Hiya.

So my kitty is named Nigella (any UK people here will recognize where I got her name from). I adopted her February this year from a no-kill cat shelter which to be honest, was not the cleaniest of places. But nevertheless, the people there were really lovely and keep all cats that are unadoptable - either at home with them or they're given free rein of the shelter. Nigella (formerly Magic, but to be honest, that name did not suit this diva) was either a stray or someone's outside cat. She got pregnant and had her babies and was kicked out of whatever establishment she was in. So she ended up what the shelter called 'semi-feral' and was found by a volunteer looking worse for wear and showed signs of abuse. She stayed at the shelter for over a year, and the volunteers thought she would never like people so she was considered unadoptable. It was only in December 2012 that they realised that she'd really grown friendly and put her up on Petfinder which is where I found her in February.

She's the most skittish cat I have ever come across (she's my first cat that's not a family pet) but oddly, she can be clingy and likes to talk. Nigella turns 3 in September so she's still a young'un. She hates being picked up so it's a chore to get her into the carrier. I'm having trouble teaching her not to bite if she feels threatened (she's never actually bit anyone but makes those same motions). She's not particularly active and she doesn't like any of the toys we bought her nor boxes or paper (she's scared of a lot of things). It's taken a lot of work to get her to trust my grandfather and I, so I'm just thankful she isn't grouchy all the time.

I'm a slight worrywort (understated) and I have yet to find a vet that I really trust. For example, I just got back from a long vacation and she's finally come around last night. I found so many mats in her belly (she'll try to bite you if you come too close to her belly with a brush) and we have a grooming appointment scheduled for tomorrow. Expect me to be making threads over tiny issues because I tend to take her to the vet at the slightest sign of lethargy (I've had her for 5 months and have taken her to the vet at least 5 times with no real results because nothing was actually wrong with her!) so my bank account is worse for wear.

Hi. Wow, Nigella's one fluffy diva!!! And those eyes!   I hope she lets you close to that belly as long as there's no brush in sight, it looks like it would be fabulous to cuddle in to.     

Vets are really important, I only went to mine after checking out with pretty much everyone I knew who had a cat, and then going to check out the vet/practice and talk with them. Only then would I introduce the furbabies.  I also knew they treated cats including ferals for our local shelter and figured it was a good indicator of their being cat friendly and confident in handling +++.

Hope you find this site helpful, I've found loads of useful stuff, esp. on health. Be careful  it doesn't turn you in to a complete cat-hypochondriac though! 

Looking forward to seeing some fun stories about Nigella's antics. 

Aww, she's gorgeous!  Bless you for adopting her and welcome to TCS!

MServant said:

Hi. Wow, Nigella's one fluffy diva!!! And those eyes!   I hope she lets you close to that belly as long as there's no brush in sight, it looks like it would be fabulous to cuddle in to.   

Vets are really important, I only went to mine after checking out with pretty much everyone I knew who had a cat, and then going to check out the vet/practice and talk with them. Only then would I introduce the furbabies.  I also knew they treated cats including ferals for our local shelter and figured it was a good indicator of their being cat friendly and confident in handling +++.

Hope you find this site helpful, I've found loads of useful stuff, esp. on health. Be careful  it doesn't turn you in to a complete cat-hypochondriac though! 

Looking forward to seeing some fun stories about Nigella's antics. 

Click to expand...

I wish she had antics! She's a lazy kitty and nothing interests her. I really think her years as an outdoor cat have made her cynical about the adventures indoor cat life can bring. I don't have the ability to make her an indoor/outdoor cat (we live on the second floor of an apartment complex) so the poor thing will have to deal and learn to love the laser pointer.

I live in the smallest state in the US (ha) and all the nearby vets have either been the type who come in for 15 minutes and don't really do anything (much like human doctors in that regard!) or have charged crazy prices. I'm currently with a vet at a Banfield pet hospital in one of the Petsmarts, and the only real reason I'm staying is because the Banfield insurance is really comprehensive and the vet in question has done the paperwork/process for moving a pet overseas. I'm planning on taking Nigella with me when I move to the UK next year and that's a really slow and long process and I'm going to need some help along the way.

Thanks for your welcome and looking forward to seeing you around the site!

Little doubt of seeing me about, I only joined a couple of weeks ago and now addicted much to Mouse's dismay. He is not a lazy cat   , though getting a BIT quieter.  We know the joys of apartment living as I'm also in an upper floor flat.  Mouse's favourite game is chasing his biscuit food. He only eats it from his bowl if he has to.  He learned very quickly that toys only give so much pleasure and the chase is more satisfying if the catch is food.  He is a cat through and through.   Might work for your little diva  (There again you might have to starve her first and that would be a bit cruel!)?

Vets here in UK don't tend to come out, we have to go see them but still charge lots of money for the pleasure. If you move to a big town or city you should have a good choice though. God luck with the move, sounds complicated.