Can I just rave about our new kitty???

We got Ripley on Thursday and I know it is early days yet, but he is so great!!! He is so polite. I just don't know any other word to describe it. He is curious and friendly and very patient with the kids. My youngest likes to hug him and he will stand there a few minutes and then kind of gently disentangle himself and walk away.

He is playful too, but not bouncing off the walls. He does his own thing, but then comes for lots of petting and wanting to hang out with you. If he thinks you're doing something interesting, he goes trotting after you down the hallway. He is also more talkative than any of my previous cats. He kind of trills at you, like he's asking a question. It's very endearing.

Ripley is not like Reilly, in that he doesn't want to just hang out on my lap, but Ripley is very sweet, too. I wasn't sure how it would be with another cat and if I would compare him to Reilly all the time, but I'm so glad Ripley chose us as he seems to fit with our family so well!!! My husband even really likes him.

Any ideas of how we can get him used to a harness so he can hang out in the back yard with us? Also, what kind of harness do you get? I've seen several styles at the store and several sizes??? Ripley is a very long, lean cat.

congradulations on ripley. he sounds great! a good way to get a kitty used to a harness is to put it on them for a few minutes at a time each day and just let them get used to walking around in it. only leave it on a few minutes so they don't get scared of it, but be sure to try it several times a day. once he is used to that, add the leash to that and let him walk around the house ( supervised) with the leash on to get a feel for it. after a few times, he should be ready to go outside. I like the harnesses that are similar to a little shirt with holes for their feet- they are easier to get on a kitty than a strappy one. as far as size goes, measure around the kitty's torso, chest, and neck and take the measurements with you when you go to shop for a harness. most pet stores will let you exchange or return a harness that doesn't fit- i know petco, petsmart, and superpets all do.i suggest putting your kitty on a feline flea treatment and making sure it's fully vetted and dewormed before introducing it to the outdoors. also, if you have a garden, be sure to check out the aspca's list of toxic and non-toxic plants on their website so ripley doesn't accidently ingest something he shouldn't. www.aspca.org has the list posted. good luck and let me know if you need anything else.

He LOVES the outdoors and wants to go out all the time! We all went out and we thought we'd let him out on the porch and the yard, since it is fenced. I never dreamed, especially the first time around, that he would take off, but he got through a small hole in the corner of the fence and was on our neighbor's driveway in a nanosecond. So, until I get him harnessed trained, I won't be letting him outside!!!! We have a lot of stray cats in our neighborhood, not to mention dogs, so I don't want him to get hurt or killed!

Now he is crying by the door because he wants out! I have never had a cat that really wants outside. My kids are in and out of the house all the time. Any tips to keep him from running out all the time??? Since he is new, I don't want him to run out the door and get lost. Time to get a collar with our name, number and please return me on it, huh?

The rescue said they found him as a stray but it was obvious he had been someone's housecat since he is so good with people and very polite and well mannered. Now I know why. He wasn't fixed and probably took off on his original owners too! He is fixed now.

anyway, any tips or helps would be much appreciated! Thanks!!!

What an awesome story!! Sounds like a great match was made!!

Stephanie