New Cat

[graygun]

Her name is March,a black 7.62 pound two-year-old from the city shelter. She was found and/or turned in on March 1,2016 so I guess that's why she got that name. She's been hiding in various places since she got here. She seemed very friendly and interactive at the shelter,needs to adjust I suppose.

 

[Fox Mike]

Didn't happen without pics.

 

[graygun]

Didn't happen without pics.

maybe later

 

[Jeepnik]

Give her some food and water and show her the litter box. Then ignore her. Cats can't stand to be ignored and will shortly be begging for attention.

Seriously, just leave her alone, not to much attention. She'll explore on her own and become comfortable at her own rate.

 

[graygun]

Thanks,showed her those places. She's behind the dryer now;I'll leave her alone.

 

[Cooperhawk]

We have a black and white rescue cat named Oreo. It took a couple weeks for her to quit hiding and start trying to get attention. Now she's a sweety.

 

[Kevin]

So I've been told, but when acclimating a cat to a new house, do it one room at a time. As in keep the cat confined to one room for a few days, then add a room at a time until the whole house belongs to the cat. We have had Nixon since 1997, and have move from Boise to 5 other houses since. It's worked for us.

Good luck! And yes pictures!!!

 

[prairieviper]

If your cat has a place where she feels safe and it would be practical for you to temporarily place a litter box in that room along with some food and water, that would be good. It isn't unusual for a cat just introduced to a new environment to need a safe place. Once we adopted a calico cat that hid under our bed for two months. Our bedroom was her safe room until she became acclimated to the house and other cats. She turned out to be a wonderful cat and 'boss' of the entire place. Be patient. Your cat will come around when she is ready.

 

[CGDustDevil]

First off - THANK you for adopting a black cat! They are the most likely to be overlooked for adoption and subsequently killed in shelters. We've got a bunch of 'em! If she was friendly at the shelter, she'll warm up. Talk to her (even if you can't see her), and make eye contact when you can. She'll figure out where the food comes from soon enough!

We have 2 ferals (Originally 3, all black) that were rescues. Our plan four years ago was to keep them in the library until we could all 'make friends'.

Well, we have some kitties that know how to open doors don't you know... Curiosity being what it is, someone let themselves in to visit with the feral kitties, and of course in the process the 3 let themselves out. It's been 4 years and we can't touch any of 'em. Sadie resides in my office and let's me talk to her and offer catnip, but she gets really snarly if I try to touch her. Hissyfit (A female) lives in a hall closet most of the time, but will venture out once in a while when we're around. (She gets up and prowls at night) Ninja used to live in the bedroom, but he sadly died a month or two ago... We knew he was sick but there was no way to get hold of him to take him to the vet. We have live traps, but the ferals are too wily to fall for that trick. (I think they've seen 'em before!)

I think someday we'll be able to pet Sadie, but Hissyfit is a hard case.

Good luck with March! She'll loosen up in a week or two... A month from now y'all will be old friends!

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Sounds like March may be related to BK, graygun. BK's black and white, with an almost perfect tuxedo, complete with white gloves and spats. She's a "foster kitty" from a client's home. Though she was always friendly to me when I visited them, she started playing a little rough and scratched their 3 yr old daughter a couple of times. Dad said she had to find a new home and I offered to take her if they didn't find her another one. A month or so later Dad called and asked if my offer was still good. It was.

The day I went to pick her up, their little girl put her in the crate to come home with me, and she was just fine for the ride. She whined for about a block as we left the house, then she settled right down for the rest of the half hour or so. But as soon as we came in the house, and my male, Webster, who doesn't have a mean bone in his body, came up to see who was in "his" crate, she turned into the cat from "down there." I've never heard a house cat growl the way she did--the sound made one think she weighed about 100 lbs--she hissed at W something fierce, and tried to shred me. That earned her a week in solitary, in one of the bathrooms.

