First cat ever (rescue)

[cls77]

Hi all, my dd and I rescued a boy kitten/cat of around 5-6 months old, from the local shelter. Weve had him since New Years Eve, and his name was/is Barry!
DD isnt keen on changing it, and I cant seem to think of any names that would suit him. Weve previously been owners of a resuce lurcher, rats, and guinea pigs (which we still have!) so any advice for Newbie cat owners would be greatfully received :)
We live on a new housing estate, not very occupied at present, and have no cat flap. Plan is to let "Barry" out every eve and all wkends, depending on what he fancies :)

[cls77]

I meant to ask! Name ideas please!!!
Hes is black and white :)

[thecatneuterer]

I think Barry is a lovely name.

You know you can't let him out for at least three weeks don't you?

[cls77]

Hes not even had his second injection yet Neuterer, so definately wont be letting him out yet. Worried sick he will just leg it and not come back :(

[catameringue]

See if you can get him to associate calling his name at a certain pitch or a certain noise with treats, that way when you do let him out you've got a way of enticing him back in. A pack of Dreamies seems to be like crack for most cats.

[DulcetMoans]

We have a new cat without a name still too. A girl though.

Is he snipped? Cos you shouldn't let him out until that's been done either. And with flea treatment cos fleas in the house are a nightmare - believe me!

Enjoy cat ownership!!

[cls77]

Oh lovely thatnks Dulcet!! He was snipped on Monday bless him, hes had quite a week! Weve got the Dreamies in, and he is a very talkative chap already bless him, didnt think I was a cat person but love my friends one and thought why not!

[Fluffycloudland77]

Georgie is a nice name.

Is he microchipped too?. Please keep him in overnight, I had to take a cat killed in an RTA to the vet today in the hope it's chipped.

If not the owners will probably never know what happened to their cat.

[Aristophanes]

Hi cls77, congratulations on getting your first cat :) Rescue cats make brilliant pets. My advice would be to keep him indoors for a good few weeks, more than 3 probably. Once he is happily bonded with you then he will come back. When you first let him out keep a close eye on him but be aware after being cooped up so long he might want to zoom off. You could try letting him out when he's hungry as an incentive to come back. It sounds like he's settling in well but it's a good idea to have a little corner of the house that's his base if possible that he can scurry back to if he's scared. When I got my cat and then again each time I moved or took her on holiday, I kept her in one room for a while to get her used to the new place. Cats like to have somewhere dark and quiet like in a wardrobe or under a bed.

If possible it would be good to get him a scratching post and use positive reinforcement to get him to use it - but they aren't always keen. You should definitely get him microchipped as others have said, it doesn't hurt the cat and gives peace of mind. Just make sure you change your address if you move. On the other hand for a 6 month old cat I would not recommend a collar as he might end up getting stuck somewhere with it. Re flea treatment, the spot on ones like Advocate or Frontline are really good and it's worth doing at the regular times because once you get fleas in the house they're hard to shift.

I understand your worry about him getting lost and I spent many panicky times worrying about my cat but remember, cats are independent creatures who are good at looking after themselves and getting out of scrapes, and I firmly believe that it is much kinder to let a cat explore and be a cat with the risk of it coming to harm than to keep it locked up and bored.
Finally, please play with your cat and get your DD to as well. A cat that age has loads of energy and needs to be played with very frequently with a simple string on a stick toy or similar. My cat loved to play right until her death in her mid teens and it is just so important for them to be stimulated and able to act out their natural predator instincts (and also give you some peace when it wears him out!)
Enjoy your lovely new member of the family.

[cls77]

Thanks aristo and fluffy!
He's already microchipped, de flead and wormed (with dates for next session) has a scratching post and a soft bed (neither of which he's used yet) and a few toys with catnip in, as well as couple of noisy bell ball things. He loves the seahorse dangling on a stick and plays lots with it whenever dd has chance (which of course is all the time at the mo!) he is pretty vocal and meaows to be fussed if you stop, when he gets into his litter tray (tho not when actually going to the loo thankfully!) and is being weaned from whiskas biscuit onto hills with wet food in the mornings (is this right?)
Thanks again! Loving the advice, our rescue lurcher was a very lovely dog and always seemed so greatful, if that makes sense?!

[woozlebear]

All male black and white cats are George in my head, after a cat called Naughty George in a kids book I had.

[Aristophanes]

Hi cls77, sounds like he's doing great and forming a really good bond with you both. Yes I agree rescue animals are extra special and can often form closer bonds because often you've taken them away from horrible situations. But some would say I'm biased. I'm not too sure on kitten food but sounds like what you're feeding him's fine, Hills is good stuff. Make sure he's got access to water if he's on biscuit and I would try to get him used to drinking water rather than cat milk. Also forgot to say, cats need to be able to eat grass but I expect a few weeks without it while he's indoors would be ok. Also sure you know this but cats are allergic to several types of plants and cut flowers, most importantly lilies which are very poisonous. Personally I never worried about outdoor plants beyond eliminating lilies because most cats will go into neighbouring gardens anyway.

[stealthsquiggle]

I think Barry should count himself lucky. Our chosen rescue cats have names which will have to be changed, as one of them is my DB's name and I hate the other

DS is currently into Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythology.

'nuff said

[cls77]

Lol Stealth!

Right then, update and advice please!!

Barry settled on very well, using litter tray eating well, having lots of playtime and liking a bit of fuss. However tonight he has become really skitty and nervous like? He has nipped my dd and myself p different occasions the last two days only when we stopped giving him fuss? He hasn't purred all evening and my dd has actually become worried about him going in her room tonight (he's done this for three nights now and lies on her bed) as she has a adult infected toe and therefore painful, so she's wary.
He's particularly nervous like around me, he will come near me but as soon as I reach out my hand he backs off sharpish? What am I doing wrong? :(

[cls77]

severely not adult?!!!