# Clueless in Florida!



## 3xfurmommy (Feb 23, 2014)

Hello everyone! I am new to this website as well as being a furmommy to a cat! I have two dogs, a chihuahua (Oliver) and a german shepherd/american bulldog mix (bae, pronounced BAY), both are under a year old and were adopted when they were 3 and 4 weeks old. I recently rescued a 2 year old kitten (because I wasn't pulling my hair out enough! LOL) and I am clueless! The shelter I rescued her from sent me home with some coupons and what they knew of her medical history. I have no clue her breed although they kept calling her a tuxedo cat. I have no idea how much to feed her, how to introduce her to my dogs (she has been in our room since we brought her home yesterday), litter box maintenance, wet food vs dry food vs raw food, etc. I am so lost! I am so glad I found this forum, hopefully I can get a lot of good information and meet some great people along the way! Thanks so much!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Welcome Furmommy! My goodness, you do have a full plate!! We're here to help!!


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Welcome! The run down basics:

Tuxedo is a color, not a breed. It means the cat is a particular pattern of black and white and looks like this:









With the white feet and patches on the chest. Sort of looks like a white cat wearing a black tuxedo, hence the name.

Most cats aren't a breed... a good 95% or so aren't. All purebreds originated from cats off the street, not the other way around, and many purebreds have only been made in the last 100 years through selective breeding of a random cat they found with a neat trait. Many cats could easily have no purebred in them at all.

Most people here will tell you the best food to feed is raw food, and if you can't or don't want to try that, then wet food... followed by dry. Dry is avoided due to its lack of moisture, and cats do not have a high thirst drive so may chronically be dehydrated. Many vets still try and tell people dry is best for their teeth... but really kibble shatters long before it reaches the gum line to do any real good. The best way to clean a cat's teeth is to brush them.

For wet food, the best brands will be found in pet stores, not grocery stores. Larger tins will be more economical, and grain free brands are best since cats do not eat grains in the wild. Some good brands are Wellness and Evo, and both come in larger cans.

Oh, and fish is to be avoided. Cats can become addicted to it... and no milk! Cats are lactose intolerant.

Get a laser pen and a Da-Bird (wand toy with a feather)... cats usually love them. A cat tree would be good too, cats like perching in high places.

Scoop the litter box one a day. More if you want... some people swap out litter every few weeks and scrub the box etc. but I've never seen the need to do that, the box and litter do not smell so it'd just be wasteful.


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## AutumnRose74 (Oct 10, 2013)

Congrats on your new kitty!!! I became a first-time mom last Tuesday as well.

I'll add another problem with dry food is it is extremely high in carbs, which cats do not need, and the protein in it is plant-based. Cats are obligate carnivores - they MUST get their protein from a meat source. 

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health - Hands down the BEST online resource on feline nutrition. Written by a vet who is a feline specialist - she details the role that diet (dry food in particular) plays in a cat developing obesity, diabetes, FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disorders), as well as the benefits of wet/raw diets. She also has lengthy sections on making cat food, and about the litter box from your cat's POV. 

Another good source is the book Raising Cats Naturally by Michelle T. Bernard.

Speaking of the litter box - can't beat a box made out of a 30-gallon Rubbermaid storage tote (don't use Sterilite because it cracks when you try to cut the door in the side!). High sides come in habdy if yiur cat likes to toss the litter around or doesn't squat to pee. The Litter Genie is tops for litter disposal. I use Dr Elsey's Cat Attract litter - my Shelly took to the whole set-up nicely.


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## AutumnRose74 (Oct 10, 2013)

Oh, and littlebigcat.com has sections on behavior, so you may find something on there about cat-dog intros.


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## Kneazles (Nov 18, 2013)

Always good to see another Floridian!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Welcome to the forum! Don't fret, this is relatively easy stuff. Read the links about cat to dog introductions. Baby gates work great, especially if they have a pass through for cats. 

As far as litter box maintenance, I have 5 indoor cats and I merely scoop the clumps of urine and poop then top off (keep it at about 3" of litter) with my scoopable litter. Buy a good quality litter like Tidy Cats. It clumps firmly with little waste.

As to feeding, buy the best quality canned food you can afford. Ask the pet store for a recommendation or you can make on of the several recipes found on the internet for raw. I buy young spring chickens and chop and grind the entire thing up add the vitamins and minerals and freeze. Most of my cats are on and off for it so I rotate it with Purina One canned which most love.

This website has one of the best recipes I have found:
Feline Nutrition

The initial up front cost may be comparatively steep when you factor in the grinder, vitamins and minerals needed but the long term cost of raw is low - much lower than canned or high quality kibble. There are many options. Personally, I'd do canned until you get comfortable and have researched the best option for your lifestyle and kitty.


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## 3xfurmommy (Feb 23, 2014)

10cats2dogs said:


> Welcome Furmommy! My goodness, you do have a full plate!! We're here to help!!


Thank you so much!


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## 3xfurmommy (Feb 23, 2014)

Carmel said:


> Welcome! The run down basics:
> 
> Tuxedo is a color, not a breed. It means the cat is a particular pattern of black and white and looks like this:
> 
> ...


This looks just like my girl! She has just a little more white on her face!  Thank you for this information. I had no clue about the breeds! No wonder my google searches have been so confusing! LOL Thank you so much!


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## 3xfurmommy (Feb 23, 2014)

AutumnRose74 said:


> Congrats on your new kitty!!! I became a first-time mom last Tuesday as well.
> 
> I'll add another problem with dry food is it is extremely high in carbs, which cats do not need, and the protein in it is plant-based. Cats are obligate carnivores - they MUST get their protein from a meat source.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this information! These resources are awesome! That website especially had some great information on introducing her to my dogs. I really appreciate it!


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## 3xfurmommy (Feb 23, 2014)

Marcia said:


> Welcome to the forum! Don't fret, this is relatively easy stuff. Read the links about cat to dog introductions. Baby gates work great, especially if they have a pass through for cats.
> 
> As far as litter box maintenance, I have 5 indoor cats and I merely scoop the clumps of urine and poop then top off (keep it at about 3" of litter) with my scoopable litter. Buy a good quality litter like Tidy Cats. It clumps firmly with little waste.
> 
> ...


That is wonderful, thank you! I am so overwhelmed with information its so great to have you guys break it down! The raw food approach sounds very interesting, I think I will have to do some more research into that. I appreciate all this information so much, thank you!


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

Welcome to the forum! This is a wonderful place for all your questions. As you have seen there is a lot of nice and helpful people here. Thank you for adopting and enjoy your girl.


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