# My journey as a cat mom begins tomorrow!



## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Hi everyone! Tomorrow my husband and I are adopting our very first kitty from the animal shelter. He is a beautiful adult orange and white striped short hair boy with pretty green eyes. The story of why we are adopting him is rather odd, but bear with me! 

We met this kitty a few months ago. He belonged to our neighbor. He's such a friendly cat and my husband and I just loved him. Sadly, his owners were not the best. He disappeared a couple of months ago and the owners did not try to find him. This upset me greatly and I offered to try to find him. They said if I found him, I could keep him, and then they moved away. So I put up lost cat signs, posted on Craigslist, contacted local rescues, and have been trolling Petfinder. No luck until today! A beautiful boy who fits the description of the neighbor's cat perfectly showed up at the animal shelter as a stray. I rushed over to see if it was him and I'm 95% sure it is! I had to leave him there, but came home and discussed it with my husband since I didn't want to just surprise him with a cat. Tomorrow morning I plan to be at the shelter right when they open so I can sign his adoption papers. He hasn't been neutered yet so we will get that taken care of, then he can come home! There are a few other pertinent details to this story (namely in helping him get along with our bunnies) but I plan to make a different thread in either the Cat Chat or the Behavior subforum.

Regardless, I am very happy to be here and super excited about my new kitty!


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Welcome! I'm quite partial to the orange and white stripey boys! Can't wait to hear more about him and see some pictures.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Thanks for the welcome, Mow Mow! I tried to go back and add more info to my post but it's been more than 5 minutes. I was just so excited about introducing myself! A bit more about me:

I am 27 years old and live in Alaska with my husband and our pet bunnies, who all live inside our house with us. I am a huge animal lover and bunnies have my heart for sure, but I am very eager to let a sweet kitty into my heart. My entire life I have been waiting to finally get a cat. I have done lots of research on cat health, behavior, the best food to feed, all that stuff, and am certain that I will be a loving and responsible cat mom. My husband is excited about getting a kitty, too! The neighbors/former owners of our kitty to be also had a house rabbit and the cat and bunny were best friends so I am very hopeful that he will be good with our bunnies.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

I filled out the adoption paperwork today, Declan will be neutered tomorrow and then come home in the evening  Today I bought tons of kitty supplies and have everything ready for him! I will share a picture tomorrow if he doesn't look too zonked out after the surgery.


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## MystiqueCatownr8 (Aug 15, 2011)

*this is great*

Such a beautiful story.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Welcome!

Love the name, and love orange boys!!


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

You are awesome for doing so much follow-up to find this kitty. Your neighbors are awful for losing an unneutered male cat -- in Alaska!!

I love the orange and white boys myself, as you can see from my signature! Good luck with everything. He is sure lucky you were aware and active enough to find him and bring him home.


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## I<3BabyCat (Sep 19, 2012)

Hi. How lovely that you will now get to know the joy of having a cat in your life. People never know how rewarding they really are until they have had one. 

I am going to guess that the reason your neighbours didn't want him any more was because he'd been spraying in the house. Some people are idiots, once he is neutered he will not do this, also he will be unlikely to go off roaming and getting lost. Male cats spray to attract females and mark territory from other males who might be competing for females in the area, and they go off roaming looking for females. Once neutered these urges with no longer exist in him, and he will likely turn into a big ginger ball of love.

Good luck.


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## minikin44 (Aug 25, 2012)

Congrats! He is lucky to have found a new owner who cares! His former owners sound awful.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Very! excited for you.  Declan is lucky to have a dedicated and excited mom!


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## orrymain (Dec 9, 2011)

Welcome to the forum! Wonderful story! Did he answer to his previous name or is Declan the name you have given him now? Can't wait to see your pictures!


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## Amy83 (Sep 19, 2012)

That is such a sweet story! There needs to be more people in the world like you and less of the ones like your neighbor. Welcome aboard!


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## Adam38 (Sep 20, 2012)

Very nice story, I have a five year old ginger and white myself so can appreciate this.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Thanks for the kind welcome, everyone! I really appreciate it. His name was Slob before, Declan is the name I picked for him the very first time I saw him (it was basically love at first sight for my husband and me). It is a much better name for such a pretty and sweet boy.

In any case, I just called the vet to check on how he's doing and he is ready to come home! I have everything all set up for him and am so excited to go get him. My husband is coming home from work early so we can go pick him up together, he hasn't seen Declan since he went missing because the animal shelter hours conflict with his work schedule.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Well, my handsome boy is home! He charmed everyone at the vet office and even broke a heart. One of the techs saw he was from the shelter (guess it said so on his paperwork) and thought he was available for adoption. She called her husband and everything and they decided to adopt him! She was quite sad when she found out he already has a home. 

