Hi! I didn't know exactly where to put this post sO I'm just gonna put it here, hopefully some of yall can help me out a bit. I just adopted my first cat ever from the pound yesterday. Truth be told I don't think I was truly prepared for what it would be like. That being said, she's a five year old, 30 pound shorthair who isn't much for playing, but was definitely a lap cat at the pound. So far, it's been a little rough. I've sadly already made a few mistakes, but just know I really am trying my best to give her a comfortable safe environment. My first mistake was not putting her in a safe room when she got to my apartment. By the time I finally realized I should have done it she had already explored most of the rooms. Now if I try to keep her in her 'safe' room she very audibly complains until I let her out. Keep in mind I have no other pets, and live alone. Should I force her into the room or just let it go? Yesterday she was VERY scared and hid most of the day which I expected, but today she is doing much better. She comes to me if I call her by name and she loves for me to scratch her ears and purrs very loud- but she'll randomly hiss like hellfire. No other signs of aggression/ fear that I can pick up on. When she hisses I back off but she just comes right back and purrs and nudges my hand till I scratch her ears. She also hisses when she comes to rub against my legs and purrs... And I back up and she just comes right on back. It's the most confusing thing! Any advice would be awesome. Thanks!
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- Thread starter yinnybear
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It sounds like she's making her adjustments. Just give her time. I don't think you need to worry about the safe room. She's already become aware of the whole house, so you might as well take it from there.
I'd say just let her get used to her new home on her own time and enjoy her!
I'd say just let her get used to her new home on her own time and enjoy her!
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- #3
Thanks for replying! I guess I'm just nervous cause I'm not used to cats. She has found a hideout behind the washer, but she only goes in there about once every two hours for about 30 minutes now so I don't want to block it off if she feels safe. Yesterday she sat there for about 7 hours which was frustrating but now I understand why a little better. I can't wait for her to trust me!
Ritz was my first cat--pet actually--ever. We learned together.
Try to be patient, the wait will be worthwhile.
And now that she has access to the entire house, I'd keep it that way. Block any unsafe areas, like the furnace area.
And, did you say she weighed 30 (thirty) pounds!?
Try to be patient, the wait will be worthwhile.
And now that she has access to the entire house, I'd keep it that way. Block any unsafe areas, like the furnace area.
And, did you say she weighed 30 (thirty) pounds!?
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- #5
Yep! She's one fat cat! The vet at the adoption center said its not because she over eats though. She said my best bet would be to just put her on a low fat cat food, and keep canned food for special occasions. That was one of the things that drew me to her, she's huge! And she was way too big for the tiny cages they had.
I guess you realize the cat needs to lose weight or she'll likely develop diabetes and other health-related illnesses.
For an excellent thread about getting a cat to lose weight, see this thread about a cat who weighed 27 pounds.
The vet at the adoption center was incorrect in my opinion. Cats actually need a fair amount of fat and protein, no need for carbohydrates. Dry food has many more calories than most wet food. Dry food is full of carbohydrates which cats have a hard time metabolizing. Cats should on almost all wet food. For additional information, see www.catcentric.org or this article. Feel free to post in the nutrition forum for help, tips, etc.
If she truly does not eat, please take her to the vets for a checkup; her thyroid may be out of order.
For an excellent thread about getting a cat to lose weight, see this thread about a cat who weighed 27 pounds.
The vet at the adoption center was incorrect in my opinion. Cats actually need a fair amount of fat and protein, no need for carbohydrates. Dry food has many more calories than most wet food. Dry food is full of carbohydrates which cats have a hard time metabolizing. Cats should on almost all wet food. For additional information, see www.catcentric.org or this article. Feel free to post in the nutrition forum for help, tips, etc.
If she truly does not eat, please take her to the vets for a checkup; her thyroid may be out of order.
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- #7
Sorry, I should clarify. She definitely eats, but not any more than a normal cat. It also could be due to the fact that she isn't much for playing. But regardless, she has a check up this next Monday and I will definitely remember to bring up the points you mentioned. I don't want my Precious to get sick! 
