My New Friend!

My girlfriend and I found a cat yesterday! He's absolutely gorgeous. He's a super sweetie too! We've seen him a few times on the way out the door, but weren't sure if he had a home and was an outdoor cat. We talked to the neighbors and apparently he's the "neighborhood stray".

When I saw him yesterday he looked really lethargic and he was just looking at me so pitifully, I picked him up and gave him a can of tuna. Then upon further examination, I found that he had a couple of scratches on him. So we set him up in our "shed". It's like an additional room of our apartment that isn't connected to the house but has a window. We got some litter from the neighbor and I fed him some chicken and some more tuna.

At this point my girlfriend isn't too keen on the idea of having another pet yet. We have two dogs, hers and mine, and we just moved to this apartment a couple weeks ago, I haven't found a job yet, etc.

After some discussion we decided I would call the animal shelters around the area today and see what they suggested about getting him neutered and about possibly fostering him until they could take him.

When I called the first place they said the waiting list to take in strays was a MONTH long! The Lady said that in order to get him neutered now I'd have to bring him back in a month and unless we knew for sure we didn't want to adopt him they wouldn't do it. Then she suggested just leaving him outside and feeding him to make sure he comes back.

After calling around to different places, we've found a cheaper place than there. And my girlfriend is convinced we're going to keep him! After hearing what that lady said we were both just shocked and don't want to give him to an already overcrowded space.

Now, we just have to figure out how we're going to assimilate him into our apartment with our two dogs. The dogs seem to be excited to see him. No growling, no predatory glares, nothing like that. The cat seems to be relatively unfazed by the dogs. We just want to be safe. Does any one have any tips on how to prevent disasters? Any tips to make the process easier?

He used the makeshift litter box, our only concern is how to prevent spraying. That being said, Girlfriend wants him to remain in the "shed" until we get him neutered and the apartment fully unpacked and cleaned and ready for him. Is there anything we can spray or put down to discourage spraying? Are there any litters you would recommend avoiding? What kinds of boxes and or pans would be best to help him?

I apologize for the length of this post, we're just really concerned with helping him feel at home and learning to be a house cat after having free reign of the neighborhood. Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to reading responses!


- SticksAndBricks

Welcome to TCS and you will get great responses and suggestions here . Congratulations on your new friend!!! How nice of you to rescue this beautiful cat, would love to see pictures sometime. That just boils my blood about that shelter director saying to put the cat outside . Glad you didn't listen. I really hope this can work our for you and this wonderful kitty.

Let's see. First off I would suggest getting Cat Attract litter, at Petsmart or Petco. They will also have large, open cat litter boxes pretty reasonably. Get a scoop too . This will help attract him to the box right away. I would not use a hooded box, IMO. Some cats don't have any problems with hooded boxes, I just think they are too confining for most cats. Plus they can get ambushed by other cats upon leaving the hooded box. But you won't have to worry about that as you have only this one cat. Get some regular cat food now, dry and canned. There are some great lines of foods at these pet stores. And I would get him neutered asap. Don't wait. Call some local TNR organizations (Trap-Neuter-Release) and tell them the situation and that you will not be "releasing" this stray. He is a friendly too, not a feral cat. Some organizations will still be willing to help you out even though this is not a feral cat. There are also many, many low-cost spay/neuter clinics. You could google for that in your county too.

As far as the dogs go. They need to be completely separated when you first bring the cat indoors. The cat will need it's own space for a week. A bathroom, a small room, somewhere away from the dogs the first few days. The dogs will need to be trained NOT to chase or go after the cat in anyway. When you introduce for the first time, the dogs must be on leashes attached to choke collars and MUST be corrected upon the first glance at the cat, immediately. Don't feel sorry for the dogs, they will need to be respectful of the cat, always. You might even have to leave a long-line on each dog for a day or so and be prepared to stomp on the line and reel in and correct the dog for disobeying your voice commands to "leave it". Give the dogs treats for being good and obeying as well. If you do it this way, you should not have much trouble with them meeting nose to nose. And at that point, the cat might just take over and give them a feisty bop on the nose. Again, have them on the leashes in the beginning. Also, by doing it this way the cat will trust you completely if he sees you protecting him from the overbearing dogs in the beginning. You also might have to think about where to put the litter box so the dogs don't bother it and eat kitty poop ( to us, but it is a delicacy to dogs ) and so that the cat feels safe going in and out of the box without the dogs around.

Hope this helps a little, and I am sure other's will come along too and have some great suggestions as well.

Oh what a wonderful thing for you two to do! Yes, the overcrowding of shelters can be a real problem. Especially now, with the economy, and so many people having to move, or move back home, or give up their homes.... it's just heartbreaking. So this is a truly wonderful thing to do! to you both!

And seriously - what is wrong with people? Advising you just to put him back out - not neutered? A shelter worker? It really blows the mind.

