# New to Cat Ownership



## laurah5107 (Dec 15, 2011)

Hi.
I'm new to cat ownership. I've always had dogs and currently have 6 adopted rescue dogs. I also own a medum sized parrot with a bad attitude.
Vet tech daughter adopted two kittens born to feral mom. When she moved from her farm she had them declawed (yeah, I know). Somehow I now have 2 cats, 6 dogs, and a cranky parrot. 
I need cat advice. Thanks in advance for all your advice and guidance.
Laura and Twinkie and Catmandu


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## KierstenKitten (Dec 13, 2011)

Welcome! The first advice I have is (at least in my experience) is be prepared to protect your dogs. Someday soon the cats will start terrorizing them. Other than that, just love, play, make sure they get age-appropriate food & their shots on time


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## laurah5107 (Dec 15, 2011)

*New to Cat Ownership anf Got Problem Kitty*

I didn't make my intro long enough so here goes again.

I have always loved animals. Grew up with animals. Have always had dogs.
For awhile I purchased purebred show dogs (Elkhound, Danes, Std Poodle). Then adopted ex-racehorse and all my attention and money went to horseshows. Still had 2 dogs.
Rescued 5 more - 2 just a few weeks ago.
So I've got 6 indoor dogs, a 16 yr old parrot with a bad attitude. Daughter had a farm for 2 horses and 2 dogs. Vet tech at clinic, a feral mom with 8 kittens came in. All but 2 kittens got adopted so daughter brought them to farm as barn cats. She left garage opened and gave them litter box, food, water, blankets to sleep on. One cat never went too far from garage. Other cat hunted, chased squirrels. Always back at night for dinner.
Moved into apt, declawed cats to take into appt but that hasn't worked out. Garage cat, Twinkie took to inside world as if she'd always been there.
The hunter, Catmandu, seems to hate it. Won't come out from under bed, no contact, doesn't bite (so far) but seems to hate it all.
Now cats are split Twinkie with daughter and Mandu with me. I keep Mandu in my home office so dogs don't get to her. My pit bull and 2 new beagles stalk her and pit just wants to kill. Can't get cat out of office even when no dogs present. Husband says euthanize but I can't.
She's barely 1 yr, spayed, declawed, vaccinated etc.
Sweet cat if we can help her.


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## Syrena (Nov 29, 2011)

Welcome to the world of cat lovers!


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

I say _be prepared to protect your cats_, particularly if your dogs are terrier type, husky or quite prey driven. Never leave the cats alone with six dogs. Never forget that they are _declawed_ and pretty defenseless. Introduce them gradually by having them in a dog crate so the dogs can sniff and get to know them. Introduce one cat at a time to your most obedient calm and least prey-driven dog while leashed. You may have one or two dogs that will take on the role of cat-protector if some other dogs get out of line and play too rough. It will have to be something you need to observe and supervise carefully, so there aren't any nasty surprises. Let us know how it goes. Good luck!


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## laurah5107 (Dec 15, 2011)

I introduced the cats while in their crate. My 9 yr old Great Dane and my Newf weren't interested at all. My border collie mix (a stray and then in shelter for 3 months as a puppy) began shaking and couldn't get away quickly enough. My pitbull wants them and my new adopted old beagles are very interested. But they are having all their teeth removed on Monday so they shouldn't be a threat.
The hunter cat is just not adjusting to inside life. She won't come out from under the bed. Trying to pick her up ends up being a 15 min chase in an 11x11 room (I keep her in my home office. I've kept the dogs downstairs and opened the baby gate but she won't come out. I work in there 6 hours a day but she won't come out. We had a problem as she wasn't using the litterbox. 
I keep asking what I can give her to play with or if I could put a harness on her and take her outside.
I don't want to euthanize or put into a shelter or rescue. I've noticed very few cats seem to get adopted in shelters.
What else can I do for her? We've separated the pair and my daughter has the "nice" cat at her apt.
Any ideas to help this angry upset cat come to grips with her situation.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

laurah5107 said:


> But they are having all their teeth removed on Monday so they shouldn't be a threat.


....why?

As for the cat...

I don't BLAME this cat for being scared/defensive/angry/upset. She was a feral who was shuffled from place to place and now the only constant (her litter mate) in her life was sent off without her. ON top of that she has had her most important method of protection removed (which may STILL be causing her pain) and she is surrounded by what she KNOWS is a pack of dogs who want to do her harm..... 

