Congratulations on your new furbaby! He is beautiful, I love orange kitties. Most of your questions will be answered by your vet. Get a full checkup as soon as you can, they will let you know about flea treatment and shots.

Yes, cats can get sick from being in contact with other cats, especially FIP so I would keep him indoors except an occasional visit on the porch with you. There are too many dangers for outdoor cats.

You are going to be a great cat parent, I can tell! There are some FAQs at the top of this forum to help you with some questions too, but the best advice I can give is get Dustin to a vet next week for a checkup.

Congrats! Beautiful cat! Your life will never be the same, and all for the better! (Definitely get the neutering done - it'll make all the difference.) Keep us posted, ok?

Thanks I will update as we go.

I'm reluctant to go to the vet my parents' go to even though he took care of my cat as a teenager. I assumed he had a check up before being allowed into the store from the Humane Society. I will need to call the shelter for a list of the vets who will accept the certificate for his neutering and was hoping to find a good vet that way. I have a pamphlet with information and numbers to find out more about him. Would it be best to make the vet who does the surgery his regular vet? I'm without a car now but my mom's always willing to help, especially when it comes to animals, so she'll give us a lift. She paused at each red light on the way home to talk to Dustin to reassure him even though I was doing the same all the way home, lol. He wasn't too upset with the car ride thankfully because I was afraid it would really scare him. As we got into the parking lot and some cars horns went off as people were turning on their alarms he got a bit frightened.

Its amazing how well he's settling in. I think God placed us both there for each other.

Congrats. You will make a great parent. He's a pretty boy. I'm partial to orange boys and just lost my 19 year old Louie two months ago. He was an orange tabby with green eyes and he was beautiful till the end. .You will want to get him neutered pronto before he starts marking the house. Neutered pets are more docile and live longer. Outdoors for cats is a no no since there is just too much danger out there. Mine never leave the house, but it's the law in PA ..they have to have rabies vaccine.

You already sound like a good parent. This cat lucked out.

I am surprised they did not give him his rabies shot. Often this is one of the things essential before allowing a cat into the public, so please double check that.

I guess it's time to find a vet you can work with, because it's always good to have a good vet before you need one. Neutering makes for a healthier cat, and one that will not make your home or have the desire to roam. It prevents certain cancers. Since the agency is picking up the tab, get it done asap so he does not mark.

I would not let him out onto the deck, as it may whet his appetite to wander and disappear. You don't know why he was a stray; maybe he wandered off from somewhere? Go onto Craig's List or recycle.com and look for cat trees for him to play on. Get a "fishing pole" toy to make him chase. My cats live indoors and are always stimulated by their toys, the large cat trees I was given and exercise.

When you get a cat, after being alone, you wondered how you ever got along without him.

Best of luck.

First of all, congratulations on your new cat, and thankyou for adopting an older pet!!! Like you, I also believe that some of us and out pets are meant to be together! And he is VERY cute! With love and affection, he will settle in fine and become a wonderful pet. I really think that the previously homeless know on some level they have been given a second chance and bond very strongly because of it.

So far it sounds like you are doing great. I have heard alot lately about vets giving unnecessary vaccinations to pets, and I will look up the list of the ones you should get for you and send it to you, if you are interested. I also think it is good to stick with one vet for everything. I know the shelter has a list, but ask them which vet they like personally. Also pick one close to home in case of emergencies. As for fleas, you shouldn't have a major problem with an indoor cat, but occasionally I find one or two on my indoor cat, probably brought inside by my dog. You can use Frontline, which is the best, or try the more natural alternatives. I don't like flea collars or using very strong chemicals. Just make sure whatever you use is ok for cats, some dog products are not safe for kitties.

I would say the most important things are regular checkups, and good dental care. Cats can have alot of health problems related to bacteria found on their teeth when they start to get alot of decay. Dry food along with whatever else they eat helps keep the teeth cleaner, and getting a cleaning every few years should keep those problems at bay.

Not sure if you want to take this advice, but I feed my cat high quality "health food" for cats. You can find it at most pet stores, or even go to this companies website: Nature's Variety
I know that they will send free samples or a coupon for a free 5lb bag if you tell them you want to try their food. They make canned and dry. Alot of commercial pet food is full of crap the companies get from rendering plants -too disgusting to mention - and this could account for the high rate of cancer and disease in pets today. Another problem for male cats is bladder infection, directly related to high ash content in commercial pet food. You do NOT want your cat to develop problems in this area!! Look for food that says "good for urinary tract health" or food that has ash or manganese very low or not at all on the ingredient list.

