Cat owners...help! (added a pic)

[Ariel Wanna-be]

A stray cat has been hanging around our camp for a week. No one showed up to claim her, so we decided to take her home because I was worried that something would happen to her.

Anyway, we are normally "dog" people, and know nothing about keeping cats as pets. She has an appointment on Monday to receive all her vaccinations, and we have to wait two weeks after that to have her spayed. Should I have her de-clawed? What is the best food? Do self-cleaning litter boxes really work? What's the best litter? What's the best way to clean her?

Yes, I know I could Google all this, but it would be great to hear from actual cat owners, and I don't really want to join a cat-lovers forum, lol.

TIA.

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[CogsworthTN]

That is so amazing that you are adding this cat to your family or I might say the cat added you. From what you shared you are also making sure the cat is well taken care of. We have an indoor cat and our vet advised against declawing...so Oliver(our awesome cat) has nails. We make sure we keep his nails trimmed and we have two scratching posts in the house for him to scratch on. As far as an auto cleaning litter box; we had one years ago and I did not like it. I don’t know how to say this without being yuck, but the auto blades sometimes smushed the Pooh Pooh and it would stick to the blades. It was a horrible mess to clean. We just use a hooded litter box and a scooper daily. It’s not a pleasurable chore going digging for treasures, but it’s better than the automatic litter box we had.

We have tried several litter and we really like scoop away the best. It hides the odor well and clumps the kitty waste well for clean up. We also chose the Blue brand of cat food because of its better ingredients. They make an indoor cat variety too. As far as cleaning the cat, Oliver pretty much takes care of his own baths and I suspect your cat will too. I just recommend brushing regularly to limit hair balls.

Oliver has brought us so much joy, laughter, and love the past five years and I wish you and your family the same with your new kitty cat.

 

[holden]

Whatever you do please don’t declaw! Encourage kitty to use scratching posts. Have a few around the house - carpet and sisel. If kitty is clawing something like the sofa, put the scratching post there and praise her when she uses it. Make a huge fuss about it. Eventually you can put the posts out if the way where they are less noticeable.

We have 2 kitties with their claws and never have a issue with them destroying anything.

Ask the vet for food recommendations. Our vet recommends canned food only.

We use the Breeze litter system. Our cats use it with no problems.

Brush/comb kitty as needed depending on fur length. Not need to bathe. Kitty will spend half of her day doing that herself.

Enjoy!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Should I have her de-clawed?
In my opinion no. Few people still support it. I think it's a cruel and outdated procedure but do your own research to form your own opinion.
What is the best food?
Since she doesn't have a steady diet now, whatever you'd like to give her I suppose. I'm partial to Nutro foods but everyone has their preference.
Do self-cleaning litter boxes really work?
I don't like them. They work, but all it does is gather the stinky stuff in one place. I just scoop once a day(it only takes a few minutes).
What's the best litter?
This is where SHE might be picky. My cats aren't so I use what I like which is Fresh Step, but growing up we had a cat that didn't like the scoopable kind.
What's the best way to clean her?
Cats are fairly clean on their own but since she's been outside I would have her groomed when she's at the vet. There are some dry shampoos you can try if you're not brave enough to give her an old fashioned bath.
]

 

[tvguy]

Declawing is illegal here now. Our last cat was our first that was not declawed. She passed away after 12 years and we had to replace one couch and all the curtains, but I see now how declawing can be considered cruel. It is also one of the reasons why we are not having any more cats (or pets) of any kind. Damage to the house. The other is we will be retiring in the next 2 or 3 years and don't want to be tied down by a pet so we can travel when we want.

 

[mustlovecats]

That's so awesome! It's so nice of you to take the stray cat in.

Don't declaw your kitty, it's really not a good practice (if your vet will even do it) and it often causes litter box issues later. If you make it a point to touch their paws daily usually you can get a point where you can trim their claws weekly but it takes patience.

We love pine litter and we scoop the poop every day and then change the litter weekly. Its a little more expensive but you can't smell that we have four cats in the house.

You should try to feed wet food at least every other day to your cat because they don't drink enough water which can cause expensive kidney issues later if they only eat dry food. Too much dry good also makes them fat. Our cats love the Weruva cats in the kitchen (brand) Love me tender (flavor) cat food.

Also, she will mostly clean herself. If she gets really dirty you may have to bathe her, but I've lived with cats for 20 years and I've only ever had to give two baths to them! It is good to brush them weekly to prevent hair balls if they shed a lot.

Best of luck with your new pet!

