Advice needed: Rearing a street cat

[Priscilia]

I've been feeding this adorable cat near my home. I am prepared to take her in permanently.

Would really appreciate anyone who has done this. What are some of the things you do first?

Do you take the cat to the vet immediately for check up, vaccination, etc? Or a pet groomer to have claws trimmed, etc?

I also understand cats generally don't like water. So I guess I'll have problems bathing her? Or should I let the cat groomer do it?

Do I need to "register" the cat or anything like that?

And I suppose I don't really have to toilet train the cat as their instict will tell them where to do their business? As in, show them where the area at home should be.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Diveraz]

Hi,

Let me share with you my experience with bringing home a stray.

Initial Preparation

1. Prepare your house for the arrival of the cat. Cat-proof the house, ie, put fence/mesh at gates and windows.
2. Ensure food, bowls, litterbox, litter, scratching post, toys are all ready. Have a cat carrier in hand too.
3. Have a "safe place" for the cat. This can be one of your rooms, a box with a hole, or a quiet corner of the house.
4. Make appointment with the vet for the initial checkup, vaccinations, deworming, etc.

Actual Day

1. Bring cat to vet first (not home) and get it sorted out. Check for parasites, ticks, fur mites. Chances are, it will need to be administered with some anti-parasite medicine like Revolution or Frontline Plus. Vaccinate and deworm the cat. Get the necessary certificates/records. You should have a name for the cat by now.
2. Introduce the cat to it's new home at a very slow pace. Allow the cat to come out of the cat carrier at it's own time. Don't rush or force the cat out.
3. Once out, introduce the cat to the litterbox first. This is very important. Just put it inside the litterbox and gently take the paws and rub it on the litter to simulate the action of covering it's poo.
4. Show the cat it's food and water bowl. Never mind if the cat's not eating. It's still not sure of it's new home environment yet. Don't forget the scratching post, else the cat will scratch your furniture (and I bet you don't want that).
5. Leave the cat to explore it's new environment. Try to not make sudden loud noises or have too many people around. It might go under your sofa or back into the carrier box, that is normal.
6. Throughout the day, reassure the cat, but also give it some space and time to adjust. This adjustment and accepting the new environment phase can take a few minutes or a few days.

For the next few days, if the cat has been familiar with you, it'll seek your attention. Give it as much attention as it wants, don't over do it. At this point, you are on the cat's time and pace. Allow the cat to take the lead. On your part, check that it has been using the litterbox and also eating and drinking. Other than that, devote some time to play with the cat with some cat toys.

For the grooming part, you do not need to go to the groomers. When you are at the vet, get the vet to demonstrate how to trim the cat's claws. Just buy yourself a claw clipper and do it yourself next time (at least once a fortnight). Depending on the cat's personality, bathing a cat need not be that difficult. It is a matter of getting them use to it. Do it often enough (with giving them treats after that) would make them more receptive of baths.

I think that should be enough for the time being. Do take note, that with proper nutrition and care, a 100% indoor cat can live to as long as 18 years, so be prepared for a long term commitment. There will be minor changes in your life with the arrival of the cat, but the rewards of having a feline friend would make those small inconveniences trivial.

Feel free to get in touch with me, should you need any other tips/info/etc on cats. Lastly, thank you for giving the cat a chance at having a proper home.

From,
Diveraz

 

[Dream Merchant]

Diverraz, that's some pretty good advise. :thumbsup:

The only point I would beg to differ on is practise of bathing domestic cats.

It may desensitize them to their in-built fear of water and may lower their guard. Assuming the cat may have free reign and not penned-up, that might pose possible dangers.

Cats are in general, self-cleaning. More often than not, inducing them to baths may not be necessary as they are usually very clean. A wipe-down with a nice, warm and barely damp towel is often more than sufficient, unless the cat falls into a say a mud-bath or a patch of oil or something like that.

Some people bathe their kittens or cats, thinking they are doing good, but the direct opposite may be the case.

Just sharing a few thoughts.

CHEERS!

 

[Diveraz]

Diverraz, that's some pretty good advise. :thumbsup:

The only point I would beg to differ on is practise of bathing domestic cats.

It may desensitize them to their in-built fear of water and may lower their guard. Assuming the cat may have free reign and not penned-up, that might pose possible dangers.

Cats are in general, self-cleaning. More often than not, inducing them to baths may not be necessary as they are usually very clean. A wipe-down with a nice, warm and barely damp towel is often more than sufficient, unless the cat falls into a say a mud-bath or a patch of oil or something like that.

Some people bathe their kittens or cats, thinking they are doing good, but the direct opposite may be the case.

Just sharing a few thoughts.

CHEERS!

Have to agree on the bathing the cat bit. If the cats are 100% indoors, a wipe with a wet towel is enough to keep it clean. Regular brushing helps remove dander too.

I've got a white cat that turns yellow after a while due the the constant contact he has with us (the oil from our hands). He needs to be bathe once in a while to get him back to being white.

The cat in question.

From,
Diveraz

 

[Simon_84]

wow, beautiful cat you have over there :heart:

 

[Diveraz]

wow, beautiful cat you have over there :heart:

Well, thank you for the compliment.

He was an abused stray that I adopted. Someone stabbed him in the abdomen and left a gaping wound with part of his intestine protruding out.

