Help Please: Novice Seeks help With Shelter Cat

I don't have any advice to add to what's already posted, but did want to say that I commend you for giving this cat a home and taking the time to learn about responsible care and understanding their behavior. You'll both benefit from this. She sounds like a very sweet cat. I was in much the same position as you when I adopted my first cat, Katie, many years ago. I'd grown up with dogs had no experience with dogs. As a small kitten, Katie's behavior surprised and frustrated me at times, but we made it through and she grow into an affectionate, fun, loyal companion. I've never run across anyone who thought black cats were bad luck. That's such a ridiculous, outdated superstition. I've heard that in some cultures, black cats were considered good luck. I personally find them to be among the most beautiful and mysterious of cats and hope to have another black cat some day. I just want to encourage you to continue to follow the great advice you're receiving here and be openminded and patient as your relationship with your cat develops. It's so worth it! Good luck!

Originally Posted by HFK

I also bought some treats, in the hope that it might help to bring her out of her shell. She didn't take to the first type I gave her, didn't seem interested in it at all. I bought several types, hopefully she'll like one of them.

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A trick I found with treats (after having had many finicky felines) is the first ingrediant needs to be a meat protein. Otherwise there won't be enough meat in it for them to be interested (stemming from the carnivore). Surprisingly most treats (like Pounce, etc) have lets say "Chicken Flavor." The word flavor is a trigger to tell you that there is no actual chicken in it. I read an article about keywords on labeling and can't remember the specifics (I think "With Chicken" is better). But nothing beats just looking at the label.

One of my cats (Clover)does not like crunchy treats, only soft, and chicken has to be the first ingrediant. I think Purina One has a hairball treat that suits him.

Another of my cats (Hope) does not like treats and I honestly think she only eats because she has to. She is play driven. But over the last year I have discovered a few weak spots with her too. She looooves catnip, not to play with or roll in (well yes she likes that too) but to eat right out of the container! She loooves the taste of catnip and being that its a type of mint it can be good for the tummy. Her other soft spot is those tuna flakes. You can find one called Tuna Flakes at Petsmart/co. The other one is Kitty Kaviar (same thing) which can be found in smaller stores. They stink which cats are smell driven when they eat (hence a stuffy nose can put them off the food, if they don't smell it, they don't eat it, smell drives hunger). So you can sprinkle this over food or give it as a treat, never seen a cat not like them.

None of my cats like freeze-dried treats, don't know why.

So those are my personal observations of what the kitties like. Autumn adores Greenies. I don't know why... Cats are pick . But she may also be the type of kitty that dosen't care, a treat is a treat to some cats.

Originally Posted by HFK

Now that's something that I didn't know: I thought that cat's were independant, and thus not neccesarily connected to a person's routine. Interesting, I'll keep that in mind.

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You will find as an indoor kitty she will craft her schedule around you. She will sleep while you are at work and be wide awake to greet you when you come home. Once they establish a schedule they dont' like to change it. So on the weekends our cats still sleep during the day when we should be gone, and play all evening while we should be home, even though we are home all day. Cats are independant but you will learn what that actually means as you live with her. She dosen't NEED you to be there, but she will prefer it. They also do not thrive off of heirarchy like a dog. A dog needs status of some kind, even if its the bottom. If you have multiple cats, a heriarchy will form but its not always obvious, nor is it enforced a whole lot amongst themselves. You certainly don't figure into their heirarchy like a dogs pack would assimilate you.

Originally Posted by HFK

Have any of you noticed a general fear of, or superstition against, black cats? It's still the twentyfirst century, isn't it?

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I'm a little surprised by this as well... I never knew the superstition still existed, but maybe its ingrained in people subconsiously. Green eyes are breath-taking in a cat. She sounds gorgeous.

Keep reading TCS, you will learn so much.

You remind me of me when I brought home Smidge last year. I had had cats my whole life but they had always just appeared in my life and I just let them do what they wanted. Smidge was my first real adopt from a shelter.

I take pet ownership v. seriously so I got attached to this site right away. It was hard for me to adjust to a cat who was skittish and not confident. I'm pretty sure she was abused at one point, then thrown away, and had a crippling injury as a stray with NO ONE taking care of her (imagine being alone and being unable to walk) . She's v. sweet and v. cute so the fact that she didnt have a home was mind boggling.

I gave her plenty of space, waited for her to come to me on her terms, established a routine right away, and consistently "disciplined" her when necessary. (For instance, she was a major finger biter when on my lap. I would say NO and remove my hands. If she was biting my toes and arms or whatnot, I left the room for a few minutes). Cats do not have a desire to please us, whereas dogs reportedly do. That is a major different to keep in mind.

I use treats for reward/training only. I think it is a good idea not to treat just 'cause they are there and we love them I give her one after a good play session, so she has a protein reward after her prey hunting (like she would in the wild). She also gets one after a brushing - took months for her to warm up to brushing.

All cats have their own ideas about play. You found one she likes - great! Keep in mind too some cats get bored with a toy but will warm up again if it is taken away for awhile. This is why ppl suggest rotating toys.

I'm partial to black cats after having one as a child. Black with green eyes sounds v. pretty. We encourage picture posting around here The only name suggestion I have right now: Hazel. I think it fits with her coloring.

Hazel is nice, Jewel would be a great green eyed lady name too.

Grats on your new cat, and you are already doing the single most important thing you can for her, learning.

Yay! I'm so glad you are both doing better.

