Bringing home a kitten when you already have an adult cat
livvysmom
17 years ago
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labmomma
17 years agoRelated Discussions
How to intro. new kitten to older cat
Comments (7)Ok.... got the kitten 2 days ago but went a different route. Called our vet to get some ideas on this also. The girl was very nice and at the end told me they had 5 female kittens waiting to be placed and that I was free to come see them. I told her my problem was with the older cat not accepting the kitten and I would need a trial period. They have given us a week (until next Fri). The kitten is a female, 4 wks. old! So incredibly cute and sweet and we're already attached and so is she. Our older cat you ask??? Wow, pissed off! I am getting the growling, hissing, spitting and even lunging! He tends to be bothered more by the 'meows" than the smell. We have her in my DD room and sleeping in a very cushy bathtub! She just figured out the litter box yesterday. She is still using a nursing bottle, too. Incredibly loveable. Our older cat seems to have his moments. Sometimes he will come and rub and let us pet him. He's not the friendliest and most affectionate cat so he's not overly loving right now (never is) but we can tell he's miffed! I pray that it works out. I don't have the heart to return this little lap cat esp. if her sisters are gone from the vet. She'd be so alone and already used to us. I'm faced with, 1.- do I return her now and give up on this situaion before her sisters are adopted and she's alone in the cage? 2.- do I wait until Friday (my deadline) and hope that if I have to return her, her sisters are there?? 3.- do I keep her and just tell my other cat to deal with it (which seems so unfair). What are the chances that after some time, he'll adapt or just tolerate?? Oh, I got him very young also... 5-6 wks and got him declawed and fixed at 6 months. He's a boy of 7 and the kitty is 4 wks. What do you all think?? What would you do? I've done all the above that everyone's suggested....See MoreBringing new kitten home w/ upcoming house move?
Comments (7)Thanks for all the great replies! I'm still torn, but you've made me feel better if we go ahead and get him. I remember you, too, Quasifish! Hello again! To answer some questions--the 2 litters have been co-mingled. The breeder has a "nursery" (separate room in her house, closed off from the foyer with a screened-type door) where the kittens all stay together after about 4-5 weeks in their separate places w/ their moms. In their last week there, they get let out into the rest of the house to be raised "under foot"--w/ 4 home-schooled kids and a dog. She'll let me bring home a towel that's been in the room with all of them, so some familiar smells will accompany Coco to his new surroundings (that's what we've named him--he's a real "Cocoa puff"). I read the breeder's website from all the ones I looked for that were in my state, and it was at the top of my list, and then I found that it was only 7 miles from the new house. Great testimonials and pics sent in by satisfied customers. Some were repeat customers. And, we visited there before we decided for sure to do this (had never bought an animal before and still feel weird about it). I've visited every other week since early June, starting with when she let me have first pick of each litter. Seeing the Ragdolls on that Cats 101 was what convinced me to do it (and yes, I've seen Matilda story too)! It was between them and a Maine Coon, which hubby wanted because we now know the MOST lovable cat in the world since we moved (who's a Maine coon). He goes limp when you pick him up, so we've enjoyed loving on him whenever we catsit him--at our house no less, so we fight over him! We knew then that after Casey, we needed a cat like this one. From what I'd seen and read about Ragdolls, this seemed our best bet. This breeder makes you sign a contract which says that if for whatever reason you can't take care of the cat anymore and can't find a suitable new home for it, she'll take it back. She seems very responsible. She was an herbalist prior to starting this venture a few years ago, and she's quite holistic with the kitties. Oh, she wants me to take this first one before getting the second one. He's more shy than his cousin, a little female. She thinks he should have a chance to bond with me first instead of just her (if they arrive together). The other one is a little spitfire which we can already tell will rule the house. We're already crazy in love with them and talk about them all the time (and constantly look at the many pictures and videos I have on my iPhone). We're soooo ready for another kitty to love. Tracey...See Morebringing our 2 cats to a home with 2 other cats.
Comments (3)Appetite is back and they are using the litter box regularly so I'm happy about that. They are both coming out of their hiding spots a lot more. We are going to see how the stay with the parents goes and hope that they will be interested in keeping them on for a little while longer. There is a dog in the house, but it's our dog that is staying at the parents because of the housing situation, and the cats had been living happily with that dog for 2 years until the past week. Hopefully they remember that. The cats are a pain in the butt to feed-- in our old apt, we fed them separately because one of them is on royal canin urinary tract canned food and the other cat isn't. we also have to heat up the boy's food before we feed it to him, or else he throws up. Nobody likes to microwave cat food, so we were hoping to keep the burden on her parents to a minimum. hopefully her parents fall in love with the cats by the end of 10 days and don't mind holding on to them a little longer. They are really very charming and friendly when they aren't afraid for their lives....See MoreMy kitten/cat don't get along
Comments (7)Is it possible that you are separating them too much? When we added a new kitty recently I was a little nervous because the office I got him from said he was found (trapped) in an abandoned house situation (probably feral). He hid in the back of the cage when we visited several times before deciding to take him and taking on the issues with the feral personality possibilities. He has been with us for 6 mos now. Still a little skittish,but he relates well with the other 2 male neutered cats and is attached at the hip to my daughter. He usually runs from me but I think that's because she was able to build a relationship with him since she got him during the summer when she had big blocks of time to spend with him in her room while he was first isolated from the rest of the animals. It was so funny the first few days. He kept approaching our middle cat, Handsome (under supervision, of course) Well, Handsome wanted nothing to do with this new addition. He was a little more than angry that this new kitty appeared at the house. Actually we got the kitty to be Handsome's buddy because the oldest cat is kind of antisocial and doesn't play much with Handsome. Any way, when Louie (new kitten) came anywhere near Handsome he freaked out. Hissed, spit ran from the upstairs. That was the first couple of days. Then Handsome took to laying on a dresser in the upstairs hall and watching Louie and every time we would allow the new kitty out Handsome would spit and hiss but keep his post on the dresser to watch him closely. BTW during this time Handsome hissed and spit at everyone in the house, cats, dogs, people. He was just plain miserable. We were floored because Handsome is such a lovey kitty thought for sure he would just love having a new bud. My daughter was in tears for fear it wouldn't work out but we told her just give it time. Have had plenty of cats over the years and it always does. Haven't ever had a situation where it didn't. It did. After a few weeks of angry Handsome behavior they made friends. Now they are inseparable. I am so surprised that things aren't working out differently for you. Handsome used Louie's box of course to mark it but he didn't spray. I don't know about the male/female thing since I've always had males. I hope somebody has a solution. The only thing I can think of is just bringing them together more. As for the peeing thing. Did you have her checked for any type of urinary infection. Cats that are litter trained usually don't go outside of their box unless they have a medical issue or I guess a behavioral one. My SIL cat started going out of the box once but that was because she has 3 cats and one box and wasn't the best at scooping frequently. Hope you don't have to give the kitty up....See Morebeeanne
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