Bringing a new Cat home (with an older cat already there)
[views:3559][posts:48]______________________________________
[May 23,2006 5:52pm - the_reverend ""]
any experiences?
carina surprised me with a wicked surprise a new kitty (6-months maine coon cat). mia (5-years) is hissing at him a lot. they have calmed down now... but... I'm not sure about leaving them alone together.
what did you do when you were in this situation?
[May 23,2006 5:53pm - whiskey_weed_and_women ""]
be prepared for death !!!!
[May 23,2006 5:57pm - the_reverend ""]
http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/introducecats.htm
[May 23,2006 6:00pm - Anthony nli ""]
there could be drama. don't leave them alone together at first, bad idea. keep them separated and give them supervised time together every day, increasing it in increments until you feel comfortable that they won't fight like crazy.
ive had cats my whole life, trusss me baby
[May 23,2006 6:06pm - BobNOMAAMRooney nli ""]
That's strange, my two cats got along fine with my kitten within a few hours of it coming home. The first night we had Hobbes he was already sleeping next to Arcturus on my bed.
[May 23,2006 6:08pm - Anthony nli ""]
BobNOMAAMRooney nli said:That's strange, my two cats got along fine with my kitten within a few hours of it coming home. The first night we had Hobbes he was already sleeping next to Arcturus on my bed.
your cats are clearly gay janssen
[May 23,2006 6:12pm - the_reverend ""]
I've had probably 20 cats during my life... typically, we would get them in pairs, but they were also outdoors cats so they never had issues.
I'm just worried about leaving them cause we only have one litter pan.
[May 23,2006 6:13pm - the_reverend ""]
when I got my cat (4 years ago) she was in a house with 7 other cats.
[May 23,2006 6:18pm - Anthony nli ""]
the_reverend said:I've had probably 20 cats during my life... typically, we would get them in pairs, but they were also outdoors cats so they never had issues.
I'm just worried about leaving them cause we only have one litter pan.
why worry about the litter box? there will just be more poop in it at the end of the day, that's all
[May 23,2006 6:48pm - pam nli ""]
Done this a million times, just keep em seperated while you're not at home for a good month at least. They'll get over it.
I also heard that if you rub them on the head (where their glands are) and then rub the other and so on, they'll get used to each others smells or some shit.
I had my cunt ex-roommate move in with 2 douchebag cats, my cat never liked them, but he eventually stopped trying to kill them. I however, never did.
[May 23,2006 7:42pm - Kinslayer ""]
Everyone told me it was going to be a nightmare when I brought my 2nd cat home with me but it wasn't that bad. They were weird at first, hissing and moderately aggressive behavior at first but now they are best friends. They use the same littler box and all...
They wrestle around and shit and then cuddle and lick eachother and the like...I needed to get a second cat because I'm out of the house so often, I felt bad for my first cat with no company. I think it worked out exactly how I had hoped.
[May 23,2006 8:10pm - the_reverend ""]
that's another reason I wanted one. a pet for my pet.
[May 23,2006 8:12pm - Anthony nli ""]
i had two turtles but the big one ate the little one, the big one doesnt play well with others
[May 23,2006 8:21pm - hoser ""]
Well, I banged my girlfriend twice and then downed a fifth of Jim Beam...they calmed down.
That's just what I did....I recommend it.
[May 23,2006 8:29pm - succubus ""]
hoser..that didn't work...
well i've owned 0 cats...i was doing volunteer work at an animal shelter...and i asked some people what "maine coon cats" looked like because aaron had been saying he wanted one for a looong time...i always told him no because i'm allergic..anyhow...i go into the room where the cats are an this little one came right up to me an was soo cute....everyone loved him and wante him...so i figured i'd surprise aaron and i did. he's really sweet an friendly and i get to name him!
wooo..i want to call him joy division but that's too long...
[May 23,2006 8:36pm - Anthony nli ""]
maine coons are so awesome! they are the largest breed of housecat. you're gonna have a huge adult cat.
[May 23,2006 8:36pm - TheGreatSpaldino ""]
call him Divvy
[May 23,2006 8:37pm - succubus ""]
yep his paws are huge and i think my dddddd key wasn't working when i posted above..oopies
that is a cute name spaldino...
