Cat people

abbalish

Ever since I found a stray cat at a bar a couple weeks ago (who ended up being taken home by someone else), I have been pondering getting another kitty.

I have one cat, Lola, who is somewhere between 7-8.  She is very loving to H and me but she is rather spoiled and whenever she's been around other cats she gets all hissy and mean.  But!  Five years ago I went to Europe for a month and she stayed with my friend who has a cat, and after 3 days of being mean they got along.

So, for those of you that have multiple cats, did you get them at the same time, or did you have one first and then get the other?  Was it hard?  Do you have any advice for making my cat not be mean to another cat?  What about two girl cats vs. a boy and a girl cat?  Also, if we have a lot of travelling coming up, do you think that would be bad for bringing a new kitty home?

smokeybailey

Mine were litter mates and if one passes, I won't get another until that one is gone.  And then I still won't get another.  I need a cat break.

They are 13.

Hi, Abbie!  How are you!  Any trips to Vegas planned? 

danieliza1127

When I had a roommate, she had a cat and then got a kitten.  We kept the kitten in her bedroom and kept the cat out, and just let them be together a little bit each day to get used to each other.  It worked out. 

I wouldn't get a kitten if you're going to be out of town a lot coming up though, because you know, it's like leaving a baby home alone.    They need to be kept in a smaller space when they're kittens, and they need to learn their litter box and stuff.  Plus if you're worried about your older cat messing with the kitten, I definitely wouldn't leave them alone together for long stretches until you know they're okay together.

Brie2010

We got Southpaw about 7 months after we got Buckley.  Things were pretty rocky at first--fighting, hissing, biting--but after about 3 weeks, they figured each other out and now they love each other.  It takes awhile for cats to figure out a pecking order, but once they've got it, they're usually fine.

Opposite-gender pairs tend to do better.  When I volunteered at a shelter, we were told to try to avoid adopting two females together because they tend to be more picky and biitchy about dominance issues.  Your best bet would be a male kitten/young cat--she may assume a mothering role over it (some cats do) or she might not.  But yeah, opposite sexes are the way to go.

saxy414

We have two cats, and we got the second when our first was about a year and a half old.  We've had her since September of last year, and they basically just tolerate each other.  I have heard that keeping the new cat shut in a different room or part of the house for several days and letting them sniff at the door at each other without actually having any contact helps a lot with the transition.   

abbalish

That's kind of what I was thinking, dani....except I can't stop obsessing over kitties!  One of my friends messaged me on Facebook the other day to tell me that someone had dumped a litter of kittens on her boyfriend's sister's property, and they are SO CUTE!

Hi smokey!  I am tentatively planning on going back to Vegas next February or March.  Maybe over Presidents Day weekend (because damn, I love federal holidays to minimize how much time off I take from work), or maybe later in March to celebrate my big 3-0.   Actually, if the Reds make it to the World Series we will probably go back in the fall too.  What about you?

tidetravel

Well, I have 7, so...

I think it really depends.  Socializing cats at that age can be difficult.  Some are old and cantankerous, and don't want to be bothered.  Others thoroughly enjoy the company.  Many simply tolerate the newcomer. 

All of ours were added one at a time over the period of about 4 years.  They were kind of just thrown together, and I think after #4, the original ones just stopped caring, "Oh look.  It's another cat.  Goody."

I wouldn't bring a new kitty home until you know that you can be home for a while.  If you're traveling, you won't be there to monitor the socialization, and the cats will be left to fend for themselves.

There are 2 ways to look at the age issue when adopting.  Younger cats are usually easier to socialize than older cats that are set in their ways, however, younger cats can also aggravate an older cat.  It really depends on your particular cat's attitude.

I've found (in my personal experience) that if you already have a female cat, it's easier to bring a male cat into the mix.  Females of any species can be bitches, and don't take too kindly to those that would threaten their "queen bee" title.

I would suggest looking into adopting from a rescue rather than a shelter, in your case.  Many rescues allow you to have a trial period with the animal that you adopt, in order to make sure that the animals get along.  If they don't, the rescue gladly accepts them back, and will usually work to find a pet that is a good fit for your household.   

tidetravel

As far as introducing them, allow the new cat to have it's own "room" for a little while.  It needs to have some place that it feels safe before he/she gets introduced to the other cats.  Once the new kitty has a few days in there by itself, you can start to bring old kitty in on supervised visits, or just open the door and allow new kitty to explore.

