Author Topic: second cat advice needed  (Read 4682 times)

Offline Sue P (Paddysmum)

  • Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 27527
  • Paddy's Mum (Ginger Imposter) [Nov 90- April '11]
  • Slave to: Moray & Malt + my beautiful lost babies - Barley, Mac, Ross, and Tinks RIP babies.
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #18 on: May 03, 2014, 08:21:30 AM »
Beowulf, in cat terms believe me, those photos and the behaviour you've described indicate phenomenal success  ;D. You must be delighted

Offline beowulf

  • Adult Cat
  • ***
  • Posts: 148
  • Willow and Jessie's provider
  • Slave to: Willow and Jessie-Moo
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #17 on: May 03, 2014, 00:18:17 AM »
just wanted to say thanks for all the advice that was offered

only been a couple of weeks and they are getting on great......they have their moments. sometimes Willow can be a bit rough but little Jessie is a torment, pair of them are getting each other into mischief!.my wardrobe has become a multi story motel......keep pulling t shirts out to find they have already been covered in hair!  :shocked: not quite sharing a bed close but they do rub against each other occasionally, sometime curl up on the sofa a foot apart






bought a new bed today so we had 2,.................Willow still prefers any thing but a bed!


« Last Edit: May 03, 2014, 00:20:13 AM by beowulf »

Offline Jiji

  • Super Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 2764
  • Slave to: Algernon & Noodle
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2014, 07:52:15 AM »
Wonderful that Willow has taken to her new playmate so quickly  ;D  When I saw the latest photo's 'tuckered out' sprang to mind :)  Jessie is adorable :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:  as of course is Willow :Luv: :Luv: :Luv: 

Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

  • Rainbow Bridge/Rescue/Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 73567
  • Misa at 4yrs old and new with me
  • Slave to: Misa, Sasa, Franta Napoleon RIP, Ducha RIP and Lupin, Kocka RIP
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2014, 01:31:09 AM »
Just great ;D ;D

Offline Sue P (Paddysmum)

  • Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 27527
  • Paddy's Mum (Ginger Imposter) [Nov 90- April '11]
  • Slave to: Moray & Malt + my beautiful lost babies - Barley, Mac, Ross, and Tinks RIP babies.
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2014, 07:12:05 AM »
Wow!!  Beowulf - result !!!! :wow: :wow:

Offline beowulf

  • Adult Cat
  • ***
  • Posts: 148
  • Willow and Jessie's provider
  • Slave to: Willow and Jessie-Moo
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2014, 19:53:17 PM »
well..........i think they are wearing each other out  :rofl:  this was 15 minutes ago



Willow on the spare bed.....one of her fave spots

and Jessie has found the bed from our last cat Tiff, that Willow never took to




still not snuggly close but theres no hissing anymore, happily walk around together...........in fact one cant walk out of the room with out the other following

Offline sheilarose

  • Royal Cat
  • ******
  • Posts: 8681
  • Sly da sly - how do I love thee!
    • Cats Protection Chelmsford
  • Slave to: Sly, Theo, Ziggy, Basil, Fuzz & Dot and Rosie the Rescue dog
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2014, 12:55:17 PM »
Wonderful  :wow:

Offline beowulf

  • Adult Cat
  • ***
  • Posts: 148
  • Willow and Jessie's provider
  • Slave to: Willow and Jessie-Moo
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #11 on: April 20, 2014, 10:28:51 AM »
wait til i get some pictures  :rofl:

hissing and staring down stopped yesterday, not quite curling up together but they are playing together, chasing each other, in and out of the tunnels, chasing balls and toy mice and the lazer dot thingy.............apartment has turned into a race track  :rofl:  had to move the coffee table out of the way so they have more room

Offline Sue P (Paddysmum)

  • Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 27527
  • Paddy's Mum (Ginger Imposter) [Nov 90- April '11]
  • Slave to: Moray & Malt + my beautiful lost babies - Barley, Mac, Ross, and Tinks RIP babies.
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2014, 09:07:10 AM »


Excellent! That sounds really encouraging.  Second the advice regarding Pet Remedy - Sheila recommended it to us when we were introducing Moray and Tinks, and I really feel like it helped.

