Cat care

This page has general advice on caring for cats of all ages - health, how to introduce a cat to your home, and what to do (and not to do).

If you adopt a young kitten you need to be especially careful. We have a special page about kitten health that you should read as well.

At the Chestnut Cat Sanctuary & Rescue Centre we're here to help you. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any cat care worries, even if it's ages since you adopted your cat from us.  

Taking your cat home
We will only allow you to take your cat in a purpose-made plastic or wicker cat carrier. Our store provides a range of new & used carriers. You'll need one anyway to transport your cat to the Vet's for the yearly booster,or on holiday at a cattery, or when you move home. Cardboard boxes are not suitable - cats can easily claw through them! But think ahead - a pair of kittens will need a DOUBLE carrier in a years time, and there is only a £4.50 difference between new single & double.

Once they're home
We suggest you put your cat in a quiet room for the first two days after bringing it home. This room should contain a comfy cat bed, food and water bowls and a litter tray. Giving your cat a quiet area of its own helps to provide a sense of security while it gets used to its new home.

• PLEASE BE AWARE that moving into a new home can be very stressful for a cat or kitten. Some aren't at all bothered; but most can suffer symptoms of stress such as sickness,  sneezing or diarrhoea, or just being unsociable. With a sensibly quiet introduction, and a bit of patience, this almost always disappears in 24-48 hours. If it persists or you're really worried, have your Vet take a look, or give us a call. If you find you really can't cope, we will take your cat(s) back - but please note we have a no refund policy.

Settling in
Talk to your cat frequently and repeat its name every time you do. [It is our policy to use a cat's existing name if it had one, but it is VERY easy for cats to learn a new one, so do not worry about name changes, if you decide to re-name your cat, they will know it in a week!]
Initially reassure them, stroke them, and they will soon learn to come to you. Sometimes it is not a good idea to pick a cat up too quickly, it might need to know you a bit better. Once the cat is clearly settled (normally after a few days), set up their bed and litter tray where you want as a final position, but make sure they have access to the litter tray at all times. You will notice, after a few days, they will start rubbing their cheeks against you and the furniture. This is transferring their scent and a good sign of their accepting the new home.

Security
When you bring a new cat home, DO NOT LEAVE OUTSIDE DOORS OR WINDOWS OPEN, AT ANY TIME. Cats are natural escape artists, and will exploit even the smallest opportunity to get outside, partly in their panic in being in a new enviroment. An adult cat should not be let outside for at least the first 5 to 6 weeks after adoption- however much it wants to! [A kitten should not be let outside until it has been neutered at 6 to 7 months of age]. If you already have a cat flap then you MUST sellotape it or bar it as a grown cat can easily force a locked flap. 2 owners lost a new cat in January 2008 because they ignored this advice!

When the time comes to introduce your cat to the outside world - and settled in your home at least 5-6 weeks after arriving (or 6 months age neutered kitten) - you should still take things gradually. Start by taking them into the garden, but stay with them. Let them stay outside for a few minutes, then bring them in and feed them. They'll soon realise that coming in means getting food. Extend this a little each day, until your cat can be left outside but will return when called. In the early days, giving them food or a treat will reinforce this behaviour. you should only need to do this for a few days, a d after that just be aware where they are until they are fully used to going outside.

Longer term, a cat flap is the best option. With a cat flap your cat can come and go as it pleases, and will probably end up not needing the litter tray in the house at all. Cat flaps can be fitted in house walls as well as doors - even glazed patio doors can have cat flaps fitted these days. If you don't have a cat flap you must provide a litter tray at all times, it would not be reasonable to expect a cat to wait to be let out!.

Feeding - IMPORTANT
We'll advise you on your cat's favourite foods and any special dietary needs they have. In general you feed a cat a small sachet of wet food once in the morning, and once at night, with a bowl of dry food for them to return to all the time, and (very important) a bowl of clean water. Short term it is essential (in our opinion) to get your cat eating (complete) dried food with or without a good quality sachet food, so perhaps mix biscuit WITH a sachet.

We have sought much advice in the first quarter of 2008 on the best foods as some people believe tinned foods to be of equal or better value. However we can only repeat that every rescue cat is fed dried (and tinned) foods and we have noticed, quite startingly, the huge improvement in quality of fur, eyes, bulk and general health of a cat that has never eaten dried foods but is here at least 3+ weeks after eating  quality biscuit (we provide Royal Canin). The cats that continue to show a preference for biscuit seem to be the ones that do outstandingly well.

