!

our older cat we took in 3 years ago as he was a stray but i've always had cats since being a little girl.

best practice would be to let her into your home, one room at a time. if you're going to have litter tray and food in the kitchen let that be her room for the first couple of days, to get used to the smells and sounds of her new home.

once settled here open her out to the rest of the house, she may disappear and hide for hours - don't worry, she knows now where her food and litter are and will come out in her own time. too much attention can terrify them, let her come out to you when shes ready.

it took over a year for Max to come around to us - now he shouts if he cant sit on our knees!

[Fluffycloudland77]

If its part bengal it'll waltz in, claim the best chair and demand food.

What about the other cat she has?.

[notmydog]

Dad is apparently bengal, and mum is ragdoll. I've seen the sister which certainly looks more like a ragdoll, all fluff and she is very social. Someone else is already taking her Fluffy
This one looks like a tabby to me, she has white socks and a white chest, light grey stripes.
I got some Feliway spray off Amazon today. I saw that there is also a plug-in available. May get that too.
Thank you for the advice Baby I cannot wait, so excited

[cozietoesie]

That sounds OK. (I had visions of - say - a Bengal/Burmese cross that had spent its early life.........plotting.)

Have you got pictures yet?

[Qwebec]

Every cat is different, my previous bengal (well technically she was a hybrid not yet a bengal cat) was v timid and it took a long long time before she warmed up to other people than DP, present bengal is a walk in the park and v cuddly.

Make sure she knows where is her litter box, her food and her water.
Secret cat hack I wish I knew before: cat's dont like their water close to their food.

Listen to her and trust your guts. Playing can be a great way to bond with your cat.

Post pictures please!!
How is she called? Will you change her name?

[Toast85]

I would say set her up in a room you don't use too much first, with litter, food, water, (try to keep litter and food as far apart as possible) somewhere higher up to sit and watch, somewhere dark and comfy to hide if she needs to. Let her get used to that room for a day, then open the door and allow her to explore further at her own pace. Go in and sit in the same room as her, talk to her/someone else whatever so she gets used to your smell and voice. Never force her to do something or go somewhere that she's not ready to go, ie on your lap/ to another room etc.
Once she's confident around the house you can move her litter and food etc to your preferred place.
If she's going to be allowed out, leave it at least a few weeks before letting her, and it's worth teaching her the noise of something like opening a packet of treats/shaking a tub of treats etc and calling her name, so she gets used to hearing those noises and getting a reward when she returns to you, and practice this when you first let her out.
Though my cat is a confident little madam and once we let her out she scarpered off gleefully and didn't come back for 2-3 hours, we were really worried but she was having the time of her life!

[StayGoldPonyBoy]

We used to have a bengal, she will definitely have the run of the place! I love their little personalities. We kept ours 100% indoors though because we live by a main road, and I didn't want her to be stolen

YY to introducing her to the house a room at a time so she can get her bearings. If she doesn't seem totally comfortable don't try pick her up for 'reassuring' cuddles or have her on your laps, and let DD know this. She should be fine in time as she was a well socialised pet before, though she might miss her sister for a while!

[sashh]

Already had good advice.

I have a tabby who was a stray and I think she might be part bengal, I posted her pic a while back on here and the conclusion was, well she might be a bengal cross, she might be a moggy.

Anyway I have a lot of experience with cats, had them as a child and an adult, then fostered for about 10 years (different cats) but madam...

Well I've never had a cat who I couldn't train not to climb on tables and kitchen worktops, until madam arrived.

I have had cats sleep on the bed but not on me, all night, insistently (she then moved to the bookshelf for a couple of months, the radiator, the airing cupboard and has recently returned to my bed - well the pillow between me and the side table).

There is a saying that torties have tortitude, but bengals, or just moggies who look like them can leave torties standing.

[notmydog]

Thank you all for your wonderful advice :)
We have decided to put her in my daughter's room for the first couple of days. Our house has a strange setup (old Victorian cottage). We only have 2 bedrooms, next to my daughter's room is a small room where our clothes cupboards are and then the bathroom. I thought I'd put her food and water in the tiny room and then the sandbox in the bathroom.
The ground floor is maybe a bit too noisy - there are also no doors that we can close between the lounge, dining room and kitchen. During the week I work downstairs at the dining room table, so I will try to move her downstairs on Monday.
My husband thinks I am completely overthinking this!

[notmydog]

Oh, her name is Bella, but my daughter wanted to name her cat Luna. So she in going to be Luna Bella, beautiful moon ;)

[notmydog]

This is Luna Bella :)

[babygiraffe86]

oh isn't she just beautiful!

good luck with her! she will soon be a part of the family and you'll wonder why you didn't have cats sooner :)

[Fluffycloudland77]

She looks a very wise cat, lovely markings.

[valrhona]

Gorgeous kitty. Congrats!!

[beautifulgirls]

Gorgeous! Don't forget pet insurance.

[Qwebec]

she is so pretty! Great name btw! congrats!
I'm sure you'll do great with her.

[notmydog]

Just an update on Bella. She is extremely timid and shy and was hiding from us until yesterday. She came out of hiding on Saturday and Sunday nights but cried non-stop, I think for her human mum and sister

Last night she came to our bed for cuddles and slept with us for a while. She was also not so distressed and far less vocal through the night. This morning she has come out of hiding and is now sitting in my bedroom window. She even allowed me to cuddle her a bit.
So we are definitely making small strides.
All her stuff is now downstairs in the kitchen, and she is using her litter tray beautifully, although she's not eaten a lot since we got her. Her bowl was empty this morning, so she at least ate the wet food I left out for her last night.