Picking up our cat that's been 'missing' for years

[KiffyKiffyKiffy]

Well not missing exactly but we lived at our old address and as our cat got older and we had kids and 2 dogs our cat spent more and more time with our elderly neighbour. We would try and coax him home but he always went back.

The neighbour loved him and spoilt him rotton.

2 years ago we moved house and we tried to catch him a few times to bring him with us but he evaded us. So we went to the neighbours house to ask him to catch him for us. The elderly neighbour said he would like him to stay (his wife and dog had passed away) as he was good company

So over time we check in on him, make sure he doesn't need vet care etc.
Neighbour has our number.

We just stopped by to check in and he asked if we could take him.

Of course!

But I'm worried as he's not seen our dogs in years. He's never been to this home and we have somehow adopted a stray cat here who treats it like his home and is basically out unplanned cat too now.

We are picking him up in an hour and I'm just a bit stressed at how to navigate this!!

We never planned to be apart from him but he chose the neighbour over us and at that time the neighbour really needed him.

Any advice please!

He only seems to do 1 poop a day after his breakfast. Maybe an age thing?

I have a 2nd tray, I'll fill it up now.

His name is Vader :)

What a gorgeous boy - you sound like a very loving cat mum and made the best decision for your boy when he stayed with the elderly man. My female tortie lived to 19 and was gorgeous - in her later years she had lost most her teeth so I moved her to royal canin and purina food pouches which she managed - definitely have more than one litter tray and I found she was picky about the type of litter she liked - didn’t like the pellets so we ended up with a sawdust type - she had arthritis in her back legs so think she found the pellets stuck to her bum as she couldn’t lift it very high bless her - they are so particular aren’t they. With regards to bathing - mine hated it but became necessary- I used baby wipes and also pet wipes but for really dirty fur I found good pet shampoo for cats in pets at home - wet warm flannels work too. And a warm towel and cuddles as best they will let you after :-) good luck with getting his weight back up and the fleas!

Now he's chosen his poo'ing spot, I'd put a tray close to that.

As PP said, he may have a preference for litter types, so you may have to try a few before you hit the right one.

We didn't have a litter tray for years with our old cat, so it was all new to us again when we got our rescues.

The rescue place recommended this and I have to say it's great - https://www.petsathome.com/product/cats-best-original-organic-wood-granule-clumping-cat-litter/37766P?productId=37766&purchaseType=easy-repeat&weight=13kg

It clumps brilliantly which makes it really easy to remove the mess without taking too much of the residual litter.

They tracked a little bit out of it, but I got a litter mat that collected most of it.

I can't put a tray where he's pooping. It's behind/under my bed a small gap between the wall and a cabinet

I will try that litter, thanks!

That Cats Best litter is fab...only one we use now

One of mine prefers to poo outside too, but he doesn't mind the corn-based clumping litters. This Amazon own brand one is similar to Cat's Best but usually cheaper. It's a dupe of World's Best Cat Litter. You scoop every day but can leave it for 3-4 weeks. One bag fills 2 big trays.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Brand-Lifelong-Corn-Litter/dp/B083VBHWHG

I think they're all made of corn production waste/by-product. Used to have a cat who stepped in his own pee/poo and this doesn't stick to feet, unlike the clay-based ones.

Thanks I may give the amazon one a go as I'm on a tight budget right now.

I just ran a flea comb through him and we have.... 7 dead fleas! Only 7 (there was 20+ in one swipe a few days ago)

No live fleas at all.

Still washing his bedding daily and hoovering like mad.

Just noticed photos are back

He's gorgeous. Tiny, thought he was a kitten!

He's always been small but he's just 3.5kg right now.

Lovely old boy , sounds like you are getting on top of the fleas .

So handsome!

Is that a single white whisker?! 🥰
His fur is looking good for his age.

It is. You wouldn't think he was almost 19 would you?

He is gorgeous. If you can‘t put a litter tray in the area where he has pooped, please put a puppy training pad there.

He’s got lovely fur, I like his colouring, and he’s tiny, my boys both weigh almost 6kg each.

Complete side note but I love your bedding! Where's it from?

TKMaxx, was the halloween range :)

have only read the OP posts, so apologies if repeating anything.

With regards to flea treatment, maybe look into Programme injection . Once every six months, made things much less stressful for cat and me!

Toileting where they. Shouldn’t is often a good indicator that something isn’t quite right. Would definitely speak to your vet re this.

Oh, what a lovely old boy! When we moved house and it was no longer safe for our elderly kitty to go outside on his own (busy road), we were surprised at how quickly he took to a harness and lead. He really loved exploring the garden, and he'd bossily demand to go out several times a day. Might be something to try later on?

Our kitty was also used to doing his business outside and refused to use the litter tray at first (he'd go behind it on the tile floor, with an 'eff you' look on his face!😂). Then my dh had the idea of using a really large plastic storage tub with low sides, probably 2 or 3 times the size of a usual tray. For some reason that did the trick, and he happily used it from then on.

As cats get older, their tongues lose their roughness and they find it harder to groom, so a bath now and then might actually be needed. But you also don't want to stress him out, so depending on how well he'd cope, wet wipes might be the way to go! 'Girl With The Dogs' on YouTube has a lot of videos about grooming cats.

Bless you for taking him back in, OP. I'm sure he's happy as Larry to have landed in such a lap of luxury!

Could you create a cat run outside for him to poo? Or cat proof the fences in your garden? Realise this isn't an immediate remedy as it,l take time to sort.

Thank you @KiffyKiffyKiffy for what has turned out to be a lovely thread. Your Vader is so beautiful, but the very important thing is how much you love him, and how much he is obviously enjoying being loved! 🥰

I did'nt think you could have male torties. Can you get the flea stuff that you just drop 2 drops on their back and that's it?.Frontline etc. I'm wrong, you can but they are very rare and sterile. Best of luck with him. I have a tortie nyselfand she's crazy.

I agree, it is a lovely thread and you are fab OP. He is beautiful 😻.