Zelda's new sister

[Lacey]

Well, I went to the Adoption Option to talk to the lady that I got Zelda from so that I could find out how to go about getting her medical records. And while I was there, I saw this tiny black and white girl. I wasn't planning on bringing her home, but something in her face was just begging to come with me. The lady at the Adoption Option told me that when they got the poor little girl, she was being kept in a shed with a bunch of other cats and was just being fed whatever, so she'd been pretty malnourished. As a result, her teeth are kind of messed up and she's extremely tiny.

Right now I've got the new baby (Isabel) set up in the bathroom. I've let her out to wander a couple of times, which doesn't make Zelda all that happy.

Tried getting her to stand by a dvd case to get a good size reference pic. That didn't work out too well.

http://img41.photobucket.com/albums/v127/lacey5480/newcat_006.jpg

http://img41.photobucket.com/albums/v127/lacey5480/newcat_007.jpg

One of my favorites so far...

http://img41.photobucket.com/albums/v127/lacey5480/izzy_002.jpg

And how's Zelda taking it? See for yourself!

http://img41.photobucket.com/albums/v127/lacey5480/zelda_041.jpg

Any tips on integrating the two would be greatly welcomed! Right now Zelda's at the stage where she makes little growly noises when Isabel comes into sight, which is why I haven't let Izzy out to wander much yet.

[Aspen and Misty]

OMG! ADORABLE!!!! THank you for saving this baby!!! I bet she sends you a thousand thanks for the new, warm home! She is adorable!!!


CONGRATS!

Ash

[jazzcat]

She's beautiful. How old is she?

As for introducing them, go slowly. Let the new kitty get used to her new surroundings and smell Zelda under the door and let Zelda get used to the idea that a new cat is in the house.

There are many more qualified people here to tell you what to do but in my experiences taking it slowly is the best.

[Lacey]

We're definitely taking it pretty slowly. I've only let Izzy out of the bathroom once today, and that was just to put her in the carrier and take her to the living room so that I could get a shower.

As for her age, well, the paperwork I was given on her said 6 months, but the lady that had her at the Adoption Option said that from the condition of her teeth, she would guess that Izzy's about a year old.

[jazzcat]

When I brought Scout home I kept her in the guest room for about a 7-10 days. I didn't let Ripley or Jazz even see her until she had been here about 4 days. Jazz would reach under the door and touch paws with her. Then on the fifth or sixth day I decided to let everyone meet briefly. There was a little hissing but that was about it and I only let her stay out for about 5 mins. From there I started letting her out more and for longer periods of time - always supervised. By day 10 she was staying out all the time.

You never know, Zelda and Izzy may hit it off from the start but don't count on it. Expect some hissing and hopefully no fighting. None of my three cats are buddies. Lets just say for the most part the tolerate each other and between Scout and Ripley it is barely that.

Best of luck and congrats on the new addition. Keep us posted on her progress please.

[catmandu]

One way taht I have heard , is to inore Izzy , so that she will be more likely to Pal with Zelda! It took a while For Pouncer , and Scrappy , but they became the Best Of Buds. Good Luck , and please keep us informed. After all even the Chicago ES , took some time , to be friends!

[Lacey]

Thanks for the advice! I've certainly made no moves to thrust the two together. Izzy is still confined to the bathroom, with a bit of cardboard slid under the door to keep her from "digging" at the carpet. She was only digging last night, though. Today she's been fairly quiet.

Zelda seems a little less mad at me, but she's definitely ignoring the bathroom right now. We just finished a little nap on the bed together, and just a minute ago she hopped up on the keyboard and lay across it like she normally does when I'm trying to type something. :rolleyes: So I guess that means I'm forgiven for the moment.

I figure I'll have to pop Izzy back in the carrier in the morning when I get a shower because Zelda likes to follow me into the bathroom and wait on top of the toilet until I get out of the shower.

[PayItForward]

Congratulations on your new furbaby :)

Here is how we introduce ours but every cat introduction can be different :)

http://www.piftails.com/main/articles/general/introducingnewcat.html

Good Luck :)

[Lacey]

Thanks, PIF! That'll be a huge help! Izzy had definitely decided last night that she was ready to explore, so she'd gotten a few minutes out of the bathroom, but not very long at all. It did take her some time to get used to being in the bathroom, and her hiding place of choice (behind the toilet) left me calling her "potty kitty" all day yesterday.

Every time I've been in to check on her today, she's been curled up in the kitty bed, but she gets up when I come in there. Whenever I come out of the bathroom, however, Zelda won't let me touch her for about 5-10 minutes. After that, we're ok again.

I've started swapping out toys so that they can get used to each other's scents that way. And I figure we'll try for letting Izzy wander again in a couple of days. Especially if Zelda starts showing some interest in her through the door.

[catnapper]

My, Zelda looks thrilled! Isabel is a petite little lady! Welcome Isabel to your new forever home where you'' get all of the love and food you'll ever need!

[Lacey]

Oh, Zelda's so very thrilled. So thrilled that she gave me the "here's my back" treatment all night last night. ^_~ But she's definitely back to cuddling with me now at least.