Lum

My GF got a cat about a month ago. I thought he was a kitten but he's actually about 3 years old, was just very small and not very good at being a cat (didn't know how to groom himself, complately inept at chasing and catching things etc.) having been around humans since he was 6 weeks old and not seeing another cat till he was 18 months old.

The previous owners seemed like a nice old couple, he's not come from a shelter or anything, but a few things puzzle me.

1) He must be getting more exercise here, because he's grown lots in this month, doesnt seem fat but has rapidly become cat sized. Is it normal for a cat to grow this quick?

2) My GF has this large furry beanbag, the cat seems to think it's another cat or something because he keeps licking it, he then pukes up hairballs that are 50% beanbag, 33% his own hair and 17% my GFs hair. How can we stop him eating other peoples hair?

3) He never seems to retract his front claws, he'll often get them caught on the carpet or on the beanbag or towels etc and require freeing, but he still leaves the front claws out, any idea why this is? are his front claw retractors broken?

Jerome

Point 1 about his growth does seem weird. Are you sure he's 3 years old? With respect to grooming, he may just groom himself when you aren't around. As for chasing/catching things etc, all cats have different personalities, and different breeds have different behaviours as well. Maybe his breed aren't known for being particularly playful. My cat doesn't land on his feet, dosy twonker!

As for point 2, I'm impressed at your accurate analysis of his kitty puke. Did you get some scales out or something? It is normal for his and your girlfriend's hair to be in the hairballs, even the beanbag stuffing. Maybe you want to get rid of the bean bag, or at least prevent him getting to the stuffing of it. Cats will eat all sorts of weird stuff. My feline delinquent eats my gf's ear plugs.

Point 3 makes me think he can't be 3 years old. Cats do need to learn how to use their claws properly. They have normally got it sussed by adulthood. Even as an adult, they will still get their claws stuck on things occasionally. They also can get very sharp (making it more likely they catch on things) if they don't go outside and will need a scratching post to keep them trim.

If he really is 3 years old, maybe he does have some condition worthy of a visit to the vet.

Edited to add: If he's puking up his own hair, he must be grooming himself.

chaos.

pmsl

Ian_S

This will not end well...

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Also it's worth mentioning that a cat who doesn't go outside much, won't have opportunities to wear down his claws. They grow continuously and can get excessively long and sharp, which can be uncomfortable and awkward for the cat as well as prickly for the owner!

Any vet can trim a cat's claws - it's a completely painless procedure if done correctly, just like trimming your own toenails. You can do it at home too, though it's best to get a vet to show you how to do it first. There's a blood vessel which you can damage if you trim off too much.

Lum

I know, I thought he was a kitten at first, but apparently not. I think the previous owners did groom him regularly, but he's learning now, when we first got him, he would only groom his sides by his front legs and couldn't be bothered grooming anywhere else, though he seems to have figured it out now.

I didn't analyse the puke (her cat, not mine!) and it isn't the beenbag stuffing he's eating, it's the outer material. beanbag beans would be far easier to deal with.

At the moment, he hasn't been outside, his previous owners claim he was terrified of the outside, we want to make sure he's gotten used to the idea that this is his home before letting him wander outside.

I'm also a bit concerned that he seems to randomly get very scared of something and shoot off at silly speeds, (then hide really badly) If I put my coat on for example, he's terrified of me.

Last thing is, he never seems to drink the water in his bowl. I understand cats get a lot of water from their food, but surely some water is still required?

Clarebabes

He may be drinking out of the toilet, my cat actually prefers this water for some reason!!

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

If he's not been outside, that explains the claws. Get a scratching post, that should at least give him something to get them into and it might help wear them down a bit. If they're very long and sharp, a trip to the vet for a trim is definitely in order.

Cats can also eat some strange things. Allowed outside, they eat things like grass to aid digestion, so he's probably having a go at the bean bag as a substitute.

How long has he been at his current home? Once he seems comfortable in his surroundings and exhibits normal behaviour, then (and only then) is it time to let him out. Get him microchipped at the vet, give him a collar and let him go for an explore outside. Don't throw him out, but leave a door open when you're around and let him walk out if he wants. Do you have a cat flap?