Since we got home, he has been in the bathroom. He spent the first couple hours behind the toilet but has come out now. My husband and I sat in there with him for about 20 minutes and he practically mauled us with love. Very affectionate kitty! He even climbed onto my lap for a while and purred while eating. Oh and I showed him how to use the scratching post by scratching at it myself and he copied me  What a smart boy! Not sure how long he'll last in the bathroom because he tried to follow us out and we've seen kitty paws under the door. The vet said to keep him confined for 4 days though so he can heal from the neuter, and we want our bunnies to get used to his smell in the house before they see him up close.

I do have one concern though. When we were in there playing with him, he kept squinting one eye shut and the skin around it looks a little red. He showed no sign of eye issues the day before yesterday, yesterday, or at all today until when we were in there just now. Did he maybe bonk it on one of the screws under the toilet or something? I don't think he's sick.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Here is my handsome boy! He looks kind of derpy in this picture because of the flash but I didn't want to upset him too much with lots of flashy pictures  I take tons of pictures of my pets and he will get used to it eventually  You can see he is squinting his right eye a tiny bit.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Oh, poor Declan! He really doesn't like the bathroom. He's going, "MROWWWWWW!" and tries to run out when I open the door to check on him. I think he's bored. He got out when my husband opened the door earlier and I had to go fetch him from the kitchen. Everything I read online said that a new kitty should be confined to one room at first so they feel safer, but he definitely seems to feel ready to come out! He's even sticking his paws under the door. We aren't ready for him to have free roam of the house yet (the bunnies are in the living room and I want to slowly introduce them all), but the plan was to move him into the bedroom in a couple of days. 

Since he was just neutered, our vet said to make sure he isn't too active for 4 days and I'm afraid there is much more for him to do and get into in our bedroom. The vet even said to put him in a dog crate if he's too active, and I know he's been jumping on the counter and shelves in the bathroom because he knocked stuff over. What would you all do? Confining him to a dog crate seems so mean. The cage he was in at the shelter was pretty small, I wonder if he yowled there at night too. He has a bed, litter box, scratching post, and assorted toys in the bathroom.

Thankfully, the sad meowing is not constant- he mostly seems to do it if he can hear me making noise. It's about breaking my heart.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I know they say you should keep new cats confined to a small space, but when we brought home our orange boy, man oh man, he shot out of the carrier and was fascinated with exploring every inch of the house. Within 30 minutes of being out of the carrier, I looked up and found him on top of the kitchen cabinets! So I think it's an individual thing. I can only imagine that not being able to explore would be very frustrating to them, since they've been cooped up in a cage and now have the freedom to explore a new place that they want to feel comfortable in.

This doesn't address the fact that Declan was just neutered though, so I'm only speaking from a 'get comfortable with the new place' standpoint. I'm curious what other people have done with a newly neutered cat. Isn't the cone enough?


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

aww, what a heartwarming story. Declan is so lucky to have you!

If he is jumping up on the counter in the bathroom, I don't see why you couldn't put him in the bedroom. You want to keep him as confined as possible so he can heal, but doesnt sound like he is going to be any more active in the bedroom as he is in the bathroom. Also, its a little easier on the males than it is the females after their surgery. Mine had run of the house when I got them home. They were kittens, and the healing is a little easier when they are younger, but its pretty much impossible to keep 8 week old kittens still, in a crate or not. I wouldnt encourage him to play or run, but I don't think you really have to keep him confined. 

Although, if you move him into the bedroom, he is most likely still going to cry if he is alone in there. He wants some company


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

Addressing the eye issue...he could have cought a cold in the shelter, sometimes that makes their eyes runny/goopy/squinty. You could call your vet and see what they say.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

I just went and checked on him again and he wasn't being squinty. Hopefully he just rubbed it on something! If it is a URI, then we really did save his life. When I was at the shelter the other day, the volunteer mentioned that they have a policy of immediately euthanizing all cats with any sign of a URI. With us he will get the care he needs! The vet did examine him before the surgery and said he looks great, I'd imagine they look for signs of URIs, but illnesses can crop up quickly.