I don't have dogs, but Feralvr does, so I can't help with that advice. I just know I've seen discussions of it here on TCS, and it's as she says - you must control the dogs (because you can't control the cat LOL).

Also, even though this is a sweet kitty who's obviously been inside before (or he'd be freaking out completely), cats are territorial, so I agree - when you bring kitty into your home, it is best to let the cat have its own space (and even a reasonably sized bathroom will do if you don't have another room you can close off from the dogs for a few days/a week or so). Kitty needs to make that space his territory - his safe space, and then be introduced to the dogs. After that, you can see how he's doing. It should be pretty clear whether he'll just become King of the Castle or whether he needs time to explore around.

It probably is best to wait until you're unpacked. And your girlfriend is right. Given that he's safe right now, it really is best not to bring him into your home (since you have that option) until he's neutered. Honestly, neutering is the main thing to stop the spraying.

The cat attract litter will definitely help though. You can also try feliway. The spray is cheaper (there is a plug-in kind of thing, like for human air fresheners), but you have to spray it every 2-3 days. Do NOT spray it near the litter box. This is an unscented thing that has synthetic pheremones in it. They mimic the "friendly" markers in cats' cheeks, and it discourages spraying/peeing outside the box, because it's the wrong "scent." Cats spray or pee outside the box for two main reasons: 1) to mark territory or 2) because there's a medical problem of some kind. The neutering removes the hormones that drive them to mark territory in the first place. But if your kitty ever pees outside the box in the future, once he's part of the family, you need to know that while it CAN be a behavior thing (stress related), it is almost always a medical problem. One of our cats peed outside the box because her teeth hurt - she needed a dental and a tooth extraction (took a while to figure that one out). So just a heads up on that.

The other thing you need to know (maybe you already do from the dogs, I don't know LOL) is that the ONLY way to clean up cat pee is with an enzyme cleaner. Nature's Miracle doesn't work very well, but you've probably seen it. You can now buy Nok Out on amazon - and if you can afford it, I really recommend it. (If he's spraying in your shed). The smell of his own pee will continue to encourage him to keep spraying, if he already has. So key to stopping spraying is COMPLETELY getting rid of the scent (to his nose) anywhere other than in the box.

Something else to consider, though you may already know by now. Cats that have been living outside aren't used to peeing and pooping in the same place. He may need two litter boxes. FYI, the rule of thumb is that you should have the same number of litter boxes as you have cats, plus one. Now, gazillions of people do not follow this rule. My DH and I are people that don't - we live in an RV and used to actively rescue cats. We kept the special needs kitties, and now have 8 living inside full time with us. We have room comfortable for 3 litter boxes, and they're so good about it, I get away with scooping mornings and evenings. But again, just information so you have it.

Oh! Since you're still moving in... You can take into consideration the fact that cats are VERY 3D. Having some vertical space for him that is either OK for him to use, or is HIS is a great idea. Cat trees, cat condos, even just putting up shelving on a wall instead of pictures. He's not a kitten... but as you don't know him or what he's like living inside, I would consider NOT having things you don't want broken out on shelves at first. Especially as he gets to know the dogs - he may want to go vertical, and not pay attention to that vase your Aunt Mabel gave you that was handed down from her grandmother or something.

Have either of you had cats before? Because they are completely different than dogs. I grew up with a dog, and never really knew any cats until one adopted us. So if you want some differences pointed out, we can do that.

Ummmm.... one last thought. His pee stinks right now. That will go away when he's neutered. It will take a few days to a few weeks, but to ensure he uses the litter box, it really is best to use unscented litter. I know that's not an attractive idea right at the moment, but when those hormones are gone, his litter box won't smell if you keep it scooped.

Sorry! Just wanted to agree with Lauren. Google "low cost neuter" and then try your town, your county, or a larger town/city near you. There ARE places where low-cost neutering is hard to get to or far away... but if you're in a reasonably suburban area or even semi-rural area, you should be able to find something.

We're here for pictures (hint, hint), updates, or questions. And if you want help searching for low-cost neutering, just post your county and state, or send the information via private message. Happy to help!

I know, I keep saying one last thing. My understanding is that dogs eat cat poop because it smells like pure protein. Cats are carnivores, and their foods are primarily meat (especially if you get decent cat food). So the dogs often not only like their food, they like their poop. Of course - cats can be fed "up" where the dogs can't get to their food, and, if you set it up correctly (although it may be a PIA for you to scoop it if you do this), cats are perfectly happy to use a litter box that's up on something.

When you rescue, sometimes you wind up with cats that don't exactly like each other. There's a member of TCS whose cat moved on to the headboard (a large cabinet kind of thing) of their bed. So they put a box up there. Someone else rescued a feral cat that got loose in their home and fled up to the rafters (cathedral ceilings). Couldn't get the cat down. So put a box up there (and food and water. The cat lived in the rafters for two years before coming down, if I remember the story correctly). The cat, of course, was named Rafters.

Welcome to the Forums!

Seconding my distinguished collegeues, I want to add.

