Thinking about adopting

Hi Stan! Just wanted to throw in a couple of "cat facts" that might
help you make up your mind:

One: Cats are creatures of habit, they form routines quickly based on
what goes on regularly in their home: thus your cat will quickly
learn what time you come home, and will look forward to that time. If
your hours don't vary much, the cat will get used to that routine.

Two: Cats need 14 hours of sleep daily, so he will probably end up
using his time alone to get his deep sleep needs in.

There was a TV program that featured a problem with 2 siamese cats
that tore up the house while their owner was at work all day; the
consultant designed a kitty play area for them in the spare bedroom,
with things to climb on, cat walks, and dangling strings, etc. A
camera was mounted to see how they did, and they made good use of
their playground.

I empathize with your concerns. I am retired now, but don't like to
leave my cat for long periods alone. I think as they get older they
may not mind as much, because they aren't as active. Well, best of
luck, I hope you are both very happy.

Thanks for the advice re leaving the cat alone.

I may not have made it clear in my first article that I was thinking
of adopting a *particular* one-year-old male, Milo. I saw him at the
display in Petsmart and fell for him.

Last night I went ahead and filled out the adoption papers after I
got to meet Milo. He was not effusively affectionate, but after all
he was in a strange environment. I picked him up and could tell he
was just tolerating it to be polite, so I put him down and he did the
head-bumping-ankle think, then flopped on his side on the floor to be
played with. So I think we will get along.

To answer the "adult pairs" issue, he was alone in the cage. When
the SPCA phoned today after checking my references I raised my
concern about his alone time and the lady said he was a very laid-
back cat, used to being alone, and she didn't expect there would be
any problem. As one poster here has mentioned, she also predicted
he'd probably use much of that time for sleeping.

A couple of you mentioned seeing how it goes and maybe getting him a
playmate. If he was part of a pair I would have adopted both, but
I'll be on the alert for symptoms of depression and if necessary I'll
get a second cat. Maybe I can take him with me to the shelter and
see how he reacts to various candidates -- if and when.

Thanks too for the advice to find out what type of litter the shelter
uses. I know cats don't like change, so I should probably start with
the food and litter that he's used to. I'll phone them tomorrow. I
have to buy all my supplies tomorrow, and then go pick him up Friday.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
Thanks for the advice re leaving the cat alone.

I may not have made it clear in my first article that I was thinking
of adopting a *particular* one-year-old male, Milo. I saw him at the
display in Petsmart and fell for him.

Last night I went ahead and filled out the adoption papers after I
got to meet Milo. He was not effusively affectionate, but after all
he was in a strange environment. I picked him up and could tell he
was just tolerating it to be polite, so I put him down and he did the
head-bumping-ankle think, then flopped on his side on the floor to be
played with. So I think we will get along.

To answer the "adult pairs" issue, he was alone in the cage. When
the SPCA phoned today after checking my references I raised my
concern about his alone time and the lady said he was a very laid-
back cat, used to being alone, and she didn't expect there would be
any problem. As one poster here has mentioned, she also predicted
he'd probably use much of that time for sleeping.

A couple of you mentioned seeing how it goes and maybe getting him a
playmate. If he was part of a pair I would have adopted both, but
I'll be on the alert for symptoms of depression and if necessary I'll
get a second cat. Maybe I can take him with me to the shelter and
see how he reacts to various candidates -- if and when.

Thanks too for the advice to find out what type of litter the shelter
uses. I know cats don't like change, so I should probably start with
the food and litter that he's used to. I'll phone them tomorrow. I
have to buy all my supplies tomorrow, and then go pick him up Friday.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Concatulations on adopting Milo -- and congratulations to him, too. I did
want to comment on a couple of items in your message: First, please *do not
even think about* taking Milo to the shelter to see how he reacts to other
potential roommates. The setting would be entirely foreign to him at that
time, and his reaction would not be a good barometer for assessing
adoptions. More likely, he would become completely stressed-out in that
situation, and you could even be exposing him to the possibility of coming
into contact with disease or parasites. That is also one (but only one) of
the reasons that any new adoptee should be kept isolated from Milo if you
bring another cat home. Second, you should count on a considerable period
of integration before introducing Milo to another cat if you do decide to
adopt a companion. A second cat is a great idea, but they should not simply
be "thrown together." That sometimes works, but it is a prescription that
can also lead to disaster.

