Homeless Cat -- Now Spotacus' Legacy
On 18 Dec, a very large cat showed up at our house. It was late and cold, and he looked in the door and made it clear he wanted inside. Well, since we have two cats already and he was a stranger, we...
Forum Discussion
Herself is the Cat Whisperer and she says the following.
"When I bring home a cat or kitten who is skittish in the new surroundings I put him or her in the guest bedroom for awhile. If there's a sibling the sibling goes in too. Being in the spare bedroom allows them to adjust to the sounds and smells of their new home while feeling safe.
"I keep them in there anywhere from a week to two weeks all the while feeding them and giving them Temptations by hand. Of course their water, food bowls and litter box is in there. I'll go in several times a day and just sit and hold the two cats while I hand feed them and just talk to them. I'll brush their fur or stroke them while talking quietly to them. You can tell when they're calm enough to come join the rest of the household.
"The longest I've ever had to keep a cat in the bedroom is two weeks. He was somewhat PTSD from some unknown trauma. He did eventually calm down enough to be settled in the house but we never let him outside as we knew we would never see him again if something spooked him. He would flee post-haste. Some cats just have that burden to carry.
"I don't mind having a full time indoor cat. They eventually 'own' the house and don't seem to mind if we go off for a couple of weeks on the road. I leave plenty of food and water in several containers and it has always worked. We have a friend who house sits if we have to be gone longer than 14 days so that works out too."
"When I bring home a cat or kitten who is skittish in the new surroundings I put him or her in the guest bedroom for awhile. If there's a sibling the sibling goes in too. Being in the spare bedroom allows them to adjust to the sounds and smells of their new home while feeling safe.
"I keep them in there anywhere from a week to two weeks all the while feeding them and giving them Temptations by hand. Of course their water, food bowls and litter box is in there. I'll go in several times a day and just sit and hold the two cats while I hand feed them and just talk to them. I'll brush their fur or stroke them while talking quietly to them. You can tell when they're calm enough to come join the rest of the household.
"The longest I've ever had to keep a cat in the bedroom is two weeks. He was somewhat PTSD from some unknown trauma. He did eventually calm down enough to be settled in the house but we never let him outside as we knew we would never see him again if something spooked him. He would flee post-haste. Some cats just have that burden to carry.
"I don't mind having a full time indoor cat. They eventually 'own' the house and don't seem to mind if we go off for a couple of weeks on the road. I leave plenty of food and water in several containers and it has always worked. We have a friend who house sits if we have to be gone longer than 14 days so that works out too."
