cat 101

[working woman]

Well looks as if my sister's cat is going along with the house sale irate: . (Can you say sucker?)
Told her I would give it a shot since I have two dogs. She adopted the cat from a co-worker who's wife developed lung cancer and the doctor told her the cat had to go. (she sheds alot) I do know the previous owner had a dog as well. She does have all of her claws and does spend some time outside

I have never had a cat, so this will be a new experience for me. Needless to say I have questions.
How do I introduce my dogs and her cat? I am thinking I have till mid November till I move in my new house. So should I start now?
do cats need heart worm prevention like dogs?
What brand of cat food is considered a hight quality cat food. She is currently on Iams, which I am not a fan of
When you switch cat food, do you gradually switch like you do a dog?
Are there any foods that are hazzardus to cats. (dogs you dont feed choc.,onions ect) as well as is cat nip hazaradus to my dogs?

Any advice would greatly be appreciated.
FYI my sister never got attatched to the cat,, said it was to clingy for her. If I dont take the cat she is taking it to the humane society. Which is a kill facality, andy they are so overwhelmed with cats right now.

 

[Doc]

I'm not sure which is best ( to introduce them to each other gradually, or cold turkey) but over time they will get used to each other. We brought cats into our house with dogs already there. At first it's touch and go, but in time they always adapt. They will give each other a very wide berth at first, but after a couple of months they know they are all part of your family and they make the best of it.
We had one miniature dachshund that chased every cat he could find. He would bark his fool head off. We added a cat to the environment and in time he settled down. He would still go crazy at other cats, but not the one that lived with us. If he could get used to a cat I think about any dog can.
I really think it will be a non issue.

 

[bczoom]

Well looks as if my sister's cat is going along with the house sale

Aren't you allergic to cats????

How do I introduce my dogs and her cat?

Before moving your belongings in, I'd take the following approach.
Grab your dogs by their collars and walk them to about 10' from the cat.
Lower yourself so your almost at the dogs head height.
In a low voice, say "watch 'em.... watch 'em" and tighten their collars a bit.
Repeat after about 10 seconds but this time raise your voice a little louder.
After that, wait another 3-5 seconds then say "Get 'em!!!" in a very loud voice and release the collars.
After the dogs have completed their business with the cat, say "good dogs" and pat them.
Place remnants in plastic bags and put in trash.
Clean the carpets to remove any "residual stuff" of said feline.
Tell your sister the cat ran away.

 

[working woman]

Aren't you allergic to cats????


Before moving your belongings in, I'd take the following approach.
Grab your dogs by their collars and walk them to about 10' from the cat.
Lower yourself so your almost at the dogs head height.
In a low voice, say "watch 'em.... watch 'em" and tighten their collars a bit.
Repeat after about 10 seconds but this time raise your voice a little louder.
After that, wait another 3-5 seconds then say "Get 'em!!!" in a very loud voice and release the collars.
After the dogs have completed their business with the cat, say "good dogs" and pat them.
Place remnants in plastic bags and put in trash.
Clean the carpets to remove any "residual stuff" of said feline.
Tell your sister the cat ran away.

Yes I am allergic to cats.

I knew some one would come up with that answer . I have only met the cat once, and she does have a lot of dog traits. such as comming when you call her, even when she is outside. So for that I will give her a chanch

 

[ghautz]

It might not be PC, but if I were in your shoes, I would not accept the cat.
Allergies can be a real problem. My wife is allergic to my dog, so he has to live outdoors. We don't have carpeting, either, because of allergies.

 

[BigAl]

How do I introduce my dogs and her cat? quote]

I would try rubbing the cat in Bacon grease . They should like that .

 

[ddrane2115]

Aren't you allergic to cats????


Before moving your belongings in, I'd take the following approach.
Grab your dogs by their collars and walk them to about 10' from the cat.
Lower yourself so your almost at the dogs head height.
In a low voice, say "watch 'em.... watch 'em" and tighten their collars a bit.
Repeat after about 10 seconds but this time raise your voice a little louder.
After that, wait another 3-5 seconds then say "Get 'em!!!" in a very loud voice and release the collars.
After the dogs have completed their business with the cat, say "good dogs" and pat them.
Place remnants in plastic bags and put in trash.
Clean the carpets to remove any "residual stuff" of said feline.
Tell your sister the cat ran away.

At my house this would backfire, see the cats rule here, and they know it. Our lab and the little beagle dont stand a chance..........

 

[California]

Cat Feeding: After much drama with previous cats I decided on a real simple approach.

