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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.

Original poster

Rescue cat coming tomorrow

78 replies

Cleanmean · 04/07/2021 13:25

After many many tries we have finally secured a lovely rescue. We've never had a cat so don't know what to expect and I'll be honest (I'm embarrassed to say) I'm scared of cats. Dh and dd are obsessed with cats and so we've got a rescue. He seeks a lovely gentle chap. Can anyone advise in what we need other than the basics:

Litter tray
Felix pouches
Dry food
Cat carrier
Cat toys
Cat bed

He's neutered but I'm booking him inn for vaccinations with the vet tomorrow.

My questions are, do we need to feed him the same food he ate at the rescue? Do we leave dry food and water out all day? What do we do if he scratches or hisses? How go we gain his trust? How do we know if he's happy or anxious? Are cats ok with anyone stroking them?

Finally, the thing I'm most worried about is the litter, the poos the smell. We've been told to keep him in 4 weeks, then he should be allowed out and should toilet outside. At that point do we get rid of the litter tray?

Any advice at all for us would be appreciated. Want to make his welcome as calm and happy as possible without passing my anxieties on to him. Also need to think of a name.

OP posts:
zafferana · 06/07/2021 14:27

You don't really trim cats - but he probably needs a brush. Most cats need to be brushed once a week or so if you don't want to drown in cat hair.

He sounds very relaxed, which is great! If you squint back at him, it shows you're submitting to him, he'll like that 😉

He'll explore when he's ready, but have the litter tray somewhere easy for him to find. As for feeding, when you get out the bag of food he'll know.

ILoveShula · 06/07/2021 14:37

We need a photograph, @Cleanmean.

NotMyCat · 06/07/2021 14:42

Don't worry if you're a bit scared - I had never had a cat before and hadn't a clue, and was a bit wary! Mine is the softest lump ever Grin

NotMyCat · 06/07/2021 14:43

Oh and slow blinking/squinting means "love you" in cat language

snowy0wl · 06/07/2021 14:58

Congratulations on the newest addition to your family. Our cats shed a lot of fur - it gets everywhere! You can buy special brushes to remove cat fur from furniture and clothes. My personal favourite is a lint brush. We also have pet brushes in the shape of a glove to remove excess fur from our cats.

Do you have any cat nip toys? Our cats love them.

You may not have this problem, but we cannot leave any food out anywhere any more. Early on we lost half a steak we had left out to defrost!

We always have fresh water available for them but we feed them at set times. Ours would literally eat until they were sick and become very overweight if we constantly allowed them to graze.

Looking forward to seeing a photo.

Toddlerteaplease · 06/07/2021 15:31

Tesco are fab for insurance!

claireb7rg · 06/07/2021 16:08

I have petplan insurance (£16/ month) and pet health club (£14/ month) for my newest cat (11 months old). The health club covers annual vaccinations, flea and worm treatments plus other benefits.

(I do have the same for my older boy but they are more expensive)

Definitely need to see photos!

When we got our girl cat 12 weeks ago she was on jelly only whiskas - apparently she didn't like gravy foods. She within 2 days of moving in was wolfing gravy and jelly untamed wet food. Clearly just didn't like whiskas gravy.

We have 2 covered litter trays. Boy cat only uses them in an emergency or if he is grounded (by vet not by us). Girl cat rarely goes out, she is still too nervous so uses litter trays multiple times a day. Remove the waste as soon as it happens if possible and it rarely smells. Although be prepared for smells for first few weeks, cats can get dodgy tums if nervous or have a change of food etc

cricketmum84 · 06/07/2021 19:06

He probably needs a good groom. My girls are the same at the moment, it's moulting season unfortunately.

Petplan is by far the best insurance out there (in my humble opinion). And seriously worth it. Ivycat was poisoned 2 years ago and her treatment came to £6000.

Leave doors open and just let him explore in his own time. He will use the tray when he is ready and eat when he is hungry.

And yea slow blinking means he likes you 🥰 and showing his tummy by rolling around means he feels safe. It's their most vulnerable point so they won't show their tummy if they are scared.

Hurry up with the pics!!

Original poster
Cleanmean · 06/07/2021 22:30

Our boy has explored, eaten his food, had lots of drinks, wees and 2 poos. He's been stroked and fused over all day and loves it. The kids are obsessed. He's currently in the kitchen with the litter tray and some dry food and water. I've closed the light and door and left him in there as we're all off to bed.
The rescue centre advised to put him in a closed room at night. He's in there miawing away. I feel guilty, I hope he's not distressed or scared. The rescue said to leave him and he'll settle overnight.

