Adopting a cat
Cat care
Supporting us
- ADOPTING A NEW CAT OR KITTEN
The adoption centre is open:
Sunday to Friday 11am - 2.30pm
Saturday 10am - 3.30pm
All our cats and kittens are $150.00 or two for $250.00.
They have all been desexed, microchipped, vaccinated, wormed and flea treated.
All cats and kittens come with a personalised profile and information pack, plus a free bag of Hill's Science Diet.
If you are coming in to Newtown and you think that you may adopt on the day, we ask that you bring along everyone who lives in your house. This ensures that everyone is involved in the decision and receives all the information on the care of the new cat or kitten.
See Adoptions for more details
When you bring your new cat or kitten home remember it is important to keep them indoors for up to 4 weeks. A kitten under the age of 14 weeks should not be outdoors unsupervised. A cat will take time to get used to you, as his/her new owner and the unfamiliar territory. Of course it is perfectly fine to keep a kitten indoors or a cat that is used to indoor living, for the whole of their life.
Any cat or kitten that has been adopted from Cat Protection Society has already been desexed, microchipped, vaccinated, wormed and is flea-free. Here are some pointers on how to care for your new friend:
Your cat/kitten has already been desexed. If any swelling or discharge occurs from the wound, contact the vet nominated on your 'Care of Cat after desexing' sheet. Your cat/kitten has an up to date vaccination against cat flu and feline enteritis. However your new friend will need follow up vaccinations to ensure long term protection. Check the vaccination certificate for details of when the next vaccination is due and contact your local vet. Your cat/kitten is microchipped. It is very important to contact your local Council when changing address, so the database can be updated to include your new details. We prefer the spot on treatments to be used for flea control. Advantage is a very good product currently on the market. Your new cat/kitten has already been de-wormed. However a healthy cat needs a regular deworming regime. For further details refer to 'FAQ - How often do I need to worm ?'
The diet of your new cat is very important. The diet for both kittens and cats should not be changed for 2 weeks after you take your cat home. For kittens only one tablespoon of food should be fed three times per day of either Jellymeat or Chicken and Turkey tinned Whiskas. If your kitten is not eating well please contact us. Adults are generally fed twice per day. For further details refer to 'FAQ - What should I feed my cat?'
This is achieved when your cat selects you, and you can be pretty sure it will be love at first sight. Your new feline friend will quickly train you to their unique requirements, and most owners do not present many obstacles. In fact, it amazes me what owners will put up with from their cats - their feline dictator's training methods are obviously very effective!!
Remember - no cat ever changes - all that you can do is change the environment so the cat no longer shows the undesirable behaviour (this goes for spraying, scratching, roaming, food, fetishes etc.). Make your rules at the start, and be consistent. Cats are smart, but have no way of associating something they did more than TWO SECONDS AGO with any kind of punishment. In fact, PUNISHMENT NEVER WORKS WITH CATS. All the feline stars of TV perform of their own free will, and it is the cameramen who make it look easy and directed!
The main concept here is to let the cat make the first approach. This is important when bringing a cat into a new home or bringing a new person into the cat's home. They have to get the measure of the person, and they do that by smell, watching and listening. Remember that when a cat walks into a room, it knows (by smell especially) who is already there, who was there half an hour ago, and who is coming down the hall now. It is a lot of information to process, and if you rush it, you can unnerve the cat.
One of the reasons a cat likes someone who is allergic to or adverse to cats is that they don't immediately stare at it or try to "trap" it with a big hug. Give the cat a chance to "take it or leave it" and NEVER look straight into a cat's eyes - that is a very confrontational thing to do in cat language.
This is a bit harder. Cats view babies and toddlers as different species to adult humans. Remarkable perception, really, though a bit confusing now that cats are living longer and can see them grow up! The key is to supervise the cat's natural curiosity, while protecting the baby and the cat from each other's unexpected actions. Cats don't smother babies (that was the traditional explanation for SIDS deaths), and they get into a cot because it is SOFT, WARM and HIGH UP!! Provide a shelf with a view of what is going on nearby, and your cat will probably be happier there, as they are not big on the way babies move around in bed!
Most cats will keep their distance from babies and toddlers, and are usually more tolerant of handling. They will tolerate more things from a youngster than an adult - but always ensure they have an escape route to lessen their anxiety should the small human become too boisterous.
Cats don't really like other cats most of the time, so THIS CAN BE HARD!! A great deal depends on whether the resident cat/s have ever had a friendship with another cat, and depends on the age of both the resident and the new arrival. If the newcomer is a kitten, then isolating it in one room with its food, litter tray and toys for a few days (till the resident cat becomes curious rather than furious) works well. "Towelling the resident, then the newcomer, then the resident again mingles the smells and makes the new cat less "strange".
