If you were in the Just Talk chat, you might have heard me ramble about it. 
But as of today, I'm officially cat-sitting my friend's two cats, Mazzel (Dutch word for "lucky", he was a rescued street cat) and Nina. Her housing situation changed and she was supposed to move into this one apartment, but at the last minute the landlord told her the cats weren't allowed in. Her brother couldn't take them in either due to his unreliable shifts at work and all our other friends already had the max capacity for cats or pets in general, or were allergic.
So when asked, I agreed. I have a pretty big studio apartment and enough room to fit them. The only 'downside' is that I've never owned cats before and never taken care of them. Mazzel is a real cuddlecat and Nina is slowly warming up to me. I know when, how much and what to feed them and so forth, and my friend is going to drop by almost daily to check up on them.
But as I've never owned or taken care of cats before, does anyone have any tips for me? They might be staying with me for as long as a month, so if there's something I should watch out for, I'd like to hear it.
So far I haveeeee....
- They are indoor cats, so the windows stay closed when there's no supervision.
- I blocked off the tight small space below the kitchen counter when they first got in because Mazzel kept hiding in it. I heard that cats won't adjust well if they're given the opportunity to hide from their new surroundings and new people. It doesn't seem to have hurt them.
- If they climb onto things they shouldn't, I lift them up or shove them off it (like the kitchen counter or the coffeetable). I should keep doing this even if I have to do it fifty times!
Anything else?
But as of today, I'm officially cat-sitting my friend's two cats, Mazzel (Dutch word for "lucky", he was a rescued street cat) and Nina. Her housing situation changed and she was supposed to move into this one apartment, but at the last minute the landlord told her the cats weren't allowed in. Her brother couldn't take them in either due to his unreliable shifts at work and all our other friends already had the max capacity for cats or pets in general, or were allergic.So when asked, I agreed. I have a pretty big studio apartment and enough room to fit them. The only 'downside' is that I've never owned cats before and never taken care of them. Mazzel is a real cuddlecat and Nina is slowly warming up to me. I know when, how much and what to feed them and so forth, and my friend is going to drop by almost daily to check up on them.
But as I've never owned or taken care of cats before, does anyone have any tips for me? They might be staying with me for as long as a month, so if there's something I should watch out for, I'd like to hear it.
So far I haveeeee....
- They are indoor cats, so the windows stay closed when there's no supervision.
- I blocked off the tight small space below the kitchen counter when they first got in because Mazzel kept hiding in it. I heard that cats won't adjust well if they're given the opportunity to hide from their new surroundings and new people. It doesn't seem to have hurt them.
- If they climb onto things they shouldn't, I lift them up or shove them off it (like the kitchen counter or the coffeetable). I should keep doing this even if I have to do it fifty times!
Anything else?
When my cat gets on the table, I have a water spray bottle. I spritz him with water when he gets on or goes somewhere he shouldn't.
Also, when we first moved here my cats were hiding behind the water heater. We couldn't block it off, but over time they came out.
Yes, keep windows closed and be careful when you go out the door. Mine try to sneak out at any given opportunity (we lived in farmland before this development house).
If they're cuddly, love them. Pet them, let them sit in your lap, brush them even. They will be quite happy with you. If you have a specific problem, feel free to ask me. I have three cats
Also, when we first moved here my cats were hiding behind the water heater. We couldn't block it off, but over time they came out.
Yes, keep windows closed and be careful when you go out the door. Mine try to sneak out at any given opportunity (we lived in farmland before this development house).
If they're cuddly, love them.
Pet them, let them sit in your lap, brush them even. They will be quite happy with you. If you have a specific problem, feel free to ask me. I have three cats
Just one advice.
Don't actually sit on them. Sitting on cats is a VERY bad idea! DO NOT DO IT!
I repeat that, do not sit on cats! Very bad! No cat-sitting!
Don't actually sit on them. Sitting on cats is a VERY bad idea! DO NOT DO IT!
I repeat that, do not sit on cats! Very bad! No cat-sitting!
Yeah, seconding the water spray thing. S'how I've trained my kitty that tables and counters are not for the walking-on, hehe.
Probably the hiding is just because they're nervous and in new surroundings. It's actually not a bad thing for them to find a dark corner to curl up in - they'll come out when they're ready and feel more secure about it.
Probably the hiding is just because they're nervous and in new surroundings. It's actually not a bad thing for them to find a dark corner to curl up in - they'll come out when they're ready and feel more secure about it.
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