Rescue Cat Hopefully Coming Home Tomorrow

[francis223]

We have passed a home check with Cats Protection and we meet the cats tomorrow to hopefully bring our new family member home.

I need some advice on a safe room to help the cat settle in. We have a three bed home (our bedroom, baby's bedroom, husband's office), and downstairs we have a kitchen with double doors into garden, living room and small downstairs loo. So I have no idea which room we can use as a safe room. Has anyone got an ideas?

CP did recommend that she stays indoors overnight. I'm not sure if that is the standard safety instructions. Are cats generally happier outdoors during the night? We don't have a cat flap but could have one installed.

They're generally better kept in at night for safety reasons. (Cars' predators etc.) I've always kept my outside-going cats in from dusk to dawn. (Outside after breakfast and staying in after supper. ) it's usually better for wildlife also - low light conditions such as early morning are when cats are at their hunting best in my experience.

If you're thinking about a flap, maybe consider a microchip one? They're more expensive than the standard ones but because they'll only work with her microchip, you won't have half of the neighbourhood toms popping in for a look-see and a quick spray.

We have a cat flap so our cat can come and go during the day but we have "kitty curfew" in the evening. She's been used to this since we adopted her so doesn't demand to go out in the middle of the night.
I think most accidents/incidents happen to cats at night so they're safer indoors. Also if you have a hunter they'll kill more at night or dawn when the birds wake up. I would follow the CP advice as I think it is standard advice now.

Thank you so much, that's really helpful.
So as long as we establish the routine of outside after breakfast and indoors for supper and bed at night, she should be happy.

I think we will keep her restricted to the kitchen at night for the time being and see how she gets on.

She was making such funny sounds yesterday evening, like a choughing noise, one off big 'chuff' like sounds. I've never heard a cat make such strange noises!

Tigers do a chuff sound too.

Oneago used to growl when he was seriously displeased - ie by the postie. (He hated the postie.) It was a proper growl as well.

She should be fine with staying in overnight as long as you set that routine for her from the start. She knows she'll get out after breakfast.,

I would second the microchip cat flap. We have one for our two as we have loads of other cats around us and it's fab. Ours is made by Sureflap but we went for the petflap as the cat flap is quite small and we have two large gingers who would have found it a bit of a squeeze. It also has a curfew setting so that it automatically locks and opens at the times you programme into it.

Your new girl is stunning. Can't believe how at home she looks already.

You can programme the curfews? I could have lie ins if I didn't have to go down to let mr furry tyrant out.

Yes you can on our cat flap. Only found out by accident when the flap kept locking itself for no apparent reason. When I read the cat flap instruction sheet it talked about programming curfew times into it. I must have knocked the setting when I had cleaned it a couple of days before. To be honest we don't use it. My two destroy the house if they are locked in at night and I would have no carpets left. Luckily we live on a really quiet road which backs onto fields. Sadly the wildlife does suffer and they mostly end up in my dining room

She's really starting to settle in well.

She seems very hungry, she came to us on Felix, we were told that is all she is happy eating. She went through 5 pouches over 24 hours from Sunday morning to overnight. Is this ok to keep feeding her on demand or should we keep to strictly two meals of breakfast and supper? She's a slight little thing so doesn't need to lose weight.

I'm in several minds about this having, currently, an elderly cat that is given what he wants to eat. (But previously having a fat kitten - which some people will tell you is an impossibility but ......circumstances. ) I wouldn't want to interrupt a good bonding process but she's only a young cat and my instinct tells me that you might be better served in the long run by introducing, now, a clear routine that everybody can fit to.

That does seem like a great deal of food, even though Felix isn't the best you can give them. (I completely understand the Felix thing - my own old boy is reluctant to eat anything else although I'm currently trying to entice him onto a better nosh.)

Is there any chance that she would be happier 'grazing' a little dried food eg from a food toy, or even that she's more after attention than actual nosh and would really be happier with some eg games?

Yes I think you may be right, I've been quite conscious not to overwhelm her with attention but it may well be that she's looking for interaction rather than just chasing me for food. How many pouches do you think is best for her?

I would eventually like her eating raw food, my parents dog eats Natural Instinct raw and they do cat food too. I want to make her transition to her new home as smooth as possible but will definitely look to changing onto something healthier ASAP.

I'm taking her to the vets today for a check over. I have found a flea on her despite her being treated by CP on March 1st. Will get her sorted with flea and worming treatment.

Ah. I'd sort of assumed (Yes - smack hand) that she'd been wormed having come from a rescue. That's definitely one to check, especially if she might have been scavenging/hunting for her sustenance. Make sure the vet gives her something to cover tapeworms - if he can. (Will they have access to her shelter medical records?) Not all wormers cover tapeworms although anything given by a vet will hopefully do the complete job.

Yes her form says she was treated for worms and fleas on 1st March. She's been at a foster home and a home before then so am puzzled as we've never had pets at our house.
Have spoken with vet, am just checking what flea product was used on her as that part of the form is blank.
Will make a point of asking on the tapeworm issue.

Animal treatment can slip between the cracks in even the best ordered homes/places, unfortunately.

I'm glad she's acquired such a caring new owner though.

Have you got that hoover ready to go? (Along with some Indorex spray or similar.) I'd also be sure to keep the shelter informed. It's not impossible - despite the fact that you've never had your own pets - that she's just picked up something in your house. Just unlikely. Either way, they need to be told.

Good luck at the vet's.

The vets went well. He combed her through a few times on her back and underneath and found one dead flea. He gave her a dose of advocate, he commented that her fur was quite patchy underneath on her belly which possibly suggested a previous skin problem with fleas that now treated, was healing. We've also got a drontal tablet. I've also got a can of Indorex spray for the house but will have to wait until tomorrow to use that while my toddler is at nursery.

She's to have her second vaccination in three weeks time, though the vet suggested that she won't be covered for leukaemia with her current vaccinations and suggested we start from the beginning in three weeks with their fuller vaccination programme.

He said she was a lovely natured cat!

I'm surprised that the shelter didn't give her the full range vaccination.

You can read advice here on how to give a cat a pill. (The Drontal.) You don't need to put that 'lovely nature' to the test quite so early in the relationship.

Mines the same on Felix, on his normal food he has 3-4 a day.

What weight/size is ASBO though? (And he's an active outside-going cat.)

6.1 kg.

We've always fed cats 3 times a day in our family.

He's a big, powerful boy right enough. (I recall that photo of him on - was it the hot water tank? )

We feed Seniorboy 4 times a day but then he likes smallish and often. Other cats, it's 2 or 3 times. (The Lodger generally arranges his own snacks in between. )

That explains why the vet offered to administer the tablet on our next visit in three weeks!

This evening!

My husband is getting all the cuddles!

She looks alert but not anxious.