How to care for a found cat?

[MakingTheGrade]

Phew. He’s back to his usual lazy self today. I took the ecollar off and he’s not licking at his incision site too insistently so I think I’ll leave it off since it really has caused him so much stress and falling lol. Also he can groom himself again! I read that many vets don’t habitually make male neuters wear them anyways. I will just keep and eye on shale and the surgery site. But all day he’s mostly been content to nap in the sun andleave his bits alone lol

 

[junebug17]

I'm glad Shale is feeling better and acting more like himself @MakingTheGrade! You must be relieved. Give him an extra pet from me <3

 

[ringbling17]

Glad to hear everything went well for him.
I’m glad he’s back to his cuddly self!
BTW, did you wind up getting the Litter Robot? I just ordered one today. They have a month long Black Friday special. I ordered the bundle that comes with stairs and the mat.

 

[MMtwo]

I read the thread. Congratulations on being chosen. It's adorable how quickly cats train us Years ago I had a country vet tell me that orange kitties are the best ones. It sounds like you are doing everything right.

Warnings and such I learned along the way:
A few things I have learned: Rogaine is deadly to cats. Also, read up on dangerous foods for kitty and dangerous plants. Also, the Christmas ribbon is deadly if he plays with it and eats it (we had a cat who had an operation after eating curling ribbon).

Favorite toys at our house:
Scratcher scroll. He sits in the swoop of the scroll to survey his lands.

Amazon.com : Petlinks Floor Cat Scratchers, Petlinks Dream Curl : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : Petlinks Floor Cat Scratchers, Petlinks Dream Curl : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

fishing rod with new toys to attack. He grooms feather toys.

Amazon.com : Cat Toys Set, Cat Retractable Teaser Wand, Catnip Fish, Interactive Cat Feather Toy, Mylar Crincle Balls, Two Cotton Mice, Four Fluffy Mouse : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : Cat Toys Set, Cat Retractable Teaser Wand, Catnip Fish, Interactive Cat Feather Toy, Mylar Crincle Balls, Two Cotton Mice, Four Fluffy Mouse : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

I bought him a wool igloo and he ignores it. My Mother's cat, on the other hand, visited and hardly left it. They are such unique and quirky animals. No two are ever the same...so of course you'll need more

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Yup I’m glad he’s safe and sane! Keeping an eye on his bits, is the sack supposed to be so bruised? Ouchies.
He doesn’t seem to be in pain though so I’ll just keep an eye on things.

Haven’t been playing with him since vet said to discourage too much physical activity. But I think it’s making him a little stir crazy. He tried to ambush my slipper this morning.

Luckily I don’t have any house plants and am not a green thumb person in general. We leave some veggies out at times on the counter but he’s shown zero interest in eating them. In general he’s been pretty good about not eating or chewing on things that aren’t a protein based foods. Phew.

Haha. I dont foresee getting additional cats. I hadn’t planned on this one but now that he’s here I can’t not love on him.

I didn’t get the litter robot. I think it’d be too big for my bathroom and so far I’m not finding the litter box maintenance that onerous or smelly. He’s a reliable twice a day pooper and I always clean it right after. So far he seems to only like to poop in the morning and late at night when I’m home. Go figure. He’s never pooped while I’m out of the house!

 

[MMtwo]

He’s a reliable twice a day pooper and I always clean it right after. So far he seems to only like to poop in the morning and late at night when I’m home. Go figure. He’s never pooped while I’m out of the house!

Cats are weird about pooping. In the wild it makes them vulnerable, so maybe he is waiting for you to come home to "watch his back" That's why cats poop then holler and do zoomies around the house. "Wasnt me!". Or maybe that's just my chonk

 

[distracts]

I have found this to be true lol. Pretty, but so, so dumb.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I have found this to be true lol. Pretty, but so, so dumb.

Hahaha!
He’s actually pretty bright. Learned him name in about 4 days. Highly food motivated so it wasn’t hard. Haven’t tried to teach him much else.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Introduced him to Belle. Went about as well as could be expected. Belle got smacked on the nose a few times. Shale was polite about not using claws though so aside from surprise and confusion, Belle was fine.

Also ordered 2 things in celebration of my new baby boy joining the household. A grey “shale” colored shawl and an open pink trillion lab diamond ring from lightbox that reminds me of his little pink nose and little orange tale.


I may have also got a sweater to carry him around in...

 

[JPie]

Introduced him to Belle. Went about as well as could be expected. Belle got smacked on the nose a few times. Shale was polite about not using claws though so aside from surprise and confusion, Belle was fine.

Also ordered 2 things in celebration of my new baby boy joining the household. A grey “shale” colored shawl and an open pink trillion lab diamond ring from lightbox that reminds me of his little pink nose and little orange tale.


I may have also got a sweater to carry him around in...

Glad the first meeting went well! Next thing you know, those two will be nap buddies.

 

[distracts]

I love that you seem to also have a cat-pocket hoodie.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I love that you seem to also have a cat-pocket hoodie.

Indeed I do!

 

[distracts]

Indeed I do!

