More on introducing new cats to the family

Hi,

I am new to the forum and have been reading on some of the problems cat owners have introducing new cats into the family. It is interesting to know that torties and calicos may have clashes due to their personality. I have a female calico at home and it may explain why she seems to hate some of the kittens I brought home as her companion.

I have Mini for almost 3 years now and over the years, she has companions which has either died or been given away. The other cat (we only have 2 cats at one time) were usually adopted from people's homes, and were usually kittens. After one of her companions died of FeLV, we stopped accepting strays and kittens from other people until we know for sure what we were doing.

However, my husband and I worked long hours and have to travel sometimes, and we decided to get another friend for Mini so she would not be bored. We bought a long haired cat, Ramesses, which is about 7 weeks old at the time. To our surprise, Mini did not warm up to him like she did with the other kittens before Ramesses. Ramesses would have chunks of fur being 'ripped out' by Mini everytime they crossed path. Ramesses never fought back and respected Mini's 'reign' as the family 1st cat, but Mini never accepted him into the family. For the next 10 months or so they kept away from each other to keep the peace.

When my husband switched jobs, he has more time at home and we picked up a stray tortie 5 weeks old. Mini seems to not care abt the new addition, nor did she show any aggression towards the kitten. However, when we pick up a pair of domestic marbles (abt 4 months old), Mini's aggression turns towards the two kittens. Ramesses is no longer the enemy but the two marbles are. Things are so bad that the two kittens are left with 4 square feet of area to claim as their own, only because Mini is too fat to get into it! And the two kittens are growing fast, I am worried that it will turn into a confrontation for 'who's the boss around here'. The pair seems to work together when playing and hunting and I am sure they will team up to kick the queen out of her reign.

For now, I sometimes keep Mini on a room while I groom and pet the marbles. I do wonder if I eventually have to give them away if the cats never got along.

Does anybody have any idea whether the cats will eventually tolerate each other? Mini is spayed but the pair is not. When I neutered the male marble recently Mini seem to sense the marble is 'injured' and kept harassing him... Isn't Mini supposed to sense the lowered testerone level and perceive Pepper (male marble) as no longer a threat?

Here is the picture of my boy Ramesses

Hi...

One of the most important things you can do when you bring a new kittie into the home is to keep it in a separate room for at least 2-3 days.. That will give the other cat(s) time to "sniff" their scent and will give all of them time to adjust..

If you don't do this all hell will break loose. Also females will get along better with females than males and just because you neutor, spay them it doesn't mean that they will get along..

Perhaps you are bringing new cats into the home to quickly and perhaps too many at one time???

I suggest that when you bring a new cat into your home to

1) keep it separate for a few days..
2) put an item of clothing, bedding or other that has the smell of your other kitties and then place a piece of material that the new kitties has around your regular ones. This give them a preview of who has just joined their home..

3) Feed the new kittie separately for a week or two to prevent aggression from the others.

4) Make sure you give your regular kitties more love and attention than usual and certainly more than the new one..

5) It is not a good idea to have that many cats in one home unless you are a shelter.. cats do not like to be crowed and are usually not a "pack" animal..

If you have any other questions or I can be of further help please see my info on "CATZNUTZ" the e-newsletter for cat lovers..

Thanks and good luck!!

doccramer

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Originally posted by doccramer
[B]If you don't do this all hell will break loose. Also females will get along better with females than males and just because you neutor, spay them it doesn't mean that they will get along..

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Different people have very different theories on what gender matches are best. My opinion is that personality is more important than gender in neutered cats.

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5) It is not a good idea to have that many cats in one home unless you are a shelter.. cats do not like to be crowed and are usually not a "pack" animal..

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What do you mean ? Feral cats choose to form large colonies to pool babysitting and food resources

Modern research has dispelled the myth that cats are antisocial creatures and scientist now realise cats are social and enjoy company of their own species.

Something we already knew to be true as my eight cats are very happy and often choose to sleep or play together. ;)

Here is how I introduce my cats :)
http://www.piftails.com/introducingnewcat.html

Ferals form social groups to defend and protect themselves while housecats don't necessarily do that..

Many people do have a situation where there are multiple cats and t hey do get along but, is it fair??

If you really know and love cats you will know that they crave and need persoalized attention.. you can't do that in a multiple cat household...

I have at one time fostered 27 cats at the same time under one roof for several months..

Did they get along?? Yes, some of them did..many formed their own groups within the group...others were desperately trying to get loved and petted..

