She looks much more comfortable without her hair pulling on her skin so much. How old is she?
Agreed. She definitely approves of her new servants and domicile.
My mom had a stray cat with a similar problem, also an older long-haired cat. The vet shaved off a lot of fur, down to the skin over a large patch. The fur grew again in a few months, and she lived happily for a number of years after that. So a good outcome.
She needed regular brushing to keep her fur from matting again, though.
Congratulations! I’ve seen (on my guilty viewing pleasure property pron programmes) occasional homes for sale that officially come with a resident cat, so I thought that was what you meant at first. Glad she’s got someone to look after her in her old age.
The “only indoor cats” thing is something I’ve only noticed recently online. Funnily enough the cat charities here are often reluctant to rehome a cat that’s going to be indoors only if it’s used to going outdoors, like this one is. Then again there aren’t any animals that would predate on it and I kinda doubt there are in Ireland either. 
I think it depends on the cat. I adopted one of the barn cats where I kept my horses and once she was inside she showed NO interest in going outside. She turned AWAY from the door when it opened. Not stupid, that one.
I’m so glad that mat’s gone and I’m sure she is, too. She’s already gorgeous so I’m sure once her coat is sorted out she’s going to be stunning. I’ll bet she’s very happy!
Mrs. L.A. chose the house we rented in Hawaii, partially because one of the photos showed a cat in the yard. (We never saw any cats there.)
Its so good of you to take that poor kitty in. She must be so happy now that she has slaves and a proper home now. While I agree with the others that there is some Maine Coon in her background, from looking at her face (not boxy) and her fur (can’t really see signs of an undercoat there) I think she has another, more plushy breed in her as well.
Does she like to lay on her back? I used to have a long haired cat who would lay on his back and relax in the sun which caused lots of matting on his back end. I finally resorted to getting him a crew cut twice a year. He didn’t like the process, but I could tell that he was happy with the end result.
You have to be a pretty awesome person to chose an unknown homeless cat as your first one. Thank you so much for being so kind.
Is it possible for you to consider TrapNeutorRelease for the colony? I don’t know what resources are available for you, but maybe you could call your local Humane Society and ask about helping the ferals. I have always been able to find low cost spay/neuter clinics who know how to deal with ferals through the Humane Society. Traps are usually available to rent for a very low fee if you don’t know anyone who has one.
TNR is truly the most humane way to deal with feral cats. All that killing or otherwise removing cats if there is a food source will do is allow more cats to move in. If “your” colony is all fixed and ear tipped, they will be much better behaved, they won’t be reproducing and they usually won’t be marking and they won’t be running around trying to have sex.
They will live longer and healthier lives.
The only problem with doing TNR is that it can become rather addictive and you might end up with a house feral.
Here’s a better pic with herself looking at me wondering why I’m not feeding her chicken https://i.imgur.com/tKGzwMK.jpg
The vet didn’t give us an age just said she was a geriatric lady. She gets more bold everyday which is great to see as it means she’s more and more comfortable. I made an area in the garden with some dirt and she is using it to go to the toilet which is fantastic as it means that it’s all in one place and easy to clean. Once a day clean and she’s happy to keep using it. The vet said that if she is use to outside leave her like that and see how it goes.
We got her a kennel for the nights and when we are at work and she went straight into it the first night. It’s got a flap door, heated mat, pillows and blanket and she has chosen to stay in there on occasion during the day when we are there and the door is open. We noticed that she doesn’t really go further than the back garden now which the vet said may happen if she gets comfortable as old cats don’t wander as much if they don’t have to.
She spends most of the time sleeping on what has become basically her chair (an old recliner I had when my back was bad and keep around just in case) and comes over to say hello every few hours.
I’ve become very fond of the little fluffball and am well on my way to be fully trained by her 
Explain why you didn’t give her chicken. <severe glare and foot-tapping>
Cats really know who the [del]suckers[/del] good people are, don’t they?
That’s not “wondering”. That’s “Why are you eating mah chiken?” 
Baby Ruth gives me the same look for the same reason.
She’s adorable. And such personality!
Well Yojimbo, as far as being a first time cat carer it appears you are a natural! Not only is she a beautiful cat, that sassy demeanor tells us she feels right at home.
One thing that helps w/ long-haired cats’ good health is keeping the hair they remove when they wash from staying in their guts any longer than anything else. There are veterinary pastes and such you can buy for that or you can simply offer her a teaspoon of coconut oil. Here in the States it’s in the baking aisle in a couple of cheap brands. It has no smell and I discovered both my cats like it when I used it on my hair and hands and they tried to lick it all off me. After that I started stirring a melted teaspoon of it into their once-daily wet food or simply giving them a spoon of it. Far fewer hairballs and no straining to poo (which can hurt an older cat).
Thank you for the pics and for sharing her story w/ us; every cat should have as nice a place and staff to spend their golden years!
Thanks Nawth Chucka we were actually going to bring up the hair thing with the vet as I’ve seen her struggling to poo and also bring up hair and swallowing it back again. That’s good advice.
Yes, even w/ diligent brushing cats will get hairballs (unless they’re the hairless cats) just from cleaning themselves. Most cats’ hairballs will pass easily but your little miss has been under stress for some time and likely hadn’t had a balanced diet until you took her in.
Keeping fresh water available will help, as will wet cat food. If you don’t want the expense of canned wet food, you can take a handful of dry food and put just enough hot water over it to make it float and after sitting for a few minutes it’ll soak up to be soft and moist when you give it to her.
You’re doing wonderfully in this adjustment period, it can have its ups and downs any time a family gains a new member.
Just thought I’d give a quick update as things have settled down now. Gizmo is doing great. Fur is basically all grown back. She had a issue with her mouth that was making it hard for her to eat. Got that sorted and all is good now.
I love having a little animal sharing my world. She is so funny, grumpy little talky thing who just fills me with joy. I’ve gotten so much entertainment just watching her do her stuff over the last few months. We were so lucky finding her. I’ve gone from nothing to sitting on a kitchen floor hand feeding her small chopped up bits of food and clearing up vomit and not having a problem with any of it because it’s all so worth it.
Here’s a pic of her sitting on the armrest of the couch. She does this a lot and it’s right beside where I sit so she’s always close.
Here’s one where she is a little bit more comfy
It’s amazing how their bones turn to liquid when they’re comfy!! Pretty kitteh!!
Thank you for the update! I’m glad things are going so well. What a sweetheart.
You’re good people, yojimbo (and yer wife is too)!
Awww, who’s the big fluffy?
She turned out gorgeous!
Another vote that she has the best of servants.
Aww! Thank you for the update!
So pretty for a ghost cat! 
My friend had a furry long-haired cat like yours show up in her dooryard and loooves her and dotes on her now too. Happy for you!