I'm now officially cat staff!

[biscuitbadger]

We went to look at some rescue cats and ended up bringing one home that day. Gorgeous 11 month boy, he and his mum had been abandoned on an industrial estate when he was a kitten. He's been fed by some workers there and was going into their office for fuss and cuddles so they thought he deserved a proper home.

Obviously he's now gone into hiding and hissing if we approach him... but he's sneaking out at night to use his litter tray and explore a bit, and he's had a little to eat.

He'll purr if I sit near him and talk to him, and if I have time to sit there long enough he will shuffle forward for a little nuzzle.

Yesterday he then rolled over and tried to claw and bite my hand ... in a kitteny rather than aggressive way, but I am being more cautious now

Apart from just generally wanting to tell everyone about his fluffy cuteness, my question was going to be what do we need to get?

He has his old bed, we got a carrier and a litter tray, food bowls and food/litter and that's it.

I was wondering about a scratching post/cat tree type thing, are they just a nice idea that he'll probably ignore?

Do I need anything else?

Yup. Photo!

Our cat loves his scratch post but it has to be the extra tall sort, Tesco sell the flat cardboard type too with added catnip.

Toys and a photo please

Definitely toys, at 11 months he'll be wanting to practise his pouncing, jumping, biting killing skills, and it will save your hands!

Yes toys (although my cat never liked them) they are supposed to love catnip too.

Obvs goes without saying to get him chipped and inoculated, worming tablets and flea tablets.

Has he been outside yet? If so maybe think about getting a cat flap installed so he can come and go as he pleases.

Oh and I wouldn't put a collar on as he could get it entangled on tree etc and get stuck.

Most I've seen of him!

Ooh I'll take the kids to choose him some toys, they'll like that.

Someone suggested using feliway plug in, but it's quite expensive. Has anyone had success with it?

Love his little moustache!

We have a feliway but don't notice any difference at all. I know they do use them in some cat shelters though, so they obviously feel it works. You can buy feliway in a spray bottle that might be a bit cheaper than the plug in.

I use Feliway, makes a massive difference to mine so I'd guess it really depends on the individual cat whether it works or not.

I'd definitely get him a scratching post or possibly even a cat tree. Both of mine use the scratchers on my tree, and Girlcat loves perching on the very top platform.

I did. My rescue girl was similar to yours. Semi feral. We bought feliway plug ins and she's improved so much in the 4 months we've had her. She potters about the house following me "supervising" to make sure I'm doing life correctly.

She meows for food. She accepts nudges and pats and occasionally hips up on the bed.

Pet remedy is cheaper than Feliway and I think more effective

Thanks I'll have a look at pet remedy too.

It's very odd having a cat lurking in the house, I keep forgetting he's there, he's keeping so quiet and still.

We've only had him a couple of days so he won't be going out for a good while yet.

Yep all health stuff up to date, he'd been in a rescue home for a few weeks and is neutered and microchipped already.

www.homebargains.co.uk/products/11684-my-pets-three-tier-cat-scratching-centre.aspx we got this for our 2 new kittens and they use it a lot. They have managed to pull the dangly bit off already though.

You probably have a lot of potential toys in your house already - toilet roll inners ( you can cut slits in them to make " spiders" or cut them into rings), wine corks, plastic rings off of milk bottle necks, screwed up balls of paper or foil. Maybe you could get your children to look on line for home made cat toy ideas and get a bit of peace while they produce some? Mine also loves the widgets from draught flow beer cans.

I found pet remedy much more effective than feliway.

Look! I persuaded him to come right out for a minute. He'll nudge my hand for a stroke but almost immediately try and catch said hand with his sharp claws. I'm not touching him at all when he's lying down putting like in this pic!

They said he was a bit shy but generally chilled out and affectionate, seems he's actually a crazy giant kitten! What do I do if he claws me? Hiss at him?

I have four cats, one of them lives to bite/scratch but she's only 3 and still very, very playful.

I'd suggest getting toys for him to play with instead of your hands. Catnip balls, toy mice, things on string and balls.

Don't hiss at him. If he scratches, just say No very firmly and then move away from him. He's still a baby (a very cute baby) and without a lot of handling he is going to take a lot of time to get used to you and feel comfortable enough to let you stroke him.

If he's lying about on the floor like that, that's play mode. If he comes to sit next to you on the sofa/bed/chair and head rubs you, just let him do it, talk to him quietly and then see if he will tolerate you stroking his cheek or under his chin. Try not to put your hand over his head at the moment as he may see this as something to attack!

Three of our cats took a long time to come round, all rescues and all with their own issues. But we got there. Lots of patience, dreamies and quiet voices and we now have three lovely, sweet cats (although the 3 year old still loves to attack me if she thinks I'll put up with it :o)

We also use 'NO CLAWS!' when the cats want to play. I do think that if you repeat that and move away when they do use claws, they get to learn that you don't tolerate it.

Awwww! You have a kitler!! I have one too.

He looks really playful!! What a beauty.

He's beautiful

He will learn NO - the main thing is just to freeze as you say it, don't try to remove your hand until claws have gone.

One of mine, who I've had from a kitten, still cringes away from an open hand & prefers to be approached with the back of my hand. Once scritching commences she is fine.

Definitely get a post or a tree. Have a look at zooplus for all your cat supplies. Excellent prices & quick delivery (free over £29), plus 7% discount in return for a small sub, and cashback if you go via Quidco

Thank you. Yes he is a cute baby! I'm spending a lot of time sitting nearby but ignoring him. He's been purring quite a bit when I do that.

My daughter made him some toys from string and paper, which he's been enjoying pouncing on (while still under the sink).

There's lots of advice saying to hiss if he bites/claws me - I guess to do what a mother cat would? You don't think that's a good idea then? I definitely will at least say no and move away.

Some friends had a kitten they used to let play with teeth and claws and it grew up into a cat that would charge across the room and attack your feet. Not nice for humans!

Zooplus is great for toys - has a huge selection!

I'm not sure I can freeze, I instinctively want to pull my hand away! Won't he destroy my hand?!

Bolt Laser! Leroy absolutely loves it... he miaows at us to tell us to turn it on again 😸.

Leroy's a biter. A firm "No!" and walk away. He's virtually stopped biting me, but DH & DS still cop it because they don't stop him straight away. I think he's got better since he's had Bolt though!

But you don't have to buy anything, tbf - mine love hair bands, scrunched-up post-it notes, & the thin wire off some Spanish wine bottles screwed into a ball

(Cats are weird!)

I find a high pitched yelp like "ahh" (short and sharp) is enough to stop the cat in his tracks for long enough for you to pull your hand away. I have another cat who loves to play with claws and we did this so he knows we don't allow it. He only does it with my DS1 who loves being clawed by the cat and actually initiates the game.