Adopting a cat

Deiwos said:
Introducing a second cat usually does more harm than good. Our vet strongly discouraged us getting a second cat as cats are solitary hunters so usually want to be alone. The exception to that is usually with siblings.
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Then your vet is an ****.

We have been introducing cats of all ages into our house in ones and twos over the last four decades. We've always had between two and five at any one time. The ONLY issue we ever had was when we temporarily fostered my daughter's two cats - they and ours didn't get on particularly well but nothing too dramatic.
 
When I adopted two kittens (from the same litter), they were feral and needed house training etc so I was advised to put them in a large cage to start off with along with food and litter tray etc until they got used to the surroundings and being picked up etc.

We then walked them around the garden for a week using a harness so they could get used to everything and the smells etc.

I know there is a show us your cats forum but here are our two cats, Garfield and Daisy who would no longer be with us now if we did not rescue them from the field they were living in.

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Cat is here now but is terrified. He's buried himself in a corner and dug his claws into the carpet. :( I've put some food nearby but any movement near him and he starts to tremble. Can't actually get him into the living room where the litter tray is :( I feel terrible at the moment, poor mog is terrified!
 
Don't be too upset as it's a big thing for the wee mite he is bound to be scared. Just leave him alone and he will probably have a good explore tonight when your not around. He may also not eat for a couple of days so don't worry too much about that. As I said in my earlier post let him settle for a few days and then start trying to play with him and talking to him, also if he will let you near him let him have a good sniff of your hand.

Main thing is to just relax and not worry, good luck :-)
 
Living room may be too busy for him anyway,
If he's in a corner, cut a door in a cardboard box and pop it over him. Cats like to hide.
Obviously put the litter tray where the cat is...
 
M3G4UK said:
Cat is here now but is terrified. He's buried himself in a corner and dug his claws into the carpet. :( I've put some food nearby but any movement near him and he starts to tremble. Can't actually get him into the living room where the litter tray is :( I feel terrible at the moment, poor mog is terrified!
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As I said in my earlier post, get a dog cage big enough for the litter tray, cat bowl and the cat itself.

Place cat into the cage for a week until he/she gets used to you and it's surroundings.

http://www.petsathome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search_10601_dog+cage_-1_10551
 
Give them a box. Cats love boxes gives them somewhere to hide/feel safe if it all gets too much. Also has the benifit of being dark and enclosed while also allowing the cat the ability to move freely. Becomes their home until they're ready to take over the house.
 
I'll second not putting it in a cage, totally not necessary! Getting him a box to hide in is a good idea as cats do love hiding in them lol.
 
Have put a box on the stairs with some food and drink in it and a blanket. Have covered him in an old hoodie of mine and left him to it. Feel so guilty :(
 
We have a rescue cat - had her over three yrs now - We lost our two and I said we would never have another - the upset and distress of taking them to vet for final time did me in - However wife said can we have another cat - I agreed provided we had whatever cat had been in shelter the longest - Well we have this fat female cat with the shortest legs you have ever seen who fortunately has turned into a house cat - Less stress on us - She had been here a few days when she disappeared - we were blaming each other for letting her out - Then went in small bedroom and thought I heard a meow - called wife and sure enough meow - We have built in wardrobes on a corner and due to design there is a void in corner - Got a torch and mirror and sure enough there she was down back - Cue wife panicking - cue super Dave - I got her bed sheet - big soft sheet and tied up one corner with string - dropped sheet down gap and tied off string to wardrobe handle - then said come on let's have tea - 15 min later she came sauntering into lounge as if nothing had happened.

Dave
 
Some cats take to another cat being introduced, some don't - I've had both good experiences and "bad".

Generally speaking, I'd just let the cat have the run of the house, it will soon figure out what's what. When he's new he might have the occasional accident, but cats are pretty good at knowing where to go - changing his litter every day will help stop this happening. My Bengal had an accident on the bed in his first week but nothing after that. That's general advice actually - an indoor cat will happily use any soft furnishings if their litter isn't being changed regularly enough.
 
Don't be too concerned that the little guy is frightened, it's a lot to take in for them. Give him a quiet dark corner to hide in if he wants to. Don't try and push yourself on him and let him come to you.

When we got our boys the tabby was extremely timid, hissing at us and running away. Gave him a bit of space and tried not to do anything scary and he came around in his own time. You wouldn't think he was scared of us now though (little get is currently curled up in the crook of my arm and has just farted..). Although he still gets a little scared if someone knocks loudly on the front door and he's slowly getting used to visitors. But we think either he wasn't humanised very well or the kids where he came from were a little ott with him (not overly keen on being picked up or getting in his face). He loves cuddles, laps and face/chin rubs now though.

The black one has been bombproof since day one though, but he was born into a busy house of cats and dogs. I think this helped the other too, leading by example (although he got hissed at too first off).

IMG_0578 by -neilgates-
 
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M3G4UK said:
Thing is, what should I do when bringing him home? Has anyone here got experience of adopting cats? I have been reading up online and apparently the best thing to do is to put him in one room in the house and keep him there (in this case it'll be the living room) for a few days until he gets used to his new environment and just make sure he eats properly, uses the toilet etc. I will of course be giving him as much attention as possible, though I will have work on Monday :(
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Thats pretty much it, let him come to you rather than the other way around. When he feels less stressed out he'll come into his own.
 
Just hope he doesn't turn out like my dads cat, first time I went to stroke him he grabbed my hand with both sets of claws & sunk his teeth in. He'll be fine one minute then turn and attack you for no reason.
 
Use Quidco when getting your Sainsbury's insurance. I earnt £65 per policy when I took mine out.

My first cat was very frightened for about a month after coming to our home (which is why we called her Hidey). When I took in two more cats (brother and sister) they were fine, running around, playing and cuddling. Different cats react differently but once they get used to it they will be loving.
 
Iamzod said:
Just hope he doesn't turn out like my dads cat, first time I went to stroke him he grabbed my hand with both sets of claws & sunk his teeth in. He'll be fine one minute then turn and attack you for no reason.
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Then either you didn't approach it right or the cat has some deep rooted human trust issues.
 
Well turned all the lights off last night and he'd gone for an explore and has now moved to hiding in the bathroom. I've stuck all his food and litter tray in there. Looks like he had something to eat last night thankfully as the bowl looks a little emptier.
 
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