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If she's from the pound she'll need extra love XD yay cuddles!
Good for you for adopting a pound cat, especially one that is overweight. They are hard to adopt out sometimes. One of my cats is an 9 month old pound cat that was feral when he was brought in. When he was in his safe room, he would hiss when I would come in but then would come over to be pet. Once I let him out in the house, he would still hiss if I walked towards him or startled him but he is slowly growing out of that. He has never been aggressive towards me. I think it is just kind of way of setting some boundaries. Also, with the playing, she may start playing more once she gets more comfortable. Try different types of toys. I have two cats that love the laser pointer and one who is completely indifferent to it but likes the wand with streamers off of it. Good luck and congratulations on your new cat!
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In addition to the sites Ritz mentioned take a look at www.catinfo.org which is written by a vet who is an expert on feline nutrition (most vets are not). She has a great section on obesity (http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity). One thing you have to watch out for is fatty liver, so do not decrease her food too quickly.
As for the hissing like others have said she is just getting used to the new home.
As for the hissing like others have said she is just getting used to the new home.
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- #11
She's doing much better now. Still not playful at all, but she's very loving and is always right by my side. I took her to the vet and they said she's in good health, and gave me a nutrition plan to follow. I've got her on some dry food he recommended, but now shes started throwing it up. Should I take her back to the vet, or should I switch her back to her old food? Very confused!
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Honestly vets are usually the worst when recommending food as most are not trained in feline nutrition and make a lot of money selling dry food. Read www.catinfo.com which is written by a vet who actually is trained. Dry food is really not great for cats and you also have to switch foods slowly for cats. The best thing would be to get your kitten used to wet food it will save you a lot in vet trips later.
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I'm a new cat owner too! It's really scary, but lots of people on here are awesome, experienced cat owners and give great advice. So we'll all get through it together.
Now that she's already had free rein of the place I would let her explore but just make sure to kitty-proof as much as possible. I read lots of kitten books when I got my cats and they had great lists of typical things that entice cats and can be dangerous. Lots of articles online like that too.
I haven't had to deal with a hissing issue yet but people on here should have good advice, and hopefully she'll get used to her surroundings and ease off of that behaviour. I can imagine that's very frustrating. Good for you for adopting a big fat cat though - lots of good diet cat food out there. Your vet can probably give you advice to slim her down, and play with her lots!
So we'll all get through it together.Now that she's already had free rein of the place I would let her explore but just make sure to kitty-proof as much as possible. I read lots of kitten books when I got my cats and they had great lists of typical things that entice cats and can be dangerous. Lots of articles online like that too.
I haven't had to deal with a hissing issue yet but people on here should have good advice, and hopefully she'll get used to her surroundings and ease off of that behaviour. I can imagine that's very frustrating. Good for you for adopting a big fat cat though - lots of good diet cat food out there. Your vet can probably give you advice to slim her down, and play with her lots!
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I'm also a very new cat owner, and I had trouble with the "safe room," too. I got my cat and the first thing she did was meow to go out of the room I'd made for her. At the time, her tail was all fluffy so I thought she was afraid (turned out she was a medium-hair cat and that's how her tail always was -- long story, but I got a different cat than the one I thought I was getting), but she was also purring. I didn't know what to do, so I let her out. She continued to purr and keep her tail big (well, not really), so I was really confused. I couldn't tell if she was happy or scared, or somehow both.
In the end, I think we need to trust our instincts on this. If the cat is ready to explore, let him/her.
In the end, I think we need to trust our instincts on this. If the cat is ready to explore, let him/her.
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Hey!
I know exactly what you mean. I've adopted several stray cats and have been through similar situations. But I'd advise you to give your kitty some time. Yes, she's gonna explore and explore around the house. And, most importantly, she'll take some time to get used to you. She'll hiss now, but she's familiar with you and your ways, she'll drop that. And sitting in your lap, purring when you rub her ears are good signs! It shows she's beginning to get used to you! Don't worry, you're gonna have good days ahead.
Believe me, when adopting a cat or kitten, it might at first seem like a big mistake....like you can't do it. But give it a few days, and you'll never think so again!