 

[Hikergirl]

No do not declaw! You can get a couple scratching posts. My one cat loves those cardboard scratcher boxes that just sit on the floor.
I have 3 cats and find Tidy Cat Instant Action works the best, but there are many different varieties.
You may have to try several foods, cats can be pretty picky. The only thing I would say is don't get a gluten free kind unless it is an absolute necessity. Out vet said that they are seeing more and more issues with cats that eat it. I think she mentioned some studies but I wasn't really paying attention since we don't feed our cats that.
What a great thing you are doing. I know a few dog people that would never consider taking in a cat for fear of not getting along with their dog, so kudos to you guys!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Should I have her de-clawed?

I would personally not recommend de-clawing. If you find scratching over time (and there should be time to get used to the environment) you may see if the nail caps would work. I don't personally know someone who has the caps but I do know they are an option and I would strongly recommend that as well as techniques for minimizing scratching where you don't scratching before even thinking about declawing. Personally I still wouldn't declaw though but that's just me.

Our cat is not declawed and is pretty darn good to be honest with claws.

What is the best food?

That's a personal preference but you could talk with the vet. This is just an opinion but our vet advised to stay away from Indoor Cat formulas because from what they had seen more urinary issues arose from that.

When we adopted our cat the shelter/rescue sent us home with some Pet Fresh food (that's the refrigerated kind) and our cat loved that, then when that was running low we went and bought kitten formula of Purina One Smartblend. Once our cat was 1 year old we moved him to Purina One Smartblend Healthy Metabolism (as he is neutered). Each time we did a slow switch where you blend the food in with the new food in order to help the cat get more slowly used to the new food.

Our cat had a bladder stone shortly after we moved into our house so we added Purina One Smartblend pate wet cat food to his diet. We also got him a water fountain as well. Both are designed to give him more water in his diet. Some cats love to drink water but my vet said by nature cats tend to exhibit characteristics of their ancestors that were desert species who don't tend to drink water as much as they should.

We feed our cat 1 can of wet food per day plus dry food that is in an automatic cat food feeder. The dry food is given to him twice a day at 1/4 cup per day.

Our cat hasn't been picky at all when it comes to food with the exception of the wet food. We had tried the gravy kind (where it's larger chunks mixed with a sauce) and he just licked the sauce up and left the larger chunks but he'll eat the pate version so that's what we buy him.

In any case I would talk with the vet to see if there are recommendations they could have. Price of food may determine what kind you get.

Do self-cleaning litter boxes really work?

We looked into that but the cost was more than we wanted to spend for good ones.

We ended up choosing a rolling litter box where there is an internal grate that catches the clumps so you're not scooping-you do need a clumping litter though. Not all cats like enclosed litter boxes but ours hasn't had an issue with it.

Here's what ours looks like:


The grate is only visible for the picture. When it's in place you can't see it like that.

Anyways that's just ours.

What's the best litter?

That's up to you but we use Tidy Cats (either the Instant Action or the Glade version) clumping litter. I wouldn't personally choose the light-weight version as I've heard a lot more issues with the litter dust being worse. We feel the dust is pretty minimal with normal Tidy Cats version.

What's the best way to clean her?

IF you want to bathe her it's usually best to start early when they are a kitten to get them used to it. Majority of cats do not need to be bathed but if allergies are a concern you could bathe her. We gave our cat baths when he was younger and every now and then give him one now. He's not the most fond of it but certaintly isn't like the picture of an angry scared cat when you think of cats and baths. You may think about putting something like a towel or something like it on the bottom of the tub for stability since the tub floor may be slippery. Mostly our cat just looks at us like "why must you get be all wet" lol.

 

[dotfurio]

I hate cleaning litter so I buy prefilled disposable pans and throw them away after 3 days.

Don't declaw, but if it's indoor only and you can't control the scratching of things you don't want scratched, you can get little caps for the claws. We did this a couple times with one of our cats (they fall off after a while) and it broke her habit of scratching the couch.

 

[bellebud]

Since you're not a cat person, you may not know. Most cats are particular about their people, and you were chosen if this cat willingly came home with you. The fact that it allowed you to catch it means you're special, lol. Congratulations!

I like Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter. I don't like auto-cleaning litter boxes. I use non-hooded litter boxes (I have 6 for 2 cats, but we have a large house and 4 are in the basement and 2 are on our screened in porch). I scoop every few days, but if you have 1 litter box, I'd scoop every day or so. It's recommended to have the amount of litter boxes per cat, plus 1. So ideally you should have 2 litter boxes, but I think a ton of people don't follow that rule. With 1 cat, the hooded kind should be ok I think. I think if you have more than 2 cats, you don't want 1 to be in it and feel trapped by the other cat, then they won't use it again.

