Hissing kitty / Other issues

[seabear]

Hello everyone. This is my second post to the site and one of the reason I joined this site. I am a first time cat owner but not my first time around cats. I adopted my cat Uno who has been through a lot of trauma and I'm not sure how to get Uno to stop hissing at my girlfriend and I. I understand that it will take time for Uno to gain our trust. He constantly runs away from us but does come out while we are around. The more I read in to better caring for this cat he sounds more like a feral cat. He has all the traits. He has never attacked us but he does hiss as mentioned. We kind of have a list of things we are trying to figure out. Side note, my girlfriend has had 2-3 cats over her time.

About Uno: 11 month old male cat. Black domestic. One eye. had for about a month.

1. The Hissing. 

How should we combat this? I want him to feel like this is home and not be afraid of us.

2. Litter box issues.

He uses his litter box to poo. However, I think its to small. I feel like he just walks in that goes then backs out because its all at the front of the box and uncovered. Very smelly. I have made a new litter box for him out of a 20 gallon tote. So when i start using this I was wondering ultimately what liter to use. I think he has sensitive paws and that's the reason he doesn't cover.

Litter box I made is similar to this: 
3. Sensitive stomach

I was told by the Friendship APL(Where we got Uno) that he does better with grain free food. His stomach has been upset though with the food because I assume its not the same as the shelter because the shelter took donation foods. I use True Blue/Blue Buffalo(http://bluebuffalo.com/for-cats/product-lines/wilderness-cat-food/). Any suggestion on a better diet?

I just want to make sure I am giving the best for this cat. He suffered so much 

Uno_1.jpg

• seabear
• Jun 9, 2015

 

[Anne]

Hello and again, welcome 

I remember reading Uno's story here. I think you and your girlfriend did a wonderful thing taking him in.

Uno came from a very troubled background indeed. Being one of 144 cats in a hoarding situation means he's had very little socialization if any at all. I think your assessment is probably accurate and he can be considered feral in that respect. In fact, I'm surprised the shelter adopted him out like that without letting you know this was the case.

The good news is that there is a good chance that you'll be able to socialize Uno and he can turn into a very affectionate pet cat. It's going to take time and a LOT of patience but can be extremely rewarding. Here are a couple of links with useful information - 

10 Essential Tips for Living with a Shy Cat is not about feral cats per se but pretty much all of the advice given there is relevant to your situation, so do read it. This thread about socializing feral cats has a lot of good advice too. 

Litter and litterboxes is a huge issue so it's great that you're paying attention to his reactions and trying to create a good setup for Uno. We have some great resources on choosing the right litterbox and litter. Due to his background, I would seriously consider two litterboxes instead of one, at different locations and with slightly different setups. What makes you think he has sensitive paws, by the way? He's not declawed, is he?

Choosing The Right Litterbox

Choosing the Right Cat Litter

As for feeding him, I think posting a separate thread in the nutrition forum may be a good idea. There are many  threads there trying to discover what the best cat food out there is. I strongly believe that there is no one type that's good for all cats, be it dry, wet or homemade. Whichever food you switch to, in Uno's case, I would suggest doing it gradually, by offering two types of food one next to the other, or by gradually mixing a new type into the previous one you were trying. Too many changes may be too stressful for him at this point.

Choosing The Right Food for Your Cat and you  is a good article to start with, and you may also find these useful - 

What Makes the Best Canned Cat Food?

Choosing the Right Dry Cat Food

There are more interesting articles about feline nutrition and feeding in the Health and Nutrition Articles section. You can also check out the Cat Food Reviews section to see which brands our members like (and dislike), and if you're looking for more advice, the nutrition forum is the place to ask for it!

Thank you for your commitment to Uno. He has been through a lot and a loving stable environment is just what he needs. Let us know how he's doing and do ask as many questions as you need to. That's what TCS is all about 

 

[seabear]

Thanks for the reply and all the helpful information.

