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For a few years we've kicked around the idea of getting a pet. The kids and I want a cat. Aussie is ok with it. The Hawaii Humane Society just sent out a plea for fosters or adopters since they're running out of space. I hate to say it, but it is PCS season (permanent change of station) so a lot of military folks abandon or turn their pets in claiming they cannot take their pets to the mainland. So since we've decided to stay here in HI, now is a good time to do it.
It's been years since I had a cat. I think I remember what we'll need (litterbox, food, scratching post/tower) and I know how to get the cat acclimated to the house. But I've never had to get a cat used to people. My cat, Shadow, was a friend's that I took in when he couldn't afford to keep it. Shadow already knew me, so the only transition was the house. I'm more concerned because Lily will want to play with the kitty and will be in it's face to try to be the cat's friend. We will, of course, go check out the cats to make sure we have a good temperament fit before we adopt. But just in case, is there a way to draw a cat out of it's shell? Any other advice for us?

Most cats take a couple days to get used to things, but they'll come out of their shell. Just don't force it. Of course, if you're getting a kitten that's not an issue at all. One thing, if you get a male cat, make sure it's fixed or it'll spray everywhere.

And they say when you get kittens you get two at a time. Otherwise they'll rip your arm apart. Together they will play rough. But that's totally up to you as it doubles everything including time spent scooping poop.

Dave said:

One thing, if you get a male cat, make sure it's fixed or it'll spray everywhere.

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Male cats will also spray if they're not neutered early enough (and they get urinary tract infections if it's done too early), or they can pick up the behavior if they're around another male cat who sprays.

How to draw a cat out of it's shell depends on the cat, IMO. We've adopted strays who instantly loved my whole family, and we've also had cats who have hid in a closet for days after being adopted.

Having recently adopted a cat who had never met me until the owner handed him over, I feel like now I can speak on this subject with some minimal authority. Not as much as other habitual adopters, obviously, but yeah...

Anyway, it seems best to just leave them alone until they get used to what goes on around your house and who lives there. Lots of hiding places are probably a plus (open but empty cabinets, some boxes thrown around, you probably have lots of beds to hide under)... and yeah, you're going to have to tell the kids to leave the cat alone until it's ready to make friends. Also, maybe invest in some soft claws/nail caps for the kitty so if a microhuman decides they know better and want to drag the kitty off by the leg, there isn't a lot of blood and hysterics.

A friend of mine with a 3 year old daughter got a cat. One day I went to visit and the daughter had big scratches on her face. The next time I went to visit, the cat was declawed, and the daughter was still dragging it around as it pathetically tried to bat the girl away. Seems to me like maybe the cat should have been allowed to keep its claws, and the daughter might have learned something at some point.

Funnily enough my cat's name is also Shadow.

Yeah I'm not a fan of declawing, so I've already thought of the soft claws. Aussie and I talked about that last night. Lily wouldn't drag the cat by a leg per se, but I know she'd want to cuddle A LOT. I already plan on telling her that if the cat/kitten starts to squirm then she needs to let it run away. Hopefully we deal more with hurt feelings than injuries. God knows I had enough of those from my parents' Siamese cat when I was growing up.

Since we're adopting from the Humane Society the cats are already fixed, have their shots, and are microchipped. I learned about male cats being neutered too late from Shadow. He wasn't neutered when I got him from my friend. When I got around to making the appointment, the vet told me that spraying behaviors could continue since he was being neutered after 1 year old. Fortunately it didn't.

I don't know if we can handle 2 kittens. Personally, I'm leaning more toward a young cat. Still playful, but a little more mellowed.

Pez, I hadn't thought about the strays I rescued when I was in NJ. The ones that weren't feral usually fell in love quickly. I was the food lady. What's not to love about food and petting! LOL

WasabiPoptart said:

Pez, I hadn't thought about the strays I rescued when I was in NJ. The ones that weren't feral usually fell in love quickly. I was the food lady. What's not to love about food and petting! LOL

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That's how we ended up with Smoky Jo. She was a "stray" that the neighbors made into a permanent outside cat. She started wandering the neighborhood looking for a better deal. When she was still left outside when winter came, Mom let her in our house and fed her and sent her on her way in the morning a few times. Until one day she turned up... pregnant. She had already decided that we were her new people, and that settled that.