Good you took him in when he was hungry and "a little down the weather". So he felt clearly you did helped him. It makes his acceptance of you quicker. He is prob dumped so he would come around anyway, but this works also with semiferales.

Litter: If you can get these special litters mentioned, good. If not, begin with some no nonse cat litter, perhaps made of clay. No parfymed variations.
If he dont knows how to use the litter, lay in some dirt (earth) from outside. So it will dawn on him.

Smell/spray. If he isnt very territorial, dominant male, the smells will go out of him rather quickly after the spaying. May lessen even during a week.
A fully adult, dominant, aggressive male usually takes longer...

Dogs. Them looking neutral and friendly sounds promising*. So the intro shouldnt be too difficult. Dogs are family / pack oriented. If the newcomer is accepted by the leaders, and apparently now belonging to the family, they accept the newcomer. Another reason not rushing things.
But, no point taking any risks, so do as Feralvr recommends. Especielly as the cat prob had bad experiences with loose dogs. So it is extra important the cat feels safe, sees the dogs are constrained, and has plenty of places to fly to in necessary.
DONT even let them meet before vet check up, deworming, some quarantine.

*last, the exception. Non aggressive looks is usually promising, but there is one exception, Less experienced dog people may miss it: If they dogs see the cat purely as prey, they will of course not threaten it nor interact with it. They will just eat it.
You dont talk with food, nor even is abusive. You just do what should be done, right?


Good luck!

Thank you all for such speedy replies!! He's doing well. He's eating, drinking, going to the bathroom. He loves going right after I clean the box, it's almost like he's holding it until I clean the box. Even if there's only one thing in there. Speaking of that, his pee isn't clumping at all. I have two types of litter, the new stuff we bought and the stuff from the neighbors. Neither is clumping! It covers his deification when he buries it, but not his urine. Has this happened to any of you before?

We've done brief smells through a baby gate with the dogs. All parties seemed okay. We're still being cautious that no one gets too close. The dogs greet him like they do when we come home! It's almost like they're excited for a brother!

He's still very social. He's slowly getting more vocal. He's a bit camera shy! I kept trying to take a picture and he would turn! I'll get one probably this weekend. He jumped on my lap several times today. He's content to lay in my arms for maybe thirty seconds at a time. He made his first escape attempt today.. I think he's just not used to being cooped up. It made me sad, but it's understandable considering his history.

Anyways, once again, thank you all for your responses! They've been very helpful and I'll be sure to update you more as things progress. And try to get him to let me take some pictures!

He may actually be holding it until you clean the box. He's used to going outside where there isn't already a pee or poop in there. And we have several kitties that like to "christen" the clean litterbox.

But that's great news on all fronts!

On the not clumping thing... we've had that happen. I would have thought there was something wrong with the litter, but it clumped for some of the cats' pee and not one of them. It smelled very strong like ammonia, so I just added more water to everyone's food (I feed a number of wet meals a day and mix some water into it to make sure they all stay well hydrated). I thought maybe the ammonia smell meant someone was a little dehydrated (thus the urine was more concentrated), and perhaps that was somehow the problem? I don't really know. But no one was sick, so I don't know what the difference was. It was like that until I put new litter in there. Maybe just try a different brand of clumping litter.

As for the being cooped up thing... does he play with toys? Do you have any interactive ones? And the window in the shed - there's something there he can lie on to easily watch out the window?

It's great that he loves pets - he seems like a sweet and happy guy. But he may be getting bored, so a few really good play sessions every day may help. The best interactive wand toys (do not leave them in there where he has access to them or he may eat the string) are da Bird and Neko Flies. Our "bug" lovers go NUTS for the Karantula and Kragonfly ends of the Neko flies, and we have one cat that absolutely bonks for the "rabbit tail" end of the da Bird, most go crazy for the little mouse attachment on da Bird, and almost all of them go completely insane for the feathers end of da Bird. I think everything's available at amazon.

I don't know how long he's been outside or how long it's been since he played with toys. He may actually be scared of them at first. It's best to set it down and let him inspect it. Then just make it wiggle a little bit on the floor and see how he reacts. But most cats that have been living outside don't do a lot of playing with toys that just lie there (like little furry mice or balls or whatever). They need the movement to engage them.

YAY . I love good reports. Does he have a name? I wonder if the litter was NOT clumping litter at all. You don't have to use clumping litter but then you would have to dump and scrub the box every week and replace with all new litter. With clumping litter, you just add more as the litter starts to get low. You still should to scrub the box out at least once a month or so.

That is so typical of many cats in regards to using the box right after you clean it out. I keep my boxes very, very clean (scoop many times a day ) because my cats love a clean box. When I dump and scrub boxes every month to six weeks, they all are waiting to "christen" the fresh, new litter .

I am so glad to hear how good your dogs are being too. This is going to work out just perfect for you. YAY I am happy for you and this cat. He is one lucky boy. Ca n't wait to see a picture