Spaying, litterbox, feeding, etc. questions about stray cat

silverpersian

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Hello,


I posted about a cat that has decided to live on my porch:


http://www.thecatsite.com/t/324157/how-to-care-for-found-cat-without-harming-indoor-cat



She has been there for over a week, does not wander, and is very affectionate. She is most likely a very recently abandoned pet.


I have an indoor cat and am very concerned about transferring diseases or parasites to him.



I took the new cat to the vet today and asked that they spay her (unless she is already spayed), run tests for FeLV, etc., and give her whatever vaccinations she needs. They will keep her for 24 hours after the spaying.



What do I do after that? I have never had a female cat, but I know that they require more care after spaying than a male cat does after neutering. Do I bring her back to the porch and keep her in the (borrowed) carrier? Do I get a big dog crate?



What then? Can she just be an outdoor cat? I can feed and water her. Will she need a litterbox? I would rather prevent her from eliminating in my yard, but on the other hand, I don't want a litter box greeting everyone at my door.



I have posted everywhere in hopes that she is a lost pet and have contacted all of our local shelters. None of them have room. Animal control will pick her up and euthanize her. I don't think I can handle being responsible for that.



Please help! I am really stuck here, and am sure that many of you have been in the same position.



Thanks.
 
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ondine

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A room to herself would be ideal - away from your resident cat.  She needs a couple of days to recuperate.  A large crate will do, although, again, she should be sequestered from the resident.

Think about keeping her inside.  You will need to keep her separate from your resident until she has been given a clean bill of health.  You can slowly introduce them and she can enjoy life as an indoor kitty.

If keeping her inside isn't possible,she can be an outside cat.  But you will need to provide her with shelter and food.  An area of sand in your yard is an excellent outdoor potty (I used a raised garden kit for mine and filled it with rocks, then stones, then sand).  My (former) outdoor cats preferred it to their regular litter box.  I scooped it just like a litter box.

If you have an outdoor structure (a shed or garage), you can put her things in there.  A bed, potty and maybe a cat tree will make her a cozy home.

Thank you for taking her in!
 
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silverpersian

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Thank you for the advice. She received a clean bill of health from our vet and has been treated for fleas and vaccinated. She will be spayed tomorrow.

I will keep her isolated and will introduce the cats gradually. Both of them are very sweet, so I don't expect trouble.
 
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silverpersian

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Thanks!
One more question: I just realized that I have to take a two-day business trip four days after bringing kitty home. My husband has surgery after that. I am concerned about how time-consuming it would be to acclimate the new kitty.

She seems really sweet and mellow, and we have a large bathroom where we could keep her completely isolated from our resident cat.

I just don't want to start something that could end poorly because of my wrong estimate of how much work it would entail.
 

Willowy

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Yeah, I'd just leave introductions until you get back. She needs a week or 2 to recover from the spay, or she might be too cranky to make friends. So just keep her in the spare bathroom until she's fully recovered and you have time to deal with everything. No hurry.
 
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silverpersian

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The kitty is back from spaying. I may have to rehome her in a short while, but I thought it would be better for her to recover in a familiar place.

She is doing very well and even ate up her pain relief pill along with her food and made my life very easy.

Thanks for all the advice!
 

ondine

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Very wise and kind of you to recuperate her in familiar surroundings.  She has enough to deal with without learning about a new home.  Hope your search for a new home is successful
 
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silverpersian

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I am wondering about how much to feed her.
Our vet estimates her age to be between 9 and 12 months. She weighs 6.5 lbs.

She was spayed on Thursday and seems to be doing very well.

She has been well-fed for ten days now. I don't know what was happening before then, because she just showed up.

I would appreciate advice on how much to feed her. I have read that kittens should be fed as much as they can eat, but I don't know if she still counts as a kitten.

She eats at least four times more than my 10 lb, three-year-old cat.

I started her out with canned food, then she got dried food for a few days at the vet, then I went back to canned, gradually decreasing the canned food and switching to raw - what I feed my resident cat.

I have fed her up to five times a day. I even tried little bone-in pieces today to slow her down. She always eats the food immediately and even licks the bowl. I'm beginning to wonder if she is overeating, and am worried that an overly full stomach might hurt her spaying incision.

What should I do? How much should indeed her?

Thank you in advance for the help.
 
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silverpersian

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Yes. She was dewormed, received flea treatment, vaccinated, and checked by our vet a week ago.

She doesn't have any symptoms other than eating what seems to be a lot. She does not seem to be in discomfort and is eliminating normally.
 
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talkingpeanut

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Yes. She was dewormed, received flea treatment, vaccinated, and checked by our vet a week ago.

She doesn't have any symptoms other than eating what seems to be a lot. She does not seem to be in discomfort and is eliminating normally.
I don't think she's overeating or in danger of hurting herself. What did you vet say about how much she should weigh?
 
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silverpersian

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Thank you for responding. I didn't think to ask. I will call and find out.

She seems pretty thin, but my resident cat is a Persian, so I am used to a lot more volume in a cat.

She finishes whatever I give her to eat, but lounges around looking fine afterwards.

Maybe she's just recovering from being hungry for a while?
 

talkingpeanut

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Thank you for responding. I didn't think to ask. I will call and find out.

She seems pretty thin, but my resident cat is a Persian, so I am used to a lot more volume in a cat.

She finishes whatever I give her to eat, but lounges around looking fine afterwards.

Maybe she's just recovering from being hungry for a while?
That's my thought. I would continue to feed her frequently for now.

Do you think you're going to keep her?
 
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silverpersian

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Thanks!
I would like to keep her permanently, but my husband hasn't come around yet. For now, we are keeping her until her spaying incision heals. I didn't want to risk adding stress by rehoming her.
 

talkingpeanut

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Thanks!
I would like to keep her permanently, but my husband hasn't come around yet. For now, we are keeping her until her spaying incision heals. I didn't want to risk adding stress by rehoming her.
Aw. I hope it works out. I'm sure your cat would enjoy having a buddy... After a possibly lengthy introduction.
 
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