new addition to my family

[blackcat]

  It's a good thing when that happens 

[Christina]

hi, thanks again for the advice. things have calmed a lot already and its only been four days. they are fine now.not best buds or anything, but they have been mingling more, and can be in the same room together and everything. stevie has stopped all the hissing and growling. dont worry, she still gets her fair share of cuddles!  they touched noses for the first tme today, or kissed, as i like to think of it!

[chris91011]

i got Meg when Tigger was 6yrs old, she was 8wks, and the first time he saw her he looked as tho he was thinking 'what's this coming into my house?' and he did the same as your Stevie 'growled,hissed and spat' at her,
Meg was so forward she would just go up to him and he would spit and run up the stairs and hide, then one day she learnt how to get up the stairs and they met at the top, and i thought 'oh no! now it's going to start! but they just sniffed noses and then Tigger got away quick, it took him a few weeks before he would come into the same room as her, they just kept sniffing noses when they came face to face, everything was ok in the end tho'.
 up untill he was pts at the end of Jan he still spat at her if she got to close or to boistress but he never fought her, he seemed to just tollerate her!

it was the same when we had Marmy and Tigger came aged 6wks.

They will be fine in the end.

Chris.

[blackcat]

there will always be tensions in a household when a new member is introduced. It is a bit like having your children's spoilt cousin coming to stay. The best approach is always to let them sort it out amongst themselves. Stevie will have to learn that patch is a member of the household, and as long as Stevie is also getting cuddles, will have to accept that Patch gets them to. The only time I intervene at all is if one of them seems to be stressing out terribly (peeing outside the litter tray or whatever) or if there is bloodshed likely. Yours seem to be getting along in quite a civilised way. If you are worried that Stevie is feeling a bit stressed, get some Feliway Plugins so that the air of the house is full of 'happy cat' pheremones.

[Christina]

i just wondered, patch has become more confident this evening and has ventured out the bedroom into the rest of the flat and into the living room. the problem is she is such a fuss loving thing, she keeps trying to pester me for fuss, and trying to sit on my lap. all the while stevie is watching this and growls a bit when she sees it. should i try to stop patch from doing this? if anyone has any ideas on this is be greatfull for them! things are still going ok, i just want to make sure im doing everything right!

[Christina]

oh i see , well that makes sense. i will just leave them to it then.theyve both got their rooms and spaces to hide if either one feels threatened or anything. i dont think i need to worry by the sound of it. thanks!

[blackcat]

she is just being cautious - not quite sure what to make of Patch so going to have a look then running off making threatening noises when her nerve fails 

[Christina]

i do hope so! stevie just wondered into the bedroom and jumped on the window ledge, and didnt notice patch was sitting on the floor behind the curtain. needless to say when she noticed patch she hissed and ran off! she seams interested in patch. she keeps looking in the bedroom, but when she sees patch she runs off. patch is in the bedroom at the mo, and stevie is sitting by the door looking in at her. hopefully it will take time, but im sure they should be fine! things seam relatively calm other then the odd hissing, so fingers crossed! we got patch to keep stevie company as we both work nine to five all day during the week.

[blackcat]

sounds like round one is going just fine. Don't be too surprised if it escalates a wee bit when they unexpectedly come across one another in a dark alley, but they should be great companions, once Stevie has gotten over the shock. Good on you for adopting an older cat they are the best! 

[Christina]

hi guys,
              yesterday we picked up our new cat, called patch, to join us with our already existing cat stevie. stevie is one and a half years old, patch is a bit older, about 7 or 8 i think. i just wanted to ask what people thought about how the introduction is going. on bringing patch inside into the bedroom, we left her in her cage so that stevie could come and have a look without feeling too threatened. well, she walked in, and on seeing patch her eyes went like saucers, and she slowly walked over and went up to the cage and sniffed. she growled a little bit then ran off. patch is fine with other cats, shes so laid back, she didnt take any notice of stevie at all. we let patch out of her cage and she seams fine. she hasnt really come out of the bedroom though. she just sits on the window ledge. when we walk in she runs over and loves a fuss being made of her, purring away, though at the mo she prefers to stay in the bedroom an hasnt really ventured into the rest of the flat. stevie is coping reasonably well i think. little bit of hissing, growling. she has stayed mostly in the living room, and is a little bit grouchy, but im assuming this is normal. at the moment shes quite hapily curled up on the sofa nxt to me fast asleep. ive been paying her lots of attention and giving lots of treats. she will peer into the bedroom to look for patch, but runs off when she sees her. she did come in the bedroom lastnight and came to bed with us like she nnormally does even with patch in the room, which i was glad of as i was worried that stevie would not want to come into the bedroom while patch was there, and would miss her night time cuddles with us, but it was fine.
i guess i just wondered, does it sound like its going ok so far to people experienced in introducing new cats?  is there anything else i should do for them? and should i just leave patch to come out the bedroom in her own time, or should i try and coax her out?  i just want to do the best for them, as i know its a stressfull time for them both. thanks for any thoughts.