Upon opening the cat carrier in the living room, Grady cautiously explored his new home. He hid under the couch for a bit, but I coaxed him out with treats. I picked him up and placed him in his litter box, but he wasn't having any of it. After a few more minutes of acclimating to his surroundings, we showed him his scratching pad sprinkled with cat nip. He loved it... rolled around on it, licked it, and then tried to squat and pee on it. I snatched him up and plopped him down in the litter box and he used it! Yay! Later on, he went #1 and 2 in the basement litter box, completely on his own. So yay, he's house trained! That was easy.
We let him explore the house on his own for a little while... He liked our nook on the second floor the best and every time I would creep upstairs to check on him, he'd be laying on the bathroom rug. He found one of the few scraps of soft flooring that we have and he claimed it as his own. Then it dawned on me to show him the cat bed that we bought for him, duh. Of course, he snuggled right into it.
Grady is a great sleeper. Almost too great. In fact, Brian and I are a little worried that he might have some of thyroid disfunction causing him to be lethargic... he's got a couple other symptoms that are of concern, as well. So, in addition to his SPCA appointment to get neutered and vaccinated, I made an appointment at our local vet's office for tomorrow evening. He will likely have his ears cleaned out, get de-wormed, and be given anti-flea medication. Hopefully a little TLC will be all Grady needs to be healthy and happy!
Introducing, Grady:
8 comments:
LOVE HIM!!!! Oh such a cutie! And what an interesting face... it looks like he has different colored eyes? and the outline on his nose... it's just awesome.
He'll calm down soon and get used to being indoors. As for the sleep, it's completely normal for cats to sleep 16 hours a day. He may be even more exhausted after his outdoor life. Good idea to get him checked out though.
I'm so excited for you! It's been a big week for blogger cat adoption. I hope I get to meet Grady once he's settled in. Looking forward to the LOLcats, too!
His eyes are different colors, but I think there might be a problem with one of them. Blind in that one? Or maybe another symptom of the suspected thyroid disorder?
I realize it's too soon to really get a feel for his personality, since he's still getting used to us. But he definitely has ear mites and that grosses me out. The vet will help us, I'm sure.
Danielle, if I could bring him to broomball, I would! Not sure if he'd be good on the ice, though. You'll meet him soon.
Well, I hope he checks out ok! The ear mites are easy enough to take care of with the right medication. If he has fleas now you may want to have him bathed at the vet too. I think it's like $12.
If they give him any meds in pill form, you need to know about pill pockets. Pilling a cat isn't the best way to bond with him, and you don't know how he'll react to it. The pill pockets take most of the hassle out of the process... they are cat treats that are moist and pliable with a hole for a pill. It's the concept of wrapping cheese around a pill for a dog, but it's liver or salmon or chicken flavored... they were a lifesaver for us! Eastern carries them but they're a little cheaper at Petsmart.
Cool! He looks like a very neato cat.
What a pretty kitty! He looks very soft!
How HANDSOME! Do let us know about his check-up. Elliott had ear mites when he was rescued as a kitten and his ears get really waxy now as a result (just FYI.) Cats rock, though. I'm so excited for you.
I remember Grady! Naturally I thought a different announcement was coming but am glad that it didn't since I'm still an ocean away. John will be in Baltimore in February so I hope you get to see him!
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