New cat

opholia

Hi

Adopted my first cat Tess, she's a year old and there's a few things that I wanna ask. Wondering how I get her to use the scratching block I bought. I sprinkled catnip over it, sat next to it to try and get her to use it, guided her paws in a scratching motion but nothing. She doesn't seem interested in toys but probably just scared. Should I get a vertical scratching post too to see if she likes that more.

When I first got her home, she was exploring at first, then came to me for pets and then took to hiding behind the couch until she wanted more head scritching. So I guess it's just a matter of waiting for her to settle.

I put all her stuff (food bowls etc) in one room except her litter tray which I put in the bathroom under the stairs but she hasn't used it once. Should I move it into the other room with her stuff until she does then move it back into the bathroom?

She was eating and drinking a bit earlier but hasn't cleaned out her bowls.

And would it be better to let her sleep in the room I've largely confined her in? How long before I let her or she starts exploring the rest of the house. Also worried that I've been overcrowding her cause I was sitting in the sitting room with her wandering around and she'd come over for head scratching. But should I leave her alone until she's comfortable and uses the litter tray etc?

jimf

theres a lot of people on here that are more qualified to advise you on cats than me

but 1 thing i did learn for myself when our fella rambled in at about 3/4 mts old is that cats need a bit of privacy going to the toilet so dont be surprised if she goes when your back is turned

also the rules around here is when you get a new best friend we all want to see pics so please get busy and get posting

meoklmrk91

I assume you ony got her very recently by you saying she hasn't used her litter tray yet. It just takes time for them to settle in to new surroundings, I learned this all over again a couple of weeks ago when I moved house with my dog, we are here a month and he has only finally got back to his old self this week,you are better off just going about your business and letting her come to you like she has been doing.

If you want the litter tray in the bathroom in the future then I would leave it where it is, have you showed her where it is? I usually do this by licking them up placing them in the litter tray and then scratching at the litter with my hand. It's worked so far.

Don't worry about her eating and drinking that will sort itself out over the next few days. The same with the scratching block, she has so many new sights smells and sounds around her at the moment this stuff is the last thing that she is thinking about.

Best of luck with her, cats are awesome! And I agree with Jimf, pics please!

opholia

I got her today! Put her in the litter tray a couple of times but she was quick to jump out. I'm just gonna let her settle and leave her alone for the night I think.

Hopefully she'll go when no one is around, maybe in the middle of the night. So its ok to move the litterbox after a few days? I don't really want to keep it in the sitting room.

Link to a picture of Tess:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/photolyq.jpg/

jimf

i have 5 springers and 1 cat and i can honestly say i get 20 times more affection from him than the 5 dogs put together cats are totally loyal dogs are brilliant too but not half as affectionate as cats if im away from home for any length of time the welcome home i get is unreal he has to spend at least 10 mins on my lap head bangin and lickin me

jimf

opholia wrote: »

I got her today! Put her in the litter tray a couple of times but she was quick to jump out. I'm just gonna let her settle and leave her alone for the night I think.

Hopefully she'll go when no one is around, maybe in the middle of the night. So its ok to move the litterbox after a few days? I don't really want to keep it in the sitting room.

Link to a picture of Tess:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/photolyq.jpg/

shes so cute i want more cats now but the wife would kill me

Nody

opholia wrote: »

Hi

Adopted my first cat Tess, she's a year old and there's a few things that I wanna ask. Wondering how I get her to use the scratching block I bought. I sprinkled catnip over it, sat next to it to try and get her to use it, guided her paws in a scratching motion but nothing. She doesn't seem interested in toys but probably just scared. Should I get a vertical scratching post too to see if she likes that more.

Definitely; one use for that is to allow the cat to stretch out so you'd want a pole that's at least 2x the height of the cat if possible (I'd recommend to order it online due to most shops charging outrageous prices for a 60cm+ pole). Also don't be afraid to put a pole/scratch pad in every room; they will all be used and that way she'll rotate around as she sees fit (and as you'll need to replace them as time goes along anyway having multiple once up front will not cost you anything extra).

When I first got her home, she was exploring at first, then came to me for pets and then took to hiding behind the couch until she wanted more head scritching. So I guess it's just a matter of waiting for her to settle

This is also normal. The advice I'd usually give for someone with a new cat is to leave them in one room for the first 24h to settle in; cats are creatures of habits and you've just completely changed her routine. She'll need anything from a few days to a month or two to settle in depending on her character; best bet is simply let her come to you when she wants to and let her get comfortable. If you got some empty cardboard boxes consider leaving them tipped over (hiding places) in the other rooms as well.

I put all her stuff (food bowls etc) in one room except her litter tray which I put in the bathroom under the stairs but she hasn't used it once. Should I move it into the other room with her stuff until she does then move it back into the bathroom?

No, toilets should always be separate from the food area. Did you put in the same type of clay/pellets as she was used to having before? If not I'd try to get some to make the change smaller and you can then move her towards what ever you wish to use gradually over a week or two.

She was eating and drinking a bit earlier but hasn't cleaned out her bowls.

Did you feed her wet or dry stuff? Dry is usually left behind (and can be left out if need be) but wet stuff should be thrown away after an hour or so (cats will refuse to eat it anyway). Also what did you feed her? Same as at the shelter or something different? Once again feed what ever she got at the shelter if possible before transitioning her.

Talking about food; what are you planning to feed her? Reason I ask is as you said you were a first time cat owner you may have fallen for Royal Canin/Felix/Whiskas/Sheba/<insert commercial brand of high cost and low quality> which I'd hate to see.

And would it be better to let her sleep in the room I've largely confined her in? How long before I let her or she starts exploring the rest of the house. Also worried that I've been overcrowding her cause I was sitting in the sitting room with her wandering around and she'd come over for head scratching. But should I leave her alone until she's comfortable and uses the litter tray etc?

For the first 24h keep her confined; when she starts to show interest in exploring the rest of the house let her out and roam. Chances are pretty high that she'll return to the room to sleep for the first week or two (as she feels safe there) but honestly if you're comfortable with it she can sleep anywhere.

As long as you're not forcing yourself on her in the room (i.e. putting your hands in her face/behind the couch etc.) you should be fine; it's a good thing that she'll get used to you being around. The best way even is not to even focus on her but to ignore her completely by reading a book or similar and if she comes to you then you scratch her until she walks away.