A desperado post from an ex cat hater

Dear friends:
I must confess I hated cats, I always afraid of them, of their tongue and specially nails and the bite. We always had dogs, cats were too up nose for me, and in Puerto Rico you dont usually see cats on the streets.

Well I moved to Istanbul Turkey and here dogs in the house are not well seen (most for the religion) they are considered not clean animals for living in an apartment. Well the thing is here on the streets you can see lotsss of cats and I mean lots. Then I started to like them from far. One day my sister in law adopted a street cat and she went on vacations to Egypt and I had to take care of the baby. It was wonderfull that week, the cat really made me love him in just few hours. Then I wanted a cat, this time we found out that a woman was giving for free a 2 year Turkish Van cat , this cats are very special breed, they call them the swiming cats because they like water. They are mostly white silky furr and green eyes or one eye green and the other blue. Anyway, we got the cat and here comes our cry for help.

1- The cat is 2.5 years she doesnt know us at all.

2- In the beggining she didnt let us touch her or carry her.

3- she reccently started her matting season, and we were crazy because we didnt know why she was crying.

I am trying to make her bath, but is imposible to get hold of her :( I know is not necesary to make her bath, she is always cleaning herself, but i wish to give her at least one bath. Ah one question to all of you, she is doing something veryyy strange. When my husband is laying on the sofa and he calls her she comes sometimes and starts to "massage" his belly, she starts pushing his belly with her front legs, left then right, and keeps doing that for even 3 or more minutes, then she laids down to sleep on his belly. Is she making soft her pillow or something?

I really need help with this cat :( I dont know anything about cats, and I really wish to take good care of her and start to be loved from her.
Ah I forgot to say, I took her to vet for her vaccinations and he asked me if I wanted to breed her with another Van cat and now she is there with her boyfriend :( is being 5 days without her and the silly girl doesnt miss me :( she is soo happy there making God knows what and me here suffering for her. I really miss her, even she is up nose, just looking at her keeps me company.

Thanks for letting me vent

A bigg warm hello from Istanbul

P.D. You really should see all the street cats in Istanbul they are gorgeous :)
Maybe I will make a site just for street cats heheheh.
Have a nice day :confused:

Madeguada:

You do not have to give your cat a bath, in fact it's not a good idea unless she gets into something that might be dangerous for her to lick or that she can't remove herself.

She will be better off being spayed so that she can't breed, especially since there are apparently plenty of cats in Istanbul already.

She is "making a pillow", most cats do this and no one really knows why, excpet that apparently when they are really happy and secure it reminds them of when they were kittens. If you ever get the chance to see nursing kittens, you will notice they do this to their mama's teats, too.

Cats are often shy when they are first adopted. If she's making a pillow on your husband's stomach, though, she has accepted you and your husband and feels safe. She may often want some time to herself, though, so if it's possible you might want to make her own bed, corner, or room she can escape to to be alone in.

Did that address all your questions?

I love vans, alot of the cats in America have the van markings, in fact there are two black and white ones in my neighborhood!

Good luck with your kitty.

You will be just fine, don't worry. Sounds like she has "adopted" you and especially your husband :D The paw motions we sometimes call "kneading bread" or "making bisquits" and shows she is comfortable with you two..don't bother with the bath thing...she knows how to do it by herself. Do consider getting her spayed. She will warm up to you shortly with the warmth you are showing in this post. And what is this dear girl's name:confused: welcome... laurie

Hi - definitely don't bath her - she sounds a wonderful clean cat and the trauma of bathing might be too much!! She really is settling in with you and your husband so well - take it slowly and when she needs love and attention make sure you give her lots:D And 'kneading' is such a good sign - she's accepted you both and feels secure.
Enjoy your wonderful new furry baby and let us know how she goes on please.
All good luck to you all. Lynne.

Welcome to Pet Talk :D

Turkish Vans are beautiful cats!

All cats have different personalities (like humans!): some are friendlier, some are easy-going, and some aren't. I think if you get her spayed, that will help her mellow out too. You also might think about getting another kitty, so that she will have companionship when you are gone. I got a second cat and it helped a lot- my other kitty was lonely sometimes before.

When she "massages" your husbands belly, this is normal (and a good sign that she is happy). All happy, content cats do this. Like everyone else said, it goes back to when they were kittens with their mommys. It is actually a big compliment to you! :rolleyes:

If you decide to breed her, is she a purebred? Are you going to breed her with another purebred? The reason I ask is that sometimes kittens are difficult to find good homes for unless they are. If she is a purebred, it might be fun to breed her once. Kittens are so much fun to watch and play with! You could also keep one of her kittens for her (and you too!)
If you don't breed her, then for sure you should get her spayed: she will be a happier kitty if you do, plus, there won't be unwanted kitties to have to find homes for.

Good Luck, and let us all know how it goes! :) ;) :D

madeguada, welcome to pet talk. it is certainly good to have your "on board" -and from Turkey yet! This is becoming a truly international site. Just the other day we welcomed Nita from Spain.

I can't add much to what has already been said. It sounds as though she was around a man when she was a kitten, because of her taking up with your husband before she does you. There is a neighbor who comes over once in a while, and she owns about 6 cats. But mine do not take up to her as soon as they do a male visitor, or even her husband. But just wait a while, and some day soon your furball will come to you for some affectionate petting. Pet cats are "addictive", and after you get used to having one, you will probably want to get another or two, once you become familiar with their ways. I'm sure that you will love her just as much as any pet dog, and even perhaps even more so. At least this has been my experience with them.

..........wayne

Hi! Welcome to Pet Talk!!
I'm so glad that you no longer hate cats! They really are wonderful animals, as you noticed when you cared for your sister-in-law's cat. :)
Many times, it takes a while for a cat to become accustomed to a new home and new people, especially when they are no longer kittens. Your kitty will most likely slowly get used to her surroundings and then begin to bond with you and your husband. You can be sure that, if she has started to cozy up to your husband and knead on his belly, she has already begun this process. Over time, she will continue to bond with the two of you. :)
As Yorkster pointed out, if you are not going to breed her, please consider getting her spayed. It's really better for her and for you. Even if you are considering breeding her, be sure that there is enough demand for kittens, otherwise you may have trouble placing these kitties in good homes. My cousin encountered this problem when she decided to breed her poodles. Everyone said that they would take a puppy, but when they were actually ready to be adopted, many people changed their minds.
Good luck with your new kitty, and may you have many years of happiness with her!