Again, congratulations to you both!

MaryL

Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e
Recent pics: http://tinyurl.com/clal7

On Jul 3, 9:16*am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"Stan Brown" wrote in message

t...



Thanks for the advice re leaving the cat alone.

I may not have made it clear in my first article that I was thinking
of adopting a *particular* one-year-old male, Milo. *I saw him at the
display in Petsmart and fell for him.

Last night I went ahead and filled out the adoption papers after I
got to meet Milo. *He was not effusively affectionate, but after all
he was in a strange environment. I picked him up and could tell he
was just tolerating it to be polite, so I put him down and he did the
head-bumping-ankle think, then flopped on his side on the floor to be
played with. So I think we will get along.

To answer the "adult pairs" issue, he was alone in the cage. *When
the SPCA phoned today after checking my references I raised my
concern about his alone time and the lady said he was a very laid-
back cat, used to being alone, and she didn't expect there would be
any problem. As one poster here has mentioned, she also predicted
he'd probably use much of that time for sleeping.

A couple of you mentioned seeing how it goes and maybe getting him a
playmate. If he was part of a pair I would have adopted both, but
I'll be on the alert for symptoms of depression and if necessary I'll
get a second cat. *Maybe I can take him with me to the shelter and
see how he reacts to various candidates -- if and when.

Thanks too for the advice to find out what type of litter the shelter
uses. I know cats don't like change, so I should probably start with
the food and litter that he's used to. *I'll phone them tomorrow. *I
have to buy all my supplies tomorrow, and then go pick him up Friday.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Concatulations on adopting Milo -- and congratulations to him, too. *I did
want to comment on a couple of items in your message: *First, please *do not
even think about* taking Milo to the shelter to see how he reacts to other
potential roommates. *The setting would be entirely foreign to him at that
time, and his reaction would not be a good barometer for assessing
adoptions. *More likely, he would become completely stressed-out in that
situation, and you could even be exposing him to the possibility of coming
into contact with disease or parasites. *

Well said, Mary. If you decide to adopt a second cat, you should
describe your cat in detail (if it's not already in your file), and
the shelter can match you with another cat. For instance, since he's
laid back, another laid back or younger cat might be a good match.

Good luck with your adoption!

Rene

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:16:56 -0500 from MaryL -
OUT-THE-LITTER:
*do not
even think about* taking Milo to the shelter to see how he reacts to other
potential roommates. The setting would be entirely foreign to him at that
time, and his reaction would not be a good barometer for assessing
adoptions.

That makes sense. In any event, I wouldn't do anything right away.
First I want to let him adapt to his new home and feel secure here.
And from what the SPCA were saying he may be perfectly happy on his
own during the day. (Dexter the Wonder Cat was the only cat in the
house for the last 6 or 7 years of his life, wile I worked in an
office, and he was fine.)

I called the SPCA today to ask about his food preferences and litter
preferences. They said he's not at all fussy -- they've had him on
Arm & Hammer clumping as well as shredded newspaper. For food they
were doing Hills (because it's free to them) but Petsmart does
something else. They recommended starting him on Purina Indoor Cat.

I'm excited to pick him up tomorrow. It's ten years since I had a
cat in the home. Last night I went through the house looking for
potential kitty disaster areas, and I think we're pretty well safe.
I do have a motion-sensor trash can, and I figure it's only a matte
of me till he figures out how to open it. :-)


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Good luck, Stan. I think Milo is very lucky that he found you...or that you
found him! You'll be a great cat-dad.

S.
--
**Visit me and my cats at http://www.island-cats.com/ **
---
"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:16:56 -0500 from MaryL -
OUT-THE-LITTER:
*do not
even think about* taking Milo to the shelter to see how he reacts to
other
potential roommates. The setting would be entirely foreign to him at
that
time, and his reaction would not be a good barometer for assessing
adoptions.

