cat lovers.. please help

back in March, my neighbor's cat who is pretty much our cat (as we feed him, he sleeps over and he has his own bed at my house) brought home a stray cat who we started feeding as well.. a few weeks late, our cat started hating on the stray and I tried to give her away to a no kill shelter.. unfortunately, no would take her because they were at max capacity..

so now after marriage, DH and I have our own little apt. and as she is still outside and all she wants is be petted and fed.. and she eats like a horse and does not gain weight.. never seen her potty (so not sure how to get her litter trained).. so my question/dilemma.. she's too friendly to have been a feral or stray.. seems like someone just ditched her one day.. but given that she's been outside all this while, would she get aclimated to an apt?? and i am a neat freak, so the whole potty issue.. and i need pet insurance.. she would be my first pet.. she has hugeee claws and i have brand new furniture.. if all goes well at the vet, i am keeping her but i'm just really concerned about cohabitating with a cat.. just getting used to the husband..

well, first off, it sounds like she has worms. that's the best explanation for her monstrous appetite and lack of weight gain. it's easily fixed with medicine, and then her appetite should go back to normal.

most cats are pretty easy to litter train--no where near as difficult as dogs--and the vet can probably give you some pointers on how to go about it. once the scent of urine (i know it sounds gross) is in the box, it's pretty much instinct from that point forward.

the claws are the toughest thing to deal with. my advice is to clip them regularly. cats scratch because it's the natural way for them to keep their claws the right length, otherwise they'd just keep growing. we also bought this corrugated cardboard box thingy from the pet store and sprinkled catnip on it. she scratches that instead of the furniture...MOST of the time they also have those carpet condo things that work better for some cats.

she sounds friendly and affectionate, so i don't think you'll have a problem domesticating her. some of the feral cats can get really nasty when you bring them in, but you can spot them by their aggressive behavior outside. she should be fine. a cat is a great first pet bc they're fairly low-maintenance, and once they trust you as their caretaker, the sweetest little pet can emerge from all those animal kingdom defenses. good luck!

The little cat is lucky she found you. I would definitely go to the vet. She needs to be FeLV/FIV tested- these are viruses that cats can get and cna be passed from cat to cat. If she is negative- she needs to be vaccinated. Since you think she might be someones- the vet can scan her to see if she has a chip. Your vet can do a fecal to determine the worm status and hopefully give you an idea on age- once they have their adult teeth you can'y age exactly, but based on tartar buildup and wear, we cna estimate. As far as the scratching- definitely give he lots of other things to scratch and cut her nails- your vet show you how. Litter training- I would get a litter box and keep in the an confined area with the cat initially when you bring her inside- cats tend to be really good at figuring these things out. Once she is doing well, slowly introduce her to the rest of the apt. Good Luck!!!

so i brought him in yesterday.. and he's hiding under the sink.. i ONLYYYYYYY did it so that it won't get euthanized or run over.. please tell me i did the right thing.. he won't even look at me..

edited to add: we were told it's a HE and he's about a year old.. he used the litter box yesterday and it was a tad bit smelly.. and our apt is tiny.. could it be the food??? he's neg. for everything and he had earmites.. and 'the vet is testing his poop for stuff too..

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Posted by AR31

so i brought him in yesterday.. and he's hiding under the sink.. i ONLYYYYYYY did it so that it won't get euthanized or run over.. please tell me i did the right thing.. he won't even look at me..

edited to add: we were told it's a HE and he's about a year old.. he used the litter box yesterday and it was a tad bit smelly.. and our apt is tiny.. could it be the food??? he's neg. for everything and he had earmites.. and 'the vet is testing his poop for stuff too..

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he's just scared. it takes them a little time to trust. don't worry, and try to be patient; since you are the bearer of food, he will have no choice but to warm up to you eventually. we find that the dry food helps cut down on the smell, and so do the litter boxes with the tops--the ones that are like a little house instead of just a tray.