Getting a feline friend for Shreddy

[CWS4322]

First of all, do not get a kitten. Kittens are too rambuncous for a mature cat like yours. When I bring foster kittens into my house, Tyson, my 10 year old, hisses at them to keep them away, Mandu, my Himilayan, totally ignores them, and Orange Julius bops them on the head. But they're fosters and they're not staying, so it doesn't matter. When I had my son's cats while he was moving to Florida, I kept them in the bathroom for about two weeks, then let them wander. When Mandu felt Bailey was infringing on her territory, she would would chase Bailey into the bathroom, then sit outside the door to make sure she stayed there!

Get an adult cat. Two to three years old would be sufficient, perhaps older if you find one you like. The older a cat is, the better the chances that you're saving it's life. Then they have to be introduced properly. You can't just throw them in together. Put your new cat in a separate room, the bathroom works well or a spare bedroom, with food, water, and a littler box. Let them meet under the door. Your old cat will sniff under the door and so will the new cat. They will most likely put their paws under the door too. Your old cat will also smell the new cat on you from when you go into the room to play with it. Give them about two weeks to adjust, then open the door and let the new cat introduce him/herself to the rest of the house and your old cat. Best of luck to you.

+1 I suspected sr. cats were like sr. dogs re: youngsters.

 

[CWS4322]

I got a sweet female kitten as a companion for my adult male cat, Boo. He was NOT happy. He chased her under the neighbor's house and killed her.

I like the idea of fostering or a meet and greet as a way of being sure the female will be welcome.

Oh--he definitely was not happy. That happened when an acquaintance brought home a Newf puppy. Her NewfxMalamute male killed it. It was not pretty.

 

[buckytom]

zhi, i assume boo was an indoor/outdoor cat?


cats who get exposure to being outdoors have much more violent tendencies. indoor only cats are usually big wimps and rarely ever kill anything bigger than a fly.

we've had many combinations of older and younger cats over the years (indoor only cats), and every experience was different at first. some got along right off the bat, others smacked and hissed at each other for a few weeks. but they all eventually got along and became family: laying in the sun together, cleaning each other, eating together, did i say laying around togethe, lol, and so on.

the easiest transitions were always with older cats and kittens, though, which while i joked about it, that is my suggestion.


and dogs still drool.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I Think every Cat is different and expresses his/ her personality individually. Although, in the end they are all little Primadonna/o's and I am probably the biggest pussy- wuss of them all.

I didn't want Maddie to get too accustomed to being single after her older sister died last fall. So I found her a little baby sister from the rescue shelter in January. In every instance when we have had a new cat introduced into the house, ( previously always an adult) there is a 10- 12-14 day period where they alternately growl, ignore, tussel / whatever with each other. Then , suddenly, it's like they have always been together. Not any different this time either, except this time I got an 8 week old kitten. Crosby didn't Know she's supposed to be the Jr family member. She started out by nudging Maddie away from her food dish, even though the baby was supposed to be on junior food. I can't believe it, but Maddie just allowed it to happen. They fought, Maddie is de-clawed, Crosby had claws but didn't extend them when they wrestled. Maddie Never allowed anyone to sleep by her. In about a week Crosby snuggled right up like it was a mom/ kid thing. Again, the older allows this, and they are both curled up tight in the same chair next to me now.

Maddie is 12 years old, I have had her for 7 years. The day she moved in She took over and became the Alpha cat. Even though at that point in time, she was the younger of my two. She still is the Alpha cat in many ways, but she seems to share and get along much better with Crosby than she ever did with her then older sister. This is a side of her personality I have never seen before. As far as I know, she was an only chiled at least for the two years before I got her. This is at least her third and longest living home, and as far as she knows, it's pretty stable and secure. Maybe that's how Crosby feels too, having taken over the house in her own whirl-wind way. She had much too un-stable a short life just before she was able to make her home with us. She went from wherever she was born, dump off in a card board box to the humane society, to a rescue, to a foster parent to our house-- all witihn a short two weeks. She knows she is loved and maybe that's why she feels quite at home. Because, she is at home.

I guess what I'm saying, is age difference is not the only factor to consider if you are thinking about a sibling for Shreddy.

 

[Alix]

I am with buckytom on this one. I've done transitions with all ages as well and the older/younger thing has worked for us. We've had the worst issues with same gender close in age. Neutered or not, they fight!

 

[chopper]

I don't know if cats are like dogs, but bringing a puppy in when you have a sr. dog can be the WORST thing ever to do. The sr. can't take the antics of a puppy....and a puppy has puppy license until it is about 5 months old.

I have brought new puppies in with senior dogs several times and it has worked out great. It may be it worked out well because the were always opposite sexes. I'm not sure. Our 13 year old lab mix taught Cooper all kinds of things when he was seven weeks old. Our old lab only lived for three weeks after Cooper came to live with her, but she potty trained him, taught him what furniture he could jump up on, and many other things!

 

[Cheryl J]

I don't have any advice to offer here - just want to say how pretty Shreddy is. I hope that whatever you decide to do, works out well for all of you, Taxlady.

 

[Kayelle]

Taxie, I'm strictly a dog person, but I happened to watch a TV show we have here on Animal Planet called "My Cat From Hell". It's kind of a take-off of the Dog Whisperer for cats. The family story was exactly like yours and it was a nightmare for everyone, cats included. The old cat hated the newly rescued cat and the fights were something to behold . Actually it wasn't funny at all. I'm sure you love your old cat as much as I loved my old dog, and there is no way I would have risked the happiness of my pet because I decided he was lonely. Hey, not everyone wants to be married, some cats just like looking at the girls.