She can't be let outside because she can't protect herself.... and she can't be left near the dogs unattended because she can't protect herself..... I say you need to let her learn to feel safe in your office and once she feels safe she may come out of her shell a little bit. How long have you had her separated in a safe place? I would think it will take her a long time to feel safe and comfortable after what she's been through, the poor thing.


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## brezofleur (Dec 13, 2010)

MowMow said:


> I don't BLAME this cat for being scared/defensive/angry/upset. She was a feral who was shuffled from place to place and now the only constant (her litter mate) in her life was sent off without her. ON top of that she has had her most important method of protection removed (which may STILL be causing her pain) and she is surrounded by what she KNOWS is a pack of dogs who want to do her harm.....
> 
> She can't be let outside because she can't protect herself.... and she can't be left near the dogs unattended because she can't protect herself..... I say you need to let her learn to feel safe in your office and once she feels safe she may come out of her shell a little bit. How long have you had her separated in a safe place? I would think it will take her a long time to feel safe and comfortable after what she's been through, the poor thing.


This. Hands down she's freaking out and extremely over stimulated. How long was she with you before you introduced her to the dogs? I would say leave her in your office for a while without forcing her out, especially if she's still running from you.

This might take a long time, so you'll have to be patient. Leave her alone for a bit and start becoming her friend/having her trust you slowly. If you force, she'll bolt physically and mentally.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

For some reason or other I missed reading the end of your second post. I thought _Catmandu_ was a kitten, but she's almost 1 yr. old and is set in her feral ways. I think it's highly unlikely that she will be very friendly at all since she's likely had minimal human contact. Forget what I said in my previous post about introducing her to the dogs, as I really don't think it applies now, especially the type of dogs you have (beagles and pitbull) that would rather attack the cat than befriend it. Can you let this poor cat go back to the barn cat colony she came from? I really think she would be happier there, as I doubt very much at her age now she can be tamed and be a pet.


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## laurah5107 (Dec 15, 2011)

Catmandu (Mandu) is still under the bed in my office. I've tried keeping the dogs downstairs and opening up the upstairs to her but she won't come out of the office. If I sit there and work for 6 or 7 hours eventually she'll come out and walk around behind me but any quick movements send her right back under the bed.
Her sister Twinkie is at my daughter's apt and doing great. She has taken to being an inside cat as if she were born to it. Daughter's 2 coonhounds like to chase her and sniff her so she stays in the spare bedroom when daughter is at work. But she comes out when I go in, rolls around on the floor next to me, climbs into my lap to be petted, purring and swatting at me. She has gained about 3 lbs since becoming an indoor cat (now about 15 lbs) while Mandu is still about 9 lbs. And I feed her alot more than Twinkie.
I had thought that just letting her alone she'd come out on her own, esp when it was just me sitting at a computer all day. But most of the time she's under the bed.
I decided tonight that I had to do something to help her so I laid on the floor about 18" from the couch and made little trails of cat chow from under the bed out about 6". And then I waited. I reapplied my trail a few times. She's get within about 6" from me and then go back under even tho I didn't move or speak. 
I gave her a catnip filled mouse (about 12" out from the couch). That got her to come out, rub her head against it, roll around on her back pawing at it. I started just saying her name and "kitty", with the occasional "meow". She responded with a few meows and then sat at the front edge under the couch, staring at me and purring. When I was saying her name, meowing etc she'd roll on her back under the couch and swat a paw as if she wanted to be scratched or petted. I did that for about 45 min and then quietly left her with her catnip mouse and her dinner bowl.
My thought is to do this at least once every day and hopefully she'll at least come out to me.
Good idea or bad?
She wasn't with a colony of barn cats. It was my daughter's leased horse farm and it was just Mandu and Twinkie. She can't go back to being an outdoor cat as my daughter declawed them both when she went back to apt living hoping they could stay inside and not destroy things. (Not my decision and didn't know until it was done). 
The room has a corner bay window (wraps around the corner). I thought she'd like to at least sit up there and watch the world. She doesn't seem to ever go up there even when no one is in there with her. Anything I can do to help her utilize it? Would getting her one of those climbing trees (big carpeted tubes with attached platforms etc. Easy enough for her to climb even without claws.
I do not want to put her into a rescue since most people won't want a housecat they don't see. I can't let her back to her outside ways without claws. I really want to help her. I can't imagine she is happy in that room alone all the time.
Should I get her sister back? Twinkie is very happy with her current life and probably doesn't miss Mandu at all. 

I tried to get my brother to take her. He has 3 rescue cats (early teens in yrs), 2 boys and a girl. His are indoor/outdoor cats. But he doesn't want to upset the balance of his cat pack. 

What can I do to help this poor cat?


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