Expect some conflict in the first few weeks.  It's normal as the cats try to determine the new pecking order. 

apnk2005

I would avoid getting a baby, if your cat is 7-8 years old.  But a young adult (1-2 years) would probably be okay. 

When I was working at a shelter, we tried to avoid the female pairings, too.  Some females do fine together, but others do not.  If your cat gets all hissy and mean around other cats, she might be one of those who wants to more dominant, and would probably do better with a boy.

One other thing I've done when socializing cats together is to swap scents.  Give the new kitty a bed or towel to sleep on, and then switch it with a bed or towel your old cat sleeps on.  That will give them a chance to get used to each other's smell...

opalsky007

I'm no help, since we don't have cats yet, but are hoping to adopt in the next few weeks. But we've been worried about this same issue, and plan on adopting a pair so that they'll grow up together. To boot, our local foster programs have several pairs of littermates that they want to send home together, and since a lot of people can't take two at a time, we'd be helping them out.

Whatever you decide, I hope it goes smoothly!

salt78

We have two cats. Oskar was 3 when we bought Grover home. (Grover was a little kitten at the time.) We didn't have any problems at all. We started with them separated and let them sniff each other through the door. Then we allowed them to spend time around each other supervised in the same room. They never really faught very much and Oskar seemed pretty comfortable with G after about a week.

I am so happy that we ended up getting another cat though. He keeps Oskar active and they can play with each other while H and I are at work.

salt78

Oh and Oskar was a VERY spoiled only 'child' before G, so I wasn't sure if it would work out either, but everything ended up being just fine.

smokeybailey

I'll be in Vegas in August.  We ususally go in March for march madness.  Where did you end up staying yoru most recent visit?

abbalish

We stayed at the Paris last time.  The best thing about it was probably the location. But, did I tell you, we finally made it down to Fremont Street and we loved it!  Apparently cheap gambling is more important to me than I thought it was.  I think next time we go we'll either stay downtown, or at Bill's Gamblin' Hall on the Strip, where we did about 95% of our gambling last time.  Bill's really doesn't feel Strip-y but the location is great.

It's possible we'd be there over March Madness - my birthday is March 22, which is almost always during the games.  Actually we were there for the finals this year, it was fun even though neither of us won our bets.

Catwoman708

Allow only supervised contact between them for a while.  Let them work out their "pecking order" for themselves, as long as they aren't hurting each other. 

I think it helps if one of them is a kitten.  Sometimes that brings out maternal instincts in an older cat, but sometimes they just seem annoyed and don't want to be bothered.  Usually to the consternation of the kitten, who just wants to play. 

For discipline, a water pistol, or squirt bottle helps, or one of those cans of compressed air (like for cleaning computer keyboards) works even better. 

starla827

If you will not be home much, I would definitely recommend getting an older car (over a year).  Also, I agree with PPs that you should give the new cat his own "space" for a little while so they can each get used to each others scents in their own private environment.  After you have the cats for a few days, I would start leaving the door open a little while you are at home to allow the new cat to come out if they want.  When you think they are ready, they you can leave it open full time and let the cats have full access to the house.

Some cats do well with new pets, others not so much.  My one friendly cat (Simba) loves people, but does not like other animals.  He hisses at outdoor cats and passing dogs.  When we were cat-sitting for a friend, he wanted nothing to do with the other cats and would chase them away.  Our other not friendly cat (Nala), is scared of all people - including me - but likes to play with other cats.  When we had those cats, she came out to play with them whenever she got a chance.

Tasianab

I had my kitty, The Shmoosh, from Georgia and he was about 4 when we adopted Noodle. Both are boys and first The Shmoosh was up in arms, Noodle could have cared less. After about a week they were best friends and still snuggle together every night.

Then, about three months ago, we took in another homeless kitty - a girl this time. We named her Tonks and she cannot be bothered with either of the boys and they don't really care about her. She does get after them sometimes - it's so funny to see these two big tom cats run from her, she's so small!

All in all, I think that time is the key in these situations. Just let them go about it at their own pace and in their own way. Good luck! I love kitties!!

mandysmear

We just got a little guy.  Stewee is the biigest biitch I know.  She is not nice to most people or other animals.  She ignores our dog now.  We had her for 2.5 years before we had him. 

So, we got a male kitten.  I thought that would be the best.  And sure enough they play, sleep together, love each other. 

She straightens him out when he's playing to rough.  She'll bite him extra hard, or when she wants him to get lost she'll hiss and go find a quiet space.  It's been about 3 weeks and we cannot believe how well this is turning out to be!