We brought home two adorable kittens from "Cat's Angels", a rescue group who take in foundlings here on Amelia Island. We had a mini poodle who went to doggy heaven a couple years ago and we've been missing a pet so we decided to take a look in this cat rescue place on the island and of course we couldn't walk out without one. So we walked out with two! They are three months old, calico and we are thrilled. One is very, very shy and only comes out from under the couch when we aren't looking to play with her sister. The other is a bold gal who has cased the rooms where she is allowed to be but who is still shy about coming to us. Any suggestions as to how to get them both more affectionate with US? I know, it's only one day!!

Oh Jean how wonderful - Marcie is the animal person - we have two cats - one, I think, was neglected, poor thing lived with bunch of surfers she is 12 yrs old - still shy but so sweet not lap cat - the calico, 8 yrs old, male is tiny and adorable - still will not come near us during the day BUT once we shut lights off at night he hops on the bed and cuddles - figure??? Tony just told me "Spookie, surfer cat, is 15 yrs old" - lost track -

Jean, it's so nice you took two babies! Do you know anything about their history? Were they abused in any way? Were they cared for by their mother? If everything was okay they will probably be all over you in no time.

There are a couple of websites with information, Marcie might know of better sources:

cat care

more cat care

My own wonderful cat, Baby Kitty, is lying next to me with her paw on my hand. She's batting at me as I type. Not very helpful but it's really sweet.

Jean, it usually takes cats a few days to get used to their new surroundings, maybe even a week. We have three felines in our household and they are pretty much in charge.

As a rule cats are not nearly as affectionate as a dog, but my precious baby, Sebastian is the most loveable cat. He is a Cameo Persian and actually thinks he's a dog. He greats me at the door when I come home and is excited to see me, stands on his hind legs and stretches for me to pick him up, and lays across my chest when I am in my chair watching TV. He also loves for our guests to pay attention to him. He even waves goodbye to our guests when they leave. No, really!

Figaro, who is Diana's cat, is a really long striped Tabby. I have never seen a tail as long on any cat before. He was born outside at one of our models and still loves to be outside, but only to come and go as HE pleases. In fact, we have door levers on our doors and if the door is unlocked, he reaches up and opens the door to go outside. Close the door behind him and he cries to come back inside. He is so strong that if you try to hold him and he doesn't want to be held, you would have a hard time holding onto him.

Then there is Tabitha. She is our little old cantankerous Tabby! She lets everybody know that this is her domain. She is the first one to eat, the first one to get treats, and nobody messes with Tabitha!!! When she wants petted though, you better do it, or you will hear all about it.

We hope you enjoy your new little jewels, just as much as we have enjoyed ours.

Jean,

Thank you for saving two kitties lives. They will warm up to you in their own time - especially when they realize the can opener requires your help to feed them.

I haven't had a cat in many years, but, I can tell you it can take two weeks or two months for them to feel at home. Even dogs have their own timetable. When we rescued our dog, Gizmo, we thought he would never bark or speak. One day, after having him three months, somebody walked on our front lawn and he barked the deepest baritone bark we'd ever heard. He's a Lhasa Apso and you'd have thought we had a German Shepherd from the sound of his barks.

Enjoy your new babies. Love to see photos!

Jean, good for you for doing the rescue route. I have a cat I got from a rescue society, he was about a year old. It took him about a year to settle in, but with kittens it should be faster.

I think you just have to be patient and kind, and see how your kittens turn out. Cats have definite personalities, some more affectionate than others. My boy still runs away when I walk up to him, and is still very skittish in some ways, but he's sitting beside me right now washing his paws while I type, he likes to be close to me. And most nights now he sleeps at the bottom of the bed.

Are they going to be outdoor or indoor cats?

Jean, so happy to hear about your kittens! I currently have 3 cats, all rescued, and have had as many as 6 at a time. Cats are very independent. It is often said that you own a dog but a cat owns you. My best advice is to just let them come around on their own. Make sure they stay indoors while they're so young. Indoor only cats will usually be the most affectionate, once they get a taste of the great outdoors they LOVE it and will want to be outside a great part of the day. Male cats are generally more affectionate than females (go figure!) but not always. We currently have 3 males (not planned that way) and one is and has always been extremely shy and skiddish. He was never abused and was actually rescued, (abandoned behind a grocery store with his sister) so we took them both in at only 2 weeks requiring bottle feeding and lots of TLC. The little sister had an out going personality but the little boy has always been a real "scaredy cat". ...just the way God made him.

I adore cats! They require a lot less maintenance than dogs. They are more intelligent than most dogs, (though don't be expecting to teach them tricks), clever and curious. Give them things to play with (an empty toilet paper roll works fine), anything they can bat around. They love cardboard boxes too. The personalities you're seeing in the first few days may likely be the same personalities they'll have for life. Cuddle them as they allow, let them down when they've had enough and let THEM come to you as much as possible. Little kitty treats such as "Pounce" will work wonders too. Allow them to sleep with you and Clyde if possible, habits like that are often formed early. If you have the room, the kitty condo type scratching post/tree houses are loved but they may loose their appeal by the time they're about a year old. (they're expensive but sometimes you can find a used one in pennysaver type ads).

There are lots of cat lovers at LCT so I'm sure you can always get advice with any of your questions and concerns. So happy for you and your new furry babies!