Also, Shale looks much happier in it than either of my cats ever have. He seems like such a cuddler. I can't believe someone dumped him or lost him - he seems so sweet.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

He really is a sweetheart

In celebration of his joining my family I made a new addition to my bling family. Hehe. More photos here:

Lightbox pink trillion ring

Got this in celebration of my new cat Shale who I found 3 weeks ago (presumably abandoned) in a state park. I put in reports to both SPCA’s in the area, posted on Facebook, Craigslist, reported to the park rangers and the nearest buildings I could find. He had no collar, no chip, no neutering...

www.pricescope.com

The little pink trillion reminds me of his nose and ears and the curl of the open ring in gold reminds me of his little curly tail!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

He and I share a ring size

 

[facetgirl]

This is such a heartwarming thread. You two found each other. I just love this. And your new bling.

 

[Clunkygirl]

Me and my husband just love this sweet love story! Thank you for being such a good person, looks like you are a natura cat mommy!

 

[junebug17]

Shale is beautiful! And what a lovebug. Thank you so much for giving him a good home @MakingTheGrade. <3

 

[doberman]

What a sweet little face!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Me and my husband just love this sweet love story! Thank you for being such a good person, looks like you are a natura cat mommy!

Haha thanks! My friends were like “you brush his teeth everyday?!” . Yup. Every day before his dinner. He hates it lol.

 

[msop04]

Ooh, I forgot to mention bonus points if you can switch Shale to a tall, top entry box. It drastically reduces the amount of litter tracked all over the place. Back when we had a cat, I had to vacuum the floor daily until we discovered these.

@JPie, can you provide a link to this top entry cat box?? TIA!!!

 

[msop04]

@MakingTheGrade Shale is soooo precious! He reminds me of my beloved Punkin. We lost him this year; he was almost 19. He was the best cat. Enjoy Shale for many, many years!!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Ooh, I forgot to mention bonus points if you can switch Shale to a tall, top entry box. It drastically reduces the amount of litter tracked all over the place. Back when we had a cat, I had to vacuum the floor daily until we discovered these.

Haha. Shale is kind of litter box awkward. He has a large open litter box right now and can not figure out half the time where to paw in order to get the litter over his poop. He just claws at the plastic sides and then gives up lol. Literally it’s like he’s trying to collapse the walls of the box itself onto his business. I am doubtful he’d fare well in a top entry litter box..

 

[MakingTheGrade]

@MakingTheGrade Shale is soooo precious! He reminds me of my beloved Punkin. We lost him this year; he was almost 19. He was the best cat. Enjoy Shale for many, many years!!

Omg so cute!!! They really are the same colors!

 

[JPie]

@msop04 we had this Petmate one, which is not attractive but highly functional. The lid flips open on a hinge, but you can also remove it completely if you want to dump the tracked litter back in the box:

Amazon.com: Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan Cat Litter Box Brushed Nickel/Pearl White: Pet Supplies

Amazon.com: Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan Cat Litter Box Brushed Nickel/Pearl White: Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

My friend chose a more stylish version by Iris: https://www.walmart.com/ip/IRIS-USA-Top-Entry-Cat-Litter-Box-Black-White/973748949

I used it for ten days when I was cat sitting and found it cumbersome. The lid stays in place by snapping into three separate holes on the sides of the box, and you have to align it perfectly to make sure it's secure, or your poor cat will be unpleasantly surprised.

 

[JPie]

Haha. Shale is kind of litter box awkward. He has a large open litter box right now and can not figure out half the time where to paw in order to get the litter over his poop. He just claws at the plastic sides and then gives up lol. Literally it’s like he’s trying to collapse the walls of the box itself onto his business. I am doubtful he’d fare well in a top entry litter box..

Is that why he herds you into the bathroom when he poops? I saw that on your IG.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Is that why he herds you into the bathroom when he poops? I saw that on your IG.

Probably lol. Eventually he gives up and I cover it for him

 

[JPie]

Probably lol. Eventually he gives up and I cover it for him

He's so adorably inept! Only pets can get away with stuff like this. I think I would murder my husband if he left his poops for me to flush.

 

[msop04]

Omg so cute!!! They really are the same colors!

Sweet little pink noses and toe beans...

 

[msop04]

@msop04 we had this Petmate one, which is not attractive but highly functional. The lid flips open on a hinge, but you can also remove it completely if you want to dump the tracked litter back in the box:

Amazon.com: Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan Cat Litter Box Brushed Nickel/Pearl White: Pet Supplies

Amazon.com: Petmate Top Entry Litter Pan Cat Litter Box Brushed Nickel/Pearl White: Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

My friend chose a more stylish version by Iris: https://www.walmart.com/ip/IRIS-USA-Top-Entry-Cat-Litter-Box-Black-White/973748949

I used it for ten days when I was cat sitting and found it cumbersome. The lid stays in place by snapping into three separate holes on the sides of the box, and you have to align it perfectly to make sure it's secure, or your poor cat will be unpleasantly surprised.

Thanks!!

I ordered the Petmate one... is that the one you found cumbersome, or the Iris?? I chose the Petmate due to ease of scooping (square and no weird crevices).