 

[RyuHendrabusa]

Pretty pretty kitty! :lovegrin:

I hope he is recovering well from the wounds... I'm glad you found him in time to be saved

 

[Dream Merchant]

Diveraz,

That's a lovely cat you have, and you sound both knowledgeable and experienced with pet care. Your kitty is very fortunate for your kindness.

I was a little concerned that others who think they know a little think feel that they know a lot and act as such. Many people read a bit here and there, and just because someone else did something, they just go ahead and do things blindly, without in-depth research andunderstanding, fully believing they are right and doing something beneficial.

Sad to say, I have seen the suffering and end results of too many such people's pets.

 

[zeith]

handsome boy it is..

 

[Diveraz]

Pretty pretty kitty! :lovegrin:

I hope he is recovering well from the wounds... I'm glad you found him in time to be saved

Oh, he has fully recovered. He's been with me for more than a year already. The thing with him is, he is too friendly and trusting for his own good (when he was a stray). As strays, they are not supposed to be that way.

 

[Diveraz]

Diveraz,

That's a lovely cat you have, and you sound both knowledgeable and experienced with pet care. Your kitty is very fortunate for your kindness.

I was a little concerned that others who think they know a little think feel that they know a lot and act as such. Many people read a bit here and there, and just because someone else did something, they just go ahead and do things blindly, without in-depth research andunderstanding, fully believing they are right and doing something beneficial.

Sad to say, I have seen the suffering and end results of too many such people's pets.

I believe in sharing what I know with anyone who has a genuine interest in adopting and taking care of cats. Wouldn't call myself an expert or anything of that sort, but I learned, through the years, both by reading up, volunteering and being around people who really knows about cats and all that's pertaining to them.

I always remind those who are in doubt, to just ask. Ask and you will be enlightened. Reading up in cat forums and participating in discussions does help in making one understand more about cats. All the reading up is of no use if there is no hands-on, hence you need to have a cat to actually experience whatever it is you have read up.

I know what you mean about those who think they are doing the correct thing, only to see the cats suffer in the end. These are people who are just plain ignorant. As the saying goes, You can teach a stupid person, but nothing can be done for the ignorant.

From,
Diveraz

 

[Diveraz]

handsome boy it is..

Well, thank you. I'll make sure I convey the compliment to him.

 

[HeiPiGu]

Well, thank you for the compliment.

He was an abused stray that I adopted. Someone stabbed him in the abdomen and left a gaping wound with part of his intestine protruding out.

Wah piang!!!!! Really shocked to hear that!

It's really kind of you to adopt the cat and nursed it back to health. But I guess it's worth it, it's a really beautiful cat. Those eyes.

 

[Priscilia]

Diveraz! Thanks a lot for the very detailed tips. They help a lot!

Wonder how anyone could be so sick and stab your cute kitty like that... :bheart:;(

 

[Diveraz]

Diveraz! Thanks a lot for the very detailed tips. They help a lot!

Wonder how anyone could be so sick and stab your cute kitty like that... :bheart:;(

Wah piang!!!!! Really shocked to hear that!

It's really kind of you to adopt the cat and nursed it back to health. But I guess it's worth it, it's a really beautiful cat. Those eyes.

I have seen many abused cats in the course of volunteering to rehome cats. What I cannot understand is, even if one is not a cat lover, there is no need to harm the cats. Just let them be. Cats do not specifically go around harrassing or disturbing people. Some of their natural behaviour do not exactly make them pleasant to non-cat lovers, eg, sleeping on cars (seeking warmth) or spraying (mark territory). These are problems that many encounter in their community or neighbourhood, but there are ways to address such issues/problems, and harming or abusing the cat is not one of it.

 

[Zig Ziggler]

I hope the Bayshore Catkiller reads this

 

[adamadam]

Gaffer tape can fix anything

 

[Diveraz]

Gaffer tape can fix anything

LOL.....

 

[FIR]

Since you have decided, the best thing to do now is to bring it home asap.
Being stray it is quite a danger place out there and u might not know what will happen to the cat. I do have a stray kitten we found when she was 1mth old when we rescued in a drain nearby and she have been with us for 2 yr already. I do play with cats and some occasion I wanted to adopt them and because of hesitation many went missing either kidnapped by AVA or died in some kind of mishap.

There was this black cat we have been feeding since young and got very close to my family. We brought her back wanting to keep her and she could not get use to the house being a stray since she was borned, we tried a few time but failed and we didnt persist. The cat went missing one day not sure what happened. We could have tried our best to keep her so she have a good family....

I've been feeding this adorable cat near my home. I am prepared to take her in permanently.

Would really appreciate anyone who has done this. What are some of the things you do first?

Do you take the cat to the vet immediately for check up, vaccination, etc? Or a pet groomer to have claws trimmed, etc?

I also understand cats generally don't like water. So I guess I'll have problems bathing her? Or should I let the cat groomer do it?

Do I need to "register" the cat or anything like that?

And I suppose I don't really have to toilet train the cat as their instict will tell them where to do their business? As in, show them where the area at home should be.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[widdlebunnywabbit]

There's an article today in The Sunday Times Home section page 8 regarding the efforts of some animal help groups in sg and the difficulties they face.

I love cats!
Sadly my mum doesn't like the idea of having one in the house.