My cats LOVE cardboard. They'll lay in a cardboard box rather than the cat beds I've bought.

Declawing isn't really done anymore. It's essentially like removing their first knuckle, not just the nails. Just learn to trim the front nails, and get scratchers. They probably have sprays to use in areas if they're scratching inappropriately too.

Bless you for taking in the cat. Pictures???

Edited to add... cats often like to be high up, so cat trees. If you don't want the regular, carpeted cat tree, you can use a bookshelf, etc, to give them vertical space. Pinterest has 50 million ideas, lol.

 

[LSUmiss]

Sorry I still declaw. The technique is entirely different than it was years ago at least in my area. It’s a laser & quick procedure now & recovery time is very minimum. However, it’s VERY expensive here. But, I’ve never had a cat successfully train not to scratch furniture. My cats have all been declawed & lived happy lives til at least 18 years old. I think it’s a small blip in a long happy life. Spaying is more invasive. I feed premium food. I like clay litter that I scoop daily & change weekly, but now I have a picky cat. I think you’ll have to decide on what litter you like best after you have had her a while. Good luck!

 

[LSUmiss]

That is so amazing that you are adding this cat to your family or I might say the cat added you. From what you shared you are also making sure the cat is well taken care of. We have an indoor cat and our vet advised against declawing...so Oliver(our awesome cat) has nails. We make sure we keep his nails trimmed and we have two scratching posts in the house for him to scratch on. As far as an auto cleaning litter box; we had one years ago and I did not like it. I don’t know how to say this without being yuck, but the auto blades sometimes smushed the Pooh Pooh and it would stick to the blades. It was a horrible mess to clean. We just use a hooded litter box and a scooper daily. It’s not a pleasurable chore going digging for treasures, but it’s better than the automatic litter box we had.

We have tried several litter and we really like scoop away the best. It hides the odor well and clumps the kitty waste well for clean up. We also chose the Blue brand of cat food because of its better ingredients. They make an indoor cat variety too. As far as cleaning the cat, Oliver pretty much takes care of his own baths and I suspect your cat will too. I just recommend brushing regularly to limit hair balls.

Oliver has brought us so much joy, laughter, and love the past five years and I wish you and your family the same with your new kitty cat.

Agreed on the automatic box. Not worth it!

 

[LSUmiss]

Declawing is illegal here now. Our last cat was our first that was not declawed. She passed away after 12 years and we had to replace one couch and all the curtains, but I see now how declawing can be considered cruel. It is also one of the reasons why we are not having any more cats (or pets) of any kind. Damage to the house. The other is we will be retiring in the next 2 or 3 years and don't want to be tied down by a pet so we can travel when we want.

I would not have a cat without being able to declaw. I think with so many cats that need homes, I think this could be more of problem.

 

[emmybee]

Please don't maim the cat, it's cruel and unnecessary. I have two adopted cats that I've had for over ten years, and they don't scratch stuff up. I've owned a cloth couch, and now leather with no issues. They have a couple of posts, different styles, and I clip their nails. They seem to enjoy sisal for scratching. Be in touch with the cat's needs and it won't cause problems.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would not have a cat without being able to declaw. I think with so many cats that need homes, I think this could be more of problem.

It doesn't have to be an either or situation you know.

You present it like it's either declaw a cat or adopts cats. Shelters around me do not advocate declawing cats. The rescue agency I adopted my cat from put it in their contract that should you want to declaw you are to bring the cat back to them instead (yes yes enforcement yada yada yada). Anyways there's a difference in getting a cat and choosing to automatically declaw for no other reason than the convenience of humans (especially as our knowledge has grown on how declawing can affect cats) and adopting a cat that has already been declawed. FWIW it is banned in 22 countries around the world and seen as cruelty to animals in countries that have banned it. And in recent enough years the majority of those surveyed in the U.S. do not support declawing. Either way unless it is banned it is a personal choice. The OP can obviously make that choice for themselves provided it is allowed where they are at but posters are free to express their opinions on the matter as you have as well.

In order to reduce the population of cats the best thing to do is spay and neuter. The population of cats is not really related to declawing or not declawing cats.

 

[mom2rtk]

The population of cats is not really related to declawing or not declawing cats.

It is if the inability to declaw makes fewer people want to adopt. Or if it results in more surrenders of cats to shelters because of damage to furniture.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It is if the inability to declaw makes fewer people want to adopt. Or if it results in more surrenders of cats to shelters because of damage to furniture.

