I'm a new cat owner with a few Q's!

[rebeccauk]

Hi Everyone
I got a rescue cat last week and I suppose it's like having a baby in a way...you can read all the books and all the forums for how to care for your new cat but nothing really prepares you for the real thing until he/she is here!!!
Anyway, my new rescue cat is called Snowball, he is an 8kg softy and so loving.
A few things I'm struggling with at the moment though...........
1. He doesn't like wearing a collar....I put a collar on him as I had hoped he would get used to it but he has scratched at his neck til it has become sore so I've had to remove the collar....do you think this means he will never get used to a collar or should I persevere when he has healed?
2. His eyes have all brown goop on the inside corners and he will not let me clean them! Last night my husband pinned him down and I tried to clean them with a wet cloth dipped in sterilised water but no manner of wiping would get the brown away - it is such a hard substance and the cat hated it so we just gave in...any tips?
3. Finally, he has TERRIBLE flatulence to the point where the poor thing stinks! He is on a idet of purina one, biscuits and water with occasional fresh cooked chicken! Any tips for this? I walked into the living room this morning where he had spent the night and the whole room reeked!!!!!!
Otherwise we're coping very nicely and enjoying our new family member.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can reply
Rebecca

[PoshPuss]

Rebecca, Welcome to Catsey and thank you for taking in this lovely cat Snowball, please send us pictures coz we love seeing our furkids on here
To answer your questions, I can't comment on the collar or flatulence issues coz I've not had that problem ( with my cat that is )

The brown gunk, is that because your babe is a flatfaced puss, like a persian type, if so then I can help. It is a bane of our lives as owners (sorry, staff) of these types but only regular cleaning will do. Snowball is a bit nervous of you yet, I expect, hence the fighting. I think it has to be done, but with help and rewards. You can get angel eyes, tear stain remover drops but my Posh hates it. If the eyes are very matted, then a little and often approach is best.

When Snowball is relaxed and on your lap, gently wipe each eye just once, then leave it, and stroke him. Do this a bit at a time until you see it lessening. Unfortunately, white furred
cats have this problem and the brown stains don't always go. I assume the vet has checked him out, if not then it's always a good idea to get him to your own vet to be registered, and a health check performed. Cat flu can cause nasty conjunctivitis and damage the eye if left untreated.

Hope this helps hope to hear from you soon. x

[Elaine]

Hi and welcome to Catsey.
PP has given good advice on the tear stain so i wont go over that other than to say give it time and patience.
As for the collar, can I ask what kind of collar you tried? Do you know anything of his background? I have one who will wear a collar but does sometimes scratch and pull his hair out, so we have to remove it for a while. I also took on a new rescue earlier this year and when we put a collar on her she hit the roof and didnt forvige us for almost a week after it was removed. Personally I am not too bothered about this as they are microchipped and mostly indoor anyway.
As for the bad odour, do you know what he was fed on before you took him home? It may be because of a sudden change in food.... Has he been treated for worms? Or it may be a food allergy.

[rebeccauk]

Hi Posh Puss & Elaine
Thanks so much for the replies. I will get some pics of snowball on here asap!
Thanks for the advice on the brown gunk...I will attempt that when I'm stroking him and see if I can get rid. He isn't a flatfaced cat but as you say on the white fur it shows up lots.

The collar is a flea collar - one of the soft felty ones. Although he doesn't really need a flea collar as he has had treatment but I wanted to get him used to it before we started letyting him out. It also has an ID locket on it with our phone number which I realise is a bit 'old hat' these days with microchipping but not everyone knows how microchips work or would be willing to take a cat to the vets to see if he was chipped but they might give you a ring if the cat turned up in their garden.

He was in a foster home and was fed on purina one so I've just continued that so as not to stress him with a change in food...perhaps it's just the stress of moving homes. He has been treated for worms.

As far as letting him outside goes I'm in a nreal quandary.....I was told 2-3 weeks and he's been here 10 days now and the other day he darted outside as I took my washing out...I managed to catch him and bundle him back in but since then he's absolutely obsessed with going outside and is crying and howling at the door that he managed to get out of. I have to admit it is driving my husband potty! I'd love to let him out but I'm sure everyone will say it's too soon. He has lived as a stray for the majority of his life and led an outdoor existence so he's not used to being cooped up and I think it's driving him a bit mad - he is dashing about having mad fits and throwing himself at my kitchen door with full force!!!!!!! I can't wait til he can go out!!!!!

[calismum]

Hi there and welcome.

Snowball sounds a real character, I echo the request for pics please.

Good advice above. I would suggest two things, both to do with the collar.

1 - some cats do get an adverse reacton to the flea collars so I'd probably not start off using one of them. If he has scratched his skin then the flea treatment could, but not necessarily, have made it worse.

2 - try getting hime used to just a bit of wool round his neck - have it tied so that if he pulls on it then it will slip undone and not cause him to panic. Once he gets used to that then try a ver light bit of material - same thing with a slip so it slides undone. Build this up for short periods of time.

Once you graduate to a collar don't have any dangly bits or bells for the first few days as often the noise or feeling against their chest adds to the distress.

Good luck with the flatulence and the eye gunk.

[Elaine]

Those flea collars can irritate a cats skin. An ID locket on a cllar isnt such a bad thing. I used to buy collars which had my number printed on them. But he simply just may not be used to ever having a collar on him.
Is it possible for you to call the fosterer at all and ask if he had flatulence while he was there? If he had been out doors for a long time them he would have been hunting, maybe the purina just doesnt suit his digestion. Personally I'd try introducing some wet cat food into his diet and see if that helps.

[angieh]

Hi and Welcome rebeccauk! Bless you for taking Snowball in. He does sound like a character and I am looking forward to seeing his picture.

I would suggest that the flatulence is probably due to him being unsettled, especially as you have continued to feed him the same as his fosterer. It would probably put your mind at rest to contact the fosterer if possible, as Elaine suggested, and just check whether he did have trumpet trousers with them.

My cat Kizzy had just the same problem when she first came to me. I changed her diet to Royal Canin Digestive Comfort and after a while her problem stopped. She has not had any recurrence of the problem. The other problem to check is anal glands and that's really a matter for the vet. Is Snowball a fluffy cat or shorthair? Sometimes it is more difficult to tell with a fluffy cat whether the anal glands are enlarged at all. Just a thought really!

I do hope he settles down very soon.

[dandysmom]

Hi and welcome! I can't improve on any of the good advice already given, except to add that I'd introduce him gradually to some wet food; cats tend not to drink enough water and a dry diet can lead to cystitis sometimes. Please do post some pics, would love to see him.

[Velvet]

Tear staining is the blight of a white animal owners life - we have two white Boxers. Gently bathing the area in a weak saline solution can help on a daily basis. If he lets you wipe the eyes at all I would reward him with a tasty treat - you say he likes chicken, you could use it

Is he neutered? If not I would get him done ASAP as this will help with urges to get out and roam. We have a kitten who lived as a stray - for her first week with us she sat at the back door wanting out. She has been with us 3 weeks now and is much changed so yes I would keep your boy in for the recommended time by the rescue

If you are changing his food do so over a few days as it could upset his digestive system. When we first got Tim he had horrendous flatuence. He was fed Whiskas and Royal Canin Dry kitten kibble. On the advice of a lady who owns a small pet shop and who some years ago bred Persians the Whiskas was the first to go and was subsituted with Natures Menu wet kitten food. What a difference that made to the air Over time we discovered that too much dry kibble made his bowels very loose so he is fed mainly wet food with just a very small amount of dry kibble and has done very well on it. Have been looking into finding a kibble that does not contain cereals to see if this helps