I Got Me A Kitty

[Graelwyn]

How did night-time go?

I recall my son telling me how his Dad's cat, Che used to like sleeping on his pillow whenever he (my son) stayed the night there.  But Che would get up so close, he had to move away a bit so he could breathe properly, then Che would move closer again , and so on, until the Cat had the whole pillow to himself.

Finally , my son had to exclude Che from the bedroom, because he couldn't get a night's sleep otherwise.

The first night he excluded Che, he got up in the the morning to find a mess of cat sick right outside the bedroom door .  (Told you cat vomit attacks are deliberate , didn't i?)

Well, I let her have the run of the hall, kitchen and living room. I closed my bedroom door but it doesn't close properly and I was so worried I would be woken by a furry face that I put a heater against it too. I still slept badly for the first time in many months... could a change like having a cat around impact my sleep? I struggled to relax and then woke after only 5 hours. Usually I actually struggle to wake up and get up. I hope it improves as I hate being so tired.

Christine was waiting when I opened my bedroom door and meowing loudly. Apart from knocking a necklace on the floor off my table, she seems to have not done any harm overnight. She settles very easily. I am astonished at how well behaved she is. It is almost like she knew she was coming with me after only meeting me briefly a few weeks ago. And almost as if she knows that I needed a calming influence. I did not meltdown last night, as I usually do every evening either. First evening I haven't in goodness knows how long.

Going to let her out into my yard today for a bit. It is totally enclosed by high walls so no fear of her going anywhere she shouldn't.

[ZEGH8578]

awww, congrats with a companion

I had a kitty for years, forcibly adopted (originally by my brother) from a friend of his, who was neglecting her. Then I took her over, because she hung with me the most (we lived together), and eventually another crazy neighbor killed her (after we had moved 3 times. brave kitty)

and deaf? Huh. Cats identify people from the sound of their voice (amongst other), my kitty would recognize me from the sound of how I walk, my pace
But I'm confident that a deaf cat will find other ways to identify people. Is she a bit jumpy?
There's an old cat that walks past here sometimes, I think he has bad hearing, cus he jumps a bit when I walk past. He also stops to meow at me, but I am very reluctant to stop and pet cats and such, in case they decide to follow me. I go dangerous places, and I don't want to put someone elses pet at risk.

Will it be an outdoors cat?
If so, keep the cat indoors for about a week (recommended) to re-set the cats idea of "home", to let the cat build new mental images of home, safe, food, family, etc.
Personally I would join kitty outside the first and second outdoors-visits, just to enforce some sense of security.

[Graelwyn]

awww, congrats with a companion

I had a kitty for years, forcibly adopted (originally by my brother) from a friend of his, who was neglecting her. Then I took her over, because she hung with me the most (we lived together), and eventually another crazy neighbor killed her (after we had moved 3 times. brave kitty)

and deaf? Huh. Cats identify people from the sound of their voice (amongst other), my kitty would recognize me from the sound of how I walk, my pace
But I'm confident that a deaf cat will find other ways to identify people. Is she a bit jumpy?
There's an old cat that walks past here sometimes, I think he has bad hearing, cus he jumps a bit when I walk past. He also stops to meow at me, but I am very reluctant to stop and pet cats and such, in case they decide to follow me. I go dangerous places, and I don't want to put someone elses pet at risk.

Will it be an outdoors cat?
If so, keep the cat indoors for about a week (recommended) to re-set the cats idea of "home", to let the cat build new mental images of home, safe, food, family, etc.
Personally I would join kitty outside the first and second outdoors-visits, just to enforce some sense of security.

Well, she was born deaf. Apparently almost all white cats are. She is not remotely jumpy actually, she is very affectionate and very calm, which is what I needed really as I am quite an anxious and naturally stressed person. She took no adjustment time at all. She was sleeping on my beanbag or on the floor next to me within a few hours of bringing her home. I thought after 3 years with her old owner, she would take time to adapt but nope. I am guessing she uses her other senses more. They do say cats are intuitive anyway.

She will be an indoor cat as I live in an apartment/flat. I do have a back yard that is totally enclosed by a high wall but I doubt I will have that when I move into a council property later this year. I would not want to risk letting her out anywhere near roads. She seems content enough being indoors to be honest. Has not even jumped on a sill to look out the window. 

[ZEGH8578]

Well, best of luck with the cat :]

Cats have a bad rep for being "antisocial", but we aspies know better than any how unfair such a label often is. My cat would quite simply like those I liked, and dislike those I disliked
My best pal, another aspie friend, and a dog-person, she adored him And he never quite knew how to react, but in not knowing, he basically did exactly what expected of him: Pretty much nothing He said "hi" to her, patted her head a bit, then ignored her, kitty's all "FRIEND =D"

['andersom']

She's a beautiful one.

Prepare for white hair everywhere. 

I know, that is one downside. I need to get her a brush.
She is also going in all the places I don't want her right now, lol, including the messy area between my kitchen cupboards and washing machine. There is a big enough opening for her to get through.  And saying 'NO' does nothing, of course, since she cannot hear me.

