Trouble with newly adopted kitty
PKponder TX Z7B
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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Bringing in a new kitty as a friend for my newly-alone old kitty?
Comments (21)camarogirl219, I am so very sorry for your loss. That's a lot of years for you to pack into a single goodbye, I know. My heart aches for you and Daisy, who must be traumatized and disoriented by the loss of her bud. I suspect that the addition of a new feline might be a difficult adjustment for her, but I do think it would be best for her in the long run. I would NOT, however, recommend adopting a male feline UNLESS you find an older adult who is known to be laid back and to live peacefully with other cats. Male kittens and young adults tend to be VERY rowdy, demanding, and rough and relentless in their play. I think that might be completely overwhelming for Daisy. But an older, mellow, well socialized boy might make a wonderful companion for her after the initial adjustment period. A young female kitten might also be a good choice of companion, as they don't tend to be nearly as overwhelming as males. And Daisy might find it easier to accept a young kitten, since she will not see the kitten as either a territorial or physical threat. An adult female probably isn't the best choice, though, as they tend not to bond with other adult females with whom they have not been raised. That's my experience after having integrated many felines of both genders and all ages into my household over the decades. I wish you a peaceful grief and happy future with Daisy et al. Laurie...See Moreadopting a kitty
Comments (12)Well Pumpkin is settling in. He is a really wonderful cat. Very happy and curious. He went to the vet yesterday and dazzled them, though he hated getting his nails trimmed! They did a full blood panel on him as well as checked for feline aids and feline leukemia (he's negative) - they called about an hour after we got home from the vet with the results of those tests so we could immediately take the barriers away, except for the baby gate, separating him from our other two cats. Blood test results come back next week. He needs a dental, he has gingivitis - not surprising. And the vet thought she heard a slight heart murmur - the other vet at the clinic will check him in a month when he goes in with the other two for boarding (she apparently has sharper ears) to confirm that. My hyper-t kitty developed his heart murmur at about this age. Vet confirmed he's somewhere in the 6-9 range and put him down as 7. So otherwise he's good, just needs to eat more, but he's still so nervous about his new surroundings I'm not surprised his food intake is not as much as I think it can be. Though he is a trimmer cat than the others so could be he just needs less food. Anyways, linked some pics of him below - the big white cat is Oscar "the grouch" and he's still being grouchy. Barney our other one is living up to his nature, he's pretty much settled down. Happy new year everyone! tess Here is a link that might be useful: Pumpkin...See MoreKitty adoption dilemma
Comments (27)Taking them to the farm is just fine with a few precautions. (In my youth, I lived on a farm and we had barn cats.) Judging by the age of the kitten in the photo, he is too young to fend for himself among a bunch of stanger cats. Cats are very jealous of their home turf and may fight this little urchin. For the first few weeks, prepare a place for them to rest and sleep near the house. let them gradually intregrate with the established catdom. Wild cats that are not mcuh 'tamed' rarely get run over or stepped on; They are too wary and untrusting. It is the highly 'tamed' cats, the pets, that meet with untoward accidents. When a cat is petted and highly loved, it may become too trusting thus setting it up for accidents. Young cats can be come too truating and my not move out of the way of rolling vehicle wheels or a lumbering cow. These are the cats that may be maimed or killed. With 4 and 7 yr old children, you can bet these kitties will be loved and petted. If handled gently and often, these kitties will become trusting lap cats and will need a slow introduction to the barn to become established barn cats. They will have become dependent upon humans as their caretakers and will constantly underfoot when you are out doors. Cats are hunters by instinct with the females being more businesslike about the chore. However, cats that have not been taught what to do may have to go through a long learning curve and some may be too timid to become good hunters. It is mother cat who teaches her children about prey. When the kits become old enough to take on meat, she will bring home a mauled, but not yet dead mouse for the kits to practice on. If the kits do not finish the mouse, mother cat will and then the kits feed on the remains. By this process, mother cat teaches hew kits about prey and what to do with it. Your little kits will be missing this training, therefore, one can expect it will take longer for them to adapt to being a member of the barn cat gang....See MoreDon't know what to do about kitty
Comments (13)I assure you, Salti, I have had zero, zilch deer fatalities since erecting my fence... probably cos theres no deer within20-30 miles. Maybe some drunk homeless person wandered up from the railroad tracks behind my house and collided with it, I dunno.... havent seen any human bodies either. People typically use deerfence (which is essentially what Purrfect Fence is) in deer country to keep out deer, not to ensnare or kill them. You attach little flags to the top rail if its a worry. OP, how are you doing today? I somehow missed your post (looks like yours went up as I was writing mine). Ihope I didnt sound too harsh but just wanting to present some other ways of rethinking it... that there can be other factors in play besides this kitty's nervous personality. I mean I certainly can empathize - I've had cats all my life and its only been this one super-aggressive former unneutered street cat that's given me problems and I can so relate to your feelings of despair and frustration. Cats love routine, and now a year later - things with my 2 are .... knock on wood.... pretty good. The routine is the aggressor gets put in his room overnight (righta fter their big main meal of the day so he just goes right to sleep) while the more easy going one gets the bedroom and run of the rest of the house house. Then in the a.m. the aggressor gets the run of the house while the mellow picked-on one goes out in the cat yard. When I get home from work the aggressor goes out in the cat yard and the 2 actually have been pretty good together for a few hrs each evening. Obviously your situation is a little more complex, and it may be that you would just keep them separate, period. I would just be sure that the outdoor one gets love and attention daily, several times per day- is there a way her room or garage space can be used regularly for some other purpose that brings you or family members there? What kind of fence do you now have - there are various ways of retrofitting existing fences to make them cat proof - some that dont cost a lot of $$. There are some really good books on cat behavior and managing cat aggression nowadays - Pam Johnson has several re: intercat relations and Cat Sense by John Bradshaw is good. Oh, one more thing= , the above poster had a good suggestion re: trying temporary and/or trial basis home without other cats If you could establish that she is good with a litter box and comes out of her shell/defensiveness.... that would be a game changer. You could then work on finding the right permanent home for her, with more confidence that it would work out. Thats generally how shelters work with the cats that are surrendered due to litter box problems. PS - have you tried Feliway plug in? It doesnt always work but when it does, it really does. Best wishes to you and kitties...See MorePKponder TX Z7B
6 years agoPKponder TX Z7B
6 years agoPKponder TX Z7B
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoPKponder TX Z7B
6 years agolily316
6 years ago
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