[May 23,2006 8:57pm - the_reverend ""]
I lol'd in real life to anthony's post
[May 24,2006 8:56am - succubus ""]
people at work have been telling me to keep them together and that it won't take long...it was good we were both home yesterday
[May 24,2006 9:27am - RichHorror ""]
Yeah, everytime I did this I was sure within the first day that I'd have to find a new home for the new cat. It takes most cats a week or so to get used to each other and stop hissing at each other and making you generally nervous.
[May 24,2006 9:40am - sinistas ""]
Cats rule. I miss my cowcat.
[May 24,2006 9:41am - Scoracrasia ""]
I just got a tabby cat the other day. cool lap cat and mellow as hell. He rules.
[May 24,2006 10:42am - dwellingsickness ""]
2-3 months from now the new kittie(seein as it is a maine coon cat), Is gonna be 2x the size of Mia and eat her or beat the piss outta her
[May 24,2006 10:50am - the_reverend ""]
princess is just pissy.
[May 24,2006 11:13am - succubus ""]
heh...when mia was hissing at him...aaron addressed her and said something like you said above dwellingsickness...made me giggle...
[May 24,2006 6:05pm - ArrowHead nli ""]
Cats are pack animals. If you place more than one into a living situation together, by nature they must establish their position in the pack. Therefore, at first you may notice they fight, hiss at each other, etc...
Do NOT punish or yell at them for doing this. it's okay to seperate them if they are attacking each other, but try to stay neutral. If you have to isolate or seperate them, lock the newer cat away , not the older one. Since the older cat will consider itself the dominant animal in the household (pack wise they consider you the leader, and them right after) it will create the least change and confusion.
Finally, be prepared for PEE. When going through their issues, there will likely be a period after they establish a pecking order where they run about your house re-marking their territories. This means hide your laundry pile, and check for wet cushions before you sit on the couch ;)
Just remember: the fighting, hissing, etc... is a natural and instinctive thing for the cats. The more you try to stop it, or break them apart, the longer and harder it will be for them to get used to each other. Once they've decided on a pecking order, things SHOULD be back to normal.
One other thing: while I say you shouldn't seperate them, it is good to keep the new cat's food in a seperate room that your other cat doesn't usually use. Keep the door closed, and when it's feeding time let the new cat in and shut the door. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of how cats establish order is that they'll try to take each others' food hoping that the other cat will eventually leave the house in order to find something to eat. After a few weeks, this should no longer be neccesary, but I have seen cases where cat's couldn't eat in the same room for years.
[May 24,2006 6:19pm - succubus ""]
Heh....good post! I had been asking aaron all day if we could keep them together while we were both out and he finally succumbed, dunno if he was happy abt it. Anyhow, I got home and greeted mia and then opened the door to the 2nd bedroom snd greeted mogwai/diego (haven't solidified a name yet) anyhow then I brought them together and petted them..they actually both meowed....then mia started hissing..though before I left little kitty started eating mia's food. I told her know and brought her bowl over and gave her more food..she's prolly gonna continue to eat mia's food.
I'm on a train right now but I should be home by 11pm...my only concern is mia chasing him around and he's not as coordinated as mia..she knows how and where she can go..while the newer kitty will plant hid butt on my laptop...stuff like that..and if he's being chased he'll run any where and knock whatever is there to the ground...I'm guessing I'l get an "I told you so" from aaron when he gets home and little kitty ripped the corner of the new couch or something.
[May 24,2006 6:21pm - BobDead ""]
we just rescued a homeless kitten that we had to give away because my cat
Bushwick is a total territorial bitch...good luck...good info though above that I wish i knew last week.
[May 24,2006 9:38pm - succubus ""]
I'm on my way home..hopefully at 11pm whatever I post won't be so bad
[May 24,2006 10:36pm - HailTheLeaf ""]
It took about 10 years for my last 2 cats just to tolorate each other...Mosh (16) has been hissing at Odin (8 months) and Void (1 year+)since I brought them home 5-6 months ago, but Odin and Void get along great.
[May 24,2006 10:52pm - HailTheLeaf ""]
ArrowHead nli said:Cats are pack animals.
No, but Wolves are...
