A long story, any cat tips welcome x

[happyjo]

Hi all.

Around 3 months ago we noticed a skinny little cat hanging around our area. She looked unloved, had no collar and seemed to be full of fleas.

Myself and a couple of neighbours started to put out the odd plate of tuna, chicken etc and this was a regular thing for about 6 weeks. She went missing for a couple of weeks and when she turned up again, she had a swollen tummy and nipples. We knew she was pregnant.

I tried to trace the owner, but nobody came forward, which did not suprise us. I knew she wasn't ferrel as she would allow you to pet her and my children often stroked her.

I got in touch with a local animal rescue centre who said they would take her in while she had the kittens, they found her a foster home and on the day we took her there I cried!! ( never had a at before, or any pets for that matter)

Anyway, we agreed to have her back once she had given birth and weaned her kittens. my whole family fell in love with her!!!

I received a call today from the centre saying that she went in to distress on Friday and the kittens were all still born by c-section. They have speyed her and we can collect her next Sunday.

We are all excited, and have just been out to buy her a cozy igloo, litter tray etc etc.

Questions??

If she is not litter trained, can you still train a 2 yr old cat?

What is the best flea stuff??

Is there something I can buy to stop her clawing at my furniture??

How long will she need to stay inside for her to recognise our house as her home???

Will losing the kittens affect her temperemant?

Any other tips??

Many thanks

Jo

[jrobinson200]

hiya, we have two cats but my mum does most things with them so il do my best! i wouldve thought u can still litter train her, although she'l probably just go outside anyway if you get a cat flap. im not sure how long she should stay insdie, i think its about 2 weeks..but check that out
we use frontline which i think is for fleas or worms not sure which!!
as for sratching the furtinture ours still do it, we just have to watch which rooms they're allowed in.
i hope loosing the kittens wont affect her but im not sure
good luck!

[happyjo]

Thanks for your help!!!

Jo x

[bensmum]

Good for you for taking her in - you will love her I'm sure. Cats will learn to use a litter tray at any age and if she can't get outside she will find it. She may have a few accidents at first but be patient.
Frontline is good for fleas but you may need to buy some spray for the house too at first in case she still has some. She will also need worming at some point but a vet should be able to advise with this.
Make sure she has a nice cosy bed - she may hide at first but let her come to you in her time. She will learn where her food comes from soon enough!
You could buy a scratching post for her - some cats love them.
As far as keeping her in goes she will need time to recover from her operation so should be kept in until her stitches are out and then a bit longer. If she has got used to you and has a warm secure home and regular food she should be fine, especially as she has now been spayed.
Good luck with her - she is a lucky cat.

[garner]

Hi happyjo what a lovely thing to do, you wil be repayed by love from her...now for your questions...litter trained..I would think being in a rescue /c she will have used a little tray but cats are not daft and she will use one or might prefer outside.I would be inclined to keep her in for two to three weeks, let her have a view of the outside world [window] she will soon get to know her patch.As regards fleas ...I have three cats and one is alergic to frontline but the other two are ok,it might be as well having a word with your vet..by the way she will need a vet for her annual injections especially if she is to go outside [cat flu ect].Hope this is of some help to you and her nature will not have changed on the loss of her babies.It's nice to know people care as you have.Good luck with your new kitty love g.

[happyjo]

Hi

Thanks for all your kind remarks!!! we are all excited that she is coming to us so soon ( but sad that it's 8 weeks earlier than expected)

I will get her to the vet after a few days of settling in, to give her a good check up.

Any tips on household sprays in case she still has flees? I know the rescue centre sprayed her with some fluid and rubbed it in her fur, but I suspect this is only a short term solution.

Also, as a small child we had cats and I was OK with them. However, I am now allergic, as is one of my 3 daughters. We are fine with this and will keep the house as clean as possible to reduce the sneezing. I have been told that over time we will build up an immunity, is this true??? and is there any non-sleepy remedies that may help in the mean time???

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, my kids have named her " Princess Flossy" !!! lol

J x

[lankeela]

Frontline spray is the best, don't get the 'spot on' drops. You can use this safely even on two week old kittens, and it will be safe if she is licking herself. You can only get it from the vets.

