Pet Lovers

[lolakimono]

[queendiva]

Thanks for posting. DS & DDIL just adopted a 2nd dog recently. He was from a hoarding situation. Will share.

[Sooner]

I was given a Siamese kitten once about 10 or 12 weeks old.  At 3 hours it chased the dog under the dining table and wouldn't let the dog come out.

Another 3 until bedtime and I put the cat on my bed.  He immediately jumped off and I thought oh dear it will cry all night and be lost.

I heard it in the kitchen chomping food out of its bowl.  When the cat finished eating it came back to my bedroom, jumped on the bed and snuggled in for the night.  I was in the 5th grade at the time.  I thought that was odd.

NO adjustment problems for that cat!  Some issues for family and neighborhood dogs however, but we learned what to do and not do and adjusted quickly. 

[kitcat51]

When I adopted my 3 month old cat there was a long list of do's about keeping a cat locked in a room so they wouldn't be overwhelmed in their new home. I thought it was ridiculous so when I took her out of the carrier I showed her the location of the food bowl, scratched her paws in the litter box then let her go explore...a little later she ate, used the litter box, found me sitting on the living room floor & curled up on my lap. Do easy, don't make it hard.

[Annabellethecat66]

All of my cats just showed up at my door.  I brought them in and said, "You are now a member of our family".

There were 2 (at different times) that wanted to be indoor/outdoor.  Both would play outside during the day, one came home for lunch and back out.  The other one stayed outside but near house until time to go to bed.

They both came in an slept in the house at night.  There are a lot of animals out where I live and didn't feel like they'd be safe at night.

My last 2 I have now were probably (estimated) 7 years old when they came to my house.

I didn't want kitens because they were easy to adopt out, but older cats, people don't want.

It was one of the smartest things I ever did.  No one would have kept Katie.  She is a total loaner.  She's afraid of everyone.  My family has never seen her (she hides).  I've never picked her up.  I have to almost toss the food to her.

But that's OK.  I love her and I know she loves me but she really loves her "brother" Bill the cat.

Bill is amazing!  He gives me so much love!  He follows me around all day long.  He sits on my chest.

Everyone who comes to my house (even self-proclaimed cat haters) love Bill!

I hope people who are 'sitting on the fence' about adopting a cat or dog....does it.

The company and love an animal gives is just amazing!

[denisemb]

While I appreciate the sentiments and generally agree...cats especially have their own minds.  And these guys sure never met Millie!  LOL

I took those steps with Millie - put her in a closed bedroom with all necessities and visited her often.  Did this because she was a retired Bengal breeder and was usually kept in a cage - a 7 ft. walk-in cage with a tree, toys, etc. in an outbuilding 1/2 the size of my house, but still only in the owner's house when they were socializing  kittens.  Also, as we had her great-grandson wildman Rocko kitten, thought it was better to keep them separated for a bit.

That lasted about 1-1/2 hrs.  Opened the door, she shot out, trotted around the house like she owned the place.

So much for preparations.  Here's her first night with Rocko - mesmerized by another cat.

[Estates]

I adopted my sweet calico from a shelter.She was 1.5 years old. We looked at kittens,then older cats.She reached out from her cage,caught my shirt and wouldn't let go.She meowed her head off trying to get my attention.We had intended to get a kitten but she sold herself. 

When I brought her home,she hung out in the second bedroom on a mattress we had on its side. I would talk to her and pet her all day long. Within a few weeks,she started jumping on my lap and stayed there for another 14 years.She was my boomerang kitty.Always on my lap,jump off when I got up then came right back up after I sat down. 

So yup,give them some time....