[May 24,2006 11:14pm - the_reverend ""]
funny, mia understands not to do things that piss me off. the couple times I've seen her doing things, I chased her all over the place.
then she hides until she comes out to appologize and be nice to me.
I'm working from home tomorrow. hopefully mia will sleep on my back like she normal does. I'm afraid she's going to change. my mom had a breed called a ragdoll. the cat would wait for me to pick it up, purr non-stop, and stand on my shoulders. then she got two new kittens and the other one sort of became their mom and doesn't really purr anymore.
[May 24,2006 11:19pm - succubus ""]
well i got home and mia was in her usual spot and i went to pet her for a bit and then little kitty came over and i pet him and then i went to check out the rooms and i went "here kitty kitty.." and the little kitty came running in so fast and purring that his paws were slipping on the tiles..it was so cute....then mia came afterwards and hissed at little kitty and then i pet them both. i'm now sitting in the living room and mia went upstairs and then little kitty came to where i was but he's going up on the counter and i have to tell him no...
[May 24,2006 11:49pm - succubus ""]
hmmmm i ate a small slice of pizza and didn't finish it..mia would never touch it...but this kitty jsut grabbed it off the plate and is eating it...hmmm dunno if i should stop him
[May 24,2006 11:50pm - succubus ""]
i took it away from him...
[May 25,2006 12:31am - ArrowHead nli ""]
HailTheLeaf said:ArrowHead nli said:Cats are pack animals.
No, but Wolves are...
Are you that clueless?
Goddamn hippies. Never seen a pride of lions, eh? Go back to your hut in the woods. Cats hunt alone, they travel and live in packs.
[May 25,2006 1:08am - the_reverend ""]
also, I heard from a show on the science channel that ferral cats do not meow.
it's something they learn interacting with humans.
are they mocking us?
[May 25,2006 2:23am - Y_Ddraig_Goch ""]
I have an awesome story about introducing pets:
So I had a cat for a long time when I was about 6 and I decided "hey I want a dog". So My mom got a German Boxer off one of her co-workers because he was a jerk and he was getting rid of it (the dude used to cover rocks in bacon grease and make the dog chew on them when it was a puppy, so almost everyone of Jake's (the boxer) teeth was either broken or cracked but not so bad that it couldn't eat hard food.
So anyways, get the dog home and so we decide to have alternating shifts for the dog and the cat. The cat (Ebony)was an outdoors cat so we just fed him outside and let him stay outside from morning til' when we went to sleep, during that time the dog could roam anywhere in the house but at night I locked him up in my room so the cat could chill out in the house.
One day I go to school and my grandma decides to introduce them... She lets the dog in the house, and then lets the cat come inside to eat, she thinks that if she holds on to the dogs leash and lets him watch the cat eat that they will get used to eachother. Not realizing how strong a boxer is my grandma goes for a ride, lets go and jake chases ebony around the house, me grampy opens the door so the cat can get out and then goes to grab the dog's leash as he runs by, but he too is not strong enough and goes for a ride...down my front porch stairs which are about 10 feet of stairs from the last step to the door. I come home and I start bawling my eyes out because I see blood all over my stairs and I think that someone was murdered (I was born and being raised in Lynn mass at the time) It was like a scene from a murder movie, I climb the stairs and the door is ajar with blood all over the hallway and on the walls, I come into the kitchen the white tiles are soaked in blood, I see my grandfather sitting there with blood pouring from his knees and skin hanging on his shins.
but my grandfathers survived ( being the proud irishman he was refusing a trip to the doctors and soaking his knees and legs in a tub full of rubbing alchol and steaming hot water.) and the cat lived too, I saw it about a week later and I swear it was satan or some eveil beast, it fully healed. and for the rest of my life living there it used to sit on the wall in my yard caterwauling, but it never came in my house again.
funny thing was the cat was 10 when I was 6 and it was still kicking when I came back to visit my grampy when I was 15
man that was a long story, I should write a song for my band about it.
"In the cat-blood-soaked halls of my youth"
[May 25,2006 4:54pm - HailTheLeaf ""]
ArrowHead nli said:HailTheLeaf said:ArrowHead nli said:Cats are pack animals.
No, but Wolves are...
Are you that clueless?
