Should I keep this cat?

Question

Okay, so this little kitten has been wandering around my house for the past 4 or 5 days and she is really sweet. I am a big animal lover, so any sight of one and I automatically fall in love with them. I already have a male cat and they seem to do okay around eachother from what I can see. The only thing is she is not declawed and I worry about her scratching the furniture and I dont know if she is litter box trained either. I just dont know if it is worth all of the hassle to train her or not. What do you think? Also, my other cat was a stray too, I just dont want to become one of these people that take in all the stray cats!

Answer 1

do you have the time, space and money to take on this cat. If you should take in this cat before letting her into your house, take her to the vet to make sure that she is healthy, you don't want to get your other cat sick. when she gets a clean bill of health start her out in a small room of your house with a litter box, food at feeding times and water all the time and of course some toys. and at least one or 2 scratch posts and see how she does gradually allow her out when you can see how she behaves teach her right from wrong from day one and be consistant.

good luck!

Answer 2

Only you can answer this question: Are you ready and do you have time to discipline a new animal? If you do decide to keep this cat, obviously she should be brought to a veterinarian before exposing her to your family or other pets to ensure her health. She should be scanned for a microchip at the vet or animal shelter before setting your heart on her. A Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunovirus test should be performed her visit as well as an initial and second deworming several weeks apart in addition to the typical feline vaccines your vet will reccomend. Luckily cats are easily trained (some more than others) with the proper methods. Litter box training can be enforced by introducing your new pet to the box as soon as she is brought into the house. Have her remain in the box for several minutes and let her be on hew way to start exploring. Keep a close eye on her that first day and if she has still not utilized the litter box within the first 24 hours, reintroduce her to it and have her remain there a while more. Make sure the litter box is easily accessible, with little or no human (or dog traffic as well) traffic. Covered litter boxes are a good choice, but make sure she can get in/out of the box and the door does not impede her.

Regarding scratching furniture, declawing should be a last resort; it is a painful procedure initially for them and often alters their behavior as the no longer have the defense of their claws. Also declawed cats should never be allowed to be exposed free to the outdoors, once again, they have lost their primary defense. This can be deterred by placing one or more scratching posts around the house. If she does begin to scratch in improper places, immediately verbally scold her at the time of the incident and move a scratching post to that spot. This can be a long process so don't give up; you must be consistent.

Answer 3

If she already gets along with the male, that's a good sign. Litter box training is usually easy. The most difficult task you'll have is teaching her to use a scratching post instead of couch, but that can be done with consistent effort. Be sure to have her spayed because she can be ready to produce a litter at 6 months old.
If you can't take her in and she's friendly, I would bring her to an animal shelter where she can be vaccinated, dewormed and re-homed.
Just as a caution for the future though, many stray cats carry communicable diseases; it would be better to have them vaccinated before they have contact with pet cats. Even if the pets are vaccinated, they can still become ill from exposure to strange cats.

Answer 4

Keep her, she deserves a good home. Buy a scratching post if your worried about your furniture. Your cat will learn to get along with it. We took in a stray kitten last year and she is so sweet. We didn't have her declawed because of the pain our first cat went through with it. We just keep her claws trimmed so they're not sharp. She should take to the litter box pretty easily. Just make sure she's checked out by the vet and gets her shots. Take her in, you'll have a great pet and a friend for life! :)

Answer 5

Please don't declaw this kitten. Claws are a God-given part of her that are there for a reason. If you are so worried about your furniture that you would do this to a cat, then you need a fish or something. If you pass away, how can you be sure she ends up somewhere where she'll never get outside and need her claws? If you're thinking it's all this hassle, you might need to rethink your pet lover status. A cat should be part of your family, not a possession to alter and hope isn't a hassle.

Answer 6

Hi! I'm a big animal lover too so I know how you feel! I feed a lot of strays, too. If you don't want to take in another stray, what you could do is trap the kitty and take it to a local shelter where you know they don't put them down. That's what I do. I lure them in a cat carrier with food then take them to a cat shelter; that way I know they're being fed and kept warm. If that cat belongs to someone else, sorry about their luck. That's what they get for letting their cats outside! They should take better care of them. But, if you only have 1 cat now, why not one more? It would be worth it!!
PS. If you don't want to declaw her, why not but some Soft Paws from CatFancy magazine? They're like fake nails for cats.

Answer 7

If you are not ready to commit to another animal then you should take the kitty to a No Kill Animal Shelter. Most humane societies have a no kill policy.

You can always train a cat to use the litter box, it really isn't that difficult. All in all, you should her find a home of her own.

Cats have claws for a reason, if you decide to keep her and get her declawed I hope you keep her as an indoor only cat. Cats need their claws to defend themselves. How would you feel if someone removed your nails?

Answer 8

Cats Are Very Territorial. That mans a cat feels a stranger has invaded his/her territory. In a case like that, a cat probably competitive in the direction of one cat -- commonly essentially the most effortless-going -- however pleasant to a different. The time while disorders crop up is while a brand new kitty arrives, a tender kitten turns into a adult cat, or the house cat appears out the window to peer a unusual cat within the backyard -- the house cat might chase, ambush, hiss, and/or meow angrily. And it’s now not simply the men. Girl cats will also be simply as infuriated by way of strangers.

Answer 9

There's NOTHING WRONG with taking in stray cats! People who take in strays are golden-hearted and caring! Secondly, don't get the cat de-clawed. Thirdly, if you really care about the kitten, then you won't mind the hassle of litter-training it and making it a pet. Good luck!

Answer 10

If you are going to keep the cat, make sure it gets immunized as soon as possible. You would not want the new cat to pass an unknown disease to your other cat. As for the litter box training, make sure you praise it whenever it goes in the box and also teach the cat to use a scratch post to sharpen its claws instead of the furniture.