frear@ihnp1.UUCP (L. Frear) (01/27/86)
Well, Isaac The Biting Kitten is mellowing with age. Now we have a new
problem. I feel terribly guilty that he doesn't have a playmate. I
really **DON'T** want another cat, I don't think I could travel with
two of the little beasties in my tiny car. (I drive about 700 miles
every other weekend.)
Isaac is rather big for his six months, so I don't think I could get a
small kitty, but I'd like to get a very young one so I could teach
him/her/it to behave in the car, etc... (if I get one at all.)
ANYWAY, am I just being silly? Does Isaac need a playmate? (I work
and he is alone all day.) Do I feel worse about him being alone than
he does? What if they don't hit it off? What if I have to come home to
twice as big a mess? What if they fight? What if......
Anyone WITH EXPERIENCE in this matter, PLEASE send me mail and let me know
if two kitties are better than one.
--
Lori Frear
ihnp4!ihnp3!frear
GO BLUE!!!!!!!
(or don't bother going at all)
maryf@orca.UUCP (Klein) (01/29/86)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** Yes, I believe that one cat needs a playmate. Especially if you work all day. They get lonely. From my experience you will avoid behavioral problems if they have a playmate. My experience was, when our kitten was old enough to leave outside when we were at work, she discovered the neighbors cat. She would leave at 6 a.m. and not return until 11 p.m. when the neighbor brought her cat in. Regardless of whether we were home or not. We got another kitten to keep her at home and she took it hook line and sinker. Two cats really are not much more work than one. Then you can leave the cats home together when you go away for the weekend and not feel guilty. When you see the two playing, sleeping, and bathing together you will know you did the right thing. They both come to the both of us humans for our affection and they both seek out each for feline affection. We have a unique situation in that our neighbor has three cats of her own. Both of our cats go over to her house to play with her cats. Our cats have a box at our neighbors house that they can sleep in. She even lets them in her house. If we are at home that stay around our house, but when we are not home she seeks out attention at the neighbors. They must need it. Sometimes if we come home late at night and the cats are not around, we call the neighbor and say we're home now, you can let the cats out, and they come bounding across the yard. Just think if you were locked in a house all day with no one to talk to, and no choice in the matter. My experience in introducing a new kitten is, it works best if both are still kittens. Sex and litter mates do not make any difference. It is the individual cats. Some older cats will not accept another kitten even if they are used to having other cats around. Mary Flood-Klein tektronix!orca!maryf
andyc@hplsla.UUCP (andyc) (01/29/86)
>Anyone WITH EXPERIENCE in this matter, PLEASE send me mail and let me know >if two kitties are better than one. PLEASE post a summary of responses! I have the same question! My cat, Addie, was raised with another (more adventuresome) cat, and as a result is now alone. Addie was really depressed for three months after Chessa's death. What I'm worried about is whether Addie will be terribly jealous or not. (She certainly is whenever guests stay over). andy hplsla!andyc
frear@ihnp1.UUCP (L. Frear) (01/29/86)
Thanks to all who sent mail. Isaac has a new buddy. My roomate decided
she wanted her own little furball. Mo is just over a year old. Since
my roomie and I will be parting ways in September (back to grad school!)
this temporary situation will determine whether I get another brat or
not.
If anyone is interested, I'll let you know if two kitties are better
than one.
--
Lori Frear
ihnp4!ihnp3!frear
GO BLUE!!!!!!!
(or don't bother going at all)
stewart@ihlpf.UUCP (R. J. Stewart) (01/31/86)
> Now we have a new > problem. I feel terribly guilty that he doesn't have a playmate. > > ANYWAY, am I just being silly? Does Isaac need a playmate? (I work > and he is alone all day.) I might point out that many of the local animal shelters will not allow someone to take just 1 cat if there's not going to be anyone at home all day. It's their position that cats get miserably bored with no one around. This seemed to be true of our first kitten. After we'd had him a while, he would get really upset when we were both leaving for work. He'd get a really panicked look on his face, then he'd jump on us and cling to us and cry. It was so heart-rendering that we got another cat even though we hadn't planned on having more than one. This seemed to work; they don't get upset now when we leave. As for introducing the two cats, you might try this. Bring in the new cat and immediately put him in a closed room with his own food, water, and litter box. leave him in there for a couple of days (with frequent visits, of course). This seems to work well for the new cat since it gives him a chance to get acclimated before having to deal with other animals. The present cat, of course, knows something is in there and is so curious that by the time you introduce them that he may not mind having a new resident. It is likely that they'll get along, especially if they are the only playmates available for each other during the day. Despite some initial hissing and growling, our cats are now the best of buddies. Good luck Bob Stewart ihnp4!ihlpf!stewart
medley@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (02/03/86)
Tha only thing I've discovered that must be avoided in multiple cat families is more than one dominant cat. Dominant cats come in both male and female flavors, and make it very difficult to sleep at night. Also, there is competitive territory marking, which makes everything difficult. (Ever invite people to dinner and, halfway through, have a guest point out that your cat is using the window sill instead of the kitty litter? Or worse, your teenage daughter has a new acquaintance of the opposite sex come to call, and when he gets ready to leave his jacket has been used for kitty litter.) After a few such experiences, our extra cat was sent to live elsewhere, and our basic three - one foreman and two worker cats - live quite peacefully together. The offending cat now lives with a dog, and she is sufficiently dominant that there is no longer a need for marking territory. She's a great cat, but she can't be with some other cats.