Also, just have to report because I'm excited- he pooped in the litter box! Way to go, Declan!  I was a little concerned because the vet said to only use pelleted litter. We use Yesterday's News for our bunnies so already had it. The bag says not to change their litter suddenly or they may not use the box. While I didn't see any pee in the box, he probably just covered it. At the shelter, they put very little litter in each box and dump the contents every day. Both days I was there, separate volunteers commented that he is a kitty very determined to cover his poop and pee! He had shredded some newspaper and put it in the litter box since there wasn't enough litter to cover it.

I still have some cat proofing I need to do in the bedroom before he can go in there. What I'm most concerned about is my doll collection, don't want him knocking them over or eating their hair or anything! Most likely I will just pack them up for the time being and then get them out in a couple weeks if I think he won't bother them. 

Okay, kind of funny thing I've noticed about him. When he's getting attention, he alternates between head bonking and rolling on his back and sitting on our laps, and eating. Like in a 20 minute period he may go over to eat 3 times! He did this at the shelter, too. Oh and he purrs the whole time, even when he drinks  Do a lot of other kitties do this too? Eat while getting attention? It almost seems like he waits to eat until we are there. Would be interesting to install a camera in the bathroom and see what he does in there!


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

yes, the eating thing is normal. He loves you! He knows you saved him, and he's happy 

In fact when cats are sick for one reason or another and not eating, sometimes just talking to them and loving on them can get them to eat. 

Sorry to hear your shelter is euthanizing for URI's. So many animal control shelters are still living in the dark ages when it comes to shelter practices. It wouldnt hurt to see if there are any local animal advocates already looking to see your shelter change. There are simple, common sense practices that can be implemented to stop unessesary killing, and it is up to us, the taxpayers, to stand up and say that what they are doing is unacceptable.


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## minikin44 (Aug 25, 2012)

0_o I can't believe they're euthanizing cats for that... most cats can fight it off on their own, and those that can't usually end up simply needing antibiotics and/or eye ointment. Kittens have a bit of a harder time, but you can keep them away from the adults if there's space. Poor babies! Declan is so lucky that you came to his rescue, as I doubt the shelter would have waited to see if his eye resolved on it's own. I'm glad he's so happy! I'd just let him out in the bedroom... my vet said neuters are basically no big deal (in so far as healing time and compared to spays), so he should be ok. My cats don't run to eat when they see me, but one grooms when he's doing everything. I think they all have their own little quirks.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

[sees pic- THUD!] Gorgeous boy! For a 1st time meowmie or cat daddy,orange boys really are the way to go! He looks healthy to ME!

btw,any snow up there yet?


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## BrnTabbyLvr (Sep 22, 2012)

Awww... he looks and sounds like such a sweetheart!! I've always heard that the orange tabby boys are big love-bugs! Sounds like Declan is holding true to that! Oh, and I LOVE his name!


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Haha, meowmie, so cute! Bluemilk, no, no snow yet  Usually we get snow around the first day of October though so we don't have too much longer! He will be glad he is off the streets then. Lots of strays die or get frostbitten ears and limbs during the winter here. Some jerks (really want to use a stronger word here!) abandon their pets at the dump during the winter, I read about a litter of kittens that was found at the dump in the winter and their organs had begun to freeze. They didn't make it  One of our bunny boys was ditched at the shelter right after the first snow. He was only 6 months old. They had apparently purchased him or something, left him outside, then abandoned him in the overnight drop box at the shelter when it got cold outside. 

I often wonder what his first 6 months were like and think thunderous thoughts about his original owners, but I'm SO glad that both my bunny's owners and whoever brought in Declan cared enough not to let them freeze. In 2 years we will have had my bunny for 5 years and I simply could not love and adore him anymore. Whoever ditched him really lost out. He's my grumpy attack bunny (only with other rabbits, he loves his mommy) but he's perfect  I'm actually most concerned about how he will act with Declan since he is so aggressive with other bunnies, but he's great with humans and I've read that lots of socially inept rabbits hit it off with cats. Here's hoping!

In any case, I took Declan back to the vet yesterday for the eye and diarrhea and the vet said both were normal things after a neuter and anesthesia and the stress of a new home. Thankfully his eye is looking better and he hasn't pooped since last night (it's only 1:45 in the afternoon here so I'm not worried yet) but the bathroom (where he is staying) no longer smells like poop so I'm glad! My gosh, cat diarrhea utterly reeks. All day yesterday I was telling myself it's just because his tummy is upset and it won't be that... pervasive after his tummy is better. I have cleaned litter boxes in the past and never experienced such smells before.