When I rehabilitate ferals, I try to spend an hour or so a day reading to them. The first few days, I just sit in there and read but after a while, I start putting food close to where they are while I read. Once they get used to your voice and start associating you as "the food dispensing hot-water bottle", they usually come around quickly.

Emrys said:

When I rehabilitate ferals, I try to spend an hour or so a day reading to them. The first few days, I just sit in there and read but after a while, I start putting food close to where they are while I read. Once they get used to your voice and start associating you as "the food dispensing hot-water bottle", they usually come around quickly.

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The cats of Mows refer to their owners as "Food Guy" and "Food Lady."
Also, our black cat was named "Misery" because Cranky's daughter likes Stephen King.

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Also, our black cat was named "Misery" because Cranky's daughter likes Stephen King.

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Slightly off-topic, but when I was 15 we adopted a rescued Black (mostly) Lab puppy. He, at the time, had a extremely gentle personality, so being the Stephen King fanatic I was at the time, I named him Cujo. He remained a very loyal and laid-back dog, though eventually he became very protective if you were a stranger not escorted by a family member. Sometimes he didn't have to do anything at all: one night in college my dad was visiting with Cujo, so while he fixing something at my apartment, I took Cujo for a walk around Center City Philadelphia in the evening. I'm walking down a pretty empty street, telling Cujo not to pull on the leash, and there's a guy who's walking towards but still half a block away, goes, "Did you just say his name is 'Cujo?' ". I say yes, and the guy immediately crossed the street and walks away fast.

I can't say too much about adopting cats because my father was/is deathly allergic to them, but I can recommend naming your pets after Stephen King stories.

EDIT: ....maybe not It.

So the only thing I'd caution about getting a kitten (or kittens) is that their personality can be fluid. Most of the time it'll be fine, but there can be massive personality shifts between kittenhood and adulthood. My wife, for instance, had a kitten that was a loving ball of fluff as a kitten; now she's very stand-offish and doesn't like people period.

Asking my wife (currently a third-year vet student) about anything you need to know: food-wise, make sure you include wet food in the diet. This helps keep the cat hydrated and can help avoid urinary diseases in the future. Try to make sure that your food has an AAFCO statement (kind of a seal of quality), and make sure you feed it food appropriate to its life stage (e.g. kitten, adult, geriatric, etc). If it says "all life stages" then it's good for kittens as well.

Helping the cat acclimate to the house depends on the cat. Our little girl, Theia, just strutted out of the carrier and acted like she owned the place. If they're shy, you can start them off in a room that they can consider "theirs." Give them a couple hours/days (depending on the cat) to acclimate to that room, then you can let them out to explore; when they get nervous, they can then have this "safe room" to retreat to. Treats are great to help a cat acclimate, but it also depends on how food-motivated your kitty is.

If you adopt multiple cats, the rule for litterboxes is--for X number of cats--have X + 1 litter boxes.

For interactions with kids, don't encourages biting (even play biting). Don't physically punish the cat/kitten; just immediately upon biting, stop playing and leave it alone for several minutes. Alternately, redirect this by putting a toy they can chew into their mouth. Also, cats have different personalities and will like different things, so try multiple different types of toys. Our big cat, Kronos, LOVES dangly things (shoelaces, cat dancer, etc), while our fluffy orange monster goes nuts for the laser pointer and catnip pillows.

If there's any other specific questions you have, let us know! My wife went on a long, detailed lecture after I asked her for her input and I've just touched on a few of the "major" points here.

That is great info @Enresshou! Thanks.

Also, @Celt Z I am not opposed to Stephen King names! Maybe Penny (short for Pennywise) instead of It?

Enresshou said:

SIf you adopt multiple cats, the rule for litterboxes is--for X number of cats--have X + 1 litter boxes.

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If you have multiple floors, this formula needs to be adjusted a little, usually upwards.

--Patrick

We got a kitty. She's a 4 month old tortie and we named her Kiki. She purrs like crazy, loves to be around us, lets us hold her with no problem, and is talkative and playful. I knew she was the one for us when she would not stop meowing for Lily to keep petting her.
When we brought her home, I put her in the bathroom with the litterbox, food, and a box to hide in. The kids and I took turns going in to pet her and talk to her. She did not want to stay in the bathroom. She cried when we left her alone, so I kept her there until she used the litterbox and let her come out to explore.
My kids are excited. The adults are pretty happy. I think Kiki is excited and happy, too.

