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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Feeling overwhelmed by new cat

54 replies

Icelollycraving · 31/12/2014 08:49

Please don't flame me. I'm feeling utterly overwhelmed by my new cat,he was a christmas suprise from dh. Persian,8 months old.
The grooming is fine,but cleaning the eyes,wiping it's bottom etc I just find it overwhelming.
Today there is a trail of poo in his path as he wont let me clean his bottom. He's very very fluffy. He's an adorable cat & we all are very fond of him. He's settling into our home well & we've
I wouldn't say to dh,but what on earth was he thinking? I'm having a wobble. Just need a routine I think but it feels like another baby.
Is it normal to feel like this? I've had cats all my life,but general moggies.
Dh researched the breeder etc & he's lovely when I've contacted him about anything. Dh knows I love Persians which is why he got him.
Please be kind!

OP posts:

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MinimalistMommi · 31/12/2014 15:49

Transition his diet onto raw food? His poo will be small and firm then and not wet so won't get all over his fur. He will also only poo every 48 hours, some cats will poo on raw every three days. My Ragdoll is on raw and he is very fluffy and we've had him a few month and he's only got poo stuck on his fur about twice. I chose our Ragdoll and even though I knew about it obviously felt very overwhelmed for about three weeks but it passes and I love/adore him so much now. I felt it was so much responsibility! In his first week he jumped into the woodburner and we had to take him to the vets. I was horrified.

MinimalistMommi · 31/12/2014 15:53

He also jumped out of the bathroom window, again I was horrified. I'm a better kitten mummy now, I promise

Original poster

Icelollycraving · 31/12/2014 15:57

You're making me feel much better :)

OP posts:

MinimalistMommi · 31/12/2014 15:59

BTW he is absolutely gorgeous, how is your DC getting on with him?
Here's my fluff ball:

Original poster

Icelollycraving · 31/12/2014 17:08

He's beautiful!
Ds is very good with him,Very gentle. He mimics me though "hello baby!!" :o

OP posts:

MinimalistMommi · 31/12/2014 18:19

ice will he be an inside cat? Ragdolls are indoor cats so the biggest thing for me to remember is to shut the bathroom door when I'm airing it so he doesn't jump out (again)

PumpkinsMummy · 31/12/2014 18:27

Poor you, no judgement for wobbling, I always have that bum clenching fear for a few moments when we have a new pet. I think it's normal. Agree that shaving his bum is the way to go. You won't care how it looks after a few days, and neither will the cat. I'm quite jealous, he is absolutely beautiful.

MedusaIsHavingaBadHairday · 31/12/2014 18:50

I used to have to shampoo my Morph's bum when he was young and had a somewhat sensitive tum. Not for the fainthearted and so we used to trim him regularly after the first few shampoos!

I bet his poos will solidify as he settles :) He is gorgeous and I REALLY think you should call him Jesus

code · 31/12/2014 20:55

Jesus is a looker, lol. Messy bum and white fluff is a challenge. Agree his poos should firm up, did the breeder worm him? Once he's settled if the poos stay wet might be worth transitioning to a no grain wet food (one brand at a time) and things may improve. My Burmese boys are young and it has taken a few weeks to relax and stop worrying about them. I kept thinking I'd accidentally kill them. And I knew I was getting them and was prepared with kitten proofing, etc so it must have been a shock for you. We now have a nice routine, I get them to show me their 'sausage rolls' when they get out of the tray and if there are any clingons I am ready with a baby wipe. We do eye wiping in the morning, quick wipe with cotton pads dipped in warm water.

lemisscared · 31/12/2014 21:28

oh oh please call him Jesus please!!!!

do be aware that cat hair can sometimes grow back a different colour if shaved.

this might make you feel better: my mums dog weights 60kg and is a big hairy yeti. i was walking him one day and he couldn't "go" .he had a hard plug of poo stuck to his backside. i managed to pull a bit out but he had shit all stuck to his legs. He is a bit cantankerous too do having the odd snap! i tried clipping it away but it was everywhere. so i enlist fp who makes it worse gagging each time he went down the smelly end but wouldn't take the biting end. I ended up somehow lifting 60kg of unhappy dog into the bath where he proceeded to shit in mt hands. i literally had a huge steaming pile of doft dog dhit in my hands. i could do no more than lift it over to the toilet and plop it in. dp was nearly sick but i was pissing myself laughing. it was that or cry!!

a bit of poo on a cats bum not so bad eh?

