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todd8771 (6/27/2009)
Yeah she wants attention from me alreadly, she keeps rubbing against me.
She LOVES you! If she also becomes very vocal or starts twitching her tail a lot or doing a bit of a dance with her hind legs, she may also be coming into heat. Female cats become EXTREMELY affectionate when in heat.
One thing that concerns me is that she keeps hitting her head on things, i hope it's not a vision problem and just something young cats do.
Headbutting is a very common behavior in cats of all ages. They have scent glands on their faces, and headbutting is one way of scent marking. Of course if you're referring to her running into objects unexpectedly as though blind, then you may be looking at some sort of vision problem. What color is she, and what color are her eyes?
I'm worried about picking her up to put her in the litterbox/carrier. I don't want to get bitten even though she had shown no aggression whatsoever. i don't even know how to pick up a cat.
She probably won't bite you even if she doesn't want to be picked up. She'll just squirm out of your hands. That said, some cats love being picked up and held, and some don't. I generally pick up a cat by placing my right hand under their belly and lifting straight up. Females have a different center of gravity than males (males are more bottom heavy), so you may need to move your hand either a little farther back toward her back legs or a little closer to her front legs in order to find the spot where she balances comfortably in your hand. You can test her reaction by placing your hand under her belly behind her front legs and lifting just her front legs off the floor. If she objects, remove your hand and no harm done. If she's happy, go ahead and lift her up and hold her against your chest for support.
Some cats enjoy being held on their backs, baby style, but most seem to prefer the "leopard on a limb" position where they remain upright straddling or lying on your arm. As long as they feel fully and safely supported, many cats enjoy being picked up and held. If your girl gets antsy, hold her just high enough to lift her over the edge of the litterbox.
I'm thinking of naming her Holly.
A lovely name. Welcome home, Holly.
Laurie
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Oh Laurie,
she won't stop talking, I think she is in heat... (at least she not pregnant)
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| she's a beautiful short hair orange taby with yellow/green eyes.
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[quote]todd8771 (6/27/2009)
she won't stop talking, I think she is in heat... (at least she not pregnant)
[/quote]
In heat is definitely better than pregnant, but in heat is no picnic, either. Queens in heat can HOWL nonstop until they get bred, and they will do almost anything to escape in order to find a boyfriend. If Holly is, indeed, in heat, you're going to have to be extremely careful not to let her slip out the door whenever you open it. The vet, also, may refuse to spay her while she's in heat, as there's greater risk due to the increased blood flow. But once she's out of heat, she may go into heat again every two weeks until she gets bred, so you'll have to act quickly to get her spayed between heat cycles.
HOWEVER, her excessive vocalization and overt friendliness may not be associated with a heat cycle right now. The trauma of her recent experience could account for the same behaviors. Just get her to the vet and get her spayed. Then you won't have to worry about pregnancy or heat cycles. I am, of course, assuming that she is at least 6 mos old and healthy enough to undergo general anesthesia.
Bear in mind that her current behavior may not be indicative of her true nature. If she's in heat, she is being "hormonally" friendly. If she is traumatized, she is being "needy" friendly. Once she is spayed and has time to recover from everything and feel really settled and relaxed into her new life with you, she may or may not be as overtly friendly as she is right now. Many cats, esp. females, maintain a certain aloofness by nature. They have a way of making you feel privileged to wait on them hand to paw. Holly's true self with emerge over the next few months.
You have a special girl there. According to color genetics, only one out of four orange cats will be female. There is nothing in her coat or eye color, thankfully, that predisposes her to congential blindness, so I suspect she is just headbutting to claim territory. You can check her vision by dragging a piece of ribbon or string around the floor and seeing if she chases it. Just be sure to put any string away when you're not playing with her because cats can swallow strings and cause major intestinal blockages.
Be prepared for some really stinky poo for a while, and very likely diarrhea. Since you have no idea what she was eating before you found her, you're almost certainly introducing new food into her system. This could cause significant digestive upset. You can minimize this by feeding small meals (2 tbs) every few hours, if possible, rather than fewer, larger meals. If her tummy gets really upset, the vet can provide you with appropriate meds (I hope).
Laurie
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Supreme Being
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Holly sounds like a cute name for a orange tabby. Also congrats on your first cat!
  
"The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit any kind of decor, color scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls." Eric Gurnery
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| Hi! I responded to your other thread, but would like to add my pleasure in Holly's quick loss of fear!! It would be a very good idea to do some sort of vision test, the ribbon/string sounds great, before you see the vet. If she does have a problem you need to ask about it. Keep in mind that if, by some horrible circumstance, there is a vision problem, cats adapt beautifully to what can seem overwhelming to humans! She's probably fine, I just don't want you to get overly upset, just in case. I can't wait to hear more of this story! Pehaps you should think about a book. What better message of love and hope could be found!
CricketYou don't have to be crazy to be my friend, but it helps!!! 
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Hi all,
Thank you so much for all of your support! Last night was my first night with the cat. When I woke up the this morning, Holly was in the bed with me. she was laying next to me and kind of kneading me with her paws, it kinda looked like she was on a stairmaster... She kept doing for a long time. Is that a normal thing?
Thanks again!
todd
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Since this is your first cat I can't blame you for not relizing that this cat LOVES you. It is wonderful that Holly was sleeping with you but kneading, yes it is very normal, that is the biggest sign of love. Holly really loves you, it's exciting. 
"The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit any kind of decor, color scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls." Eric Gurnery
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wow really? that's so cool!!!!! But it also makes me doubt my faith in people. Who would throw such a loving animal in the dumpster?
Holly still looks very dirty from the street, whats the best way to clean her, or is that something the vet will do tomorrow?
Also, is there a good way to get rid of cat hair on clothing?
Thanks again 
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Supreme Being
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In the past when my cat got dirty after play with parked car I would clean them with baby shampoo, it work pretty good but if someone has a better shampoo I would use that. Wear your cat hair loud and proud! I usually don't hold my cats and get a bunch of cat hair on me if I am going somewhere but you can try a lent roller.
"The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit any kind of decor, color scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls." Eric Gurnery
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