We expect updates.

And pictures.

--Patrick

Kiki had her first check up. She has tapeworms, so I got to shove half a pill down her throat (coated in bacon grease so at least it would taste more like a treat). Her FeLV/Fiv test came back negative. The vet showed me how to clean her ears and get her used to having her face touched. She's doing really well health-wise and in our home. I put Soft Claw caps on her because trying to get her to use the scratching post was becoming a lesson in futility. Not her fault though. The kids catch her scratching on the couch, then either call me to come take her to the scratching post or they'd take her to it and set her down next to it. I can't get to her fast enough when I'm cooking to trying to write, so this makes it easier on all of us.

WasabiPoptart said:

Kiki had her first check up. She has tapeworms, so I got to shove half a pill down her throat (coated in bacon grease so at least it would taste more like a treat). Her FeLV/Fiv test came back negative. The vet showed me how to clean her ears and get her used to having her face touched. She's doing really well health-wise and in our home. I put Soft Claw caps on her because trying to get her to use the scratching post was becoming a lesson in futility. Not her fault though. The kids catch her scratching on the couch, then either call me to come take her to the scratching post or they'd take her to it and set her down next to it. I can't get to her fast enough when I'm cooking to trying to write, so this makes it easier on all of us.

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The trick is to just keep the scratching post in front of where she usually wants to scratch, and just accept that's where it is gonna be because you have a cat.

Unfortunately she likes the couch and the only place to put the post near where she scratches would block the way to the bathroom. She's ok with the claw caps. I was surprised at how well she tolerated me touching her paws. I think the duck & turkey treats convinced her it was ok.

Just as an aside: in my listing of "new posts", this thread was listed just above Fade's "Well, there goes my money" thread.

Speaking of "There Goes My Money", I had to take Kiki to the vet. I thought she was choking on something or having an allergic reaction to the new flavor of food we tried. She kept pawing her face, shaking her head, yawning, licking her paws incessantly, and so on. I had no idea what was going on with this kitten. Turns out she's losing her milk teeth. One in the back is loose and irritating her mouth. I never had a kitten, so I never went through kitty teething with any of my other cats. That was a little worrying, but now I feel silly for taking her to the vet over having a loose tooth.

WasabiPoptart said:

Speaking of "There Goes My Money", I had to take Kiki to the vet. I thought she was choking on something or having an allergic reaction to the new flavor of food we tried. She kept pawing her face, shaking her head, yawning, licking her paws incessantly, and so on. I had no idea what was going on with this kitten. Turns out she's losing her milk teeth. One in the back is loose and irritating her mouth. I never had a kitten, so I never went through kitty teething with any of my other cats. That was a little worrying, but now I feel silly for taking her to the vet over having a loose tooth.

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So something you may want to look into, particularly if there's a Banfield near you, are "wellness plans": http://www.banfield.com/preventive-care/optimum-wellness-plans (Note: There are other hospitals that do this, too, but Banfield is just the largest one.)

I can't speak to the price (depends on your area/what you want to include), but it should be very reasonable for what you get. Oftentimes they include vaccinations, routine checkups, I think they include dentals (serious business later in life for animals), and they also will often waive the exam fees (ranging from $40-$80 a visit) while you're on the plan. Definitely worth looking into!

The closest Banfield is 2400+ miles away in California. We have VCA which has both a regular vet and an after-hours emergency vet (which is where we went last night). They have some type of pet insurance program, too. I just looked at an estimate for her and it's $27.50/month for the max wellness plan which includes dental. That's not terrible.

WasabiPoptart said:

The closest Banfield is 2400+ miles away in California. We have VCA which has both a regular vet and an after-hours emergency vet (which is where we went last night). They have some type of pet insurance program, too. I just looked at an estimate for her and it's $27.50/month for the max wellness plan which includes dental. That's not terrible.

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Ooooh, yeah; that's pretty good. I think we had to have a dental done on two of our kitties (one 6 years old, one 7.5 years old); it would've been like $3-400 per dental for them. Again, not something you need to worry about too much while kitty is young, but a good idea later on. Glad to hear that, though!

We have VCA down here, I love my pets vets!