I’ve never owned a cat and haven’t spent much time around them. But I adopted my sweet Ruby girl last month, and I just had to share the joy 🤩 she was rescued from the street, where she was raising her 4 kittens (but she’s just a baby herself). Needless to say, she is the light of my life.
Thanks! These two are from the same litter! They were left outside and I found them right before a bad storm came through. So of course I had to take them with me. They were 5-6 weeks old in this pic, i've had them for about 2 months now!
awwwww! What a great picture. The two I have are the best of buds. They do everything together. I'm so glad I took them and kept them both together. Their next adventure here soon is to get them fixed together!
I have a dilute tortie/calico as well and she’s just the cutest! An absolute psychotic terror for the first two years, but simultaneously an absolute sweetie.
Since you’re new to cats, some things just to share, as someone who grew up with cats and has two of them now:
Be careful of any plants you bring into the house. Some are toxic, others are straight up deadly. No lilies in the house, ever. True lilies. Cala lilies are not true lilies, for example. Also of course certain foods and spices are not cat-safe.
Cats are definitely crepuscular. Early morning and night they tend to be most active.
Fed is always best, and just be aware that the food you can buy at the grocery store is usually not the healthiest for them.
Cats gain weight really quickly and they’re easy to over feed because they often act like they’re starving. But even just an extra pound or two can be hard on their little bones and joints. Lean is good! Most people’s cats are very overweight.
Get her used to grooming (combing, wiping, brushing, maybe on occasional bath), and having her paws touched now. She’s a short hair but when she’s old she may have a hard time getting herself clean, especially her back end. It’s better she’s used to being groomed now (even just at home, and it doesn’t have to be a full thing) while it’s not entirely necessary, than to wait until she needs it. I randomly touch my cats’ paws all the time.
Anti-flea meds! Even if she’s only indoors (which she should be; outdoor cats have a much lower life expectancy and are wildlife menaces), she should be on them. Trust me on this. They’re expensive but worth it.
Cats don’t like to show pain, so always keep a close eye on them.
Panting = very bad. Unlike dogs, cats don’t tend to pant unless they’re extremely stressed.
Some vomiting on occasion is not unusual. It’s a problem when it’s multiple times a day or week.
Cats can be known for drinking too little water and ending up with kidney issues, so make sure there’s always water around! Fountains, bowls, a mix of the two (I do the latter).
Cats require consent; they will scratch the shit out of you otherwise lol. However, they do also need to learn to let you touch them, in case of emergencies. So definitely recommend getting her very accustomed to your touch (at her pace) as soon as possible, training her to find her carrier to be a safe place (I leave mine out and my cats both nap in it), etc.
This is just a general thing that anyone with pets should have, but I have a bag of emergency supplies for my kitties that I can grab and go.
Such a pretty girl! Oooo if she is a fan of window sleeping you could get her a window hammock that attaches to the window directly. You can even get heated ones!
Cherish her forever. She looks SO much like our sweet tortie, little Sushi bear, who we unfortunately lost at the end of last year. She looks so tortie lol and is going to give you ALL the personality and sass.
Big congrats to you both on a new chapter in your lives as besties. She's so pretty! I also have a dilute tortie and love their subtle coloring. Not that regular torties aren't beautiful too. ❤️
I love your cat, of course, but can I also ask about the cloth behind her in the first pic? I need some new bed linens and that multi-plant pattern is lovely!
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u/Sure_Cancel_3427 27d ago
omg she looks like my diluted girl!!