At the end of the week, she'd settled down just a bit, and I let her out of solitary, but she was super skittish and hid here and there around the house for another couple of days. Based on what her original owner had told me, as well as her behavior and general physical condition, I suspected she was pregnant. So we went to the vet, where her file still has a "Cat Scratches" sticker on it, and she got fixed. She came home a different cat: slept on the bed that night, made friends with W in a day or two, and hasn't scratched even once in the four years she's been here.

So please give March time and space to figure out where she is. She may still smell Milo here and there and is confused about the lack of a cat to go with the scent, too. There's a new voice to get used to, as well (BK had to learn English, too--her first family speaks mostly Spanish in the house.) If she was ok in the shelter, I'm sure she'll be fine as she acclimates to the new environment.

Rick C

 

[mohavesam]

Thank you for adopting what was someone else's throw-away.
May your heart rate lessen and another year be added to your life! ('cause that is what cats do!)

 

[graygun]

Thanks,she's playing with a wool sock at this moment.

 

[Cooperhawk]

We've had our black and white, "Oreo", for about a year now. The tips of her ears were frozen off before she was rescued as a kitten and put up for adoption. She gets quite worried if her dish is not full of dry cat food when we go to bed. I think maybe she's gone hungry a time or two in her life.

She is not a lap cat and that's fine with me, however we found out early that she loves to play lazier tag. She comes into the room and lays down and meows at me, "Meaning let's play buddy". I get out the little lazier and she plays chasing it for a while and then lies down signaling she is done.

This last Winter we took her in our motorhome for six weeks and she did fine. At lunch break we put her into the bath area with her litter box and food and water while we eat. When we're done she gets back in her kennel and waits for us to move her up front with us. When we're parked she gets behind the curtains and watches the night critters.

However, when we take her to the vet she becomes the cat from hell! They have to put towels over her to give her shots. :shock:

Just give her time and don't try to rush it. Get a lazier and see if she wants to play.

 

[graygun]

Do you mean a toy laser? I have a plastic mouse that shoots out a red dot but so far she doesn't react to it. She's coming along.

 

[Cooperhawk]

I have a laser pointer and I sit in my recliner and entertain her with it. My Wife has a catnip fish on a small fishing pole that she leaps in the air after. She also has catnip mice that she carries around the house and we find them in strange places, like in the shower.

She is just now letting us pet her or brush her. Only taken a year.

 

[graygun]

Milo used to like the red dot and sometimes would go in circles...very funny. March played with two mouse toys at the shelter and has been playing some this morning. I'll buy a toy or two later today.

 

[Cooperhawk]

Cat's need their play time.

 

[Mtneer]

Little Maggie showed up on our deck last October - another drop-off no doubt. She’s black and white, like a magpie. That’s why we named her Maggie. When she showed up here, she was skinny, scared, full of worms, and pregnant of course.

After a few days of making sure she had food and water, and not pushing too hard, my wife got to where she could gently stroke Maggie as she made her way to her food dish. I built a small house that Maggie can snuggle in. I actually placed the small house inside a larger doghouse that we’ve had on our deck for years. Then a friend gave us one of those pet heating pads that fits perfectly inside the small cat house. We don’t let Maggie inside our own house because that wouldn’t be fair to Ruger – our 8 year old, gun-shy Cocker/Springer mix. Our house has been Ruger’s domain since he was a pup, and allowing Maggie in would hurt his feelings. Just allowing her to live on the deck makes him somewhat jealous.

Anyway, as soon as my wife could get near Maggie, she caught her, and we took her to an animal rescue place for an abortion, spaying and de-worming. She seems to be one happy kitty these days – always running and playing (even with Ruger when he’s outside) and climbing everything in sight. She spends a lot of time hunting way out back in our field. I can just about bet there’s a dead vole on our front porch right now, as Maggie brings us a fresh one almost every night.

But there’s something about Maggie that really tugs at my heartstrings – even though she now let’s my wife pick her up and pet her, she won’t let me, or any man for that matter, even close. She runs if I get within 10 feet of her. She’s the same way even with a male friend of ours, and he loves cats, does volunteer work for a cat rescue place. Yet his wife can pick Maggie up and pet her just like my wife can. Maggie even runs from our teenaged grandsons. It makes me wonder what some SOB monster did to her before he dumped her at our place out in the country.

