Hi! I’m new to the boards. I just wanted to say that I adopted a new cat. He’s orange and about 1 year old. I adopted him tonight, but I can’t pick him up until tomorrow at the vet clinic where they will neuter him. I guess it’s the law here that when you adopt you can’t take the cat home until the shelter knows for sure they are fixed. I would have taken him to my own vet, but oh well. They will micro chip him and he already has his shots. At the shelter they had so many cats. There was one that was yowling and screaming for attention and others were putting their arms out of the cages, but the cat I picked was in his corner. I feel bad for the 12 year old cat I saw. I know most people want young cats and kittens and I had bad thoughts that they would euthanize him if no one adopted him. I wanted to take him home too but now I have 3 cats. It made me cry on my drive home. Well on to better news. I named the cat Sunny because he’s an orange tabby long haired cat. He’s so beautiful. The reason for him being brought to the shelter was the previous owner had a landlord find out he had the cat. I’ve always wanted an orange cat and now I have one! What cat food do you recommend? I bought Purina and Iams at the PetsMart. I also have MaxCat and Fancy Feast wet food cans. I have Friskies and Deli Cat for the other cats. My grandmother told me to try Science Diet. Should I give him a bath when he gets home? How long do I let him heal with his stitches after he is neutered tomorrow. And here’s the biggest question…How long do I wait for him to be introduced to the outdoors. My other 2 cats are old 12 and 13 and have always stayed relatively close in the backyard and never roamed. How do I make this cat stay in the backyard? I mainly want him to be indoors but only go out for an hour a day in the backyard to get some sun and exercise and maybe to eat grass because that’s what the other cats do. Should I trim his nails? Give him flea medicine such as Frontline. I’m not declawing him because I had that done about 12 years ago with the other cat and now I think it’s inhumane.
Welcome to the Dope! The first rule of MPSIMS is you can’t have cute animal threads without pictures. The second rule of MPSIMS is you can’t have cute animal threads without pictures. 
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Hi, welcome to the board. Hope you like it. It’s a great place.
Now, since we have the pleasantries out of the way, I must tell you any cat posts, especially about new kitties, must be accompanied by a photo. 
If there isn’t a kitten photo the kitten overlords get upset and we all know what that means…
Congrats on the new cat. I use IAMS food. The cats seem to dig it and the vet recommended it.
Slee
BTW, here are my two girls.
Yeah, what she said. And the third rule of MPSIMS is, Hi Opal! 
MaxCat definitly wins over Fancy Feast (which is kind of like McDonalds for cats).
Iams is good, as is Science Diet. I’m not so sure about Purina. MaxCat actually makes a dry food as well, which my cats love. They have a couple fish flavors (that may be the Nutro brand, but they’re made by the same company)
I wouldn’t bathe him unless he seems really dirty, but if he was really dirty the vet clinic would clean him up anyway. Also, I believe the stitches will need to be kept dry. The vet should give you all the info on that.
There’s no realy way to know what his policy will be as far as the yard. My roommate has a cat who can be outside because she won’t (or can’t) get out of the backyard. She stays in sight and doesn’t jump at the fences, so she comes outside when we’re out there. I have one who will bolt like a greyhound, and likes to climb under peoples cars and sit on the tires. He’s not even allowed NEAR the door. It takes a certain kind of cat to be able to hang in the back yard. Most like to roam, and if you have a roamer you probably shouldn’t let him out, lest he get run over by a car.
Trim his nails if you can-- it will save your furniture, and will keep him from scaling your fence. Some cats won’t let you, though, especially if their nails were never trimmed as kittens and they’re not used to. I have one so bad only the vet can do it.
We Frontline all our cats, because the fleas in our area are so bad that just the dog coming in and out will bring them in. Do you frontline your other cats? If not, and they’re out an hour a day, then you may not have them in your yard (lucky you!). Ask the vet and/or shelter if they’ve treated him. If they haven’t, you may want to just in case. If he does have fleas, even if you or the vet treat him for it, I’d recommend giving one dose to your two other cats as well. They are spry little suckers. We got an infestation of our house and 100% indoor cats because of fleas brought in on foster kittens. Though they were in the garage bathroom and had no contact with our cats, they rode our pant legs in after fleeing the flea-treated kittens. Thankfully, we had had all hardwood and tile floors, but if you have carpet fleas can be a bitch to get rid of.
Talk to the shelter about this question ;). Chances are, they’ll tell you that it’s best to keep your cat indoors for its entire life if you can. Cats are creatures of intense territory, not immense territory; they can be perfectly healthy and happy if they’ve got the entire house, and nothing more, to roam through. And they’re much less likely to get hit by cars, eaten by coyotes, or shot by psychos.
I’m not a fanatic about it; if you can’t keep your cat indoors, c’est la vie. But I think it’s worth a shot. (My own cats go outside about half a dozen times a year, scooting out between our feet when we open the door; they do a lap or two around the house, and then run back in).
Daniel
As if you hadn’t gotten the point already: Pictures, pictures, PICTURES! Please. Feel free to post pix of all your fuzzies.
