Hello From Virginia

[Kiaragah]

Hi y'all!
I'm Gabby and my cat's name is Zack. I also have a bunny named Murky.

I got Zack very recently. I started noticing him wandering around my neighborhood about 2 weeks ago. One of my neighbors had just moved out, and I'm pretty sure that they had a cat, so I'm guessing that they left him when they moved (grr!). I felt bad for him, so I left some leftover chicken out for him after the second time I saw him, and he immediately started hanging around my house exclusively (imagine that, lol). He's so friendly and super cuddly, and I fell in love immediately. After a few days, I started letting him stay inside, so I guess I have a cat now. Cat and bun are getting along great, so yay!

I'm really here because I know next to nothing about cats and I was hoping y'all could answer a few questions.
1. I've noticed Zack wheezing a few times after we've been playing. It's noting dramatic, just a few breaths that sound a bit strange. Should I be worried?
2. I have Zack set up with 2 small bowls, water and food, but over the last 2 days, he's been flipping them over and getting food/water all over. Any clue why or how to stop it?
3. Do cats regulate their own food intake or do I need to control how much food I give him? I've been putting about 1/4 cup dry food and 3 tbsp wet food in his bowl 3 times a day.
4. Does he need a cat tree? Finances are a bit tight, so I'm hesitant to shell out $40-$50 on a cat tree, but I will if he needs it.

Thanks for all of your help and sorry for asking so many questions!

 

[mightyboosh]

There will be folks soon giving the info you asked for but in the meantime, a warm welcome to the site to you and your cute family.
And, it's the law on here that you post zillions of photos of the fluffy ones.

 

[Kiaragah]

There will be folks soon giving the info you asked for but in the meantime, a warm welcome to the site to you and your cute family.
And, it's the law on here that you post zillions of photos of the fluffy ones.

Thanks, I'm glad to be here. I don't think I'll have any problem following these laws, haha!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Welcome! So glad you could join all of us. This is a great community of cat lovers. Thank you for taking in this beautiful cat. See you around!

 

[tabbytom]

Gabby, Zack and Murky, on behalf of The Catsite community, a warm

to you all.

So glad that you’ve joined this site and you are in the right place for all things cat and this site is loaded with tons of rich resources and you’ll find friendly and helpful cats around and many of our cats are very knowledgeable in cat related stuffs.

Thank you taking Zack in and for giving him a warm and fur-ever loving home He's a cute boy!

Do post more photos of him for us to see and we have a special thread here just for him in :- show-me-your-stripes-and-spots-tabby-cats-only.347378 and many fun thread here in :- fur-pictures-and-videos-only.29 to showcase what your kitty's up to.

New Here? I Have A Few Suggestions For You!
Community Guidelines & Practices - Frequently Asked Questions
Forum Rules
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Feel free to ask questions if you have any and start a new thread of your own and post them under the appropriate forum headings and do check out the many informative articles we have here in Articles | The Cat Site and do sign up for our Newsletter :- newsletter-subscription-tutorial.33873 so that you may be informed what goes on in TCS.

 

[aliceneko]

Welcome to you and your furry family!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Welcome to you, Zack and Murky! You've come to the right place for questions on All Things Cat! I'd suggest that you post your questions individually in the forums so that all of the answers won't run together in your mind!

Question #1, Cat Health
Questions #2 & 4, Cat Behavior
Queston #3, Cat Nutrition

Also, take a look at those articles! LOTS of information there!

 

[Maria Bayote]

Hello there, Zack and Murky! Welcome to TCS!

Such cuties you got there

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS.
Zack is a cutie pie. Thanks for taking him in.

Murky, the bunny, is cute too. @Kieka also has a bunny, who is named Peter. Peter has his own link, if you want to take a look.
Found Rabbit

Here's a TCS article called Cats And Small Furries which also briefly mentions rabbits, so you might want to check it out.

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! I'm glad you joined the site and came here for advice. We have a plethora of feline information and supportive members to help guide you with your new kitty, Zack. Thank you for rescuing him in and giving him a forever home. Murky is pawsitively precious and I'm glad to hear they enjoy each other's company.

 

[Purrrfectttales]

I would get him set up with a vet appointment to check on the wheezing during exercise. My cat does this too and hasn't been diagnosed with anything serious yet (thank goodness). He might be flipping over the food and water bowls because some animals have an instinct to cover their food after they finish to save it for later. You might try just feeding as much he will eat in one sitting. Place the water bowl inside the bathtub or something waterproof so if it spills its no big deal. I think eventually he will probably stop flipping the water bowl.

A cat tree would be a good thing to save up for. Cats love to climb, perch, and scratch. Giving him outlets for that will help save your furniture. You can get a basic scratching bench on amazon for like $6-7. I buy those for my foster kittens.