We can only quote our Vet (April 2008) - "I think a GOOD quality biscuit or sachet food is equally as good, but would avoid at all costs cheap supermarket brands"
We would add to that to avoid dried foods with colourants such as Go Cat or Whiskas or supermarket brands, as the colourants make some cats sick, (although otherwise have the same good effect, it's the protein/vitamin content that is important).

In short, we continue to recommend a good quality dried food (such as Royal canin, Iams, James Wellbeloved, Purina etc) with or without a supplement of a good quality sachet food mixed in.
Finally on this point, there are 14 "house" cats of whom visitors will have noticed several hanging around. They have all been brought up on quality biscuit and you will note their extreme good condition. And, touch wood, none have been to see a vet for years!

The benefits of dried food/biscuit (known as "complete" because they are especially formulated to include complete vitamins etc) include:

1/ You can easily leave down a large bowl of dried food with a bowl of water if you go away for the weekend without leaving the cat a tin opener!
2/ Dried foods do not go "off" in Summer and therefore are more economical.
3/ Royal Canin in particular, offer a whole range for the: Indoor cat; Elderly cat; Sensitive stomach: Kitten; Baby; Outdoor cat; Persian;Breed cat; Active cat, etc etc. i.e. specially tailored for your cat! (The special varieties can be ordered through us).

An active adult cat needs around 30% protein in its diet, which it can't get from cheap tinned food. A good quality dry food gives a cat all the nutrients it needs.
A kitten needs about 35% protein, which is why you should feed them kitten loaf (tinned) and baby biscuit (up to 4 months), kitten biscuit and kitten sachet food after 4 months age, and adult biscuit with or without a quality sachet food after 12 months age. If you are adopting a kitten with its Mum, or to add to an existing adult cat we recommend both eat only the kitten food as the only difference is a slightly higher protein and the kitten biscuit is smaller so it cannot choke. By providing only kitten food the kitten will not then be able to eat the wrong food whilst the adult will not suffer at all and benefit from higher protein.

If you want to switch a cat from wet to only dry food, give them a mix of both for the first two weeks, removing half a teaspoon of wet food every few days and increasing the amount of dry food accordingly. After 1 month your cat should be eating only dry food. You can supplement this with the occasional treat of fresh cooked chicken or fish. (Although they love tuna, salmon and pilchards you are best to avoid oily fish).

An adult cat should be fed twice a day - morning and night (or biscuit is just left down day & night - cats tend to be "snackers"). A kitten should be fed 3 times a day as it cannot go from Mum's milk to only complete dry diet until it is older. When you adopt a cat from Chestnut Cat Sanctuary you'll receive a free pack of top quality kitten (use from 4 months) or adult food, from Royal Canin. Please ask if you need any further feeding advice.

• A note about milk: cow's milk is NOT suitable for a cat - they can't digest it properly. 90% of adult cats will get diarroeah from drinking cow's milk. 100% of kittens will, and diarroeah can lead to fatal dehydration. NEVER give a cat cow's milk. You can give them special cat milk (Whiskas or Felix) as an occasional treat, but only as a treat. Even a kitten, once it's 5 weeks old or so, should be on solid kitten food, and when all cats are thirsty then need clean water to drink only.

Hygiene
Cats are very particular creatures! The litter tray should be somewhere quiet, reasonably close to your cat's feeding area. You'll need to scoop out the faeces at least once a day, and change the litter completely every 2-3 days. A cat will always use the litter tray but if it does not it will be because the tray is in the wrong position, or possibly a litter it does not like. Easily correctable! Sometimes stress too, but then you need to seek the reason. Interestingly a supposedly "dirty" cat coming in for re-homing NEVER soils its pen, and very rarely does it do so in a new home, so the reason is therefore nearly always human and correctable with time and thought!

Bedding
Cats tend to find favourite spots for sleeping - and they also tend to change those spots every few weeks. Our store has plastic washable beds which you can line with fleece or cushion, so are long term usable, which even if the cat changes it's bed from time to time it will always have the plastic bed to return to as they last for ever!. Cats can be just as happy with a cardboard box that's lined with a towel. Whatever you choose, your cat's bed should be in a quiet, warm corner, and preference is shown with ones with high sides (draught proof).