Edenviolet · 31/12/2014 21:32

He's lovely, looks like bagpuss a bit!

SacredHeart · 31/12/2014 21:44

Double Persian owner here and all I can say is get your routine in as their true fur doesn't start until they are at least two and you need to have him completely used to grooming.

I totally agree that raw is best for firm poo (plus you get less and it smells less). As indoor cats (I'm assuming he will be too as a ped) we groom an hour a day per cat and for the first 6 months weekly baths (to get them used to it). You can skip the odd groom in summer but September to June he will need daily grooming as his winter coat will come through and be shed and if you don't remove it it will get matted - which can cause restriction in movement.

Persians are hard, hard work but rewarding - but I cannot stress enough the importance of getting in to a daily grooming regime now (you don't want a snapper or biter when you need to break lugs).

I would suggest going back to the breeder and getting a full bathing and grooming demonstration so you know what to do as it is a thorough and delicate process - not like brushing your own hair. Undercoat, top coat, direction and sequence is needed.

And if you have to shave - do it, learn from it and try but to get to that state again. Good luck.

SacredHeart · 31/12/2014 21:49

Oh, here are my 2yo fat-fats.

code · 31/12/2014 21:51

Blimey an hour of brushing a day sounds like a lot of work SacredHeart- how would you get them to stay still? Do it when they're asleep??

code · 31/12/2014 21:52

O they are lovely- and gamers too

SacredHeart · 31/12/2014 21:57

No, we started at 4 weeks old (with the breeder) and worked up. This is why early training is so important as, like a child, if you find a lug they don't like it but they have teeth and claws and if not trained early will use them.

code · 31/12/2014 22:01

The grooming is a big commitment. They are beautiful tho

SacredHeart · 31/12/2014 22:07

Absolutely! Persians are the most difficult cat to groom because, unlike rag dolls, main coons etc they have a wool undercoat as well as a silky top coat. It's how they get the cotton candy puff look.

For the OP what's done is done and I'm sure they will get to grips with it but this is why animal gifts are a bad idea and before getting any pet research, research, research!

We can't board them in catteries as most cannot handle the fur, we have to pay a house sitter and groomer if we go away, the house is covered in fur, our mog gets hair balls from grooming them - I couldn't comprehend how bad it would be if they went out!

blossommy · 31/12/2014 22:15

I've had my persian for a year and a half and even though I was used to having long haired cats and spent ages making the decision I had a real wobble after she arrived.

Agree with everything thats been said. Trim round the back. Makes a HUGE difference.

code · 31/12/2014 22:17

I just rub my hands over the Burmese and a chamois leather when they need a polish. I've never been much cop with hair dressing. Persians are lovely, a neighbour has one and it lies on the pavement and under their car with its nice white fur -yet seems to be well groomed.

blossommy · 31/12/2014 22:18

sacredheart you're 2nd pic is very very like mine. Similar open face but lighter colour

ThePrincessWhoSatOnTheSprout · 31/12/2014 22:19

I used to have a Persian. He sadly went slightly loopy. Anyway, you need to trim the bum fluff with nail scissors. Not too short! Brush all over lots and when you find a lump of matted fluff, you can sort of pull it out gently, it doesn't hurt them (honest), pull the hair clump apart as much as possible, then just gently pull the lump of fluff towards you (the way the fluff grows). They usually come out with ease with no pain. But the more brushing the better. Lovely cats!

SacredHeart · 31/12/2014 22:22

I do love the doll faced. Orson (my cream) is like his mum and much easier to groom as he isn't great show quality. ursula (the blue and cream) is like her father and has true show quality fur - which makes her a much more time consuming to groom. In some ways having a poor performer in show class is better for fur as the sleekness is easier to manage the puff is a bugger. We call Usula the honey monster as she is massive when fully groomed.

blossommy · 31/12/2014 22:27

Do you ever bath them sacredheart. I tend to every few weeks but im not 100% sure its actually necessary.
(I also love the doll faces .. I spent a long time finding one and in the end was a total fluke. The breeder shows her cats and most of them have 'ultra' faces but the one I got from her was a bit of a 'throw back' and more doll like. Exactly what I was looking for :-)

SacredHeart · 31/12/2014 22:31

Once every couple of weeks, I don't trim their pantaloons so when their belly fur splits and curls I know they're ready.

Do you have a photo of your fluffbum?

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