Offline sheilarose

  • Royal Cat
  • ******
  • Posts: 8681
  • Sly da sly - how do I love thee!
    • Cats Protection Chelmsford
  • Slave to: Sly, Theo, Ziggy, Basil, Fuzz & Dot and Rosie the Rescue dog
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2014, 08:55:12 AM »
Sounds like it has started well. I'd get some Pet Remedy spray in too, though. It seems to have a magically calming effect on my cats, especially the girls. I get mine from ebay. Highly recommended - it comes in a plug-in too. 200 mls is around £16 inc postage, but lasts for ages.

Offline beowulf

  • Adult Cat
  • ***
  • Posts: 148
  • Willow and Jessie's provider
  • Slave to: Willow and Jessie-Moo
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #8 on: April 18, 2014, 20:10:19 PM »



Beowulf - thought this might interest you.....


http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/


thanks....already been there and often watch his programme


well...........they have been introduced  :Crazy:

a bit of hissing and staring from both sides...............willow watches Jessie (cos thats what Misty has been renamed.....i still like Buffy since we already have a Willow  >:( ) like a hawk, Jessie wants to play but she is not sure about it.............Willow walks out of the room and Jessie follows like a shadow

will seperate them at bed time but it isnt going anywhere near as bad as i thought it would

Offline Sue P (Paddysmum)

  • Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 27527
  • Paddy's Mum (Ginger Imposter) [Nov 90- April '11]
  • Slave to: Moray & Malt + my beautiful lost babies - Barley, Mac, Ross, and Tinks RIP babies.
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2014, 17:53:11 PM »



Beowulf - thought this might interest you.....


http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/


Offline Sue P (Paddysmum)

  • Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 27527
  • Paddy's Mum (Ginger Imposter) [Nov 90- April '11]
  • Slave to: Moray & Malt + my beautiful lost babies - Barley, Mac, Ross, and Tinks RIP babies.
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2014, 13:34:17 PM »
Reassurance you've got.   ;) :hug:

Moray's "den" was our back bedroom, and that was his "time out" zone, as well as his domain, initially.  It wasnt very long at all before Tinks could be heard sniffing about outside the door, if either me or OH was in the closed room with Moray (we used to give him a set bedtime when we first brought him home, and around 9 p.m. would retire with him, snuggle up with him and tell him stories, play with him and generally tire him out.  When he dropped off, which he inevitably did, we'd tip-toe out of the room like conspirators  :evillaugh:)

The curiousity factor is the big thing with cats getting to know each other.  It's much more likely they'll accept each other if they're curious. 

Ours now interchange their favourite spots (although it has to be said that young Master Moray has bagged most of Tinks' former favourites - though he will graciously share if Tinks really does want one of them back  :evillaugh:) and are often to be found curled up together, or stretched out alongside each other, which is really sweet.

Just keep on doing what you're doing, I think.    :)

Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

  • Rainbow Bridge/Rescue/Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 73567
  • Misa at 4yrs old and new with me
  • Slave to: Misa, Sasa, Franta Napoleon RIP, Ducha RIP and Lupin, Kocka RIP
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2014, 13:25:30 PM »
If one or both are unhappy in a room where the other one has been you should not be letting them meet at all.

They need to ne happy in that room and every other room before meeting, slow means slow

Offline beowulf

  • Adult Cat
  • ***
  • Posts: 148
  • Willow and Jessie's provider
  • Slave to: Willow and Jessie-Moo
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2014, 12:41:43 PM »
ive read the threads on here, just wanted some more reassurance  :innocent:

had misty in the front room with us all morning, she is getting more settled, exploring, getting into mischief, sitting on the window sill watching the world go by (which will be interesting in the future cos thats willows fave spot  lol )...............willow has had the bedrooms (second fave spot is the spare bed lol) , had to entice her into our bedroom where misty has been, very reluctant to explore

we cracked open the door a little so they have seen each other, hissed at each other and willow backed off!!.....i thought it was going to be the other way round!


be a few weeks before they introduced properly

Offline Sue P (Paddysmum)

  • Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 27527
  • Paddy's Mum (Ginger Imposter) [Nov 90- April '11]
  • Slave to: Moray & Malt + my beautiful lost babies - Barley, Mac, Ross, and Tinks RIP babies.
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2014, 07:34:20 AM »
Hello Beowulf.

