Fostering an Adult Cat - Will Siamese Freak?

[elizabethann]

A co-worker's baby may be allergic to their male cat, so I've agreed to foster it for a month to see if in fact it's the cat the baby is allergic to. So, this fostering may be permanent thing. I don't know.

I think the dog, Fenway, and my 3-legged cat, JoJo, will be fine with the new addition. It's my Siamese, Olivia, that I'm worried about.

I have flashbacks of when I was little. We had a Siamese and had to cat sit its brother for a week. My Mom kept them separate but then decided to let them meet. Well my Mom ended up in the emergency room with stitches cause the brother cat bit her right on the nose.

I know I have to keep them separate for about 1 week or so.

But does anybody have any other thoughts? Any stories or experiences you can share with me about having 2 adult cats meet?

Thank you!

[Karen]

Proceeding with caution is always best, if there's a way you can get Olivia used to the scent of the new boy even before you bring him home, that might help. Do you have a room you could sequester him in where they could maybe smell each other under the door, etc?

It's one of those situations where you kind of never know until you try. I have know Siamese that were completely fine with any new cats, and others that disdained everyone but their human.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Just take the introductions very slowly. Every cat is different but hissing and growling can be expected even in the nicest cats. I've always found that introducing kittens to adult cats is much easier than introducing 2 adults. I think that my easiest adult introduction was Sky. I didn't have a roommate at the time so he was able to stay in the second bedroom for 1 week. I would slowly let him out under supervision and he got along with everyone and for the most part everyone also got along with him.

I've also found that it's harder for females to accept newbies than males. I've now had Alani & Blaze for almost 6 months now and both of my females Ziggy & Pearl will still sometimes hiss and growl at them. My males Storm & Sky are very good with them and they will even lick their heads. To me females seem much more territorial. My Pearl is also a Lynx Point Siamese mix and even though she's petite, she's very bossy, feisty, and demanding. She desperately wants to be the alpha cat but Storm isn't willing to let her have this position.

I hope that everything will go smoothly for you and your current animals. Good luck.

[elizabethann]

Thank you so much. I will put the new cat in my guest bedroom. They'll be able to smell eachother under the door.

I like the idea of bringing something that smells like that cat to the house before I bring the cat in. I think I will do that.

I know this cat will disrupt our happy family. I just hope that he will learn to settle in and be a part of our group.

Thanks again!

[catmandu]

That id basic rule that introductions are best made slowly,
Although I had no troubles with My Siamese when they came into the Found Cat Hotel, they fit right in.
The Best Of Luck with Your New Fur Companion

[Cataholic]

I have some experience with adult cat introductions- from my mom- who introduced Cindy to her brood. My oldest cat has been 1.5 or so years, and that was Minnie, the feral. That prolly isn't an appropriate comparison.

First, I personally think a week is WAY too early. Far better to move WAY too slowly than completely ruin an introduction. I would go a minimum of 3 weeks- no cheating. Once you ruin it, it is virtually impossible to come back from that.

Do lots of switches of bedding/towels/scents, etc. It is great if you can switch out rooms, too. Put all your regulars in the spare room, and allow the new cat to have free roam.

Finally, 30 days is not enough time to allow the allergies to stop. I heard just the other day it takes 3 months to get rid of the dander, and that is with ramped up vacuuming. I am not a big proponent of "I think I am allergic to cats". I would get tested. I don't know how old the baby is- but I know enough about children and doctors to know one of the first things probably said were, "do you have cats"? Maybe the baby is allergic...but, maybe not. I was told my child had allergies for months and months and months. I knew he wasn't...and it took the allergy test to prove it. STILL the ped would mention allergies, and I politely reminded him there were none.

Good luck.

[DriftyAlison0]

I agree with giving it a few weeks. We did a longer period with Peaches because when we first brought her inside there was no way of her and Tigger getting along as well as the other cats due to her being feral (she is semi feral now) We did it very slowly with Alison and Ashes but we did it at little bits. We didn't bother trying to get her and Tigger along because A. They hated each other's guts and B. Tigger's health. Tigger soon after the flood got diagnosed with a heart condition and nearly lost him. In fact, we knew he was real sick when Peaches got out of her room and he did nothing about it.We didn't feel right to add too much stress on Tigger so with A. and B. together, we kept them apart (except one time we had her accidentally out in the bathroom with him and amazingly no fighting) but after that didn't want to risk it so we made sure that it didn't happen again. Tigger got sick again with diabetes and liver issues and died and since then Peaches has had free roam of the house except for at night (she gets into stuff especailly at night so she sleeps with me or my mom). As long as Alison and Ashes keep a distance then they are fine, but if they get too close she starts to hiss and growl. She may never get over that, but the fights are real low and mainly of hissing and growling and a few slaps.