With usually, and I say usually anything over four cats you do not have the time to individually pay attention to them properly.

Now before you start screaming at me, I realize that there is always the exception...and obviously your one..

I work with several Animal Rescue groups and my local ASPCA and they will concur that multiple cat households are at best usually not a good Environment..

Even at the shelters they try to have a private place for most of the cats to go and they try to have as any volunteers as possible to pay attention to the cats...It can't be done with just one or two people..

Cats, while sometimes solitary beings, need and want the attention of their owners...

That's all I'm saying...so don't be offended if you have a multiple cat household and yours all get along. I am not pointing the finger or talking just for the sake of it..

I have been dealing with, fostering and volunteering for over 30 years so I do think I have some qualifications for what I say..

Thanks..

LOL, I don't scream or get offended by a post from a new person to the forum.

From the sound of it you have previously encountered very poor multi cat 'owners', if they can not care for and give personal attention to more than 5 cats.

On the bright side, Pet Talk will introduce you to many good multi cat households where all cats are neutered, vaccinated, fed good quality food and given plenty of play time, love and attention both as a group and on an individual basis.

I would request that you keep an open mind and only condemn poor owners on a case by case basis rather than tarring all multi cat households with the same brush.

PS. I take it you have less than 4 permanent cats in your household ;) Stick around here and you'll end up with more cats, I only had one cat when I joined this site !!!

Sorry, I didn't meant to sound agressive and I should not group all multi-cat households the same...

I look forward to hearing from those households like yours that manage just fine..

There are many reasons that people wind up having a multi-cat household and mine was that my neighbor moved and left two pregnant kitties behind...

One of the cats had just given birth to 9 babies and the other cat I helped birth her babies...yep, guided them out and cut the cord. You see she was just a baby herself and her owner had done nothing to protect her from the other agressive males in the household.

I tried very hard to take care of everyone but became overwhelmed.. After talking to my Vet and a Kittie Rescue group I was convinced that while it is possible to raise and care for a multi-cat household it is not practicle and not health for the animals..

I know you don't agree, but I took it from the professionals..

Anyway, now I'm owned by four girl kitties, EmilyRose - Dolly-Gracie- and Tigger..

Tigger was the mommy cat who gave birth first...I couldn't part with her sos I kept her and two of her babies for myself...Gracie and Dolly.. I had hoped that they would all remain a family and love and play with each other.. It's been over 5yrs now and despite my many efforts they hate each other.. Gracie and Dolly fight all the time and Tigger, their mommy, hates both of them...so much for that happy family I was hoping for...

EmilyRose was a rescue that happened a few cold, snowy years ago.. The elderly lady down the street died and her unthinking and uncaring relatives threw Emily out into the snow and cold to fend for herself.. She couldn't have been more than a few weeks old when I found her..

I explain in my e-newsletter that I try to keep my household down as much as possible... but there are the exceptions...

And of course, having a "bleeding heart" when it comes to kitties I have a few ferals that I have been feeding and taking care of.. I have arranged with my local ASPCA to trap and neuter/spay them ASAP...

Thanks for your comments and views...as the writer of an e-newsletter about cats, I need to keep as open a view as possible... However, I call 'em as I see 'em and always check and double check my facts and resources...

I appreciate anyone who loves kitties...so thanks for being a kittie person...

doccramer

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Originally posted by doccramer
[B]Sorry, I didn't meant to sound agressive and I should not group all multi-cat households the same...

I look forward to hearing from those households like yours that manage just fine..

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Thank you. As I balance on the edge of my sofa as George, Tigs and Milo are cuddling on the rest of it.

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There are many reasons that people wind up having a multi-cat household and mine was that my neighbor moved and left two pregnant kitties behind...

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That is terrible and thank goodness you were there to help those cats.

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After talking to my Vet and a Kittie Rescue group I was convinced that while it is possible to raise and care for a multi-cat household it is not practicle and not health for the animals..

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You are entitled to your opinion. I think you need to have the money and time to committ to looking after eight cats, that is why all ours are insured and well cuddled.

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Anyway, now I'm owned by four girl kitties, EmilyRose - Dolly-Gracie- and Tigger..

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Pictures please :)

Sounds like you have the purrrrfect family!!! You know working with so many rescue groups my dream is to be able to set up a rescue myself..

I have all the time in the world but not the money it would take..

