CannyCat Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 We adopted Fuzz the cat from Cats Protection last November. He was 7-8 months old, and had been put in care, adopted, and put back in care again because he and the 'existing' cat hadn't gotten on and had participated in spraying competitions Fuzz was initially very insecure, would follow us wherever we went, and wouldn't let us so much as pee without "crying" through the door. 6 months on he's much more settled in, much calmer, and lets us go about our business without so much as a glace (he still 'mews' when he gets home though, and likes it when we mew back to him to let him know where we are ) Anyway. We'd really like to get a 2nd cat, but we're concerned a) because Fuzz didn't get on with the other family's cat, and b) because we're worried it will be upsetting for him and it will undo all the progress we've made with him. Has anyone else been in this situation, and what did you do? What's the best way to introduce a new cat? Thank you! Catherine x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Not too sure as i have never owned a cat. If the same situation were with dogs then i would either stick with just the dog you have now or maybe consider a puppy as the current dog may feel less threatened. Im sure some experienced cat owners will be along soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CannyCat Posted May 19, 2007 Author Share Posted May 19, 2007 Not too sure as i have never owned a cat. If the same situation were with dogs then i would either stick with just the dog you have now or maybe consider a puppy as the current dog may feel less threatened. Im sure some experienced cat owners will be along soon! Thanks I had heard, when it comes to age that its best to get the "opposite" to your cat - so, an older female. Not sure whether this works in practise though....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 When I have introduced my last 4 or 5 cats they have all been kittens - it is much easier to introdice a kitten than another adult cat as whatever the sex - your original cat will feel threatened. They will still probably feel threatened by a kitten but are likely to get used to it a lot quicker. Its important to show lots of affection to the exisitng cat when the kitten is around and if possible, do like you would with chickens and introduce them slowly. A lady at the RSPCA once told me to keep the kitten in a separate room and let the existing cat smell it under the door for a couple of weeks. Having said that, the last 4 cats I have had have all been thrown in at hte deep end on the first day and they get on fabulously. Just depends on the temprement of your cats I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanbb Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 I only know from my experience. We chose Edie from Cats Protection. She was fine until Baldwin( means "bold Friend") a stray dicided to "adopt|" us. Very Jealous indeed But on the other hand, my mum has had cats for years and they decide to adopt her and she's never had any problems. I suppose you just have to put it down to the nature of the cat that you already have and make a mighty fine fuss of your existing cat when the new one arrives. Hope all goes well. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Hiya I had two cats from the CPL 10 years ago, they were less than a year old and I was their third home. They were brother and sister and my babies. Phoebe died very suddenly at christmas. her kidneys failed, and she was taken ill on Boxing day and was put to sleep 2 days later. I still cry and am as I type. Anyway, we were going to get a friend for Ollie as he was on his own, but my vet, who is a cat specialist - and has been practising for more years than I am old - said it was best not to. She said that it a little known fact but that cats are actually solitary creatures and that while Ollie might pine for a few days he would soon be right as rain and we would see characterics that might have lain dormant. She was absolutely right. She did say we had to be particularly careful because they had been brother and sister and also because being a boy he would be more territorial. We decided to follow her advice, hard as it has been, because I am used to Phoebe and her chatter and I desperately wanted another baby (as in cat not infant!). The chooks have gone someway to acting as a substitute. It might be worth talking to your vet, but seeing as there have been issues before I would be very wary. Claire x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red Posted May 19, 2007 Share Posted May 19, 2007 Why not go back to CPL and ask their opinion - after all they must know him a little - if they think it would be okay they may have a suitable candidate for pairing with him. Not sure what the CPL are like in your area but the lady where we got ours (CPL) was fantastic and I would have definately trusted her views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CannyCat Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 Why not go back to CPL and ask their opinion - after all they must know him a little - if they think it would be okay they may have a suitable candidate for pairing with him. Not sure what the CPL are like in your area but the lady where we got ours (CPL) was fantastic and I would have definately trusted her views. Thats a good idea. Thanks guys, Catherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn in Bristol Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 We've had varied success introducing new cats. We introduced 2 (girl) kittens in November to our 4 year old male. He gets on fine with one of them, but hates the other - I think it's all down to personality. I think the younger the better - ours were 4 months old. You can get a diffuser of a product called 'Feliway' which is supposed to help when introducing new cats. It gives off facial pheromones, apparently, which are supposed to de-stress cats (available from vets or on-line). Like with chickens, it can take a long time and be dis-heartening, but I remember the first time Macallan started to wash one of the girls - cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melons Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Your best to introduce a kitten ,they are far more pushy with their "I want to make friends" approach, it'll get wolloped several times, but every one will soon learn, my