Consider her to be your duster for the places you can't reach.

Congrats on your kitty. She's pretty.

['andersom']

White with two blue eyes very often comes with deafness in cats. When one or two eyes are not blue, that often isn't the case.

Try some different cat foods and litterbox fillings for the scent.

When I got my cats, the male one had an evil stank. Better food made that his scent improved a lot. Clumpforming litterbox filling takes away most of the scents of poo, without horrid perfumes being used.

The difference in what food does is that since both cats are used to their new food and their system has adapted, I have only smelt one cat fart in four years. Cat farts are pure evil, IMO.

[Graelwyn]

White with two blue eyes very often comes with deafness in cats. When one or two eyes are not blue, that often isn't the case.

Try some different cat foods and litterbox fillings for the scent.

When I got my cats, the male one had an evil stank. Better food made that his scent improved a lot. Clumpforming litterbox filling takes away most of the scents of poo, without horrid perfumes being used.

The difference in what food does is that since both cats are used to their new food and their system has adapted, I have only smelt one cat fart in four years. Cat farts are pure evil, IMO.

This cat appears to have slightly different coloured eyes. Not entirely sure yet but one seems to be blue and the other green. Has to be in certain light to see it though. And yeah, she is used to a specific food brand, so really have no idea what to try her on.

[Icequeen]

My two are indoor only...I'm next to a pretty busy highway.
If she's indoor only and content with that you may want to think twice about taking her out, especially if you will be moving to a place were you can no longer let her out after you start...they are a lot like kids some days...small furry aspie toddlers that you can't reason with...once they have a certain routine all hell can break loose if you have to change it.

Mine follow me around the house like shadows, the male sleeps just above me at night, and the female is normally laying on my legs. They are my sanity, don't know what I would do without them at times.

[Graelwyn]

My two are indoor only...I'm next to a pretty busy highway.
If she's indoor only and content with that you may want to think twice about taking her out, especially if you will be moving to a place were you can no longer let her out after you start...they are a lot like kids some days...small furry aspie toddlers that you can't reason with...once they have a certain routine all hell can break loose if you have to change it.

Mine follow me around the house like shadows, the male sleeps just above me at night, and the female is normally laying on my legs. They are my sanity, don't know what I would do without them at times.

Yeah, I have my eye on a really cool sort of scratching post/climbing frame thing for cats so she can get some activity. I do not know what to make of her yet. Not sure if she is still settling. She does not really follow me anywhere but that might be because she cannot hear when I go out the room. No interest in my food. She has basically stayed curled up asleep on the big beanbag and among my knitted cuddly toys almost all day, other than a few trips for food and for a quick sit next to me, lol. I hardly know she is here right now. I find it cool her eyes are different colours.

She is shedding a lot of hairs, so not sure what sort of brush to get, I got one for dogs, with two sides of different bristles but it doesn't seem to have helped much. I do feel a bit guilty to keep a cat indoors totally, moreso when Spring and Summer come. Wish I could live somewhere with a garden.

[Graelwyn]

[renaeden]

^ That scratching post is awesome. Where I live it is pretty small so we have a tiny version of that, with two levels.

One thing you could try is catnip. Liam, our white and black cat, gets all smoochy (rubs his face all over everything) when he smells catnip. Mollie, our other cat, doesn't react at all to it. So you could just try a small amount on Christine, see if she likes it.

[Graelwyn]

^ That scratching post is awesome. Where I live it is pretty small so we have a tiny version of that, with two levels.

One thing you could try is catnip. Liam, our white and black cat, gets all smoochy (rubs his face all over everything) when he smells catnip. Mollie, our other cat, doesn't react at all to it. So you could just try a small amount on Christine, see if she likes it.

Yeah, I was looking at catnip toys earlier...funny stuff, catnip, now I am curious to look up more about it.
Also, I almost lost her earlier. I was grabbing some car mats out of my boiler cupboard as she had started clawing at my rug, and I thought she could claw one of these, shut the door, went to the living room where she was and put it down...went out again, put the rest of the mat away again, went back to the living room and she was gone, so I hunted around...somehow she had snuck into the boiler cupboard without my noticing and was nestling in a pile of quilts at the bottom. How she snuck in under my nose, I do not know 

[renaeden]

Aww. Cats love cupboards. Especially those with blankets/quilts in them. Makes them feel safe and cozy.

[Graelwyn]

Aww. Cats love cupboards. Especially those with blankets/quilts in them. Makes them feel safe and cozy.

Yes, I have been reading stories of all the amazing places cats have managed to disappear into in peoples' homes. Shall definitely be double checking my washing machine before doing any washes. I am just amazed I didn't notice her get in, but then I was focused on a shelf level with me and she had been in the living room when I walked out. Sneaky buggers, aren't they?

[renaeden]

I once got the vacuum cleaner out of the linen cupboard and closed the door. After I finished vacuuming I could hear meowing and it took me a while to try the linen cupboard door. Liam had gotten in there in the space of time it took me to get the vacuum cleaner out. Didn't see him at all. Very sneaky!