You already know this, too, but you did a good thing by picking a shelter cat. I can’t go into a shelter without bringing an animal home with me, so I can no longer go into them at all. The last time, we brought home a cat and a month later, she had three kittens! :eek: (No, we didn’t keep all of them. We gave two away.)
As to food, we give all our animals Iams. They seem to like it, it’s not too high priced, and it’s supposed to be good for them. On occasion, we give our cats a can of wet food as a treat.
As for the claws, did you know that they now make soft covers to slide over the cat’s claws. I’ve seen them in magazines. Or you can try to clip them, either one. Depends on what your cat will allow.
As for letting him outside, I’m not the one to answer. All our cats are strictly indoor. (We live on a major highway.)
We haven’t had problems with fleas, but the ear mites seem to love us.
Take care of the new kitty, and post pictures soon!
Thank you thank you thank you for adopting a shelter kitty! You not only got a new friend, but karma points!!
I feed Iams dry cat food only. The furbabies (I have 8) occasionally get the water from a can of tuna or a bit of salmon, but nothing else and not often. Limiting the diet helps the litterboxes stay as odor free as possible. DeliCat, if my rememberance of the ingredients label is correct, is trash. Purina is about the best of the lower-cost brands. Iams is a bit more pricey, but is definitely worth it. Everyone who meets my cats comments on how soft their coats are.
Years ago, when Iams was only available at the vet, I ran out on a weekend so I bought a bag of grocery store food to tide them over. I still remember the results in the litter box - increased volume as well as increased smell. I have never made that mistake again.
Speaking of litter boxes, have you tried the pine pellet litter? I buy 30 lb bags of Equine Pine at the local feed and seed store for about the same price as 10 lbs of Feline Pine, and it’s the same stuff. Really helps keep down litter box odor with multiple cats.
TomCats usually don’t have external sutures when they are neutered - the scrotum is left and will shrivel up until it’s almost unnoticable. The shelter should have taken care of any flea issues, but if your cats go outside I would recommend a topical flea treatment. Ask your vet when you pick him up. If you use a topical, bathing him is usually not necessary. I love Frontline - I haven’t had to bathe a cat in years!!
I second the “keeping him in” comment - mine never go out. I especially would not let him out at first - he needs to become acclimated to his new home. It would not be fun to let him out and have him scale the wall and disappear. It takes several months for the male hormones to completely leave the body, so he may still have the young tomcat “wandering urge.” You can buy ryegrass seeds to sprout for the cats if you want - I did it for mind but they just ignored it.
Welcome to the SDMB! Would you care for a margarita?
Congrats on your new kitty! I know that feeling of wanting to take every older cat home from the shelter, but at least you’re making a difference for one cute li’l orange one.
I second the pine litter, it made a HUGE difference in our house, or you can try wheat, which I believe is more scoopable (my friends use this and they love it). I never thought about getting it from a feed store, thanks for the tip, Snakescatlady.
Also, you don’t say where you are located, but if you’re in an area with a Whole Foods, I would recommend trying their store brand 365 Cat Food. It’s the cheapest thing around ($1.99 a bag) and my cats really love it. Two days on it after switching from Purina and their coats were much softer and shinier. Plus it’s Whole Foods so there aren’t preservatives or weirdo stuff in there.
Best of luck with your new critter, and we’re still waiting for pics!
Welcome!
You get extra good Karma for adopting a shelter animal (as **Snakescatlady ** said)- congratulations! 
Any high quality “premium” cat food is fine. Not Purina. *Most * of the cat food you buy in the grocery store isn’t so good either. Iam & Sceince diet are both good. All kitties love the Fancy Feast little cans, but they do get expensive. But since he’ll be not feeling well for a bit, spoil him, sure. After that, I suggest Fancy feast just for a special treat (one can between all 3 cats, once a day) and dry food all they want.
No bath. Yes to flea stuff.
If you can- don’t let him go outside except on a leash. It’s likely too late for the other cats, but make this one an “indoor only” cat- he’ll live longer.
Our two fuzzbutts get a mix of Purina One and Iams(1:2), with semi-weekly treats of either Iams pouches or Fancy Feast. High gloss coats, almost odorless poop, and sweet breath.
Ditto everybody’s comments on karma. But you get the points until you post pictures!
You might want to ask the shelter what kind of cat food he’s been getting, and start him off with that. Then, gradually introduce him to whatever kind of food you plan to give him (mix some of it with the food he’s been eating). A sudden change in diet can supposedly cause vomiting or diarrhea, or the cat might not think of the new food as food if it’s not what he’s used to. The Neville kitties get Eukanuba dry food and Iams canned food, and they have beautiful soft coats. They seem to like the food, too.
I’d recommend keeping him indoors as well. You can buy little pots of grass for cats at Petco (PetsMart probably has them, too) and at some supermarkets. Some cats like to eat grass, some don’t seem particularly interested (my cat Katya likes the grass, Luna doesn’t care about it). I have a cat tree in a sunny spot in the living room, and they like to lie there and enjoy the sun.