She definitely needs a name. I can understand why a single guy doesn't want to be introducing his cat as Miss Priss...

For a cool name, I would suggest reading up on some Greek gods. There are lots of neat names on this site Greek Cat Names

Once she's named she'll start to identify you with that sound and you'll both be happier. It still tickles me when I say "Tak!" and my cat will look over.

Originally Posted by Arlyn

Jewel would be a great green eyed lady name too.

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Thanks for giving me the idea for the name: I've picked "Jewel", but with a twist. My Grandmother was named Jewel, but my Grandfather, who liked to give everyone, including his wife, nicknames, pronounced it with a Spanish "J": "Hool".

My Grandmother was really something else: I don't think about her enough, and this will help remedy that.

Thanks Arlyn

Things are improving drastically. She's finally begun to wander about a bit outside the Bedroom, and even comes over and sits next to me now and then. She's still very skittish, and will scamper back to the bedroom if spooked (or if she thinks I am going to chase her which, by the way, I'm no longer doing). She's also beginning to make more sounds, which is interesting. So it looks like everything's going to be just fine.

I want to thank everyone here for their patience and understanding. I'm sure that some of you must have thought "what an idiiot" but you were generous enough to be freindly and kind. You've all been very, very helpfull.

Glad things are working well for you and her

For the record though, the only idiots I know of are those that don't ask questions

So glad that you and Jewel are making progress!! When I first adopted my Callie, 8 years ago, I had no clue about cats! Just the fact that you're committed to her is so encouraging.

My Callie was a stray and is still, to this day, a skittish kitty. She's not particularly fond of being picked up and will only stand it for about 30 seconds, so the not wanting to be picked up may have absolutely nothing to do with you, but something from her past. If I move too quickly, it'll startle her and she'll dart into another room. Again, I've never hurt her or even threatened her, so I'm sure this is from her past. This could be true with your kitty also.

Just take it nice and slow, let her set the pace, and you'll soon be inseparable.

Stephanie

Here's a picture of Jewel in her favorite place.

Oh my - she's beautiful! I think you're starting to get it.. I think you're going be hooked, I think you already love her and just don't know it yet!

Hi! And welcome to TCS! I don't have any other advice than what the others have given you. Although I do know what it is like to have a picky girl who won't eat much!

Your girl looks like a Kaiya to me (she's beautiful! I personally love black cats)- don't know why that comes to mind. I'm glad things are going well for you.

Interesting thread to be sure! Glad everything seems to have been worked out.

Had to comment about finding the kitty in the litterbox the first night. Was it covered by chance? Same exact thing happened to Miss Kitty when I brought her home from the shelter - in my case, I believe it was because she thought that was where she belonged. She had the run of the house from the first day, but that's where she went to sleep - she had been in a cage for so long I think that's what she thought it was.

Good for you for getting an adult cat as well. Baby kitties are so cute, but it's so much harder for an older cat to find a loving home.

MKD

Aw! She's so nice!

Great picture of her as well. I can't blame her... that would be my favourite spot too!

"She's still very skittish, and will scamper back to the bedroom if spooked (or if she thinks I am going to chase her which, by the way, I'm no longer doing). "

Smidge was that way too, but I noticed gradual improvement weekly.
She's been with me one year - and I can definately say she is v. secure and "owns the place". Patience and kindness go a long with a loving kitty who has had some bad luck.

Jewel is a great name, and she is v. pretty.

First of all, congratulations on your adoption. I also adopted an adult shelter cat late last year. She was approximately four years old as well.

She immediately went under the bed and stayed there for several days, only coming out to use the bathroom or eat. We just left her alone and gave her time to get used to her surroundings and she was just like a normal cat in not time.

She is now a beautiful, healthy cat who loves attention and is almost inseparable from us. She sleeps on our bed every night, and usually stays in the same room we are in.

Time is the key, and most of us seem to forget that these shelter cats have been thru hell. Imagine how bad their lives may have been before the shelter, and then imagine being shoved into a small metal cage that is surrounded by other scary animals! I think they are in shock when brought to a good home and they are probably wondering if this it's too good to be true!

She is a beautiful cat, I read through all the posts and it sounds like you guys are adjusting well. I've been around cats all my life and have always been fond of them. I've found them to be truly wonderful companions.

My husband was not fond of cats until he met me and my Cody (God rest her soul). And now we've fostered 5 little kittens and found them homes and have two furbabies as you can see from my signature.

I hope your relationship with Jewel continues to grow.

I'm a pragmatic sort of cat lover myself--cats are companions who share your house... roommates, friends, playmates... There's nothing wrong with dropping the baby talk! A relationship with a cat need not be "Oooh, don't I wuv my wittle kitty all to pieces!!"... just a fond, affectionate friendship is fine!

The best thing you can do for a cat--which I see you are already doing--is to try to understand and communicate with her. Once you can "speak Cat" (by this I mean understanding body language, tail flicks, mews, etc., and being able to get your ideas across to your cat--despite your lack of a tail!), you'll find your relationship with your cat becoming much more congenial.

She's a beauty!! Looks like she's got some patches of orange, which makes her a tortoiseshell, tortie for short. Does she have a lighter patch of hair on one side of her face? I have a tortie and she's been a wonderful companion for the past 9 years I've had her!!

Have you decided on a name for her yet? When we adopted our little kitty last year, we batted around several names, then the right one just "hit" us!

Stephanie

I think he said he named her Jewel...