It does sound like you're taking this good and steady, which is very sensible, given Willow's initial history.

There are a few threads on  here which are recent, dealing with introductions, and on which you might find some useful hints and tips - the site swapping  is something you're already trying, and plug ins such as pet remedy or feliway might also be a useful thing to try.

When we got Moray, we used Pet Remedy plug ins - one upstairs on the landing, and one downstairs in the living room, and whilst I dont know if the intros would've gone as well anyway, I dont think they did any harm, and I do believe they had a calming effect on the oldest of our two cats, who was also the flightiest.

You also have to try and relax when you do eventually give them some time in a room together, otherwise they'll pick up on your anxiety, and it will aggravate any nervousness.  Make sure when you do try introductions, you have something handy to distract one/both of them in the event there's any perceived unpleasantness.  It's often better to try and instigate play with a flying toy before it gets to a dodgy stage, as play will intrigue and engage both of them to a lesser or greater degree.  Often if one cat is playing, the other will watch and see what interaction is going on.  They may try and join in (always a good sign). 

If you can, make sure Willow always has a safe place to retreat to, so her access routes are largely kept clear to begin with.  If she likes to perch higher up, make sure she has available spaces to do so, or buy a bigger scratchingpost/play platform for her to explore.

Most cats will learn to tolerate each other eventually, even if its just to respect each other's space and keep out of the  other one's way. 

It's always a bit of a nerve wracking time, but in most cases, carefully managed introductions will pay dividends, and it sounds like you're handling this in a very intuitive manner already.

Keep us posted with progress reports.   :)

Misty is beautiful, by the way.   :Luv:

Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

  • Rainbow Bridge/Rescue/Moderating Staff
  • Purrrrrfect Cat
  • *****
  • Posts: 73567
  • Misa at 4yrs old and new with me
  • Slave to: Misa, Sasa, Franta Napoleon RIP, Ducha RIP and Lupin, Kocka RIP
Re: second cat advice needed
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2014, 20:37:55 PM »
Not much I can say really but what ewver you do, do it very slowly.......not days but weeks or months if necessarily.

Do not attempt to mix unless you are very confident.

Do you have plug ins, if not this maybe a good idea.

Offline beowulf

  • Adult Cat
  • ***
  • Posts: 148
  • Willow and Jessie's provider
  • Slave to: Willow and Jessie-Moo
second cat advice needed
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2014, 11:44:10 AM »
quick potted history then i need some advice..........

we got Willow a year ago, she is about 2-ish now, she was a rescue kitty from Cats Protection, i wouldnt say she had been abused, more neglected, she was a real scaredy cat, slightest noise or sudden movement and she would hide...............its taken a year but now she is far more confidant, likes to play (got more toys than the average child of the same age  :rofl: ), loves cuddles etc

we have been thinking about getting a second kitty as a companion for her for a while

6 months ago the step daughters cat had kittens, her brother/the step son had one but things have changed and he can no longer keep her unfortunatly

we have Misty on a trial period to see how she gets on with Willow................we really want them to get on

Misty is the cutest fluffiest thing possible but she is a bit scared by it all understandibly

so far (we have had her a few days) we have kept them physically apart

we have had Misty in her box while Willow has be able to roam, and the other way round..................Willow has taken a bit of a dislike......hissing and staring down Misty..............this is understanable really as Willow suddenly has an intuder in 'her' domain

we have been keeping them apart for most of the time, Misty has been staying in our bedroom whislt Willow has the front room......but we swop them, hoping that they are getting used to each others scent

plan is to give it a week before actually introducing them to each other but we are expecting Willow to be agressive and we are expecting a few spats til they sort out the pecking order, but i really dont want to see little Misty get hurt, as Willow is so much bigger and apparently dominant. Misty is confused enough as it is being in a new environment with strange smells every where

my questions are.............are we doing it correctly and what else can we do to make things go smoothly?


this is little Misty



 


Link to CatChat