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## minikin44 (Aug 25, 2012)

Normal cat poo smells like poo but is not attrocious... sick kitty poo often has a terribly foul odor, with some illnesses more than others. My cat Tugs had Bartonella and his poo smelled so bad that on one occasion my mom threw up trying to scoop his box. My kitten Bear has Tritrichomonas (parasite, protozoa) and his is pretty nasty but at least no one has vomitted yet!


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

BrnTabbyLvr, thanks for the compliment on his name  I really like it. It often takes me quite a while to name a pet, but not this time. I am a name freak and have actually been keeping a list of cat names for the past 4 years or so, it's about 80 names long, but Declan seemed like the perfect choice for him. In case anyone is wondering, Declan is pronounced DECK-lynn. I'm clarifying since the lady at the vet office called him day-CLAWN  We have bunnies named Padraig (Podge) and Rhiordan (Rory), too. Apparently I am fond of Irish names for pets!

His poop is still pretty nasty today, but better than yesterday. He only pooped once today (vs 3 times yesterday) and it was roughly log shaped instead of a big ball, and it did not make the entire house stink. Still smells pretty bad but not as terrible. During the 2 visits to see him at the shelter, there was poop in his litter box and the smell was not really noticeable so I think his tum is just still upset from the surgery and transition. I think we will both be relieved when his tummy is better!


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## kittylion (Feb 24, 2012)

Very excited for you. I love ginger and white stripeys - I have a girl but boys are nice too. :luv

It is about a year ago I brought her home from the animal sanctuary and I remember coming out with her in the basket and walking to my car with such a big smile all over my face that three complete strangers stopped me to congratulate us both and admire her. I love remembering that day - full of such good feelings!


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## LakotaWolf (Aug 10, 2012)

I've been following Declan's story secretly and I am so happy to hear that HE's happy!

I can commiserate with you on the name issue - my cat is Wintressia, and it is pronounced exactly how it looks - win-tress-ee-ah, but invariably, vets and vet techs and secretaries ALWAYS miss the i and call her Wintressa! I imagine you will get a lot of vet assistants calling him "de-clann" as well ;}

As for his stomach issues - what kind of food is he on? Do you free-feed him, or offer him several small meals?


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

I need help! Declan seems sad  Today we let him into the living room to meet the bunnies. It was his first official time out of the bathroom since we got him on Thursday night- he has slipped out of the bathroom a few times but usually we put him back in right away. 

Anyway, we waited until today because the vet said to restrict his movement for 4 days after his neuter and suggested we keep him in a dog crate. We chose the bathroom instead. Since the first night he has taken to meowing very sadly when we leave the bathroom. Then, to my surprise, he's been doing it when we let him in the living room, too! I think it's a sad meow because it sounds like the same one he did in the carrier and at the vet office, and in the bathroom when we leave. Is he sad with us? Why doesn't he like it here?  He was brought to the shelter as a stray, does he miss his old family or going outside? I want him to be happy! Oh and he's done well with the bunnies. He's sniffed them a bit through their cages but kept his distance for the most part. He's spent a bit of time sitting on the couch with us getting petted but mostly he's wandered around the kitchen and living room and occasionally lies down.


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## Kittybuns (Sep 19, 2012)

Okay, I think I may have figured it out. Our house has an entryway with a separate door. When we had him out earlier, the inner door was closed. Later on, he got out of the bathroom and the inner door was open. He made a bee line for the door and stood in the entryway in front of the front door (the actual door to the outside), sniffed around the door a lot, and meowed at me. Then he did it again about an hour later when he ran out of the bathroom. I think he wants me to let him outside! Not happening, and I'm glad we have 2 doors so the risk of him getting outside is lower- we will make sure the inner door is closed before opening the outer door. He was just neutered on Thursday and I'm guessing the hormones take a while to die down. Maybe he wants to get outside and meet some lady cats, or maybe unneutered boys just have the desire to roam? Hopefully he will soon accept his fate as an indoor cat. My husband and I are talking about buying him a harness and leash so he can go out in the yard safely but I'm almost afraid that could make him even more determined to get outside. There will be snow on the ground here within the next couple of weeks so his window of opportunity for going outside on a leash is shrinking rapidly. Maybe we will just wait until the spring to bring him out on the leash.

So, thoughts? Does this sound like a reasonable explanation for his meows, even when he's not in front of the door? He wants to go outside?


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

Yes, he was probably outside for quite a while and has gotten use to it. Good choice in making him an indoor kitty. I wouldn't attempt the harness since he wants to go outside again it may make matters worse and he will try to escape.

I let one of mine out on a harness because she had no desire to go out but now she loves it and runs outside when we open the patio door so she's not going out anymore


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