Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Horseless Series: Your new cat

I'm going to do a short series on introducing a new cat to your household. Are there any broad or specific questions you have about:

- Choosing the "right" cat?
- What equipment a new cat needs?
- Helping your new cat adjust?
- Introducing your new cat to your other pets?

Or do you have a story you'd like to share?

I'll credit you and include a link to your blog, if you have one!

Disclaimer: I'm not a vet. Just a cat owner who dotes on her felines. I'll share my experience, link to more authoritative resources, or ask for suggestions from the crowd. :)

3 comments:

Grey Horse Matters said...

We always had cats when we were children, but haven't since my son was diagnosed with being very allergic to them. Cats are not a part of our 'inside' lives but I was thinking of getting a barn cat to live outside. I've never done this because I've always thought it was mean to make an animal live outside. We do have a heated tack room where the cat could live in the winter months but I'm still undecided. Any thoughts on outside cats.

Arie Wijaya said...

Awesome Blog you have and
Today i have post about "Pet ownership contributed to their overall health..?" can you give your comment (your experiences)in my blog , thank you so much

Netherfieldmom said...

I always start a new cat in a small room, like a bathroom, or a bedroom where you want them to return for security. They can sniff under the door with all other pets, but feel secure in their little space. After a couple of days, I might leave the door open at night, so they can sneak around the house, feeling safer in the dark. We also teach our kids that when the cat wants to get down (signaled by squirming, etc.), it is very important to put the cat down gently, not let it spring out of your arms to the ground. This teaches the cat to trust you. The more you try to restrain them when they want to get away, the less they will trust you in the future.

As far as outdoor cats, I bought a wonderful heat mat for just such a purpose. It is weatherproof and won't overheat like a heating pad, and uses very little electricity. It was about $30 for a one-cat size, from a pet supply on Ebay.