New Cat Owner Help

[Siani182]

I have just got a 2 year old stray off the rspca and I need a little help

How much should I feed him and how often ... the rspca gave me pouches because he has a nervous stomach right now and he is pooping liquid

And how do I teach him to use the littler box

[Tilly2]

I can't help but someone will. Good luck, Siani. Poor little cat

[dannyk13]

Plenty of books on cat care here:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cat+care+book&;sprefix=cat+c

[Islay]

I feed mine morning and night with just the one cat I would give me a sachet in the morning and a sachet at night and leave a small bowl of cat biscuits to graze on as cats are grazers.
with your litter training, lift him into it so that he can see it and smell it - chances are he already knows what it is for as the RSPCA are quite good at that.
Don't put his food or water too near the litter tray as cats don't like that.
Good luck and don't be afraid to ask x

[wolf63]

This is a reliable and excellent site ( https://icatcare.org/advice ) .

I feed my cats on-demand - they demand food and I feed them.

Cats tend to know about the litter tray - or my rescues have.

Did the RSPCA say if he had a tummy bug or something? Or is he just scared?

I panic and make myself ill when my cats are unwell - try not to do that :-)

☺☺☺

[ladyandb]

Keep putting him in the litter tray and help him scratch the litter and
he will get the idea!!

[Prudie]

I tend to feed my 2 cats on demand but no more than 2 pouches a day each usually half at a time. Do you know if he has used a tray before (presumably at least while kept at RSPCA centre?). Cats are generally very clean although you can get a rogue. Gently take him to the tray and hold him in it and move the front paws to simulate digging. If he does make a mess elsewhere show him it (calmly) and then take to the box and repeat the digging motion. With luck he'll pick it up.
As for runny poo, keep an eye on it and trip to vet if it doesn't settle. I presume you have taken him on neutered and fully vaccinated? Good luck and well done for giving him a home.

[poppy16]

we feed our rescue cat twice a day with 1 sachet and a few biscuits, and as a supper treat a few dreamies, she loves them, well done you for adopting, he'll grow into a real heartbreaker, !!!

[murraymints]

it will depend ..how much is he used to.. a poch in the morning and some dry biccies on demand as a treat..another pouch later..more wee treats till he shows signs of wanting more ..good luck..went through this with wonky 'till I knew

[Buenchico]

Cats naturally look for somewhere with loose soil to pee and poo. A litter tray should be his natural first choice anyway as long as you position it where he won't feel threatened. (A cat isn't to stop for a poo if he feels that there's a predator nearby. To start with he might see you as a threat, so you need to ensure that his litter tray isn't in an area where you're constantly busy; put it somewhere quiet).

Cat's normally regulate their own feeding. I've got four of the little monsters - er, I mean 'darlings' - and I simply provide a running buffet for them. (i.e. if their food bowls are empty I fill them up straight way; they only ever eat as much as they need).

If your new friend's tummy doesn't settle down, forget about the advice from the RSPCA and try some different food. (When the mother of my foursome was nursing them, the vet told me that she must have pouched kitten food herself but she simply couldn't stop producing liquid poo. Then a lady who'd had loads of nursing mother cats to deal with told me to forget that and simply give her normal cat food instead. Her advice turned out to be far better than that from the vet!).

My lot get a mixture of Lidl's 'premium' dried food ('Coshida Selection' which comes in plastic bags, rather than the ordinary 'Coshida' in boxes) and the pouches that Lidl also sell.

Enjoy your new friend's company. Welcome to a life of slavery!

;-)

[corylus]

You'll learn and he'll soon learn give him time.

[wolf63]

I used to think that my last cat was clumsy because he kept accidentally knocking ornaments off shelves. Then I watched him and discovered that the ornaments were being swatted off the shelves on purpose. I have put the rest away.

[Toorak]

We give ours a couple of soup spoonfuls of hard food - science diet - in the morning and pouches in the evening. As others have said, getting cats to use a litter tray is not difficult (though one of ours is completely at a loss as to how to cover up her offerings). It's also a good idea to keep him in for a while until he is totally settled and at home in his new surroundings. Most of all - enjoy!

[Jackdaw33]

You don't own a cat, it owns you.

[Messalina]

Congrats on becoming a cat slave. Your life will never be your own again.

[ferlew]

I know these pouches of cat (and dog) food are very convenient, but have you read the water content in the blurb on the back?
Possibly accounts for runny poos. just a suggestion.