Well, now I have a cat-Please help!!

Dry food only will help reduce any cat odours in the place.

Obi is gorgeous. The photo brought tears to my eyes as he looks so like our cat.

Hi, if you want to message me, I can give you heaps of information. I breed cats (Australian Mists - the only cat developed on the basis of temperament) to train into therapy cats that can be given to people with complex needs. So, I can give you information which is research based, rather than opinion based.

Ellie Potts said:

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This is him, by the way!! Obi-Wan Kenobi or Obi for short

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In case Obi-Wan fails to inform you, don't leave glasses of liquids sitting around, they love to knock over for a fresh drink without that skin on the water. He's very handsome!

As others have said, an enclosed cat tray will do you well. Scratching post? Even though your cat has been declawed he might still enjoy scratching so a scratching post of some sort might be a welcome addition for him. It doesn't have to be a scratching post per se, my Kitty's, who were declawed buy their previous owners when they were young, Absolutely love scratching this large weave wicker basket we have. Cats don't know they don't have claws after being declawed.

Ellie Potts said:

Thank you! I keep going back and forth on the litter boxes. Right now, I'm looking at 4 different options at 4 incredibly different price ranges. My favorite one out of the 2 'cheaper' options is like what you've just sent. My favorite one out of the 'fancy' ones has an automated cleaner, attached app, scent control, et cetera, without being the most expensive option. With the current sale, about two weeks of work could cover the nicer one. Part of me feels like I should just splurge and pay it so that my dorm room (and my poor roommate) isn't exposed to a horrible smell all the time. Plus, the cat deserves two weeks of pay and it's more efficient for the space. But also, it seems stupid and overkill and I'm sure certain friends/family would roll their eyes at the effort.
I thankfully have lots of clumping litter that my grandfather had stockpiled from random coupons.

I'll try to shift him to wet food once I run out of his dry food. He drinks a lot of water throughout the day, so I think I'll get one of the water bowls that constantly replenishes.
I'll avoid giving him milk and will give him all of his favorite scratches. By the time I got to him, he had spent a couple days alone and was totally distraught (as a cat that hadn't been alone for more than a few hours for years now). Now I'm trying to overcompensate with affection and cuddles.

EDIT: I've found some of the fancy litter boxes on Ebay for a much reduced price. Still ridiculous for a litter box, though. Still making a decision

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It is best to give wet food and dry at the same time but in separate bowls so his digestive system gets used to the new food. I would give both wet and dry. Male cats sometimes get crystals in their urine which is very painful. I had a cat that did. I would recommend a food for their urinary tract. Best of luck.

Ellie Potts said:

View attachment 319723
This is him, by the way!! Obi-Wan Kenobi or Obi for short

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Adorable! He looks really good, I wouldn't have though him to be 16.

ClownLurch said:

Dry food only will help reduce any cat odours in the place.

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Good point. Maybe I'll remain with dry and only feed wet in a different bowl that I can deep clean.

Catfishcatfish said:

Hi, if you want to message me, I can give you heaps of information. I breed cats (Australian Mists - the only cat developed on the basis of temperament) to train into therapy cats that can be given to people with complex needs. So, I can give you information which is research based, rather than opinion based.

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Thank you so much!! I'll reach out

Alice B said:

In case Obi-Wan fails to inform you, don't leave glasses of liquids sitting around, they love to knock over for a fresh drink without that skin on the water. He's very handsome!

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Noted... I've also learned he likes to pull plugs out of the wall which is an annoying and slightly dangerous habit.

Yekrats said:

As others have said, an enclosed cat tray will do you well. Scratching post? Even though your cat has been declawed he might still enjoy scratching so a scratching post of some sort might be a welcome addition for him. It doesn't have to be a scratching post per se, my Kitty's, who were declawed buy their previous owners when they were young, Absolutely love scratching this large weave wicker basket we have. Cats don't know they don't have claws after being declawed.

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Fascinating. I have noticed he likes to paw at things pretty incessantly. Maybe I'll play around with some textures in the house to find out what he gravitates towards.