That makes sense. In any event, I wouldn't do anything right away.
First I want to let him adapt to his new home and feel secure here.
And from what the SPCA were saying he may be perfectly happy on his
own during the day. (Dexter the Wonder Cat was the only cat in the
house for the last 6 or 7 years of his life, wile I worked in an
office, and he was fine.)

I called the SPCA today to ask about his food preferences and litter
preferences. They said he's not at all fussy -- they've had him on
Arm & Hammer clumping as well as shredded newspaper. For food they
were doing Hills (because it's free to them) but Petsmart does
something else. They recommended starting him on Purina Indoor Cat.

I'm excited to pick him up tomorrow. It's ten years since I had a
cat in the home. Last night I went through the house looking for
potential kitty disaster areas, and I think we're pretty well safe.
I do have a motion-sensor trash can, and I figure it's only a matte
of me till he figures out how to open it. :-)


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t...
I'm excited to pick him up tomorrow. It's ten years since I had a
cat in the home. Last night I went through the house looking for
potential kitty disaster areas, and I think we're pretty well safe.
I do have a motion-sensor trash can, and I figure it's only a matte
of me till he figures out how to open it. :-)


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Do you have a shredder? If so, be sure to turn it off when you are not
using it. That's good practice, anyway, but there have been a few
(fortunately, very *few*) reports of cats being injured when pushing their
paws down the slot on an active shredder. So, that's something else to add
to the list when cat-proofing a house or apartment.

MaryL

Stan Brown wrote:

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:16:56 -0500 from MaryL -
OUT-THE-LITTER:
*do not
even think about* taking Milo to the shelter to see how he reacts to
other
potential roommates. The setting would be entirely foreign to him at
that time, and his reaction would not be a good barometer for assessing
adoptions.

That makes sense. In any event, I wouldn't do anything right away.
First I want to let him adapt to his new home and feel secure here.
And from what the SPCA were saying he may be perfectly happy on his
own during the day. (Dexter the Wonder Cat was the only cat in the
house for the last 6 or 7 years of his life, wile I worked in an
office, and he was fine.)

I called the SPCA today to ask about his food preferences and litter
preferences. They said he's not at all fussy -- they've had him on
Arm & Hammer clumping as well as shredded newspaper. For food they
were doing Hills (because it's free to them) but Petsmart does
something else. They recommended starting him on Purina Indoor Cat.

I'm excited to pick him up tomorrow. It's ten years since I had a
cat in the home. Last night I went through the house looking for
potential kitty disaster areas, and I think we're pretty well safe.
I do have a motion-sensor trash can, and I figure it's only a matte
of me till he figures out how to open it. :-)

I recall coming home one evening to find my nearly-new flat-panel
monitor face down on the floor. They don't drop well. None of
my furkids would own up to it. Since then, I put the screen face
down on the desktop when not in use. Much more stable.

Congrats on Milo! The hospital on Mayfield Road wishes you well.

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 18:09:21 -0500 from MaryL -
OUT-THE-LITTER:
Do you have a shredder? If so, be sure to turn it off when you are not
using it. That's good practice, anyway, but there have been a few
(fortunately, very *few*) reports of cats being injured when pushing their
paws down the slot on an active shredder. So, that's something else to add
to the list when cat-proofing a house or apartment.

That's good advice, and as a matter of fact I already do that because
I'm afraid of one day dropping an important document, say while
opening the mail, and accidentally shredding it.

I'm more concerned about my motion-sensor trash can. I usually leave
that turned on, but if a certain someone jumps on the counter and
then waves a paw over the can, or pokes a head over the can, it will
open for him. So I have to remember to turn it off when I'm not in
the kitchen.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown wrote in
t:


Do you have a shredder? If so, be sure to turn it off when you are
not using it.
..
..
..
That's good advice, and as a matter of fact I already do that because
I'm afraid of one day dropping an important document, say while
opening the mail, and accidentally shredding it.


Oh yeah! And you just _know_ the damn thing will travel three feet
sideways to accomplish this!