Settling in a shy/anxious rescue cat

[twobluechickens]

Hi all,

Been a long term lurker on this board, admiring all your beautiful cats, but all being well I will be picking up a rescue cat this weekend, if we like each other when I go to meet her.

My last cat was a confident old lad who made himself at home immediately, but this one is shy and scared of new situations so I want to make it as comfortable for her as possible. It's just me at home, no kids or other pets. I WFH mostly. Any tips welcome! Will check food/litter requirements with the rescue.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Gorgeous.

Ahh she's lovely 🥰

You’re doing brilliantly! Congrats. She’s gorgeous. What’s her name?

Teams call interruptions might be speeded up by a few Dreamies scattered on your desk…

She's beautiful.. and what a lucky girl to have found you x

Aw thanks 😁 She's called Munchkin, and it suits her - she's quite small and sturdy. She's been even more brave and has now joined me on the sofa downstairs. I'm knackered and want to go to bed but I don't want to move her!

Munchkin is 😻adorable 😻!!!

(Are you still trapped on the sofa?)

Aw, that's amazing! May this be the start of a beautiful new friendship.

@TheBalletCats still here! Send chocolate!

Just kidding, she's now discovered the cosy delights of the donut bed and has been curled up next to me all day while I work, and very lovely it is too.

🍫🍫🍫 - emergency rations, just in case 😸

How lovely that Munchkin has settled in so well & is already taking her job of supervising you so seriously 😸

You're so lucky @twobluechickens my Ebony will only stand on my lap not sit and it's been 5 years!! Pic of her standing on my lap trying to get to my plate below:

They're so weird aren't they @lookingforMolly - keeping my fingers crossed that Ebony one day decides that laps look very comfortable!

My DBro rescue cat was a VelcroCat , I think we all feel a bit cheated that ours are not the type to sit on us , though the Male will happily walk over me to get to DH at 5am . And for such a slinky boy he weighs a bloody ton !

The Female is curled up on the chair next to me , snoring

So, slight setback in that Munchkin has twice weed outside the litter box over the past 24 hours. She is also overgrooming but from what the vet said this has been going on for a while. I think the wees in the wrong place are my fault — slightly pongy litter tray (I have the wood pellet litter which she was on at the rescue) and leaving paper on the floor downstairs/some clothes in the washing basket on the bedroom floor.

I was planning to get a second tray for downstairs anyway so I’ll do that this afternoon, and keep an eye on her. She’s having no trouble weeing which is good and it looks fine, it’s just in the wrong place!

The problem is that once they've wee'd in a certain place they can smell it and think that place is a toilet - so keep doing it there!
You can get products like this: www.viovet.co.uk/Simple-Solution-Stain-Odour-Remover/c4395/?quick_find=124259&utm_source=sag&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces_UK&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAvJarBhA1EiwAGgZl0JCqJbvaSuNaR2GEMGkwE4xEq6qyPGCCDmBiQfjzEUjpu8CfiH8TjxoCtbEQAvD_BwE
that neutralise the smell and break the cycle. Using bleach doesn't help as the ammonia smell of bleach is similar to the cat urine smell.

I have some of that so have given both areas a good spray, but I think she actually thought they were both litter trays of sorts. Anyway, litter tray now clean and she's used it without any problems. So something to keep an eye on, but hopefully not a regular occurrence. Still going to buy a second tray though.

My Ebony had wood pellet litter at cats protection but I hated her using it and got her using pets at home clumping cat litter straight away as it's so easy to use & clean.

I recommend using that type of litter for your cat plus really keeping on top of cleaning out the wees & especially the poos as cats are such clean creatures.

Obviously at night and when I'm at work or out I can't clean her tray although l'm sure Ebony would love a servant 24/7!!).

A separate non covered tray for her is a very good idea, in a private area where she can't get pounced on (my friend had a cat who got frightened & felt trapped by her other cat while using their shared covered tray, then she began to wee on the rug all the time instead of using the tray).
Ebony gets very anxious sometimes about using her tray, I don't even have other cats, she's just nervous and will bottle it rather than go when she's anxious!

Neutralising the ammonia smell as @SallyWD said may help so Munchkin doesn't start to regularly wee outside the tray.

Good luck!

So didn't read your new post @twobluechickens x

Sorry

She is proper lady and does not like using a dirty lavatory.

She's definitely a proper lady!

I do worry that I'm disturbing her sometimes @lookingforMolly but the small size and open-plan layout of my house means there aren't many areas where she can have absolute privacy. Her tray is currently in the spare room but that's not going to work when I have visitors. I might gradually move it to my room or the bathroom as well as having one tucked away downstairs so she has options.

All seems to be well again today which is good. Currently snoozing on my lap after a good brush.

Forgot to ask - how do you dispose of the clumping litter? Bin it? At the moment I add the wood pellet litter to the compost pile.

I put it in biodegradable dog poo bags & in a small bin outside then in a bin bag with my other litter in the wheelie bin

I get rid of the clumps of wee & poo all the time I'm in, then change the entire tray of litter once a month & disinfect the tray for freshness. I know it should be every fortnight but I can't afford that much litter!

It doesn't smell according to my friends who are very honest.