Once you open the door between them, DO NOT INTERRUPT THE HISSING AND SPITTING THAT IS BOUND TO HAPPEN. You can cause confusion, and cats can't apologise, so it will then take them much longer to figure out an amicable arrangement. Young cats (less than 6 months old) will usually bond quickly and permanently, older cats take longer and may take up to six months to sort out their "timeshare" arrangements around the cozy spots of the house. It is rare for these confrontations to become lethal, or even to lead to a severe enough fight to cause damage.
Some cats, like some people, love everybody they meet, and will tolerate all kinds of change. However, as it is for most of us, first impressions do count, and done thoughtfully and respectfully, can reduce conflict.
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Source Material © Dr. Kim Kendall, East Chatswood Cat Clinic
Searching for pet-friendly rental accommodation? Try the following:
* Arrange a face-to-face meeting with the owner/landlord in order to raise the subject of keeping pets on the property.
* Prepare a complete record on your pet's medical history, obedience school certificates and references from neighbours, previous landlords and veterinarians.
* Offer to sign an agreement to define appropriate behaviour for your pet on the rental premises
* Pets are not permitted in many Strata Title properties because of specific Body Corporate By-laws. Check the By-laws of the Body Corporate in your Strata Title development to identify any special conditions for pets.
* Encourage the owner/landlord to meet your well behaved, well groomed flea-free pet to demonstrate his/her good behaviour
Sourced from Petnet-Renting with Pets
We recommend that all cats are desexed by the age of 4 months. A desexed cat lives longer, wanders less and is easier to own and care for. It is less likely to have the habits of fertile animals: fighting, spray-marking territories and urinating on the carpet. Cats are prolific breeders. More sterile cats means fewer unwanted litters of kittens.
A female cat does not benefit from having a litter or coming into season before being desexed. Contact us for great deals on desexing and microchipping. We also provide a low cost pick up and delivery service.
This is compulsory for newly owned cats and kittens as of July 1999. For cats that are already owned we strongly recommend that you microchip your cat and, in addition, have it wear a collar and ID tag. With microchipping, your contact details are entered onto a database (which can be updated at any time) so your cat will have permanent lifetime identification and you will have permanent peace of mind. Tens of thousands of owned cats disappear or are euthanased every year due to lack of sufficient identification. Don't let your cat add to that statistic! Also ensure that you update the register by contacting your local Council with your new address and phone details, if you move. Contact us for information on discounted microchipping costs.
Good quality canned food will provide essential nutrients. We recommend Hills Science Diet. However, for healthy teeth and gums you could include raw meat cut into strips, fish and raw chicken necks and wings. NEVER give your cat cooked bones or a diet consisting entirely of raw meat or fish. From 8 weeks of age a small amount of dried food may be offered to kittens which will also maintain healthy teeth and gums. Adult cats should be fed twice daily. A kitten may need a third meal in between. Food should be at room temperature, and make sure all food offered is wholesome - cats won't eat food that smells a little "off". Remove uneaten food at the end of each meal. Milk is not necessary in your cat's diet, but you may wish to offer one of the low lactose brands of cat milk available. Stop if there are any signs of diarrhoea. Keep bowls and plates clean. Fresh water should also be available at all times.
Make sure the litter tray is kept very clean. Cats are fastidious and will not use dirty litter.If you are toilet training kittens, take the kitten to the tray after each meal. If the kitten is having problems adapting try different varieties of litter.
We recommend Bayer products like Advantage/Advocate and Drontal to flea and worm your pets (please follow instructions in packet). You will need to flea your cat and kitten once a month with a topical treatment.
Kittens will need to be treated for worming three times at 2 weeks apart, this will cover them for three months from the last treatment. From then on, continue to worm every three months. Make sure the preparation is labelled for CATS AND KITTENS and is an allwormer eg Drontal.
If you have a long haired cat, it should be brushed and combed every day to prevent tangles. Smooth haired cats also enjoy a regular brush. The most modern method of flea control is the application of one of the spot-on treatments available from veterinary clinics. Many new preparations combine worming and flea treatments in one easy spot-on application.
You should confine your cat at night for its own safety. Cats are more likely to roam over wide distances at night and thus are more likely to be hit by a car. Confining your cat also limits their hunting, protects wildlife and limits involvement in catfights.
Print out the page on 'Responsible Cat Ownership' and give them a copy. Ask them to ring us if they are in need of discounted desexing and/or microchipping. Encourage them to see the consequences of a stray or dumped domestic cat. Dumped kittens and cats are likely to die a slow painful death. What's out of sight is still your responsibility. It is far preferable to surrender them to an animal welfare organisation. And what is even easier is to get the cat desexed.
Copyright © 2006 The Cat Protection Society of NSW ABN 81 610 951 615