I only give the Neville kitties baths when they need them.
Congrats again on your new kitty, and good for you for getting an adult cat. Too many people only want kittens.
A round of applause for adopting a shelter kitty!
I’m here to add another vote for keeping him indoors. I used to let my cats go outside, but every single one of those who went outdoors died of something (feline leukemia, feline immune deficiency, wild animal attack) that would not have happened if s/he had been an indoor only cat. I was heartbroken, and guilty. It’s so very hard to watch a sweet animal waste away from disease before your eyes and know you could have prevented it.
Welcome !! We can always use another kitty lover !
I have 2 Shelter cats, Charlie(Who was actually rescued from a burning house !) and Ruby. They are puuuuuuuurrrrrrrrr-fect.
I have to agree with the above posts. Inside cat only. Way better for them!
Oh… and yes. We must have pictures !
Congrats, and welcome to the Dope.
My vet recently told us that our cats (who both had weight problems) shouldn’t be on dry food at all. There is no difference in their dental health on a wet diet, but they should maintain a healthy weight. Our kitten is mostly on wet, and he’s gaining a pound a month like he should be.
One of our cats has lost 2 pounds and is back to fighting trim. The other is lazy and hovers at her current weight, but she eats less than she used to since we switched her to wet (nutromax wet pouches). Talk to your vet about phasing out dry and see if he or she recommends it.
We anxiously await pictures!
I have to second these as a suggestion. No more ragged can edges! They also take up less space in the cabinet, and you don’t have to deal with washing out cans every morning.
I should also mention that (on case it wasn’t clear) our cats that can be outside are never outside unsupervised. I got the impression yours were the same way. My roommate’s Mom does this with her kitties as well, goes into the backyard with them for an hour or so. As long as the cats are too old, arthritic, uncoordinated, or uninterested to jump the fence, and you don’t let them out of your sight, it can work. But only for certain cats.
We’ve been thinking about installing a cat fence, which they can’t get over. I know someone who has a 40’x20’ cat run made out of this stuff (they have a lot of land), and she’s had no escapes in the 5 years it’s been up.
Here’s Sunny. He has that blue circle tag on his neck. I actually thought they would implant that microchip in his neck but it goes on his collar. He was scared when I brought him home today and he crawled inside the inner part of the couch and peed everywhere. The whole house smells like pee so I had to spray Febreeze and open windows. It smells so awful. How do I get this pee smell out? The other cat I had was never this friendly when I brought her home. She stayed in an extra bedroom for 3 weeks only coming out for food and the litter box. Sunny just got home tonight and he’s sleeping on my bed. I had to coax him out fo the couch with petting and cat treats. It says he was brought to the shelter because a landlord found a tenant was keeping him illegally. It also says on the contract for adoption that if the real owner comes back I have to give back the cat and I get a refund or another cat. It’s a 30 day window so I hope the owner doesn’t come back. The cat has shit all over it’s ass and chunks hanging off the fur. Should i cut it out? He’s also licking his scrotum a lot, which is where the stitches are. Is that okay if he licks? Maybe he will tear the stitches out? He seems pretty calm in my room. He did a lot of meowing earlier today, but he stopped. The other cats hate him. They hiss and try to slap him. How do I introduce him to the cats? I have this other cat name Bob and he’s about 16 pounds. Sunny is only 7 pounds so he feels underweight to me. The other cat is 14-15 pounds. Sunny also sneezes a lot. Maybe he’s getting used to the smell in my house? I hope he isn’t sick already.
If you go to PetSmart or another pet store you should be able to get this stuff called “Nature’s Miracle”. It’s an expensive but very effective enzyme cleaner.
Sunny is very cute! He looks like my Mr. Kitt.
Here’s an old pic of my bunch. Bitey is the momma in the middle, Rubicante is the black one. Kitt is their baby. I need new pics, Kitt’s huge and Cante has only become more vast.
I’d have a vet look at him regarding the sneezing. He could conceivably have a respiratory infection, and you don’t want your other cats to get that. It’s generally a good idea to have any new animal checked by your own vet anyway. For example, do you have assurance that he’s free of other feline diseases? Do you know his vaccination status?
Has he used the litter box o.k. since the accident on your couch? Bad news on that front, too. Cat pee is one of the most difficult substances in the entire universe to get out of anything, and if the scent is not gone, cats WILL return to the site as it has now become an official pee-place. Some pet stores sell enzymatic cleaners that supposedly will do the trick. If you have or can borrow an ultraviolet light (“black light”), cat urine will glow in the dark under UV, so at least you can find out where you need to treat.
Adult cats generally get used to one another eventually, and will usually establish a dominance order. They don’t often get to be great friends, though.
I would have thought the vet would have cleaned up the nether area before doing the surgery. It will probably be tough to get the dingleberries off his butt, but I think it would be worth trying. Otherwise that will get all over everything, too. Except, as someone already said, you would not want to give him an actual bath since he’s just out of surgery.
Hey! Nice yella kitty. He should be a hon when you get him cleaned up.