identification

Question
A few days ago a STARVING (in caps because I've only seen an animal look like this on animal cops) I think its deaf-black cat. I'm disabled( hit by a drunk driver) and am saving money 2 take her to the vet at the beginning of the month. Meantime I have never seen a cat like this before. What i think when I look at her is sphinx..( I looked up  Sphinx type of cat thats hairless and she is shaped like that but has plenty of hair....she brings to mind the phrase Egyptian when I see her-long legs that fold up sphinx-like when laying and big head that comes down to a slim snout BUT her nose is humongous. Kinda bulbous (end being round, big, reminds me of those monkeys that have those big round noses). She has double set of fangs(front teeth) on the top that one set is longer so they hang outside her mouth so you can see the ends of them-it makes her slobber a little also makes her look like a vampire or something. She has extra fingers/toes on her feet. One of them has seven and the others have 6- one has five. The ones on the front have some that look like thumbs-acts opposable and all. She can't meow and is all in all the strangest looking/acting cat I have ever seen. She is black and her tail looks like the boughs of a Christmas tree as it comes down the length of it. She sleeps right between us-touching him with head and back and me with feet, under the cover while not making a sound(she does purr sporadically). She wont use a litter box, she just goes to the door to be let out then goes outside. Unbelievable acting cat. One more thing, I have another little Manx kitty that hasn't been fixed yet and thinks/is the ruler of the home so we have to watch carefully because she REALLY wants to beat this new kitty up-she tries to slap her constantly while laying her ears back and hissing...BUT the new kitty just lays flat with her ears back a little and takes it-doesn't even try to take up for herself. Poor thing. I know you have just a small amount of details and no pic (i'll get one asap) but do u have any idea? Also do u have any idea how to get her to use a litter box because at night we don't wake up when she stands in front of the door and a couple of times now she has urinated inside (once on the bed and once on a pillow. How can we get her to not do this? I'm sorry to have such limited details.  

Answer
Lisa,

What a lucky cat! It's great that you were able to rescue her from the streets. Now I will be honest with you, I'm not any kind of expert on purebred cats, but I do know this - sphinx cats are naked, however devon, selkirk and cornish rexes have similar body shapes but they have fur. Based on physical description alone I can't even begin to set you on the right track as far as identifying the breed of this kitty if she is indeed a purebred or purebred cross. A picture might be helpful, but there's a good chance that your vet will have to give you final confirmation on the breed of this baby girl, but I'm certainly willing to give identifying the breed a shot anyway.

If you have indeed found a purebred kitty then you have a very expensive new adoptee if she doesn't have a microchip or tattoo to prove that she's someone's lost pet. If she is someone's lost pet her microchip or tattoo might be registered to the cattery she was bred at and they would certainly have information about who her true owners are... Now here's the thing - if she is purebred and she has managed to get outside the vast majority of breeders have a clause in their purchase agreements for their cats and kittens that says that if the cat or kitten is ever outside they have the right to re-possess their cat. If the breeder or previous owner can't be found and you do have a purebred kitty then count yourself very lucky - sometimes the purchase prices for these guys can be into the thousands of dollars depending on the breeder, the quality of the cat and the rarity of the breed.

Oddly enough the rex type kitties have a reputation for being bedmates preferring to sleep under the covers preferably in as warm a spot as they can find so sleeping between you and your husband is absolutely on par for what you can expect of her if she is a purebred kitty of the types that I've mentioned. Here are a couple of websites with photos of each breed I've listed (your kitty may not be any one of these breeds, but you might be interested to see the photos and read the breed characteristics anyhow)

~ http://www.catsofaustralia.com/selkirk_rex.htm
~ http://www.catsofaustralia.com/devon-rex-cat-description.htm
~ http://www.catsofaustralia.com/Cornishrex-photos.htm
~ http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-breed-profiles.htm (this part of the website contains photos of different purebred cats, if you click on the links you'll see pictures of that breed)

Your resident cats are reacting in a perfectly normal fashion - cats are naturally territorial little beings who do NOT like sudden changes to their environment, this includes having a new addition sprung on them. That having been said there is one important thing that you really should do for any new cat's safety (as well as the safety of your cats already in residence) when you bring them into a household that already has one or more cats in residence and that's to gradually introduce them into the household after they've been checked over by a veterinarian to determine that they aren't sick or showing signs that they might have a virus or bacterial infection that could be contagious to your other cats but hasn't fully shown itself yet. Your new foundling should have a room of her own for at least 2-3 weeks and I wouldn't allow her to have contact with your other cats until she's seen your vet, been thoroughly checked over and been given a clean bill of health. You can find further information on new cat introductions in my previous answers on new cat/kitten introductions as this is only the cole's notes version of what you need to know here.

From the sounds of things she's accustomed to doing her business outside based on the fact that she's already pottied indoors outside of the litter pan. You can try providing your new kitty with a minimum of 2 litterboxes all to herself (in her own room for the time being) and filling one with unscented clumping kitty litter and the other with dirt from outside or sandbox sand - the types of places that cats would seek out naturally outside to relieve themselves. If you find that your kitty prefers dirt or sandbox sand over kitty litter then you can fill both boxes with whichever she prefers and gradually add unscented clumping litter to the dirt/sand to get her comfortable with the feel of the new substrate on her paws. Over time you'll want to gradually decrease the amount of sand/dirt in the litterbox and increase the amount of unscented clumping kitty litter until eventually you don't have to use sand/dirt at all. If your kitty makes a mistake don't get upset with her, she's learning a new skill, just go back to the last step in her comfort levels with the dirt/sand and litter ratio and she should go back to using the litter tray.

Sand or dirt is not the ideal choice for litterbox substrate because of the fact that it holds odor like nothing else so you'll want to change the entire contents of the litter box at least once a day, if not more frequently...try not to at least for the first day or two if you can stand it, you want her to associate the smell of her own waste with the litter boxes - cats are smart and she'll figure that one out quickly just be sure to minimize odor by scooping solid waste at least once, preferably twice daily because she won't use the litter pan if it reeks. If it smells bad to you multiply the offensive factor by about 100 and you'll have an idea of how she'll feel about the litter box odor because her nose is many times more sensitive than even the most sensitive human nose.

If your kitty still has an issue with litter box avoidance even after you change the substrate offer her more litter boxes, put one in each corner of her safe room if you need to (you can always offer meal time feedings in another room temporarily if necessary because cats typically won't use a litter pan if it's too close to their food/water bowls). I suspect that the house soiling may also be related to the less than warm welcome this baby has gotten from your resident cats - a submissive or sensitive cat will often soil outside of the box rather than risk confrontation with a more dominant or aggressive cat which is why I generally recommend that pet parents who have a kitty that's got litter box issues offer one litter box per cat plus one per level of their home at least temporarily. For more information on litter box issues please check out my previous answers on litter box avoidance, inappropriate elimination, etc because I've provided extensive tips on how to deal with a house soiling kitty in those answers.

If after reading my previous answers on new cat introductions and litter box issues you've still got any questions or if any other cat related questions or concerns come up please don't hesitate to contact me again anytime, I'll be more than happy to help you and your cats out to the best of my ability. Best of luck with this little girl and I look forward to seeing a picture of her - maybe I'll be able to guess her breed!