New Cat

[UGetPaid]

 
We just adopted a new cat into our family. He was a stray that some kids at our daughter’s dance studio ‘took in’ back in May. He was pretty much malnourished and had a bad goopy eye injury going on. He has been in 2 or 3 different households since then, but they all had dogs which he was afraid of and would cower and hide the entre time. So he ended up back at the dance studio for much of the months of June and July and my wife and daughter got attached to him after seeing him daily. He is very affectionate toward people and definitely not a feral cat.
 
So when wife decided to find him a home and my mom (whose apartment has a no-pets policy, but she has a doctor’s note saying that she would benefit from the companionship of a pet) was reluctant to take him, I told her that we could take him if she was so attached.
 
That was in early July and we had to wait several weeks because we were going to be away and we also had to schedule him for a neuter surgery – which got bumped twice. He also needed surgery on his eye injury – so they finally got that taken care of last Friday morning and he then came home to us that afternoon. They estimate him to be about two years old, but my sister said he could be up to five.
 
We already have a 9 year old female in the house and are hoping to socialize the two to each other once his eye sutures and cone are off. But until then, we have him locked up in one room while she has reign over the rest of the house. Each knows that the other one is there and neither seems to be overly agitated about it, so hopefully it will go well when we introduce them in about a week or so. I think the plan is to put him into a crate and bring him out into the main part of the house for a brief spell – and then doing the same in reverse with her into his room the next day.
 
As my sister said (she’s worked for many years in various animal rescue shelters) when it comes to introducing new cats - they don’t have to be best friends, they just need to be tolerant of each other.
 
Here’s hoping for tolerance!
 

[Nancy5]

Good luck and thank you for saving his life!  I am very big into rescue and have many pets in my home.  What I do is being the new one into a room, door closed with litter box, food, water, toys.  The next day I put a baby gate and open the door so everyone can see each other.  You might hear spitting or growling that's ok.  Then I introduce the "old" cats to the new one with me right there.  After a few checking each out they should be ok.   They may never be "best friends" but as long as one cat doesn't spend time looking ( aggressively) for the other cat it will be ok.  Please let us know and thank you again!

[countrygirl12]

I dreamed I got a puppy last night.  Then someone stole him. I woke up before I injured the person who stole my puppy.

[gwilson31]

I dreamed I got a kitten last night and some big, old bulldog ran up and ate her.  (I woke up all upset)

Anyways, good luck with your newest family member.

[sfreeman8]

I wish someone would save my kittens. I was going to spay/neuter the adults that their mom dropped off as kittens. (at that time it wasa 6) Over the year, a nasty feral came and chased 3 of them away. I'm sure they are dead, especially the males because they never left the porch for long.  My Avatar is one of the kittens. She died 3 weeks after she was spayd. I was going to get help for the 2 females and 1 male that was left, plus they were going to trap the nasty feral and take him somewhere..but it all fell through.The 2 females left got pregnant a month apart. I now have 5 gorgeous kids from mom #1 and  4 from mom #2. Mom #2 is not a very good mom. She left one of the kittens under the porch and never went for it. It cried and cried but we couldn't get to it either. It was awful and it died. These are both mom's second litters. All their kittens from the first litters were dead at birth.  The mom's weren't even a year old then.

Anyway, I'm trying to get a shelter to take the kittens because I can't take care of 12 cats but they're all saying the same thing -- We're full and have no room.  I certainly can't get them ALL fixed living on SS. I'm socializing the newest batch. I tried with the first batch but they were quite large when mom allowed them to explore. One male is so beautiful and I named him Fearless, because he's  not afraid of anything.

Sorry for the long story but I don't know where to turn. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[countrygirl12]

I wish someone would save my kittens. I was going to spay/neuter the adults that their mom dropped off as kittens. (at that time it wasa 6) Over the year, a nasty feral came and chased 3 of them away. I'm sure they are dead, especially the males because they never left the porch for long.  My Avatar is one of the kittens. She died 3 weeks after she was spayd. I was going to get help for the 2 females and 1 male that was left, plus they were going to trap the nasty feral and take him somewhere..but it all fell through.The 2 females left got pregnant a month apart. I now have 5 gorgeous kids from mom #1 and  4 from mom #2. Mom #2 is not a very good mom. She left one of the kittens under the porch and never went for it. It cried and cried but we couldn't get to it either. It was awful and it died. These are both mom's second litters. All their kittens from the first litters were dead at birth.  The mom's weren't even a year old then.

Anyway, I'm trying to get a shelter to take the kittens because I can't take care of 12 cats but they're all saying the same thing -- We're full and have no room.  I certainly can't get them ALL fixed living on SS. I'm socializing the newest batch. I tried with the first batch but they were quite large when mom allowed them to explore. One male is so beautiful and I named him Fearless, because he's  not afraid of anything.

Sorry for the long story but I don't know where to turn. Any suggestions would be helpful.

The nasty feral?  Seriously?  He isn't nasty.  And it is not really his fault he is wild and never had a home.

I wonder why the "they" are that was going to trap him and "take him somewhere"?  Trap him and drop him off somewhere else?.

If the kitten under the porch was not able to be reached that really isn't the momma's fault.  I also think when female cats get pregnant almost like a breeding machine they are less loving to their kittens.

I don't really know what to do if your local shelter will not take them.  Maybe contact the humane society in your state.  OR call the ASPCA or whatever that other one on TV all the time is begging for money and yapping about how much they care about animals.  Explain your story to them.  Tell them your local shelter has refused to take the animals and they are going to starve to death because YOU cannot feed them.

If you do Facebook put something on there. People are suckers for animals.  Esp if they think they are going to die.

[beatsdrop]

Congrats for the new addition to the family! It's great you adopted too.

[UGetPaid]

So far so good... They aren't best friends and there is at least one daily "get the bleep away from me" hiss from one of the cats directed towards the other.  But they are co-existing without any outright fights and neither has acted out in other ways to show us any displeasure with the living arrangements.

[countrygirl12]

So far so good... They aren't best friends and there is at least one daily "get the bleep away from me" hiss from one of the cats directed towards the other.  But they are co-existing without any outright fights and neither has acted out in other ways to show us any displeasure with the living arrangements.

Fine!  I will tolerate you but we are not friends!  Well, we can be friends just not when the hooman is around. lol

[debidoo]

  Hate to be like this but if I personally never had to live with another cat I would be so happy.  I was never a cat person.  I mean they are cute but for me that is afar.  We have two cats we got at least 18 years ago and I only agreed to it because my sons begged lol on bended knee.  They were pretty much "kids" then but now they are grown one has left home and the other doesn't do the litter box like he should so my utility/laundry room is disgusting sometimes.  I gave in and started feeding them but when they are gone off to kitty heaven I am done.  Well done with my rant enjoy your new cat.

[1imaginarygirl]

Hate to be like this but if I personally never had to live with another cat I would be so happy.  I was never a cat person.  I mean they are cute but for me that is afar.  We have two cats we got at least 18 years ago and I only agreed to it because my sons begged lol on bended knee.  They were pretty much "kids" then but now they are grown one has left home and the other doesn't do the litter box like he should so my utility/laundry room is disgusting sometimes.  I gave in and started feeding them but when they are gone off to kitty heaven I am done.  Well done with my rant enjoy your new cat.

Honestly, I love all animals, including cats. But I don't think I ever want another one either. My one and only cat has been way more work than any dog I've ever had. I love her, but good grief, she is needy. LoL!

[sdenimandlace1]

We may have another outside cat, once my sisters animals are gone, we have lots of land and they always want to go in dogs fenced in yard.