About his paws, he doesn't cover up his waste in the liter box. We are in the process of switching to a dust free organic litter and mixing to the new one every few days. Another thought aside for sensitive paws that I had is that maybe he wasn't taught well or at all to cover. All I can do is speculate. There are a lot of unknowns I have to work with. It is very, very frustrating for me to figure all of this out but I am working through it the best I can. Also, he is not declawed.

About declawing...We were thinking about front paw declaw. I know some people feel strong about declawing cats but I think we still may do it. We have been reading reviews for different clinics around us and are making sure we choose the right place. We are not going to do standard declaw but lazer declaw. From what I read is that it is more expensive but way more safe and less discomfort for the cat.

Thank you again for the advice. I am just trying to give this cat everything he deserves.

 

[Anne]

Chances are he's never had litter or a place to bury his feces. He may still pick up on it. All it takes is successfully pawing at it randomly for the instinct to kick back in. Of course, it may not happen either. If that ever becomes an issue, an automatic litterbox may be a solution.

Like you said, declawing is a hot topic. I live in Israel and in my country it's simply illegal (as it is all over Europe), and for good reason. Laser or otherwise, it's going to be very painful and stressful, and would rob Uno from something which he really needs as a cat: the ability to scratch surfaces. Scratching surfaces serves multiple needs in a cat, one of them being stress relief, which in his case is very important. Is there a particular reason for considering declawing? Perhaps we can help you find solutions to any problems which you think may be caused by his claws?

 

[Columbine]

Chances are he's never had litter or a place to bury his feces. He may still pick up on it. All it takes is successfully pawing at it randomly for the instinct to kick back in. Of course, it may not happen either. If that ever becomes an issue, an automatic litterbox may be a solution.

Like you said, declawing is a hot topic. I live in Israel and in my country it's simply illegal (as it is all over Europe), and for good reason. Laser or otherwise, it's going to be very painful and stressful, and would rob Uno from something which he really needs as a cat: the ability to scratch surfaces. Scratching surfaces serves multiple needs in a cat, one of them being stress relief, which in his case is very important. Is there a particular reason for considering declawing? Perhaps we can help you find solutions to any problems which you think may be caused by his claws?

Please don't declaw Uno. It's very likely to cause as many (or even more) problems that it solves. Softpaws claw covers are the humane alternative - please consider those instead. In time, you may find that simply trimming his claws is sufficient. I understand that that's probably a goal you'll have to work towards, but it can be done.

In the meantime, so long as Uno has plenty of 'allowed' scratching surfaces (scratching posts, scratching pads, cat trees, cardboard scratchers etc) then there really shouldn't be a major issue with inappropriate scratching. If he is scratching more than you'd like at the moment, remember cats have scent glands between their toes, so he's marking the place as well as scratching.

On the poop burying - I've recently taken in a cat who had been living as feral for some time. She absolutely understands a litterbox, but never covers afterwards. My other cat (who I've had from kittenhood) is hit and miss when it comes to covering. That's just how some cats are. I just take it as a gentle reminder to scoop the box again

Uno's lucky to have found a family so determined to do right by him

 

[seabear]

We were going declaw his front paws because he scratched the couch side but now that you remind that he has the scent glands in paws it makes sense. It is by were he always sits and feels safe in the "open". I mean open as in visible. We have looked into the claw covers too. I just don't know how viable that is yet sense we can't touch him. I know to punish him would be bad at this time because it would be a step back in our trust. He does have a few scratching post. Maybe we will reconsider the declawing.

 

[Columbine]

Can you put a scratching post right by the side of the couch that he scratched? Placement really can make all the difference. If he's got somewhere great to scratch in the same area then he might well leave the couch alone (especially if you put sticky paws anti scratch pads on the couch itself). So much better for Uno to decide for himself that the couch isn't a great place to scratch.

In Uno's case, I think the softpaws would mean a vet visit and sedation, but that's far less traumatic (not to mention cheaper) than a full blown operation.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/problem-scratching-and-how-to-stop-it

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-furniture

 

[seabear]

I did put a scratcher up and covered that problom spot with a blanket it. You can see the post in my picture above. I have printed out a lot of the stuff you all recommended for my girlfriend to read too. She isn't the internet/forum reader like I am.