I’m not sure that Maggie will ever trust me enough to let me touch her. And that’s okay, actually. I know she appreciates both my wife and me. That’s why she brings us a freshly killed vole almost every night. And I see her as she hides under my truck, peeking out as I pick up the dead vole to carry it in the house to dispose of it. But she takes off like a shot if I move towards her.

 

[graygun]

My first cat was named Maggie after my maternal grandmother. She was a few months old and cost $5...newspaper ad. She was a good cat (torti calico) but died when only eight yrs old from something...can't remember what the vet said it was.

 

[k22fan]

I tamed a dumped kitten that I initially couldn't get close to with this old trick. Tape a large feather to the end of a long skinny pole and play with the cat. Gradually shorten the stick then eventually hold the feather in your hand. It took me a couple sessions a day for a couple of weeks before I first touched the kitten. It's turned into my spoiled lap cat but probably will always be afraid of strangers.

Gook luck with your new friend.

 

[Mtneer]

I tamed a dumped kitten that I initially couldn't get close to with this old trick. Tape a large feather to the end of a long skinny pole and play with the cat. Gradually shorten the stick then eventually hold the feather in your hand. It took me a couple sessions a day for a couple of weeks before I first touched the kitten. It's turned into my spoiled lap cat but probably will always be afraid of strangers.

Gook luck with your new friend.

That's a great idea k22fan. Thanks!

 

[Glasstream15]

Gray Guy, since February 29, he's waiting for me at The Rainbow Bridge, came to visit in December 2001 and stayed. In March of 2002 we decided he needed furry companionship so Pattie found Queen Nefertiti at the shelter. So black that even the "Red Dot" disappears if you shine it on her. Her fur just absorbs it. She was an abused kitten. She would tolerate Pattie, but she was terrified of me. I would lay on the floor and slowly stretch my hand to her. After a year, she came to accept me. She and Gray Guy never really hit it off. But Neffy came to know how much I love her and would come to me. Mostly to get brushed. Long and VERY soft fur and loves to be brushed. Her hiding place was INSIDE the box spring on the bed. She tore the bottom cover and would crawl inside. If she was missing, I would take a really bright flashlight and look inside there. If I saw a darker area I knew she was there.

Now that Gray Guy is waiting with Dutch at the Bridge, she has become a 14 year old kitten. She has dropped a lot of weight, to a more healthy shape. She was a good bit chubby. She runs and jumps and acts like a kitten. We never knew how much she was intimidated by her "Big Brother". Now she has taken his place sleeping with me. If I'm not home she sits on the table by my chair waiting for me. Whatever she wants, she comes and tells me, in a VERY loud voice. She knows how much I do love her. And she shows that she misses Gray guy. Even though she was more afraid of him than we ever suspected.

Gray Guy, 12 lbs of Alpha Cat. Not an Alpha cat. THE Alpha Cat. He loved me as much as I loved him, but that didn't matter. If he wanted something, do it. NOW! and if he wanted to be petted, make sure it was above his shoulders, or possibly bleed. Pattie always said that if something happened to him they would need to dig a BIG HOLE!!. Well, I dug a large hole in the back yard and buried him in a sealed coffin. A 24" square concrete paver over the grave with a 16" round pave and a 12" square on that. Then a 20 lb concrete cat on top with 4 solar lights at the corners.

I am just so thankful that Queen Nefertiti is taking his place, by my side and in my mind. She can't take his place in my heart, but there is plenty of room for her there too. And there may still be room for her to have a baby brother. I'll have to see.

 

[graygun]

Milo was about 3 mos old when I found him and brought him to live with Charlotte and Suzy. They didn't like it much but didn't abuse him. Charlotte would growl at him if he got too close. The three of them never interacted much at all. Charlotte died in 2010 and Suzy in 2013;they came from a shelter in '97. A woman had dropped them off because her house had burned down.

