Adopted stray cat - help

[Pyracantha1]

We have recently adopted a stray but friendly cat, however she's doing a few things that I'm unsure about. This is the first time we have had a cat. She is also an outdoor cat.

1. She rolls on the floor and wants to be massaged and touched. Though at least once a day she takes a swipe whilst she has laid on the floor and someone is massaging her. Often drawing blood. I'm confused. Why is she swiping?

1. I feel I give her the correct amount of food, though she always wants more. Do I give more even though I feel that she's having quite a lot to eat bearing in mind her size?

1. Last night she was crying. She was well fed, has a warm bed. Can someone please shed light on why she might be crying/wailing

They swipe when you touch a sensitive place or have had enough. Especially on their tummies. Has she been treated for worms if she is always hungry. If she is young and active she might need more food. How much are you feeding her is it good quality food and does she snack on dry food. Is she neutered, they wail when they are on heat but she could just be bored and wants some attention. Have you got a photo.

She is neutered and is around three years old. She's an Arabian Mau cat.
I feed her a wet pouch in the morning, dry food extra if she stills acts hungry. Then some dry food in the afternoon and evening before bed.

I have had her recently vaccinated and she's been treated for worms.

When I have been touching it's not on any sensitive area. Just the top of her head and chin. As mentioned she's come and laid down beside me and rubbed against my hands. So asking for a rub. Which is why I'm so confused.

When a cat lies on its back and exposes their tummy it means they trust you and are looking for attention but it doesn't mean they want you to pet them on the tummy area, most cats don't like it. Stroking their head and back is tolerated better. When she seems to be looking for attention you could try playing with her with toys, such as fishing rod games, to see if she's just bored or, if she really seems to want extra food, you could try putting some treats, like Dreamies, in a puzzle feeder so she has to work a bit for it. How long have you had her? It can take a while for a cat to settle into a new home. Did you get her from a rescue? They might be able to give more specific advice about any issues she might have which may make it harder for her to settle into a new home.

This is her

Thanks @Prestel

She was a stray cat that ended up in our garden after a stormy night and just stayed. It was on New Year's Eve. So we have not had her for long.

At the moment she's quite scared of cat toys. She doesn't like the chaser, neither the scratcher. Though I do know that she likes us. She follows us, comes when we call her. Will rub herself against our legs.

The tummy rubs are a trap! Come over to the litter tray for good advice from the crazy cat people!

We have one cat that is very fussy with stroking. She's now five and we've only recently broken her out of swiping and hissing when she's not interested, I have to hold my hand out, if she lowers her head I will stroke just between her ears, the second she pulls back I stop and offer my hand at a distance again. She's now learned how to express she's had enough without the swiping, but we don't fuss her when lying down as she hates it.

Ours have dry food down 24/7, cats are grazers naturally and like to be able to eat little and often.

Another of ours will meow randomly when she feels like it. Sometimes she's playing. Sometimes it's like she's forgotten where we are and is looking for us. Sometimes I think she just likes to shout. She's a noisy girl. She's been vet checked, it's not a medical issue. Just her personality.

How do you know she is a stray and not a pet?

Our cat does the swiping thing. She just seems to decide she’s had enough stroking (maybe if she wants to sleep) and give a swipe or a bite. She is getting better about doing it gently though.

Food, we have dry food out at all times, our cat seems to self regulate and not eat more than she needs (as she isn’t fat, though definitely less skinny than when we got her from the rescue). Some cats self regulate some don’t. You could try leaving dry food out and see if she always eats it or leaves some?

Can’t comment on the miaowing as ours is a weirdly silent cat except when we put a treat down!

I might just start leaving food out, but didn't want to attract the other community stray cats.

I took her to the vet, no microchip was found, and posted on our local community page. She's definitely a stray as another family took her last year to get neutered, after she gave birth to kittens in their garden. She's been roaming our community for quite some time.

Though she is so friendly, that sometimes I can't believe she's a stray.

It takes a while to get know and properly bond with a cat. Given her history it make take longer than usual but it doesn't sound like there's any major issues. The more you're around her, the more you'll get to know when she wants attention and when she wants to be left alone. Where are you putting food out for her that you're afraid other cats will eat it? If she is being fed somewhere that other cats can access it that could cause her to feel insecure. I'd only leave food out all the time if it's in your house and only accessible through a microchip cat flap or when you open the door for her to let her in. It definitely sounds like she wants to stay, though. I hope it works out.

She's a cutie! We adopted a genuine stray and I made sure the times I fed him were regular so he knew when to come. I used.to leave the food outside but encouraged him to come into a utility area after a while, and put a microchip cat flap in which he can always get out of, because he was upset by other cats smelling his dinner! If I feed him outside, even now, he will cover up the bowl with leaves afterwards

Ps my cat almost always appears 'hungry' but as he's well fed I think it's a sort of anxiety from constantly looking for food previously. I can usually tell if he's really hungry or trying his luck.

It doesn't sound like she is having nearly enough food! I don't use dry food but most cats will have 3-4 portions of wet food a day (better for them if you can use a high meat content quality food, look at zooplus for ideas) and then dry food left out for them to graze on (again use a high meat content quality dry food that is not a lot of grain and fillers as cats are obligate carnivores and grain and fillers are really not great for them).

Cats are grazers and don't tend to eat a massive meal all in one go, unless they don't know when they will be fed again! (some will, but the majority wont). Up the wet food content and she will probably be happier.

I agree she needs more wet food with biscuits left for snacks, Maus are very active and love attention and following people around. Have you got a climbing tower, cardboard boxes, a food puzzle that she might enjoy. Cats seem to like having their ears played with.

All cat food should have a guide on it to tell you how much to feed based on the weight of the cat. If you can't find this info on the packaging, look at their website. That's how much your cat should need to maintain a healthy weight. It varies a lot from brand to brand, wet to dry, etc and if you're mixing wet and dry you may need to do some maths to work out what is an appropriate amount to be feeding her. If in doubt, chat to the vet/veterinary nurse.

As for strays and over-eating (if that is the issue), it's pretty common. We adopted a cat from the RSPCA who had been a stray and she will clear any bowl of food you put down for her and she will forage around the kitchen and steal food too. She doesn't need it - she's actually overweight - but I think being stray and not having enough to eat switched on something in her head that means she will scarf down whatever if available. Cats that haven't been stray will often have much better control when it comes to food and you can leave out bowls of dry food for them to snack on throughout the day without them overeating or becoming overweight. Don't assume that your cat will be able to self-regulate though if she's greedy like mine! People who say on these threads 'You're not feeding her enough' and 'Leave out food 24/7' don't understand that some cats will eat themselves to death (rather like some humans!)

If she was born to a stray mother she quite possibly was malnourished during gestation and hence is instinctively a scavenger. Arabian Mau's aren't typically the very affectionate lap cat type more elegant and aloof.

She might have a low trigger point for overstimulation, my Bengal had a longer tolerance for my bullshit, could blow raspberries on his tummy, than my piebald longhair has.

Signs their overstimulated or excited are dilated pupils, ears moving backwards, watching your hands on them, tail twitches, ripples of fur movement.

If she’s not used to toys they are scary but they do learn to play.