Oh, I loved reading about your cats everybody. Some of the things you said reminded me of a Siamese we had way back when who adored Clyde and could actually know when our car drove into the apartment complex we lived in at the time. He would go to the window and stare out until Clyde came up the stairs. He also thought he was a dog and would walk on a leash or not. He'd just follow along wherever we went. I guess I was expecting something like that when we brought the kitties home. But, actually, today the bolder one is very affectionate and sits in my lap, purring while the other one just watches at a safe distance. She HAS come out from under the couch, though, so I guess there's hope. We named the bold one Christy (it is Christmas, after all!) and the other Sandy because she has calico fur that is sort of sandy color. I would like to know what you feed your cats? I've read on the internet that canned food is best, but the woman at Cat's Angels said they only feed the cats dry food. So far they don't like what the woman recommended but maybe that's because they are still getting used to their surroundings. They have certainly taken over! Wow, they run and play and are such fun to watch. Just what a couple of old you know what's need at this point in our lives.
Kathy - we had a Llasa Apso, Cocker-poo mix!! What a cuties she was - short little legs and a cocker spaniel body!!

Oh, Marcie, I answered before I saw your post. And Wendy, they have to be indoor cats because we are not allowed to let them go loose here at Osprey Village. That's why I passed up a cute little Siamese mix because I feared THE VOICE if he wanted to go out! I remember very well our Siamese yelling to go out when we had to live in an apartment for a few months-he drove us crazy. I think pets are wonderful and you'd be amazed how many of the residents here are now thinking of getting a dog or cat. Dogs are allowed and we had the poodle here before he passed on. I'll keep you up to date on their progress!

Jean we started out with dry food and that is all they have known, Whiskas brand, and we had them declawed so they have never been outside - other than one time the older cat got out and was gone for 2 days - we were sick as we have lagoon in back yard with alligators - someone told us to put the litter box by the back door and sure enough at 3 am I heard her crying - Tony never liked cats - he adores these two cats!!! Ours share a litter box - no problem - neither one of ours will just jump into our lap so you are lucky!!! We also put some flea medicine on them once a month, little vial of some liquid, and have never had any problems with fleas!!

We like MaxCat for Baby Kitty but there are many very good foods on the market. She likes all the flavors, but she is the most laid back cat I ever met. She eats very little and absolutely doesn't care if we switch food or litter on her overnight.

Jean, if you start them and keep them on dry food, this should be fine. If you give them can food, this is likely what they'll come to prefer and may snub their noses at dry food. That's your call how much you're prepared to spoil them. Lots of good food to chose from, may be a trial and error for you. Don't be concerned if they don't have much of an appetite, they'll eat when they're hungry. They're just trying to learn their new surroundings. I'm really happy you got both of them. I think keeping them in pairs like this works the best. I too have had Siamese. I've never found any other breed that talks as much as they do....they are noisy!

Our shy, timid cat....Bo, loves to sit on Tom's lap when he's in his recliner, ONLY Tom, no one else!

Congrats on the new arrivals - please post pictures.

All of the above advice is sound. They will come around in time. Ours did 2 weeks to the day.

Enjoy them.

I agree with the advice of others--stick to good quality dry food. Once they get addicted to the canned food, you will be stuck with it--and all the mess and smell that it entails.

Also, if you can train them to have their toenails clipped regularly when they are young, and train them not to scratch the furniture, you can avoid having them declawed. My cat is also an indoor cat, and even at a year old, I got him to accept the clipping (I just use normal nail clippers, and the same precautions pertain as a dog--don't cut their quick, or it will hurt like heck and they will everafter hate it.) I do it every couple of weeks.

I also got several scratching posts and gave him plenty of praise for using them. I put one against the arm of the sofa to prevent him from going at that. So far, after about 3 years, I've only noticed one nail hole in the leather chair.

I must admit I am opposed to declawing if you can possibly avoid it, although I admit that sometimes there is no alternative.

My boy also is very vocal, and was an outdoor cat when we got him, which made it very tough. He still gets "the call of the wild" twice a year, despite being neutered, and wants to go out and get the girls, howling around the house late at night. Hope he shuts up before we move into out condo in 2007! Until then he gets to watch the bird-feeder all day, which helps to keep him content.

We declawed as we had a screened porch and they were clawing the screens - I agree about the smell of the wet food -

Here can't have all claws removed, front only. In case of emergecy they can get up a tree with just their back claws. Some Vets won't even remove front claws as this is all very controversial and some consider it an amputation.
It's the front claws that do the damage to furniture.

we only did front claws

Yes, I admit screens are a big problem. In the '70s, when my Mum and I were carting 4 cats up to the cottage and back, we had the windows on all three screen doors reversed, so the screens opened at the top. Still have them that way today, and they are great, and intact. Don't know why they don't make all screen doors like that. But with a screen room, don't know, especially if there are birds fluttering around outside!

Birds really made them crazy - we have since glassed in room so they just stare at the birds

Congratulations on your new family additions. When we first brought our cat home, she ran directly behind the washing machine and climbed into a very small opening around the hose and stayed there for three days. After telling Dave on the third day that I was going to need a schnapps when she came out, she was named "Schnapps". We became very close when she finally emerged. She didn't have those same feelings for Dave until he made bacon and got down on the floor and shared with her. It changed everything between the two of them. Food/time are your best bet.

Trish

I love all these kitty stories. I don't like the idea of declawing, either, so I'll try the clipping routine which worked just fine with our Siamese.These two are getting wild around the house chasing each other up and down the furniture, under the couch, you name it. Sandy the shy is still shy but she's gotten very brave about racing around the house. She let me pet her a little when I caught her unawares in her bed. I put the little bed on the couch as that seems to be where they want to be. Having them hasn't done much for getting Christmas stuff done, though. But it's more fun!