March seems to be adapting but likes it under the bed. I might get a kitten for her to "raise". Maybe it will help her feel more a part of things.

 

[TinkerDave]

We had an almst black cat for quite awhile. I found him abandoned behind the store I worked at when I was a younger man. We had Scrappy for about ten years and had to retire him to a hay barn when we moved half-way across the country with three kids (one a two-week old nes born) and no prospect for a place to live. It was sad, but we knew he was in mouse heaven. We just adopted two females - one a calico and the other a slate grey. They are not litter mates but are close to the same age and they love each other. Both are adjusting pretty well considering they were being raised ias barn kittys and we are wanting indoor cats. Mara, the grey, is very shy, but loving. Callie is outgoing and playful. Both are a bit bashful right now, but I think they will adjust just fine. It has been awhile since we have had cats and should be good for us. TD

 

[mohavesam]

Daughter brought home a black kitten one day. She found her sitting by the side of the road watching over her sibling, who had been smushed by some cretin who didn't even stop to set her/him off the pavement. Our new kitten turned into a fluffy Norweigian Forest cat, and we have had several offers to buy her. sorry. She fit in with the other four and grew up cuddly and as friendly as you can imagine. She flops belly-up when you call her and her fur hides her paws like she came from hollywood. Therapy on paws for us.

Mtneer - try giving your stand-offish cat a fresh kill, maybe a bunny or chipmunk, etc. I had a cat like that until I hung a whitetail in the backyard, he was my best buddy after that!

 

[Colonialgirl]

Funniest cat that the family ever owned was a kitten my daughter discovered in a K-Mart shopping cart where some brown stinking pile of human had abandoned him. She brought him home and named him--Yeah, You got it; "K-Mart Cat" which got shortened to "Marty Cat". Friendly fluffy kittens cat, always well behaved , did like to hunt birds. We lived on a cul-d-sac and he would visit every house around the circle, neighbors all knew him and some would feed him too. Use to be funny watching him plod down the sidewalk,head down while birds dive bombed him !!

 

[contender]

As noted by the many stories here,,, cats have a way of working into our lives. They have personalities, and respond to different things and once you earn their trust,,, become a loving friend. As I type this,,, I have a pair of strays that were found on my property, as kittens,, laying very close to me. I was gone for 4-1/2 days & they are all glad to see me return.
Kudos for adopting a cat at the shelter,,, saving her from eventual death if not adopted. It's a shame so many good loving cats never receive the same chance.

 

[Colonialgirl]

As noted by the many stories here,,, cats have a way of working into our lives. They have personalities, and respond to different things and once you earn their trust,,, become a loving friend. As I type this,,, I have a pair of strays that were found on my property, as kittens,, laying very close to me. I was gone for 4-1/2 days & they are all glad to see me return.
Kudos for adopting a cat at the shelter,,, saving her from eventual death if not adopted. It's a shame so many good loving cats never receive the same chance.

Yeah, Yeah; Give Ruger Kitty a head scratch or whatever he prefers for me and the BIG FAT Grey one that loves the easy chair a load of petting too!!

 

[Cooperhawk]

The afore mentioned black and white that my wife picked up as a rescue cat was sitting in the dining room watching me, but really listening to be called for her spoonful of canned cat food she gets twice a day. When Mama called for her she did a back flip twisting in mid air and landed on her feet in full run mode. :shock:

Then this morning I heard a loud shriek followed by a thump and some profanity. :shock: Seems she had been petting the cat on her platform and then sat down at the table with a magnum cup of coffee. The cat is just getting used to being petted and decided to ask for more, so she jumped on the table right next to the coffee cup. With a knee jerk reaction the Wife pushed her off the table, but her little claws were in the place mat, so it and the coffee went with her. When I got there the Wife was cleaning the coffee off the floor and the cat, drenched in hot coffee, was peeking out from behind the couch. :roll:

They both need to work on it.