Cat care
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Caring for your cat really comes down to common sense, experience and being prepared to learn. Here's some of the advice we find ourselves giving out to new owners again and again - what to do, and not to do!
If you adopt a young kitten you need to be especially careful: please read our kitten health page too. And remember, you can contact us if you have any cat care worries, even if it's ages since you adopted your cat from us.
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Taking your cat home
You must take your cat home in a purpose-made plastic or wicker cat carrier. You can buy them from our sanctuary charity store if you don't have one. Cardboard boxes are not suitable - cats can easily claw through them!
Introducing your cat to its new 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. Take it slowly!
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PLEASE BE AWARE that moving into a new home can be very stressful for a cat or kitten. Some will be fine, but many cats can display stress symptoms, ranging from just being a bit unsociable, to sickness, sneezing and diarrhoea. With a sensibly quiet introduction, and a bit of patience, this almost always disappears in 24-48 hours. If problems persist or you're really worried, have your vet take a look, or give us a call.
Settling your cat in
Talk to your cat frequently and repeat its name every time you do. We always use a cat's name if it has one when it comes to us, but it is very easy for them to learn a new one. If you decide to rename your cat, they will know it in a week! Just chat to them, reassure them, stroke them, and they will soon learn to come to you. Don't be in a rush to pick your cat up - they often prefer to wait until they know you better. Once the cat is clearly settled (normally after a few days), set up their bed and litter tray in their permanent position, and 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 sign they are accepting their new home.
Security - don't lose your cat!
When you bring a new cat home, DO NOT LEAVE OUTSIDE DOORS OR WINDOWS OPEN. AT ANY TIME! Cats are natural escape artists. They will exploit even the smallest opportunity to get outside. An adult cat should not be let outside for at least 5-6 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 seal it or bar it securely. A grown cat can easily force a locked flap. We've had several owners lose new cats because they ignored this advice.
Letting your cat outside
When it's time to introduce your cat to the outside world 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 when they return will reinforce this behaviour.
A cat flap is the best option for most owners, not least because it will probably mean your cat ends up not needing a litter tray in the house. Cat flaps can be fitted in house walls as well as doors - even glazed patio doors can have cat flaps fitted. If you don't have a cat flap you must provide a litter tray at all times.
Feeding your cat
When you adopt from us we'll advise you on your cat's favourite foods and any special dietary needs they have. All cats are different, but good general advice is to feed an adult cat a small sachet of wet food once in the morning, and once at night, and give them a bowl of dry food they can munch on throughout the day. As well as - this is very important - a bowl of clean water!
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 food (use from 4 months) or adult food from Royal Canin. Please ask if you need any further feeding advice.
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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.
Wet cat food or dry cat food?
The debate between wet and dry cat food has been going on for years. All we can tell you is that, in the years we've been caring for all kinds of cats, we have noticed a startling improvement in the general health, fur, eyes and bulk of cats that come to us and eat a quality dry food (e.g. Royal Canin) after never having it before. Those cats that show a preference for biscuit rather than wet food tend to be those that do outstandingly well. We have 14 of our own 'house' cats at the Sanctuary: they have all been brought up on quality biscuit, and you'll note their good condition if you see them bouncing around the place. The best long-term solution is a 'complete' dried food. Sachets of wet food are optional, really: most cats like them, but the dried food is essential.
In 2008 our vet said: "I think a GOOD quality biscuit or sachet food is equally as good, but would avoid at all costs cheap supermarket brands". To that we would add, that you should avoid dried foods with colourants such as Go Cat or Whiskas or supermarket brands, as the colourants make some cats sick. We recommend good quality dried food, such as Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved and Purina - with or without a supplement of good quality sachet food.
The benefits of complete dried food/biscuit (known as "complete" because they are especially formulated to include complete vitamins etc) include:
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, it's best to avoid oily fish.)
What about tinned cat food?
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 (which is tinned) and baby cat biscuits up to 4 months; kitten biscuit and kitten sachet food after 4 months; 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. By providing only kitten food, the kitten won't be able to eat the wrong thing, and the adult won't suffer at all - it'll just get a bit more protein.
Cat hygiene
Cats are very particular creatures! The litter tray should be somewhere quiet and 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 almost always use a litter tray that's clean and in the right position. If it does not, the tray is in the wrong place or sometimes the cat dislikes a certain kind of litter. These things are easy to fix. Occasionally stress causes a cat to use other places as a toilet, in which case you need to find the reason for the stress - but overall, when cats don't use their litter tray, it's normally because of something the owner is doing wrong. Change the position, clean it out, change the litter type or work out what's stressing your cat out.
Cat 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, providing a long-term bed they can return to. They can also 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. Cats often show a preference for beds with high sides, too. They're less draughty!
Keeping your cat healthy
Kittens are much more susceptible to health problems than adult cats. Find out more on our kitten health page. The majority of older cats (6 months plus) are much more robust. They have already built up their immune system and they will have had at least their first vaccinations before they leave us. 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). Otherwise, keeping your cat healthy is a case of good food, clean water, regular grooming and lots of fuss!
Flea and worm 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.
There are also herbal flea wipes (tea tree oil) which you can use to clean your cat's fur. These are particularly good for baby kittens that are 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 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 it. We 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 from a few days to a month or so after its introduction. The incoming adopted cat will rarely be a problem, because it is entering strange territory. An existing dominant, territorial cat may not accept a new cat at all. Just ask for our advice before you try! We always suggest matching cats' characters and ages, as you would a human.
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 - for example, 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. If there is hissing and spitting it might take a month or so. If it's more a case of vague interest or a total lack of concern, maybe only a week or so!