That can be true but the worse of the two evils is the amount of cats that get pregnant and have more kittens and then those kittens get pregnant and have more kittens, etc. That leads to far more shelter cats then the cat passed over because the place does not advocate declawing and the potential adoptee won't get a cat unless it is declawed or they can opt to declaw or the place the person lives in does not legally allow declawing.

If you're looking at reducing the population of cats overall or at least to control them more prohibiting clawing is going to have less of an impact than spaying and neutering.

Plus I don't care about my furniture in relation to my cat-if I cared about my furniture that much I personally wouldn't get a cat, declawed or not declawed as cats also shed too. If you had a situation where the health of the cat is involved it is different than cosmetic damage to material things. I find dog nails to be far more damaging to floors (especially as they do not retract into their paws like cats do) and people than cats claws YMMV.

 

[mom2rtk]

That can be true but the worse of the two evils is the amount of cats that get pregnant and have more kittens and then those kittens get pregnant and have more kittens, etc. That leads to far more shelter cats then the cat passed over because the place does not advocate declawing and the potential adoptee won't get a cat unless it is declawed or they can opt to declaw or the place the person lives in does not legally allow declawing.

If you're looking at reducing the population of cats overall or at least to control them more prohibiting clawing is going to have less of an impact than spaying and neutering.

Plus I don't care about my furniture in relation to my cat-if I cared about my furniture that much I personally wouldn't get a cat, declawed or not declawed as cats also shed too. If you had a situation where the health of the cat is involved it is different than cosmetic damage to material things. I find dog nails to be far more damaging to floors (especially as they do not retract into their paws like cats do) and people than cats claws YMMV.

You can spay and neuter if you declaw. It's not either/or.

Look, I totally understand the arguments against declawing. I get the strong feelings. But I have mixed feelings because I think it makes them harder to place into homes. We try looking for already declawed cats when we are adopting. The last one we got was declawed but had been abandoned in an apartment for a long time (without food) before she was taken to the animal shelter. She's been a great addition to our family.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I’m against declawing, would never do it and I think you’d have a hard time finding a vet to do the procedure. Place a few scratching posts or scratching boxes (with strips of corrugated cardboard) around the house and train her to use them. I’ve never had any problems with cats damaging furniture (but of course they are all different). Any clumping litter is fine. We feed a combo of wet and dry food.

Start clipping her claws and brushing her coat on a regular basis from the start, so she gets used to it at a young age. Also, occasionally take her on car rides in a carrier to someplace other than the vet, even if you just drive around.

Be careful with any houseplants you may have. Check that none of them are toxic to animals. I’ve only had to bathe a cat once and it was not a fun experience. You can buy cat wipes in pet store that are like baby wipes and use them for a minor cleansing should they need it.

 

[OneOftheB's]

Ok, first don't declaw. It's an amputation of the last digit of the finger, not just the nail bed. A large number of declawed cats will have litter box issues because the texture of the litter in the box hurts them. Declawed cats are also much more like to become biters. There are numerous ways to deter scratching where you don't want it-- previous posters have mentioned Soft Paws, the nail caps, but there is also Sticky Paws, which is similar to a double sided tape and basic aluminum foil, either of which can be placed on areas you don't want scratched.

A good scratching post will be at least waist height and be made of a material like sisal rope instead of carpet on the vertical surface. It should also have a sturdy base so that it doesn't tip or wobble when the cat uses it.

Choose a higher quality food, instead of the bargain basement brand. Trust me you will save money in vet bills and will feed less over time, thus saving money. I prefer a grain free formula (Evo is what I feed my two).

A self cleaning litter box will do a light clean, but you will still have to "get in there" and clean the caked on urine a few times a week. IMO a storage tote (one of the ones around 18"x24" that is 12-14" deep) is the best for use as a litter box. It's cheap, and big enough for you cat to use easily, plus has tall sides in case your cat either doesn't squat or really throws litter when they cover their leavings.

An unscented, clumping litter is best. Don't buy one of the ones that has cedar in it, most cats can't tolerate that much scent. Many of the heavily scented litters are also off putting for many cats. I've also seen the Swheat litter work well; it seems to clump nicely but has a pleasant odor.

One recommendation I would make, if you have indoor dogs especially, is to buy or build a cat tree so the cat can get up off the floor and away from the dog(s). You would want one that allows the cat to be shoulder height or higher on an average adult.

Feel free to message me, I have a ton of resources I can forward to you! Great job & best of luck!