Another important thing - Be VERY careful that he does not get outdoors. Every day I deal with heartbroken people who have lost their pets. You also might want to get him microchipped or get that new tattoo they do, it is a number I believe that can be traced back to the cat's vet if he should be picked up. Some say it is better than the microchip... But your main priority is to make sure the cat never gets out in the first place!! I would be very careful even when letting him out on the porch. Please take this advice very seriously...I volunteer at a shelter and hear the sad stories every single day.

Best of luck to you, kiss that kitty on the nose for me!

Jen

Congrats and best of luck to you both! It seems you've both won the lottery when it came to finding each other!!!

Re: flea collars--DON'T use one! Read Meghane's recent thread about those (read as many of her threads/posts as you can--she is a fountain of great information, and she's a vet!). Our two indoor-only cats do not receive flea prevention but there are plenty of options from which to choose, should you decide to go that route (e.g. topical ones or liquids that can be mixed in with his food).

Rabies is required in my area, so we give our cats yearly boosters (the yearly kind does not contain the adjuvents associated with certain vaccine-related cancers). We also opted to give the distemper boosters (3-yr booster shot) for a few reasons. Distemper is airborne. I volunteer weekly at a nearby shelter. While I throw my clothing in the wash, and myself in the shower before handling my cats, I am not always able to do so the very moment I arrive home. There is always the chance I could carry the disease (amongst others) into the house. Also, if my cats ever need to remain at the vets office for any length of time, and are caged in the back near other cats (all in their own cages, of course), there is always the chance they could be exposed to the virus while there.

Re: neutering, besides eliminating (or cutting down) on the chance of spraying, un-neutered male cat urine is quite foul and strong smelling. I would higly recommend having him neutered with no second thoughts for just that reason alone!

Feed a good quality food (we're partial to Innova food products at this time, but there are many good ones on the market, both wet and dry), stick to a feeding schedule, skip the treats if you can (some cats can gain too much weight way too easily!), and give fresh, clean water daily. We give ours water from the same filtered water source that we drink (my feeling is, if I wouldn't drink something, I won't give it to my cats).

Clean the litter box daily (we scoop ours twice a day)--no exceptions. We use a scoopable litter, adding more litter as needed, and dump the whole thing and clean with clorox and water every so often. You don't ever want to give your cat a reason to not want to use the litter box (e.g. because it's too dirty).

Be careful leaving string, shoes with laces, rubber bands, twist ties, etc., lying around. You'll get to know your cat and what he will or will not get into. My first cat chewed on shoelaces when she was young (and ended up eating a sweatshirt drawstring, requiring major surgery to remove it). My other cat wasn't interested in those, but we learned to keep rubber bands locked away with all our cats.

Above all, enjoy the special bond you two already seem to be forming and have wonderful life with your new friend!

Thank you all for the support and advice. I got a chance to kitty sit the pets across the hall and their owner was amazing! She talked about the ash and stuff in commercial cat food and has a half dozen or more treats that all look healthy. She has 2 cats so she scoops twice a day and I started once a day for sure but will probably go to two to keep it nice for both of us.

For food I picked up a bag of what they were feeding him at the shelter because I wanted to look into different brands and give him samples and see if he ate it. I thought a change in food might be better if I find one and mix them together if he won't eat it right away and then change the ratio to include less and less of what he's used to. I want to get some canned food as well but I don't want to feed him so much that he ends up ignoring his dry food and waiting for the moist food. I thought maybe half a can or a quarter once a day to add some variety in his diet. I am concerned that once neutered he may put on weight so I'm going to find a snack that is healthy and give it as a treat. I also give him water filtered through a Brita filter and dump it daily.

He may be a stray but I find it hard to believe he's been one all his life. He is settling in so well and is so well behaved. When I see older cats like him at a shelter or adoption center I worry they won't find a home because the kittens go so fast and they are left sitting there in their cages day after day. It breaks my heart. I worry about if they don't find a home. That's why I decided long ago that when I was ready to adopt a pet that it would be an older one. There are lots of homes for kittens so I always enjoy watching them play but look seriously at the older pets who also need love and a good home.