Keeping your cat healthy
Kittens are much more susceptible to health problems than adult cats, and you need to read more on our kitten health page.

But the majority of older cats (6 months plus) are of much less concern. They have already built up their immune system and they will have been vaccinated before they leave us, although you may have to bring them back for their second vaccination if they weren't with us long enough to have received both jabs before they were adopted. In its first year of life a cat needs two vaccinations; after that, a yearly injection to vaccinate against common diseases like feline enteritis and leukemia (which you should arrange with your Vet). Any boarding centre such as the Chestnut Boarding Centre will require up to date vaccinations for the protection of your cat when in the enviroment of others.

Other than that, keeping your cat healthy is a case of good food, clean water, regular grooming and lots of fuss! You can also get vitamin supplements from your local Vet or pet store to help keep them healthy.

Fleas & worms, prevention and treatment
Some Vets scorn flea collars. At Chestnut Cat Sanctuary we find they work well. We have very little flea trouble with our "house" cats as they get a new flea collar every 4 months. As well as protecting against fleas, you can tag the collar with the cat's name and your phone number in case they wander, as a back up to the micro chip we insert. Our store  offer a range of collars and "back of the neck" flea drops which are easy to apply once a month.
The important thing with collars is to have a safety catch in case they snag as we have seen many cats come in with severe collar injuries. Kitten owners need to be aware of kitten growth and should regularly adjust collar size.

There are also herbal flea wipes (tea tree oil) which you can use to clean your cat's fur, particularly good for baby kittens too young for a collar and flea treatments. Your Vet can also provide flea and worming treatments. Preventing fleas helps prevents worms, but you should still give your cat worming tablets or paste at least twice a year (more frequently if you are not running a good flea preventitive programme). Worms look like segments of spaghetti in their faeces, and WILL come out after a worming treatment - so don't panic. 

Some cats, bizarrely, are allergic to fleas. This not only makes them scratch, but gives them a very poor skin condition that they tend to aggravate by licking. It is not common - perhaps one cat in one hundred - but do watch out for this and see your Vet if you think there's a problem. A regular change of flea collar and/or flea drops will prevent this.

Fur balls
Fur balls are the result of a cat grooming itself with it's VERY rough tongue. The loose hair is collected into the stomach and then vomited up when large enough. It often looks like a hairy sausage! It is a totally natural process and nothing to be concerned about. A long haired cat will do it more often and the "sausage" will be bigger. All part of the natural process, and normally is not messy and can be swept up. [Royal Canin provide a hair ball remedy dry food which induces vomiting hairballs, and cats seem to like the food!  Our store can order it for you.

Moulting is also a natural process. ALL cats do it, but clearly with a long haired/lighter colour cat, it will be more noticeable. Some clients have recently mentioned they do not want cat hair on their carpets so there are 2 solutions: 1) Don't get a cat. 2) Get a vacuum cleaner!

Introducing a new cat to an existing cat
In our experience, 90% of cats will accept another cat, and benefit from it, within days or a month or so. The incoming adopted cat will rarely be a problem, because it is entering strange territory. An existing very dominant, territorial cat may not accept a new cat at all.  (Typical dominant cats tend to be ginger & tortoisehell... but this does not apply in all cases).

We always suggest matching cats characters as you would a human. A 3 year old toddler with a 60 year old pensioner would not be a good idea...see our age comparison chart for matching cats of similar thought compatibility.
Also a very dominant cat may not match well with a similar dominant cat, or a VERY dominant cat would not match with a timid cat etc etc. Just ask our advice and give us as much information as you can about your existing cat's CHARACTER and we will steer you in the right adoption direction!

Introducing a new cat to an existing cat should be done gradually, with supervision. Firstly introduce the new cat still in its carry basket. Then slowly introduce the existing cat to the new cat over a period of days. Do not leave them alone together in the same room, unattended, for the first week or so - e.g. particularly at night. According to how the existing cat behaves on first meeting will give you a guide as to how long it will take to become friends i.e. hissing and spitting = maybe a month or so. Vague interest but otherwise unconcerened = maybe only a week or so.

GOOD LUCK! 
Cat Care page updated 01/05/08