How often are you around the cat? If you're only an occasional visitor, he may simply not know you well enough to feel comfortable yet. If you're not usually the one who puts food out, try doing that on a regular basis - they soon learn that they can trust whoever does that

Cats don't drink much, though it's important to ensure there is always a bowl of fresh water available. If they drink a lot it can be a sign of kidney disease.

ajm

Could he have previously been a Bonsai Kitten?

Lum

We don't have a cat flap and as we're renting, this isn't an option.
He is not eating the beanbag, he is grooming it, he must think it's another cat or something.
And being scared of me was just one example, often there is no obvious reason. He knows me well enough to realise I'm a source of food and is perfectly happy to meow at me the moment I get up (if I'm up first) wanting food. He's also sussed out that if I leave before my GF gets up, he can then meow at her for more food providing he eats his first lot.
The other odd thing about him is he doesn't like sitting on anyone's lap, if you're lucky he'll come along and lie next to you, if you're really lucky, he'll use your leg as a pillow, but this normally only happens if you're in bed and he doesn't realise that the lump in the quilt is actually your leg.

Edit: And he can't reach the toilet to drink.

Oh, and he's already been chipped, I think he can now do 150bhp on Optimax.

V1CK1

My cat refuses to drink from his bowl, he likes it fresh from the tap whilst its running!

He also does mad schitzo flying round the room stuff, normally means he wants a play. So we have to get the toys out and wiggle them in front of him so he can look at you as tho you are a prat

If you wanted an animal who would sit on your lap and obey you etc then you should have got a dog. Cats are very independnt, and that is their beauty.

I would take him/her to the vet for a once over tho, they will be able to put your mind at rest.

Said my bit now, bye

scoob_babe

If he eats tinned food he'll probably be getting a lot of water out of that. They need more water if they are on dry food.
Different cats act in different ways - one of ours is completely dopey (nickname is Little Miss Muppet) and will sit/lie on us at any given opportunity. The other one (aka Thug) will only sit on you if she wants to, is far more anti-social and is a bit schizo being cute one minute to ripping your hand off the next.

Lum

Ye he's on tinned foods. The previous owners said he was on dry food and supplied some with the cat, but he wouldn't touch it. We've had best results with the Whiskas pouches so far (the fish ones), we we're also told that as a treat we should give him prawns, or tuna in brine but experementation has shown that a raw tuna steak is best. I have ever seen a cat inhale food before!

And my GF hates dogs, so that wasn't going to happen, plus neither of us are home for long enough to keep a dog. I'm often out on site for days, and she works for an ISP so can get called out at silly hours.

We have an explanation for the beanbag thing though. He likes to sleep in the same spot, which is right next to my GFs laptop, it's an old ThinkPad and I guess it does sound a little bit like it's purring, with the fans and that, maybe he thinks it's another cat?

I'll try and get her to take him to the vet though. I'm not taking him in my car baecause I'm allergic to the little ****** and I don't want cat hairs in my Legacy, it would be unsafe.

Huxley Chick

One of our cats (& he's 7) doesn't retract his front claws either - we just put it down to him being stupid He is a bit of a dope, it has to be said!

You might also find that he doens't drink the water because of the chemicals he can smell (good old water companies). Try using water from the bathroom tap as it normally comes from the cold water tank so it's not straight from the mains - works a treat for our cats. They also tend to like drinking from puddles outside (again, because there's no chemical smell).

Lum

Well, the water in Aylesbury is nasty and I don't like to drink it either. I keep getting told not to drink from the upstairs as this flat was built in the 60s and the water is likely to contain horrible chemicals and stuff.

I've tried filling the cats bowl from my Brita filter thingy, but he wouldn't drink that either.

*shrug* There's water there, I'm sure he'll drink it if he gets thirsty enough.

scoobyangel

every cat i have ever had rarely drank much water from its bowl... if you feed them tinned or "wet" cat food there is lots of water already in that so they dont need to actually drink a whole lot!

it prolly does drink a little of the water you put down for it, but as they dont lap water up like a dog would you prolly just dont notice that it has actually had a drink of it!!

as long as you provide it with water, thats fine... it wont dehydrate, unless of course it gets poorly with sickness and dihoriha or something as nasty!

my mum has a cat that when they first got it didnt sit on anyone lap, infact even now its no lap cat, it does attempt to sit on your lap now, but just seems a bit awkward about it and only stays there about 2 minutes!

cats are cats, and like people are all different!!! it may just be taking a bit of time to settle in!