please help!! we have a sweet but disgusting cat! (kittens, smells, throw)

[sheena12]

destiny our torty cat was rescued from a high kill municipal shelter.
We were told that she was 2 - but we think that she is more like 6 years old.

Destiny has strange ways. We have one other cat who we had before Destiny came home. We adopted Des to keep the other cat company.And to rescue her because she was about to be put down.
We thought the 2 would be friends.

BAD IDEA!

They really hate each other, But we can deal with that...

This is what Destiny does that drives us all crazy =
1. She uses the litter box but does not cover her poop.
2. She does not seem to groom herself - when she is around us several of us feel allergic No one in our family has ever been diagnosed with a cat allergy.Except with Destiny,
But this cat makes my throat almost close!
3. Destiny pushes her paws into soft places - as many cats do.
The difference is Des does not retract her claws before doing so.
When the object of her paw pushing screeches -she seems genuinely hurt
And we feel badly. All cats do this paw pushing activity - but we have never had a cat that does this with her claws out. OUCH!!!
4. She is wildly affectionate - she pushes her face into our face and wants to continue this activity for over an hour if permitted. She hugs us around the neck for a really long time.
We always feel as though we are hurting her feelings when we push her away from this excessive nuzzeling and pawing.
DO NOT GET US WRONG - we love this cat -she is sweet and loving but very different from any cat we have ever owned,
She also has a poopy smell.
Any ideas? .

[MaggieZ]

sounds to me like she was taken from the mother too soon and never learned appropriate cat behavior. I got my last cat when she was about 6 weeks and she didn't cover her "litterbox doings"...I taught her how, everytime she went and I was there, I would lead her to her catbox and, using her paw, cover it up...after a while she did it herself without me helping her....your cat probably never learned to groom herself and that includes washing 'down there' you may need to wipe her after going potty with a wet wipe(no soap) and she'll probably start doing it herself because many cats don't like being wet..brush her everyday and perhaps that'll take away from your feeling allergic. She may start grooming herself after a while. I think if enough time is spent with her, she'll come round. The kneeding she does is what kittens do to get milk from the mother so it all goes hand in hand with being taken from the mother too soon..she's behaving like a kitten in many ways and you'll have to train her to stop doing that, maybe remove her paw each time she does it, something the mother cat would normally have done with her...

[KatrineA]

I can't answer to all of the other things, but my cat also does that thing with her paws. She kneads me with her claws out (Ouch, I know). She's been with her mother 'til she was like past 16 weeks though. The other things could be explained by her being taken away from her mother at an early age.

[MaggieZ]

maybe some cats need a mother cat longer...just like some kids have their own personalities and need more care than others...

[ShelbyGirl1]

Not all cats cover. And it has nothing to do with the age taken away from Mom. I have two...male and female siblings...Female covers hers and everyone elses too....her brother could care less...does his thing and jumps from the box. As for smell...what kind of food are you feeding? Maybe a higher quality food would help. Or the food you are feeding her just does not agree with her digestive system.
As for the rest of your points....She is just being a cat. Not all cats act the same. Comparing habits of two cats is like comparing two kids...they are not all alike and all have different querks.
Again...her "poopy smell" is coming from what you are feeding her. She could be intolerant of wheats and grains. Check the food and feed a higher quality and I'm betting the smells lessen.
Also...you don't mention but, if she has feathers or britches in the rear quarters, they may need to be cleaned and/or cut.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by sheena12

When the object of her paw pushing screeches -she seems genuinely hurt

She probably is, poor thing.

She sounds as if she's truly a very affectionate cat that's been starved for affection, so she's reacting to the nth degree to being able to be affectionate and have her affection returned. It's a bit like an animal that's been starved of food at some point - some never learn that the food will always come and continue to wolf down their meals just in case it is the last time.

You can teach her not to use claws. We have a "nibbler" - her way of showing affection would be to grab your hand (claws out) and sink her teeth in, take a couple of nibbles and the lick the spot she just bit. It wasn't done in a mean way, but it could be painful. It took some time, but she did learn "No nibbles" meant she could lick, but not bite. You can teach her not to knead human body parts with her claws out. It will take time and patience, but it can be done.

As to the smell - I agree with ShelbyGirl, it's probably the food. Switch her to the best quality grain-free food you can afford. Any food issue she might be having could be resulting in an increase in shedding/dander and this could cause the "allergic" type reactions your talking about. A good groom to get rid of as much excess as you can, switch food, and if the dander is a real problem some good quality salmon oil in her food can work wonders.

If not covering is truly a problem, would you consider one of those self-cleaning automatic litter boxes?

[Garden of Eden]

I am addressing the bad smell>>>>>It could very well be from the environment she came from. If she has been exposed to overcrowding, and a lot of chemicals, and then throw on top of all that dust from mountains of kitty litter, she will smell. Feed her good quality food and brush her, and eventually the smell will dissipate. My Tigger had been in a shelter for 9 months when I adopted him, and when I first had him, he smelled horrible.

In closing, this poor baby sounds desperate for attention. She is starved for love and in her excitement, she is exhibiting less then human-acceptable behavior. She doesn't understand she is doing wrong, for she is only being a cat and acting like one. Give it time, just like Fivehorses stated. And yes, with patience and with a lot of love on your part, you can teach her to retract her claws. I still have some that don't and I have been working with them for years.

Put yourself in her shoes. She has been through a lot, and now she is in a home without the threat of death hanging over her head. (Don't believe for one minute she did not know!) She is in kitty heaven! All the rest will iron out....give her time and lots and lots of love.

[beachmouse]

In terms of grooming, you can pick up 'cat wipes' at Petsmart and probably a lot of other pet stores. (We actually use organic baby wipes to deal with a couple places Zed can't reach for himself because they're cheaper, but I don't know enough about what goes into them to recommend them to others)

[Garden of Eden]

[quote=sheena12;14593152]They really hate each other, But we can deal with that...

Once your new cat starts smelling better, your original baby will not "hate" the new kitty. When a cat smells bad, it is instinct for another to strike out at it, hiss at it, and be really mean to it. That's just the way of the cat.

[PantherPride]

Time heals all just give her love and support. Shesv been through alot and needs you.

Its a good idea to feed a good high quality canned food such as Instincts or wellness. Dry in gen is bad for cats long term.