[puss_boots]

Hiya Jo can't wait to meet princess flossy don't worry about the cat flap me and mrpuss will buy it and fit it for you. xxx

[Kleiber]

Hi, happyjo - what a lovely person you are to take in that little stray!! Good luck with her and I'm sure she'll reward you for your kindness with years of love.
As far as your allergy goes, have a chat with your GP & explain the situation - antihistamine tablets may help. Also, get an ioniser. When K Jnr was little, he had asthma and we wondered if the cat had anything to do with it. Our GP suggested getting an ioniser for his room and I got one for the living room too. They seemed to work and I've recommended them to quite a few people. They're not expensive and Boots used to stock them (I don't know if they still do).

[dot.hawkes]

Jo, I wouldn't be concerned about the litter tray, we moved l;ast month and our 10 year old Tom, called Tom, had spent his entore life living outside on the shed roof, he had never seen or used a litter tray. he has been here 3 weeks now, and he is as good as gold with it, he took to it on the first night here, he loves the place, he was paer ferel back in the old house, now he is a house cat who doesn;t want to bother going out much!!!
good luck, shame about her kits but she was probably only less than a yeat old herself!

[happyjo]

Thanks to you all for your lovely comments...

We are all looking forward to welcoming her to our home. She is a pretty little thing, white with ginger and black patches.

I only have one concern.... we have 2 new sofas and really would like them to be preserved as much as possible ( 3 kids may put them to the test but.) is there anything I can use, to prevent her clawing at them?? ( heard about cat nip.. but what is it exactly??)

Are scratch posts any good???

Also, until I can get her to the vets and discuss flea stuff, is there something that will kill any potential fleas in my carpet or furniture??


Jo xxxxxx

Thanks again. xx

[IckleKaren]

Hi Jo

We have just taken in a stray cat too. He has been visiting our house regularly for the last 18 months or so, we have been feeding him but he would never come in the house. A couple of weeks ago he appeared at our back door in a right state - he had an abcess on his face that had burst. The RSPCA hospital took him in and looked after him, and told me that if no one claimed him within 7 days then we were free to adopt him. As predicted no one claimed him (we are pretty sure he didnt have a home, some days he looked awful) and we picked him up last weekend. He is doing really well, his face is almost healed and he is enjoying sleeping in a nice warm home and getting regular meals! He is slowly adjusting to his new surroundings, and is using his litter tray without any problems. Good luck with your kitty, Im glad she has found a nice family to look after her.

[Kleiber]

There's a spray called "Staykill" that you can get from the vet - you mustn't use it on the animal, but you can spray round the edges of your rooms (that's where fleas usually hide & lay their eggs) and on any places that your cat might sleep. Do it when puss isn't in the room though and then get out yourself & shut the door (it pongs!) for about 20 mins. Of course, she may not have fleas - animal sanctuaries usually (if they're any good) check them over & de-flea them. Just have a close look at her coat, rub the fur the wrong way, especially round her ears and under her "armpits" and if you see any little black dots in the fur, then that's flea droppings. If you don't and she's not scratching, then honestly, I wouldn't worry about it.

[happyjo]

Thanks Kleiber and Karen.

My daughters friends' dad is a vet. I have an appointment next Friday, ( He is coming here!!!) and will get all the medical stuff sorted.

What though is cat nip???

J xxx

[slinkycat]

Cat nip is a plant that some cats absolutely love and others are indifferent to. For those who love it, its like a (harmless!) drug, you can get a lot of cat toys with it in, and you can also buy it in a spray form to encourage them to use their scratching post, so for goodness sake don't put it on your settee!
Hope you have fun with your new mog!

[happyjo]

Thanks for that slinky !! lol!!

[happyjo]

3ight8ball
Because ,in order for her to recognise our house as her home, she needs to stay indoors for 2 weeks, and I dont want her using my carpets as a toilet!!!

J

[happyjo]

Update!!

We are collecting her tommorrow. Her fosterers are off on holiday on Sat and the rescue centre does not want her to be even more traumatized with a couple of nights in the cages with other cats.

Is there any way I can encourage her in to the bed we have made for her?? Its a cat igloo thingy and is in our dining room near the radiator??

Thanks

Jo