It sounds like you are a very thoughtful and caring person and so far you're doing everything right! It would be so nice if all new pet owners were as conscientious as you are!

Congrats, he is very handsome. It sounds like you both got lucky. :o)

What an adorable kitty! Thank you for giving an older cat a second chance at life. I like you tend to have a soft spot for the older kitties. I adopted my current cat when she was 7 years old.

Sounds like this little guy hit the jackpot when you adopted him. You sound like a very caring and dedicated owner. I wish you many years of happiness with this little guy!

What a handsome kitty Dustin is!
I applaud you for giving this sweet guy a second chance at a caring forever home. I know he won't disappoint you and you will have a loyal companion for life.

Definitely get him neutered and vet checked. You also want to become established with a vet because things do arise with pets that need veterinary attention.

You have received some great advice from the above posters, but I would like to mention a thing or two about his diet.

Don't be afraid of feeding him canned food. Canned food is SO much better for cats than dry. I am giving you a link to a wonderful website that can explain it all better than I could here, but feeding a canned diet will help prevent many illnesses and diseases that occur from a cat eating dry food.

It took my one of cats becoming diabetic to get me educated in feline nutrition and in the past year I have learned so much and now all my cats are so much healthier because of it.

Also another fun website you might like to consider joining is Catster. You can make Dustin his own web page and join in the various discussions in the forums. It's a fun group of people that share the common bond of being true feline lovers.

I hope you and Dustin enjoy many happy, healthy years together. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help any way I can.

Janet

Here is a link that might be useful: Feeding Your Cat

Thanks for the links! Catster sounds like a fun site and I definitely want to look into nutrition for him. Reading the pamphlet the store sent home with him it stated that unlike humans, cats get the majority of their nutrients from a single source rather than a variety (like our diets) and somehow this didn't seem right to me. It seems limiting and boring for a pet to have only one meal on the menu. Plus, and I can't remember where I got this idea from, I thought that cats get a good amount of their fluid intake from their food. That would indicate the need for moist food.

I don't want to make radical changes to his diet overnight so I picked up some canned food and am giving him small portions and gradually increase it. And a snack that looks healthy with plaque and tartar control that is crunchy and he seems to like it. I need to get a bathroom scale and start weighing both of us, lol.

He is a darling, huggable kitty! Thanks for taking him in and giving him such good care.

He is beautiful. I think you will have a happy life together.

Dry does not help the teeth, that is a lie the vets are trained to believe by the pet food companies to make the animal marketable to the industry if your cat never had teeth issues they wouldn't be getting any money would they? The best all around diet for a cat would be dead rats and mice/maybe a bird or two, however this can get expensive not to mention society isn't kind of the idea. A raw diet is good, but you need to know what your getting into, go to Felinefuture.com. Neutering is a very good idea, it will tame out spraying troublesome hormonal urges/ and help reduce pet over population though at 3 even neutered he may never stop spraying once sexual behaviors have set.

Also you say you'll be living in an Apartment, do they take cats? Do they De-claw? Do yourself a favor and re-home Dustin after neutering if they do, its not worth the guilt of causing him suffering and pain because of an idiot landlord.

Good luck with your baby BTW!

cat_mom wrote: It would be so nice if all new pet owners were as conscientious as you are!
YES, Indeed!!!!
I just read the whole thread, and there is nothing I can add to what everyone suggested.. just a few details. As cat_mom mentioned, be careful with leaving any strings out. We even had to hide the garbage can in the bathroom as the the 2 cats we recently adopted would go after the dental floss!!!

The shelter should have information about the rabies shot. It is hard for me to imagine they would not have vaccinated him first thing unless they had some records of previous vaccinations. Getting all records is very important.

One of our cats just showed up in our backyard and we adopted him a month later after we did everything we could to make sure he did not belong to anyone. He was about 3 years old and NOT neutered. We did have him neutered soon after (we had other cats) and he was just fine. The best cat ever!

Yes, you are right about going slowly in changing diet as an abrupt change can cause some diarrhea or vomiting. Our 2 recent additions have not yet fallen in love with wellness (soft)..

Again, I really wished all cat owners were just like you! Congratulations, and keep us posted. Dustin is a very handsome and lucky cat!

Anne-Marie

Beautiful cat! Best of luck with him.