My daughters were 6 and 3 when we got cats for them. I set a firm rule these cats would be fed only at their spot on the laundry porch. They would never be fed at (or under) the dinner table, and no people food whatever. And only dry Purina cat chow like they were livestock.

This simpleminded approach removes a big element of complexity from family life. Kids won't feed pets and I didn't want to do it. There were never half finished cans in the refrigerator, no stinky wet-food serving bowls, and most important the cats never learned to beg underfoot, climb on the table and sneak food while you set the table, or fight with you for your own dinner!

The kids were little enough that this Spartan approach sounded reasonable to them and my wife went along.

It worked. Elder daughter is now 26 and we've been watching her stupid cat ever since she left for college in 1999. I just looked in the Pets folder and see we got that cat from SPCA on 9/9/1988 - 19 years ago. The other one lasted 10 years then died of something like feline distemper - not necessarily diet related.

This old cat's present diet is 100% Purina Vitality 7 Cat Chow. We've fed Iams prescription-only stuff on the vet's recommendation a few times but the cat seems to starve on it so we've always gone back to commercial food.

Recently a friend asked for a photo of her and put it on a local celebrity site - that's her on the right:
http://www.y92.com/cc-common/mlib/eyewitness/811/09/811_1190243898.jpg

 

[bczoom]

I was half joking in my first post.

I too am allergic to cats. I agree with others that say not to keep/accept the cat. You'll be miserable...

 

[California]

Low Maintenance Cat - part 2.

I asked my wife how often she feeds the cat, the one who has eaten Purina Cat Chow for 19 years straight.

Wife said she replaces the water bowl daily but tops up the dry kibbles in the feed bowl only every 4-5 days or more.

That's it. I've never heard of such a low maintenance pet. I still wish Older Daughter would come get her.

​

 

[Doc]

I was half
I too am allergic to cats. I agree with others that say not to keep/accept the cat. You'll be miserable...

I'm allergic to cats. When I was younger we could not have cats in the house. Some time after I turned 40 we had a cat in the house for a little bit and it did not bother me. As I've aged the allergy is not near as bad as it used to be. Now the only sign I have that I am still allergic is that I have to blow my nose a couple times in the morning most mornings, not all. No puffy eyes or anything like that (at least not due to the cat). Someone had told me that as we age some alergies will either go away or change in their effect (could be better, or worse).

So ... long way of saying, if you don't want to take the cat in ....don't do it. But if you do want to try it, try it on the stipulation that you'll do it if your allergies do not drive you crazy because of her.

You could always put an ad in the classifeds for a free cat that you have to give away because you are allergic if it comes to that.

 

[Doc]

CA, that is the first cat I've seen standing on it's head. Very talented.

 

[Av8r3400]

CA, that is the first cat I've seen standing on it's head. Very talented.

You've never had a cat, then, have you?

I am a cat-convert. We've had our boys (2 American short-hairs, the cat version of a mutt) for 12 years now. They are a very rewarding companions to have.

My wife is allergic to dogs, precluding us having them as pets, but cats fit our lifestyle much better, anyway, due to their ability to take care of themselves for several days at a time.


Cats are cool.

 

[bczoom]

cats fit our lifestyle much better, anyway, due to their ability to take care of themselves for several days at a time.

The last 3 dogs I had were all able to take care of themselves for days. I'd put out 25# bags of food, 20 gallons of water (in 5 gallon buckets) and they're all set. They were obviously left outside for this period but outdoors was their preference anyway.

 

[working woman]

Well its Official, I'm going to give the cat a shot.(not that kind of shot) My sister and I both have been trying to find a home for it, and either people laready have 2 -3 cats are they are allergic.

I also found out from an allergy Dr. that its the cat dander that people are allergic to. That comes from the salivia which gets on their coats when they groom themselves.
I know they make quick baths wipes for pets, so I am hoping that a daily wipe will help keep that under control.

 

[Pigtails]

WW,

Hey, we have had cats all of our married life (38yrs)with some dogs thrown in there too. They all got along very well after awhile. Usually the cats had their own domain and pretty much stayed out of the way of our dogs.

When we got "Tippi", our Siamese, he was about 8 months old and they told us to keep him in one room of the house for a few days, just to get used to us and the surroundings. It seemed to work. And they said to keep him on Iams, which he still is.. We have had him for 11 years now. Now when we take him to the vet for a stay, if we do leave for a few weeks, they feed him Science Diet.

Hope my input helped some..and congrats..