So take care and best of luck!
I know exactly what you mean. I've adopted several stray cats and have been through similar situations. But I'd advise you to give your kitty some time. Yes, she's gonna explore and explore around the house. And, most importantly, she'll take some time to get used to you. She'll hiss now, but she's familiar with you and your ways, she'll drop that. And sitting in your lap, purring when you rub her ears are good signs! It shows she's beginning to get used to you! Don't worry, you're gonna have good days ahead.
Believe me, when adopting a cat or kitten, it might at first seem like a big mistake....like you can't do it. But give it a few days, and you'll never think so again!
So take care and best of luck!
As others have mentioned, the dry "diet" food is not really going to help her at all. Canned, high protein, grain free food, is a much more appropriate diet for an overweight cat. Or a raw diet, but many people aren't ready to do that when they are new to cats.
Really, it's the other way around - the kibble should be the special treat. Or certainly not the main part of the diet (I personally do canned in the morning, and a high protein kibble at night). I've also found that the vets I've been to really don't know much at all about feeding animals and even though they swear they don't get kickbacks for stocking foods such as Science Diet (or whatever) in their facility, I find that hard to believe. Surely, there is some benefit to it being there.
If you can find some toys to motivate her into playing, get her "prey drive" going, that would be really good for her. Many of us swear by one called Da Bird. Right now she probably won't be able to jump up after it, but she will be able to run for it if you drag it along the floor. Another one you might try are the puzzle boxes, where you put treats (only use freeze dried ones, such as chicken for instance to keep calories/carbs down) in the box, and they have to work to figure out how to retrieve them - which of course, burns calories.
The hissing? It only means she is nervous and voicing that. Not much else. She is just letting you know that whatever is happening at that moment is making her afraid and to give her a moment (or more) to let her decompress and pull herself together. She'll come around eventually and that will stop. When we adopted our 2nd cat, that was a rescue, she hissed every time we would reach out to her when she was hiding, but, once you had her in your arms she was a total mush, and loved being loved. She just didn't know whether or not we were coming at her for good or bad, and had to learn to trust us.
There is also a very long thread here about a cat named Mickey, and his weight loss story. It might help you also in trying to get your cat back to a more normal weight.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight
And pictures please! We love pictures!
Really, it's the other way around - the kibble should be the special treat. Or certainly not the main part of the diet (I personally do canned in the morning, and a high protein kibble at night). I've also found that the vets I've been to really don't know much at all about feeding animals and even though they swear they don't get kickbacks for stocking foods such as Science Diet (or whatever) in their facility, I find that hard to believe. Surely, there is some benefit to it being there.
If you can find some toys to motivate her into playing, get her "prey drive" going, that would be really good for her. Many of us swear by one called Da Bird. Right now she probably won't be able to jump up after it, but she will be able to run for it if you drag it along the floor. Another one you might try are the puzzle boxes, where you put treats (only use freeze dried ones, such as chicken for instance to keep calories/carbs down) in the box, and they have to work to figure out how to retrieve them - which of course, burns calories.
The hissing? It only means she is nervous and voicing that. Not much else. She is just letting you know that whatever is happening at that moment is making her afraid and to give her a moment (or more) to let her decompress and pull herself together. She'll come around eventually and that will stop. When we adopted our 2nd cat, that was a rescue, she hissed every time we would reach out to her when she was hiding, but, once you had her in your arms she was a total mush, and loved being loved. She just didn't know whether or not we were coming at her for good or bad, and had to learn to trust us.
There is also a very long thread here about a cat named Mickey, and his weight loss story. It might help you also in trying to get your cat back to a more normal weight.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight
And pictures please! We love pictures!
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- #19
Thank you for all the advice, it's very appreciated! I switched her over to canned food, which makes her much happier. But no luck on the playing, which really is okay. The place warned me ahead of time that she's not really playful at all. My job takes a lot out of me every day, so kittens or really high strung cats wouldn't get the care and attention they deserve in my house. Coming home to her every day is a blessing! She just wants to sit by me and have me scratch her ears.
