Wahayyy here we go
Oh no, is Next Thursday THIS Thursday coming or a week on Thursday, I never quite know...
Need to suppress my bubbling excitment if it's Thursday week.
The rescue will tell you what cat litter she's used to so you can provide a little continuity for her in her first days, and likewise what food she's been used to eating.
You may want to experiment with different foods when she's settled, but remember a sudden change of diet is likely to cause upset tums which you can do without while she's adjusting to her new life.
Before you leave the rescue on Thursday there's a few things you may forget in all the excitement:
Ask for her vaccination records, microchip details (and which type of chip she has), when she was last flea and worm treated (you'll also need to know what she weighs for flea and worming dosages), the date she was spayed and whether she has shown any signs of being adaptable to another cat coming in to your lives at a later stage. You will also want to know what age/birthdate has been attributed to her, if any, this may or may not appear on her chip record.
If the microchip comes with 4 weeks free health insurance, as many do, make sure you get the paperwork for this.
If she has a favourite toy or blanket they have used for her bedding, ask if you can bring this home with her (it would be a nice touch to take a replacement old towel/blanket/cat toy for the rescue if you can lay your hands on any) as it will provide her with a reassuring spot to relax in her own scent while she gets used to your place and all the new smells you will unwittingly provide.
If she's a bit shy and decides to hide under the bed (likely) it's best to leave her alone for a good while, she'll get curious to see where you are if you don't spend hours upside down trying to see if she's alright.
Put her food and water close, but somewhere she has to come out for it, and leave her litter tray within sight of (but not next to) the food, again forcing her to explore a little further. If you do go out, she'll come out to explore while you're away, so leave the TV or radio on low so she can hear voices and this will help her to settle.
The more you talk to her and use her name, the quicker she'll grow to recognise you as a friend and this will help train her later when you want her to come when called.
And finally (yes I'll shut up soon, promise) this is my not-so-secret weapon in gaining the trust and love of almost every cat I've adopted.
I use kissy noises when I dish out the chikkun, so they associate my kissy noises with the good stuff and come a runnin' when they hear me. You may wish to choose a different noise if you like this idea, you being a bloke an that...
This comes in particularly useful if she does manage to escape in her first couple of weeks, as she'll recognise the noise as being a friendly one and she should make her whereabouts known if she's hiding outside.
I'm so happy for you Stevo.