Lunyone said:

It is best to give wet food and dry at the same time but in separate bowls so his digestive system gets used to the new food. I would give both wet and dry. Male cats sometimes get crystals in their urine which is very painful. I had a cat that did. I would recommend a food for their urinary tract. Best of luck.

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This is good to know, especially considering his age. Thanks! I'll try to put some out in a smaller bowl every now and again

NearMeBettas said:

Adorable! He looks really good, I wouldn't have though him to be 16.

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He doesn't act like he's 16 either! He has some medicated thyroid issues but other then that he has a clean bill of health. Makes me wonder how long he's going to push it... haha

Essjay said:

Obi is gorgeous. The photo brought tears to my eyes as he looks so like our cat.

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Thank you I'm attaching some more pictures of the handsome gentleman. He eternally looks a little grumpy but otherwise seems content.

Ellie Potts said:

Good point. Maybe I'll remain with dry and only feed wet in a different bowl that I can deep clean.

Thank you so much!! I'll reach out

Noted... I've also learned he likes to pull plugs out of the wall which is an annoying and slightly dangerous habit.

Fascinating. I have noticed he likes to paw at things pretty incessantly. Maybe I'll play around with some textures in the house to find out what he gravitates towards.

This is good to know, especially considering his age. Thanks! I'll try to put some out in a smaller bowl every now and again

He doesn't act like he's 16 either! He has some medicated thyroid issues but other then that he has a clean bill of health. Makes me wonder how long he's going to push it... haha

Thank you I'm attaching some more pictures of the handsome gentleman. He eternally looks a little grumpy but otherwise seems content.
View attachment 319803View attachment 319804

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Well, the oldest cat lived to be almost 40 so he might just be getting started. He is such a handsome boy, but he does look grumpy lol.

NearMeBettas said:

Well, the oldest cat lived to be almost 40 so he might just be getting started. He is such a handsome boy, but he does look grumpy lol.

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Is that a typo? Are you sure? That’s got to be a record. Are they related?

We had a past member who owned a 20 yr old cat and it was still in good health.

Fishmanic said:

We had a past member who owned a 20 yr old cat and it was still in good health.

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My moms childhood best friend had a 20 yr old cat! We'll see if Obi will stick it out for me.

NearMeBettas said:

Well, the oldest cat lived to be almost 40

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Endlersendlers said:

Is that a typo? Are you sure?

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The oldest cat on record was 38 years and 3 days old when it died (Creme Puff in Texas, not sure if it was male or female)

Our cat was a British Short Hair, average life expectancy for that breed is about 14 years. He was 17 1/2 when he became ill, was diagnosed with a large abdominal tumour and was put to sleep. If he hadn't had that tumour he could have lived a lot longer.

Endlersendlers said:

Is that a typo? Are you sure? That’s got to be a record. Are they related?

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UPDATE:
Hi everyone! So here's my Obi update:

I had to go back down to deal with grandparent-adjacent tasks. Obi is still at my place but being watched by a friend (bummer I had to leave him, but it felt like it would be less stressful for him to not have to move again). In my grandfather's apartment, I found a file with all of Obi's vet records and learned a little bit about him. As I've mentioned, my grandfather is one of those prepared-for-everything type of guys so he has every vet bill and document from the cats entire life. Going through it all took longer then it really should have but was interesting.
My biggest discovery was that he's actually 14! He was found as a stray in 2008 and was estimated to only be a few weeks old on his original paperwork. I guess no one has checked it in so long, the age just got a little loosey-goosey. The shelter named him Butterscotch, but his name was changed to Obi-Wan by his first owner soon after. That owner didn't even keep him for a year before selling him to the next family which lived in a different state and appears to have had 2 cats. This family declawed him and fed him into obesity. My grandmother bought the cat from them and, admittedly, continued to feed him too much until a vet bill in 2018 that specifically requires a diet. After that, he lost a lot of the weight. And now he's with me!

I've set up replenishing food/water bowls and his 'poop palace' is set to arrive on Sunday. We tried out catnip, which he liked and held the infused toy close to his tummy for awhile. I admittedly don't know much about it, but it's funny to watch.