fetrow@entropy.UUCP (David Fetrow) (01/18/85)
There
<Is a 'bug' in this group a flea?>
How to introduce cats:
There was unamonous consensus that any old cats had best be nutered long
before the cats meet (by old I mean near or past sexual maturity). They
hardly ever get along at first, in fact they typically sound like they
will kill each other. This stage lasts from an hour to 3 weeks. All the
books say it's easier to introduce a kitten to an older cat than two
older cats. The animals seem to sense the difference between a 'guest'
cat <which rarely causes a problem for more than a day> and a new add-
ition to the family, which is trickier.
Some really nice ideas submited were:
1] Spoil the original cat silly. The new kittem may be cute but it really
doesn't know what to expect of humans-a little affection goes a long
way with the kitten <They're usually a little skitish about people
anyway>.
2] Get a closed cardboard box and cut a hole just big enough for the kitten.
Even if the kitten is more of a bully than the original cat the big cat
is more likely to do physical damage to the kitten.
3] NOBODY EVER REPORTED ANY SERIOUS INJURIES TO THE CATS.
It was occassionally (very rare) necessary to get rid of one of the
animals. One poor soul had his cats suddenly hate each other after a full
year. Nobody else reported such a problem. In any case have an alternate
home for the new cat lined up, just in case.
It usually took a couple of weeks before the animals begin acting affect-
ionate toward each other, sometimes it takes even longer.
Essentially the key ideas are 1> The cats will work it out, 2> The original
cat will be incredibly jealous for awhile <especially at first don't get
too chummy with the kitten>, 3> It sounds worse than it is.
It also gets easier the more you do it, although it is possible to push
an animal so far it runs away.
One last point: The original cat may change and not all the changes are
temporary. My guy is no longer as affectionate, he now has company while
I'm gone (The kitten). For several weeks he refused to sleep with the
kitten and I but now that the kitten is less hyper he has returned to
his place in the bed. I take the original guy out for walks (without the
kitten) and he enjoys that very much. It may have helped.
- Bastguy, Darkstar, and Dave Fetrow
{microsoft, ihnp4, fluke}!uw-beaver!entropy!fetrow
*lat@leopard.UUCP (Laurie Topor) (01/18/85)
> All the books say it's easier to introduce a kitten to an older cat than two > older cats. The animals seem to sense the difference between a 'guest' > cat <which rarely causes a problem for more than a day> and a new add- > ition to the family, which is trickier. > Since there is a slight chance that I may be moving, I have a question... The friend I might be moving in with has two 12-year old cats, both female, both spayed. He has had them since they were kittens. The calico is very outgoing and friendly, the grey-and-white is timid, but will come to me (Hey, I'm the only member of her fan club....). I have a 6-year old (or so the vet tells me) female grey-and-white. She has been spayed. Also according to the vet, she has had litters before. I have only had her about 1 1/2 months, I don't know where she came from, and we are still getting used to each other . (If I move, I plan on doing it around June or later). How do we go about introducing these three cats? Laurie
suki@reed.UUCP (Monica J Nosek) (01/21/85)
Keywords:"vicious kitties", "broken furniture" We acquired a cute, fuzzy, white-footed black kitten back in September. She has since grown into a beautiful, sleek, white-footed black monster. Okay, not a monster; a fiend, maybe. Entropy is currently making little headway in adjusting to the new cute, fuzzy, etc. tiger kitten that we brought home from the pound. Dexter holds her own against Entropy, despite size, strength, and balance differences, but I just hope that they hash it out soon. The thing is, the article on kitty introductions appeared just after we got Dexter; "What a boon," we thought. We read it carefully and are doing our best to make sure that Entropy didn't feel "left out" or "second-best" with the new kid around. Oh, it works when we're in the same room as the two little beasts, and Entropy quits beating on Dexter when we tell her to, but as soon as we leave the immediate vicinity the most horrible crashing and thumping can be heard as Entropy takes advantage of our absence to show Dexter who's boss. How does one go about eliminating this sneakiness on the part of our devilish kittens? I've about had it with 7 a.m. thumping in the upstairs living room....and the furniture can't take much more abuse. Let's hope it doesn't continue much longer, and we can be a happy family once more. Hmm, it's too quiet in the next room...oops, not anymore. What more can I do?!?!? Monica (and a VERY BAD Entropy & Dexter)