One of the rescue groups I volunteer for started as a small time project. The woman converted her garage into a small cattery to take in the strays around her house.. Well as you can imagine it grew so large that she had to build a bigger and better housing unit. Then she realized that she needed to apply for permits, tax Id's etc... so she did just that...got a loan to rebuild her "house" and has never looked back..

That's just what I'd like to do someday... after I win the lottery!!

I'm new to this forum..just started a few hours ago and I can't figure out how to send pictures...there is not a "browse" feature with the image insert...I think I'll try the Browse thingey at the bottom of the page... I think I sent you a pix of my two girls fighting??? Nope it came back as being too large of a file...???

Would you like a free copy of my December 2004 issue of "CATZNUTZ" ?? I would value and appreciate any suggestions on how to make it better..having 8 kitties I bet you have some interesting stories to tell!!

Thanks

Well, talk to you again...

doccramer

Thanks for your insights.

One of the earlier mistakes we made on having multiple cats is to not have the separation period when introducing new cats to our home. After the our cat Mocha died of FeLV, all new cats introduced to our home were checked by the vet, separated for 2 weeks and were vaccinated. We were lucky that Mini is an adult at the time and is resistant to FeLV. We quickly vaccinate her against the virus after being tested negative twice.

Our place is a bit small to house too many cats. We are working on getting a bigger place so that if we have a baby, we will not need to give up the cats. Also, we would like the cats to have the luxury of playing in the yard. Some of our cats are fat and I think they need more exercise.

I suppose the best thing I can do right now is let the cats learn to co-exist. Other than Mini, all 5 cats got along fine. Maybe Mini will warm up to the marbles once she found another kitten to pick on ;) But really, it does irritate me when they start fighting.

Will put up the pics of the pair of marbles (Pepper OK and Cinnamon OK), Hainam and Hammie soon!

In one of my previous postings I stated a "Golden Rule" that I used when bring new foster babies into the household... LEAVE THEM ALONE... briefly...
#1 I bring the newcomers into the home in a carrier, leave them in it, on the floor where the others can approach and sniff. If there's hissing just ignore it. I've found that after 20-30 minutes everyone calms down enough to open the carrier door...
#2 open the door and LEAVE THEM ALONE... the newbies will try to explore the new surroundings and the resident kitties. Unless you have a cat fight involving blood (which I have NEVER had happen) after fostering over 30 cats... LEAVE THEM ALONE...
#3 make sure your resident kitties don't feel left out for the new ones... give them extra love, but if they are interacting with eachother .. LEAVE THEM ALONE.....
#4 make sure that there are full dishes of food and water, add an extra dish for each newcomer.... this reduces competition for food.. and LEAVE THEM ALONE if there's hissing at feeding time....
#5 when everything is calm enough to pick up the newbies, show them the litter boxes (if they haven't already found them) and then LEAVE THEM ALONE...
#6 I can't stress this enough, no matter how much you want to "Help" them LEAVE THEM ALONE..
#7 The only thing I do it talk to and reassure the resident kittie or kitties. Tell them they are ok, and good kitty and LEAVE THEM ALONE....
#8 Did I mention the most important thing of all... oh yeah see #1 thru 7 LEAVE THEM ALONE....
I've never had it take any longer than 3 or 4 hours before the hissing stops and everyone finds a place to relax ... soooo LTA :D

Hi thawks120,

Thanks for the tips. I think they are very good ones for introducing new cats to a home.

I am very curious if anybody knows what to do if the cat fights involves blood. I was away for a few days one time and my brother called me abt the cats fighting with blood everywhere. Nowadays we keep a watchful eye over them so that their fights do not escalate into a full blown 'fight to the death' battle. I say this because we live in an apartment and I don't want the marbles to jump off the balcony to escape Mini.

I do perceive the fights to be serious enough because the marbles would pee all over when attacked by the bigger cat. Becomes a problem keeping the place clean. Besides, I think the noise is beginning to irritate the neighbours.

Thanks for any insights you may have :)

I lost Hammie 10 days after I got him. Someone left him at my apartment door and it was obvious what I had to do. He was only 2 weeks old. I hand fed him every 4 hrs and noticed that unlike other little kitties who'd suck the bottle dry when you feed them, Hammie tried to avoid being fed. He was also very pale, which made me think of Feline leukemia right away.

I tried to get him tested but the vets wanted to wait for another month or so. Needless to say he didn't last that long.

Our time together is short but you'll live on in our hearts, little guy...