Goddamn hippies. Never seen a pride of lions, eh? Go back to your hut in the woods. Cats hunt alone, they travel and live in packs.
No, but you seem to be. A pack animal is actually an animal used to carry loads, but I figured you're refering to animals living in packs, which doesn't apply to house cats. Sorry, never heard of a pack of cats. Feral cats live in colonies, they haven't needed to evolve the social rules for pack living. House cats don't generally co-operate to hunt or form cohesive packs.
[May 25,2006 4:57pm - HailTheLeaf ""]
the_reverend said:also, I heard from a show on the science channel that ferral cats do not meow.
it's something they learn interacting with humans.
are they mocking us?
Nope, most of us are too stupid to pick up on their body langauge, and ill-equiped to recieve their scent signals, so in frustration they figure out that they have to meow to communicate with us.
[May 25,2006 8:55pm - ArrowHead nli ""]
Hailtheleaf, or as I prefer to call you: dirty hippie girl, You're making a GREAT attempt at an argument here. However, you're still wrong. You correctly stated that a pack animal is by definition a beast of burden. Mules, horses, camels, etc ARE pack animals. Also, pack animal can be used to describe canines such as wolves and dogs who live, travel, and hunt in packs.
Now here's the part where you need to go back and read what I wrote. Read it IN CONTEXT. Cats are a pack animal, and need to establish a position of dominance in order to coexist in the same space. If you've ever taken an animal training course, you'd know this to be true. Hell, you seem to know a lot about cats, I bet you already know it's true. I think you were just looking to take a shot at arguing with someone a hell of a lot more intelligent and worldly than yourself. You tried, and alas, you failed miserably.
I will state again, with more verbosity: Cats are pack animals, and need to establish a pecking order to cohabitate. Unless you've got a big enough space where the two can stay far away from each other all the time, this is unavoidable. In the wild, cats will fight over food, territory, and even who gets to fuck the neighbors pretty himalayan. The successor will not only get the prize, but amazingly you'll see the other animals back off, or even help the more dominant animal.
By the way, next time you google to argue with me, try going past the first page of results. A simple search of "pack animals" will show that feral cats do INDEED pack together. Try looking up "Pounce", "clutter", "comfort", and "clowder". Theres many other names for a pack of cats, depending on what kind.
In closing, I'd just love to say that you are 100% evidence of why I hate dirty hippies.
[May 25,2006 9:50pm - the_reverend ""]
arrowhead, you owe someone a lot of money, tossing around al those $2 words.
[May 26,2006 11:56am - HailTheLeaf ""]
Wow, you must really get off on yourself. I do happen to know alot about cats, and alot about wolves, which actually live in "packs". Cats do not have a hierarchy system like dogs/wolves, there isn't really a system of dominance with cats, the cats' social structure is far more complex. Cats do not need to interact with a pack on a regular basis to feel secure, they could give a flying fuck about other people or other cats and what they think of them. There is no pressure for cats to comply with or obey the will of others. They are selfish and solitary by nature, and fight only over territory, food, and mating, therefore they are not pack-oriented animals. And you sir, are a douche.
[May 27,2006 12:49am - ArrowHead nli ""]
HailTheLeaf said:They are selfish and solitary by nature, and fight only over territory, food, and mating,
Yes, I am a douche.
Yes, I do get off on myself.
Yes, I am laughing my ass off at how you argue with me for three days only to end up reiterating my original point.
Meanwhile, Rev has probably taken my advice, and noticed a remarkable improvement in how his cats are getting along.
You look up those words I gave you? I noticed you didn't have a word of rebuttal on that one. hmm.....
Dirty, dirty hippie.
[May 27,2006 12:56am - the_reverend ""]
HOT.. you guys are going to fuck.
then one of you is getting a milk moustache.
that will be sweeeet.
[May 27,2006 1:32am - ArrowHead nli ""]
Yeah, right. I definately fuck ugly hippies.
The only person in this thread I intend to bang is your new cat.
[May 27,2006 5:13am - succubus ""]
but...but...but ...he's a boy!
they're getting better..we didnt separate them...hopefully when we get home, it'll be ok..
[May 27,2006 9:06am - the_reverend ""]
whoah.. pete likes peters