He's such a good boy.

OP posts:
wobblewobblewhoopwhoop · 06/07/2021 22:31

Photos please Smile

LittleMissnotLittleMrs · 06/07/2021 22:56

PHOTOS NEEDED … I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…

Original poster
Cleanmean · 08/07/2021 13:00

Things are not going well. He seems scared and jumpy. He won't come into the lounge now and is staying in the kitchen with the litter and food. He hasn't eaten much wet food but is eating dry and having water. He's licking his bum a lot so now I'm scared he's poorly.

He's started biting a bit too so we're not stroking him today. I'm jumpy around him and he senses it. Everytime he sees me it's like he's saying something to me but I don't know what. I can't him to a very until next week. I've got the healthy pet plan and didn't realise insurance is separate to this so I'm arranging some now.

Just feeling very sad and overwhelmed today! Contacted the rescue but they're no help at all. I feel like he's not happy at all and it's making me sad too. I'll post a photo now if I can get it uploaded.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cleanmean · 08/07/2021 13:02

This was him yesterday when he wasn't so sad and was happy to be in the lounge.

OP posts:
Original poster
Cleanmean · 08/07/2021 13:03

I just seen to have got it my head that something is wrong with him licking his bum (not constantly but a few times am hour) and he might be poorly.

OP posts:
Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 08/07/2021 13:06

Frequent cleaning could mean a urinary problem. Has he done a pee today?

OrganTransplant123 · 08/07/2021 13:07

Has he been wormed?

KarlMaldensNose · 08/07/2021 13:07

@Cleanmean
Thank you for photo
he is gorgeous and he looks really happy and relaxed

Original poster
Cleanmean · 08/07/2021 13:13

The rescue said he's been dewormed, neutered and microchipped by them. So all very recent. I haven't seen him wee but he's using the litter tray. I'll keep an eye on his wees. Just a bit sad because he was so happy and friendly in day 1 and then day 2-3 He seems sad and jumpy.

I'm also worried about the cost of care until insurance kicks in. I'll get the petplan instance today and hoping it'll cover him asap. If he does have a urinary problem how much would it cost to fix?

OP posts:
snowy0wl · 08/07/2021 13:26

I may be well off the mark yet but it sounds like he is just stressed and getting used to his new surroundings. I didn’t really see our rescue cats for the first two weeks. They hid under the bed and only came out for food and drink (when we weren’t there) and to use the litter tray. Does he have a space in the house where he can hide?

JoanOgden · 08/07/2021 13:28

It takes them a while to adjust, and I think going backwards at points is normal (mine seemed fine by the end of week 1 then spent week 2 hiding under my bed. Now v friendly and relaxed). He is very new still.

Original poster
Cleanmean · 08/07/2021 13:32

Thank you to everyone for responding. I'm hoping it is just a bit of stress and taking time for him to realise he's safe. He's got a quiet alone space in the kitchen during the day and evening And likes it there. Hoping he settles down a bit and gets back to his happy self.

OP posts:
Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 08/07/2021 13:33

@Cleanmean
I'm unduly sensitive to urinary problem in cats becausr one of mine has just had very expensive treatment.

It probably isn't that in your case, but if you do see him trying to pee and he can't then you need urgent veterinary advice. Since he's such a recent rescue I'd also talk to them about treatment?

OrganTransplant123 · 08/07/2021 13:37

I wouldn’t worry. He’ll be getting used to his new home. Lots of rescue cats take ages to settle in. You need to get used to each other.

When you say biting, is he biting after being stroked as it can be ‘I’m biting because I want to play’ or there can be ‘I’m biting because I’m pissed off that someone stroked me when I didn’t want to’. If you’ve not had a cat before then it takes time to be able to read the signals!

ILoveShula · 08/07/2021 15:44

He's lovely. Thanks for the photo.

Is he drinking? He won't drink water that's near his food.

I'd put a tall mug of water somewhere where he can sip it when he likes.

DCat likes water in the garden.

helpfulperson · 08/07/2021 16:17

Do you know much about his background? I got a rescue cat fairly recently who would suddenly bite when being fussed. At first I was concerned that he had a sore spot that I was touching but gradually realised he was trying to play but hadn't learnt how to do it properly.