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A new Cat.

  • 25-06-2010 3:58pm
    #1
    Dusty87
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,920 ✭✭✭


    Ok, the cat we used to feed got killed.
    Im not a cat person so bear with me. Im a dog man.
    The cat died and our landlord asked us to get a new one to keep rats and mice away. My GF wants to rescue one. No prob. She said she wants to rescue an older one that hasnt got much of a chance of rehoming:rolleyes: Hearts in the right place:D Is that possible? I mean, do we need to keep it in an enclosed area for a few days so it wont stray?? Or do we just get a kitten??


Comments

  • #2
    morganafay
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,534 ✭✭✭morganafay


    If you could keep it in for maybe a week and feed it (depending on how friendly it is) then it should be fine hopefully. If you can keep it in for longer that'd be better, maybe 2 weeks, but if you can't, then a week might be ok. Hopefully it'd come back to where it knows it gets fed.

    But with a kitten you'd have to keep it in too, maybe even for longer. And a kitten won't be able to hunt until it's about a year old probably.


  • #3
    peasant
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    have you seen this?
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055950546


  • #4
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    peasant wrote: »
    have you seen this?
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055950546

    Nice one!! FIngers crossed!


  • #5
    Dusty87
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,920 ✭✭✭Dusty87


    peasant wrote: »
    have you seen this?
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055950546

    Nope, hold on


  • #6
    planetX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,441 ✭✭✭planetX


    You've got my dream landlord!!! - please let me know when you're moving out... :D


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  • #7
    Dusty87
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,920 ✭✭✭Dusty87


    planetX wrote: »
    You've got my dream landlord!!! - please let me know when you're moving out... :D

    Not as simple as that. Sounds good i know :D:D
    Il say no more, she could be reading;):D


  • #8
    boomerang
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,189 ✭✭✭boomerang


    How was the cat killed?

    It's just if you live in a place that has a busy road or some other hazard for an outdoor cat, unfortunately it's only going to be a matter of time until the same thing happens again. I know you're not mad gone on cats, but I'm sure it'd be heartbreaking for your girlfriend.

    I wouldn't get a kitten, for the simple reason that they need a lot of care and you'll also have to look after neutering, a set of two vaccinations and a worming programme.

    All the animal rescues have lovely, healthy adult cats ready and waiting to be adopted and all they ask is that you make a donation to cover some of the cost incurred in getting them ready to rehome. The donation will cost you far less then what you'll spend on a kitten's vet care.

    Ideally, you'd confine your new cat for up to two weeks before allowing it free to roam, and when you do let it free to roam, do it before the time you generally feed them, so he or she will be more likely to come back. :)

    I presume you don't want a house cat? Then I'd think about taking on a neutered feral that doesn't want human company. Pet cats are very sociable and they like interacting with their owners. It wouldn't be fair to take on a pet cat if you don't want anything to do with it other than leaving out food. Whether it's feral or not, you'll still need to provide the cat with somewhere warm and dry to sleep in. If you haven't got dogs then a wooden dog kennel faced away from the prevailing wind would be grand - just put an old blanket in there and chuck it out when it gets dirty. You can put the food dish in there too, to keep it out of the rain.

    If you have a utility room or a secure outbuilding, you could house the cat in there with a bed and a litter tray for the first two weeks.


  • #9
    Dusty87
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,920 ✭✭✭Dusty87


    Boomerang, great post.

    When we got here the cat was weary of us, but eventually let us pet her etc.
    We have dogs but they are in a big barn so not a problem. They are more interested in birds than cats.
    No the cat wouldnt really be a house cat buuuut i can see it becoming one;)
    It's just if you live in a place that has a busy road or some other hazard for an outdoor cat, unfortunately it's only going to be a matter of time until the same thing happens again. I know you're not mad gone on cats, but I'm sure it'd be heartbreaking for your girlfriend.

    She was knocked down yes. The road is a back road but a busy one.
    When i said im not a cat person, i meant it wouldnt be my first choice ( iv seen the damage they can do) but im not going to turn a blind eye to her either. Im not overly gone on cats but im a normal person, i warm up to things;)


  • #10
    morgana
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,250 ✭✭✭morgana


    Cats have a way of finding a way into your heart :P.
    And fair play for thinking to adopt an older cat. They may take longer to trust you but in the end it will be worth it. We adopted a 2 year old cat and it took her a year to fully trust us, but now you couldn't imagine a more cuddly, friendly and relaxed cat. And still brings in the mice :P (albeit not without loudly announcing it)


  • #11
    Jack B. Badd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,294 ✭✭✭Jack B. Badd


    Dusty87 wrote: »
    Is that possible? I mean, do we need to keep it in an enclosed area for a few days so it wont stray?? Or do we just get a kitten??

    OP, it's certainly possible to rehome an adult cat - we rehomed a cat at 1.5 years old and 1.5 years later she is totally devoted to us (or as devoted as a master can be to her servants ;)). You will need to keep him/her in longer than a few days though regardless of age. Approx 2 weeks to a month is the usual time period advised and that has to be repeated if you move home - the aim is to get the cat bonded to her home territory (this will probably happen a lot faster than he/she bonds to you btw).


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  • #12
    muppet_man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 203 ✭✭muppet_man


    Jack B. Badd wrote: »
    Approx 2 weeks to a month is the usual time period advised and that has to be repeated if you move home - the aim is to get the cat bonded to her home territory.

    When I rehomed my cat from a shelter they advised me about 6 weeks. Just to be safe I gave it about 8 weeks


  • #13
    Dusty87
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,920 ✭✭✭Dusty87


    Thanks everyone. After reading the posts we will leave it for a while as we are going on our holliers for 10 days on saturday. I was thinking we could get a minder as with the dogs rabbit and parrot. But it would not be fair to her. We'll wait to be fair to the cat


  • #14
    minister poxbottle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 439 ✭✭minister poxbottle


    Dusty87 wrote: »
    Ok, the cat we used to feed got killed.
    Im not a cat person so bear with me. Im a dog man.
    The cat died and our landlord asked us to get a new one to keep rats and mice away. My GF wants to rescue one. No prob. She said she wants to rescue an older one that hasnt got much of a chance of rehoming:rolleyes: Hearts in the right place:D Is that possible? I mean, do we need to keep it in an enclosed area for a few days so it wont stray?? Or do we just get a kitten??

    just get rat and mice traps,as you say yer a dog man cats only stink the place up :)


  • #15
    shinikins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,842 ✭✭✭shinikins


    Probably better off rehoming an older cat. If your main reason for getting another cat is for rat catching, it'll be several months before a kitten is even interested in hunting, or even any good. My cat is a great hunter, and frequently brings home little presents to the back door, but his mother, whom we also raised from a kitten, would run atthe first sight of anything bigger than a spider! She was one of a litter of kittens bred by a hunter!! Must have been the odd one out lol My point being, if you go for an older cat, the hunting instinct will be honed and very much in evidence. Harder to tell in a cute little ball of fluff!!!:D


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