For cat lovers

I volunteer for Cat Defence, a rescue organisation, and I have 2 cats of my own and currently fostering a 3rd. Don't ever leave a cat, I have seen way too many abandoned cats, starved, neglected dying from lack of love. Compared to dogs, cats are fairly independent. All you need to do is provide shelter and food for them, and most of the day they'll leave you alone, but will come to you for a pat and scratch in the evenings and will like to sit on your lap. If the cat is young, s/he'll want to play with something, so would be good if you had a small soft ball, rubber mouse, a ball that jingles... anything they can chase around the house. I find even a scrunched up piece of paper or foil (the type used in covering food) works. If you have mice or birds inside the house, make sure they're kept high enough away from the cat, and no way for the cat to climb to them, as cats will see them as a natural meal. Cats are mainly carnivorous, so they'll live it if you feed them meat, raw meat, cooked meat. My cats also like chicken necks. And a true delicacy is if you can get offal (chicken liver, chicken heart, chicken kidney,.. etc). You can also buy tinned food in the store, but fresh is always best. Tinned food (some brands especially) can shorten a cat's lifespan. Always also have dry food on hand for them to snack on through the day, and plenty of water. It's best to keep the cat inside to keep it safe from other cats (as other cats can make it ill), dogs or cars on the road. Make sure you get your cat vet checked for Feline AIDS or leukemia, make sure you get your cat SPAYED (absolutely important.. too many cats are dying in the pounds because of irresponsible ownership), spaying him will stop him spraying in the house also. He'll also need to be vaccinated, microchipped, and NEVER declaw your cat, it's cruel and inhumane. Instead, get a scratching post, and periodically trim your cats claws. For toileting, you'll need a litter tray. There are various litter products on the market, but I find I just use newspaper. The cats scrunch up what they soil, and then when I change the litter tray, it's just rolling up the newspaper, and putting fresh layers down. Just like changing a nappy. Simple. To toilet train. If you see him start to sniff the ground, place him straight in the litter tray. It's best in the beginning to keep him in a confined space like the bathroom (or a walk in closet) for a couple of weeks till you're sure he's figured out that he can only toilet in the litter tray. If you decide to keep him, you'll have to lock him indoors at least for a couple of weeks till he understand that this is his new home. Make sure he sees his reflection in a mirror and also put butter on his paws (this myth has been proven untrue, but it has always worked for my cats). Rumour has it, that when they lick their paws, it makes them feel more at home. I find little treats through the day also does the same thing. It shows the puss that you love him, and you want him to love you. As he adjusts to his new life, you can cut back the treats, but I still use them, when I call my cats in for whatever reason, they get a treat straight away.. or they get a treat if they use the litter tray. Hope this helps. Best of luck with your new companion. ;)

Congratulations for taking in the cat left by your neighbor. There is a lot of responsibility to owning a per. Your cat will need yearly examinations by a vet. He or she will recommend what vaccinations your cat needs. At the very least, it will need a yearly rabies shot. It appears that you plan to keep the cat indoors. Bully for you! You will need a litter box and litter for the cat's bathroom needs. This will have to be cleaned regularly, or the house will smell bad. Also, your cat may refuse to use a dirty litter box and go some where you do not want. I recommend a litter box with a cover and an opening on one end where the cat enters. The covered box means less scattered litter. When I was very young, I didn't know to purchase litter for my kitten. I brought in a box of dirt, which it didn't like. He went to the bathroom in the middle of my winter coat.

The neighbours moved away and just left their cat behind? Cats are quite independent,they will go out and hunt for themselves,unless you are planning on keeping him indoors? As someone else had him before,He should be house trained already,so You should just need a litter box for his wastes and a couple of bowls for food and water for his use..Some people will just feed their cats commercially available foods you can buy in the supermarket,others would be particular about what the cat eats,and prepare food from scratch..

You can buy her a litter box and soft feline food from the store.; usually you just fill 1/2 - 3/4 full of the box with some fine stone, fine sand and scented pet scoop crumping materials for her poop and pee. Cat is quite smart, she know where to get rid of her excretion if you provide one for her. All these you can easily find in a pet store and grocery store. Take her to visit a vet. once a while, like may be one a year for vaccination and health check. There is very little hassle to care for a cat, it is always a wonderful choice for those who want the minimum headaches in having a pet at home. It only cost a tiny fraction of a minimum wage earner paycheck to own a cat as pet. Vola! it is that simple. my friend!

actually, my point is leaving it alone. I have adopted many cats when I was young. cats are the animals which like live alone and are very independent, so never consider it as weak as you think. It will live better if you give it enough place and the necessary meals. It is OK to check the meals and the habitat of it every day. And it will live a healthy life without so much attentions that you think.

i think you must take care of the cat than to leave it because it may die...A simple meat or bone could be enough for a cat..i take my cat a bath once a month. then i train my cat where it would excrete its poop and pee...it all depends on your style.what matters is, love the cat as if it was your bABY ANd bestfriend:-)

If you are serious about taking care of this cat, then here are some of my suggestions having two cats of my own. First, is the cat trained to pee and poop on a kitty litter? Because if the cat is house trained, then all you need to do is to provide a kitty litter that the cat can access. For food, I usually feed my cats dry cat food with the occasional tuna. Hope this helps.

First off it depends on if he is a house cat or you are going to leave him outside. I use Alley Cat to feed my cat. It is a dry cat food and he seems to love it. As for baths if they are not use to water (which cats normally dont like water) then I recomend no baths. The store do sell a waterless bath stuff you can buy to help them smell better. If you have him inside you need a litter box with litter. If he has been trained to use it he will without no help beside having showed where it is. But normally with every cat I have had I didn't need to train him. He went there whenever he needed to go. Hope this helps and a big thank you for taking in a stray. Most people just neglect the animals that some people just leave behind.

That was so sweet of you Lara! Congratulations on your new kitty! Cats don't need as much care as other pets. There's canned food special for cats in every supermarket. A bowl with food and other with water should be enough. I use dry food for mine, because wet food gets dry after a while and they dont want it anymore, it also smells more than dry food. About the poo and pee, just get a litter box and sand, they are cheap in the animal section of any supermarket. Get a shovel too so you can remove the poo daily and dispose it. Also change the sand every week. If you live in a house with garden, you can leave the cat to poo in the garden, he will bury their poo because they are very clean animals, and that will be good for plants as manure is the best fertilizer. They also don't need a bath, unless they get very dirty. Cats clean themselves several times a day licking themselves. If it's a male, you may want to neuter him, this is done so it does not leave to find a partner, and gets involved into fights with other males, and can be wounded, killed, or lose an eye or ear. Neuter him will stop him from marking your house with his perfume (they do it to mark territory and it's a bit stinky). I wish you luck with your kitty!

Hi Lara :) I think it's better to take care of the cat than to leave him. Cats live longer if they are indoor. May I know how old the cat is? For cat food, it's good if you buy a wet or dry cat food. There is a kitten and cat food, so it depends on his age. I bath my cat once or twice a month. At first, they will be scared, but they will get used to it. Many says that there is no need to bath a cat. But not for me, I always want my cat to smell good because I always cuddle her and she use to go to bed with me. I wash her body but not her head and face because it's dangerous for them. It can cause health complications. I bought a litter and litter box for my cat. It's where she pee and poop. I did not train her to poop there. When I bought, she just automatically used it . Good luck!