New cat advice

[dragonflygirl]

Hi all, just got a cat from our local rescue centre. She's about 8 months old and her previous owners had to have her rehomed due to a relationship break up.

As predicted my kids (who have nagged for a pet for ages) aren't quite so keen now they've got one and realise her claws are painful and she smells a bit!

So...cat care down to me as I knew it would be. The thing is, she's really affectionate which was good at first but whenever she's out she just wants me to be stroking her or to be sitting on my knee. I'm worried about her becoming too clingy - I need her to be independent as I work some days and we'll need to leave her every other weekend in the summer.

Oh also, there are cat hairs absolutely everywhere. Do I just get used to this or does it go in phases?

One more thing! She seems to be so hungry - always meowing and going to food bowl when it's empty. She is fed three times a day with more than the cat centre recommended.

Think I'm turning into a neurotic cat mummy!

Hi DFG

I have 2 cats, both from rescue centres. One is 11yo, he was 2 yo when I got him and the other 18mo, he was 10wks when we got him. Both are neutered (the older one was done by the CPL rescue centre before I got him and the younger one we had done at 5mo). Neither cat smells. Has your girl been done, her strong smell could be due to her still being reproductively able IYSWIM ? If she has been done it might be worth havign a vet check her over for any infections or anything that may be causing her to smell more than she should.

My cats do shed, but they are both totally black so the hairs are more noticable than paler cat hairs. Both of my cats are short haired. Mine also shed during times of stress so it could be that the shedding is just part of the settling in process for her

The fact that she is 'clingy' is a good sign from a bonding point of view. My older boy was badly treated by his ex owner and as a result was terribly shy and terrified of us when we adopted him. He spent the first 5-6mo under my bed, that is no exaggeration ! Once I managed to coax him out and he bonded, about 8mo in, we were inseperable but he still didn't trust anyone else (not even my DP at the time who lived in the same flat!). It was like once he'd started to trust me, that was it. He was my baby. He is still fiercely loyal to me 9 years later! He tolerates everyone else but loves his mummy . The kitten was soft as sh*t from day 1 .

As a rule cats prefer 3-4 smaller meals a day to one big one, so I would stick with the feeding plan you have.

Agree with Thoughtpolice but on the question of food, as she is a kitten, you can leave a bowl of dry food (with water nearby) out for her all day. At this age they will self-regulate and she only has a tiny stomach so will probably just pick frequently. I assume you're giving her kitten food but if not please do as this has a higher calorfic content than adult food - because of their small stomach but very high energy needs kittens need to pack in lots of calories.

Best of luck x