cat adores the guinea pigs too, the rabbit used to try piggy back rides on her (mm), which she didn't think much too. Go for it, there'll be hundreds wanting a home now we're into full kitten season. best of luck, sparay them with a tad of neutradol to eliminate their natural odors, that can sometimes work, only a dab though. mel We adopted Fuzz the cat from Cats Protection last November. He was 7-8 months old, and had been put in care, adopted, and put back in care again because he and the 'existing' cat hadn't gotten on and had participated in spraying competitions Fuzz was initially very insecure, would follow us wherever we went, and wouldn't let us so much as pee without "crying" through the door. 6 months on he's much more settled in, much calmer, and lets us go about our business without so much as a glace (he still 'mews' when he gets home though, and likes it when we mew back to him to let him know where we are ) Anyway. We'd really like to get a 2nd cat, but we're concerned a) because Fuzz didn't get on with the other family's cat, and b) because we're worried it will be upsetting for him and it will undo all the progress we've made with him. Has anyone else been in this situation, and what did you do? What's the best way to introduce a new cat? Thank you! Catherine x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I've introduced second (or third!) cats several times over the years. I've always succeeded, but the subsequent relationship has varied from very close to very distant. I think it may be true that kittens are easier, but a lot depends on the personality and temperament of the cats concerned. Definitely have the new cat in a separate room for a day or so, let them get used to the smell of each other; if it's a kitten, you could even leave it in a cat-basket for the old cat to sniff around. Like chickens, they need to establish a bit of seniority - make a big fuss of the 'old' cat, to boost its confidence. Don't expect too much - even siblings will beat each other up occasionally! I took on my brother's very elderly cat in February. Lots of growling from 'my' cat, and they have now developed into Upstairs Cat and Downstairs Cat, but there are no fights. Feeding time is particularly important in developing social relationships, and the new cat won't interrupt the other one when he is eating (possibly because she's been thumped a couple of times for trying this!) Contrary to what redfrock's vet said, I believed that cats were pack animals and enjoy company. I've had cats for 25 years, and almost always had more than one, once as many as four and all introduced separately. My friend who works in a cat sanctuary recommends Feliway to calm the atmosphere. You could just leave the cats to get on with it, and pour yourself a big gin though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CannyCat Posted May 26, 2007 Author Share Posted May 26, 2007 I've introduced second (or third!) cats several times over the years. I've always succeeded, but the subsequent relationship has varied from very close to very distant. I think it may be true that kittens are easier, but a lot depends on the personality and temperament of the cats concerned.Definitely have the new cat in a separate room for a day or so, let them get used to the smell of each other; if it's a kitten, you could even leave it in a cat-basket for the old cat to sniff around. Like chickens, they need to establish a bit of seniority - make a big fuss of the 'old' cat, to boost its confidence. Don't expect too much - even siblings will beat each other up occasionally! I took on my brother's very elderly cat in February. Lots of growling from 'my' cat, and they have now developed into Upstairs Cat and Downstairs Cat, but there are no fights. Feeding time is particularly important in developing social relationships, and the new cat won't interrupt the other one when he is eating (possibly because she's been thumped a couple of times for trying this!) Contrary to what redfrock's vet said, I believed that cats were pack animals and enjoy company. I've had cats for 25 years, and almost always had more than one, once as many as four and all introduced separately. My friend who works in a cat sanctuary recommends Feliway to calm the atmosphere. You could just leave the cats to get on with it, and pour yourself a big gin though! Thanks Olly! I'm going to email CP next week and see what they recommend, age wise. I'd love a kitten, but I gather they're hard to come by and we also work full time so it would have to be of an age where we could leave it at home on its own (albeit in its own room, to begin). About how old are kittens when they reach this stage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Hi there, We've had experience of adopting both kittens and an older cat. Kitttens are much easier to introduce as the older cats seem to have more tolerance - a few "playful" fights soon getting the pecking order correct! When we introduced Benny, he was seven years old. Our cat Fred was the same age and we had three younger cats. A few days before we collected Benny, we took a blanket that our cats slept on, and got a blanket that Benny slept on and introduced the smells that way to start, so for couple of days they got used to each other remotely. When we brought Benny home, we kept him in another room and gradually introduced him - it worked really well - there is always that guilt factor that you are treading on existing cats toes, but it must be like having another baby - everybody gets used to it! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 well I don't know whether it was connected with posting on here, but I woke up this morning and found Downstairs Cat ON THE BED! He had never slept anywhere else until the Thing came into our lives, but hasn't been there since February. It would take a foghorn to wake me once I'm asleep, so I don't know if there was a bit of growling and snarling, or whether he took advantage of one of the Thing's frequent trips to the loo and sneaked in ... he was looking very smug, and poor Thing was sulking in the spare room. It does take time, this has been three months - if an older cat would suit you better than a kitten, and there are lots in need of a good home, then I'd try that. The CPL should be able to advise, and might know the temperament of a particular cat if it's been with them a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...