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New from Florida

post #1 of 13
12/1/09 at 7:23am
Thread Starter 

I'm Sam and I just adopted my first cat yesterday. I'm extremely new at being a cat owner, I've always been strictly a dog person. I've kind of been afraid of cats my whole life because I've only had bad experiences with them. Yesterday my boyfriend and I went to a pet adoption and we fell in love with a cat there that was formerly part of a feral colony. He's 1 1/2 years old and we named him "Bro". I'm not sure what kind of cat he is exactly, the breed said HSD, I think. So I need tons of help. My boyfriend has had cats when he was younger so he knows a bit about them but I have no idea where to begin and I need some guidance. I looked over the forums and this seems like a great place to start. Any tips will be appreciated
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post #2 of 13
12/1/09 at 7:33am
Welcome to TSC! What kind of tips are you looking for?
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post #3 of 13
12/1/09 at 7:52am
Thread Starter 
I guess just tips with helping our cat become comfortable in the apartment. So far he stays under the bed for the majority of the time. I know he is probably scared of us and his new surroundings though so I'm not too worried about it. I'm also concerned about the smell. He is neutered so from what I understand we won't have problems with him spraying.
Our roommates also have a young black lab. They haven't really interacted much just yet, but there was no hissing or fighting or anything like that. I just want them to get along in the end when we let Bro out of our room.
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post #4 of 13
12/1/09 at 12:45pm
Hi and welcome to TCS!

I think for the time being leaving Bro in your room is the best thing. Let him become completely comfortable with you and your BF. Let him make the first move, spend time in the room just quietly talking to him. He will begin to recognize your voice and associate it with good things.

Bring him a treat, maybe a toy or even just sit on the floor and read a magazine.

The most important thing is letting him make the first move to come out.
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post #5 of 13
12/1/09 at 8:39pm


I think you're doing the right thing for now by leaving Bro in his own room till he adjusts. When he's ready to explore his new home more, I would suggest letting him out at night while everyone is asleep. He won't feel as "threatened" that way. It'll probably take about a week or so before he starts feeling at home.
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post #6 of 13
12/2/09 at 9:47am
Hola y bienvenido a TCS, ...Catulina Milky y Horacio te saludan!!!........
(Translate: Hi and Welcome to TCS, Catulina ,Milky & Horatio say hello to you!!!...)

Please feel as you home here, we can learn so much and deep about out kittys in this marvelous site, I just only please ask you read the rules and other stuffs that can help you to feel as you Real home!.. here you have the link my friend.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82565

Please ask whatever you need to know, there are plenty of good members and of course our tireness Mod´s to help us here!....

See you on the forums!, Glad you join us!

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post #7 of 13
12/2/09 at 10:49am
Aww congratulations on the new addition.

Make sure you have his litter box and food/water in the same room as the bed. Keep the door closed and let him get use to that space first.

Introducing him to the dog will also take time and patients since he is a feral. They are extremely scared.

Welcome to TCS and defintiely check out Caring for Strays and Ferals
for additional info on caring for these special feral babies.

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post #8 of 13
12/2/09 at 3:23pm
Hi there we're so happy to get the chance to welcome you and your gorgeous furfamily to TCS. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay with us - we're one great big family and you'll find loads of friends here. If I can help at all while you're finding your way around TCS just click on my username and send me a Personal Message - I'll do what I can to answer your questions
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post #9 of 13
12/2/09 at 4:28pm
Welcome to TCS !!!
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post #10 of 13
12/3/09 at 10:18am
Thread Starter 
thanks everyone! i woke up last night to Bro rubbing up against my face purring and i thought it was the cutest thing ever he is slowly starting to move around more. thanks for the tips, happy posting!
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post #11 of 13
12/3/09 at 1:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by broski View Post
purring and i thought it was the cutest thing ever he is slowly starting to move around more.
sounds like a nice kitty! welcome to TCS

you'll notice around here we mention a lot of name-brand products we generally love such as Cat Attract litter and Comfort Zone

we're here to help, most definitely
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post #12 of 13
12/3/09 at 2:02pm
If he's 1 1/2 years old and woke you up rubbing on your face, he wasn't feral.

But taking in a stray can be tough. You don't know their background. You don't know their fears or likes. And if they were feral, they are likely to hide most of the time.

So, as I say, it sounds like he wasn't truly feral, which means "wild." And cats like that, especially adults, can be almost impossible to tame

You're a brave and wonderful person to at least take on the task of providing a home for a homeless cat.

Cats are not dogs, and so, of course, you will have a learning curve. Please ask any questions if they occur to you.

Be especially careful to make sure the cat knows where his food, water, and litter box are, and that he can get to them at all times and feel safe doing so. Even one incident of the dog blocking him from his litter box can have very unhappy consequences over the coming years.
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post #13 of 13
12/5/09 at 5:13pm
Welcome,
It looks like you are already making progress with your new friend.
Please make yourself at home.
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