T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
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2030.1 | New cat adjustment! | FDCV16::JOHNSON | | Mon Dec 05 1988 11:14 | 16 |
| Lauren - when I brought home my 9 wk. old the 5 yr. old
hissed, growled and spit. She still hisses when she doesn't
want to be bothered. The new one is a little brat and now
he does all the chasing and aggitating. They will not kill
each other. I just left them alone in the house and went to
work. They eat out of the same dish together and one sleeps
in front of me and the other behind me at night. Don't get
me wrong ..... it's not easy for them to adjust BUT THEY WILL.
I was afraid the oldest would hurt the baby but the shoe is
on the other foot ... the baby is the hellun.
They can't get along with each other until they can get close
enough to smell each other. They will adjust!!
BJ
|
2030.2 | Let them have their spats... | HPSCAD::KNEWTON | This Space For Rent | Mon Dec 05 1988 12:02 | 15 |
| I agree with .1. Snuggles was almost 2 years old when I brought
home Tigger. (This was a month after moving to a new house and
after trying to bring a dog into the house, which didn't work out.)
Needless to say, Snuggles was extremely upset. I got so bad that
I was afraid to even go near Snuggles. He hissed, growled and even
batted at me when I tried to break them up. I just tryed to keep
the kitten out of Snuggles way. I didn't actually close the kitten
in a separate room. It took about 3 weeks for Snuggles to adjust.
I think closing them off from one another prolongs it. Now they
just play fight. Every once in a while though I do have to break
it up because one of them gets too rough.
Just hang in there. It'll work out.
Kathy
|
2030.3 | ALL YOU NEED IS TIME! | LDP::CORCORAN | | Mon Dec 05 1988 15:06 | 14 |
|
As mentioned before.....just let them hack it out. They need to
be together before they're going to accept eachother.
I still think they're young enough for it to work, it's just going
to take some time.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Barbara - Ebony & Ivory's mom who went through this a while back
and now all's OK
|
2030.4 | Try this! | CGOO01::PEDERSEN | | Mon Dec 05 1988 15:11 | 46 |
| Hi Lauren. I am the new person to this conference (See 2.256).
I own two cats, my female is 3 and my male is 1 1/2 years of age.
Both are altered. I also do voluntee work at the local SPCA when
I get a great deal of exposure to this situation.
When I broght home my male there was not much
hissing (he was four weeks old) however, in another situation I
have been involved in..here is how goes.
Naturally your cats will develop a pecking order visa via a scrap
or just a stare down. Let them be together for limited amounts
of time together. Put them in a room that is fairly large but that
does not have a lot of furniture to hide under..because this may
develope the tendaciy for one cat to dominate the other severely.
Let them stare and each other and growl. Do not attempt to pick
either up at this time...they could tear your eyes out...they forget
who you are. Go about your business and ignore them.
After perhaps an hour or depending on progress, separate them..so
they don't get real cranky. Then separately hug them and love them
so they think that everything is cool and there is no need to feel
jealous.
Feed them in the same room, not out of the same bowel, that may
sometimes cause a great deal of problems..again one will be dominate
and push the other out.
Just remember to cuddle them both and let your life carry on...don;'t
favour one to the other...they know. If you feel more comfortable to
separate them during the working day...great just remember to leave
them food and toys so they do not associate this with a punishment.
Some cats are just like that...that they have to be separated.
They are just like people..not everybody gets along. Just work
with the individual personalities.
As time goes on you will know when the time is right to leave them
together and carry on as usual. Just make sure that they don't
start acting stupid and dragging it out for months. There is no
need for that. If they do don't be afraid to be firm and
verbally step in.
Hope this helps! Anymore questions,,,just ask.
Shelley
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2030.5 | | WITNES::MACONE | It's the story of a man named Brady | Mon Dec 05 1988 15:45 | 7 |
| The suggestion that helped me best was to have a box or something
for the kitten to hide in need be that the big cats can't get into.
We took a stereo speaker box, taped it all closed, and then cut
a small hole in one end that was just big enough for the kitten
to get into.
It sure made me feel alot better during those first couple days.
|
2030.6 | Cloud & Norman not mixing either | SAGE::PRIESTLEY | Priestley DTN 264-0128 | Tue Dec 06 1988 10:11 | 32 |
| Well, my newest has arrived! Cloud arrived last night and the fur
flew! The cats never actually touched each other, but everytime
I went near on of them they scratched and hissed at me. I'm the
only one of us with battle scars today!
I have decided to introduce them very slowly. My cats all have the
tendency to be a little bit ferocious--even Cloud. Everytime Norman
decided to go near Cloud's food or litter, Cloud went running and
hissing at Norman.
Norman was furious at me this morning. He wouldn't even come near
me. He just walked away whenever I got close. Fluffy has been through
the new cat in the household thing--when I brought Norman into the
family last April--and seems to be taking it a little more in stride.
I guess it just doesn't make that much sense to me that Norman,
who recently went through being the new member, isn't taking it
a little better.
It is pretty funny though to see this little kitten causing the
two huge cats to cower and hiss!
On the lighter side, Cloud is beautiful--and a real lap cat. She
sat down on my lap during Rudolph last night and took a little nap.
She purred very loudly, and was not afraid of me at all. She came
when I called her (out from underneath the couch) and climbed right
up into my lap. He meow is also a riot. She sounds like she has
laryngitis (sp?) it's such a raspy little cry!
She's beautiful though. I just wish cats could instantly like each
other so that I could play with all of them at once.
Michelle
|
2030.7 | Together at last...... | MAMIE::FELDMAN | | Tue Dec 06 1988 11:40 | 30 |
| Well, I did it! I let the two of them "get to know each other"
last night - with some interesting results...
First of all, TJ talks a good fight, but that's about all! Whenever
they saw each other, they would crouch about 5 feet from each other
and stare. Well, TJ would crouch and growl and Tasha would just
sit there doing her own thing. Eventually, she'd get bored and
just walk away, at which point TJ would go bounding after her, block
her path and start his crouch/growl routine again. This went on
for hours with TJ getting a little closer and more daring each time.
Finally, Tasha jumped up on my bed, TJ followed her and batted at
her tail a little. She calmly looked at him and hissed - TJ was
so startled that he fell off the bed backward!
Since then, they've been playing this chase/swatting game with TJ
as the aggressor. And although they're both still a little edgy
(TJ still growls a little), their activities seem to have taken
on a more playful tone. Whew!
The only thing that bothers me now is that I get the feeling that
Tasha is going to be the dominant one (in her own quiet way). TJ
seems to be the tough guy only until you call his bluff. I don't
know, I guess I'd be bummed if someone new came into my house and
I found myself second in the pecking order....but hey, that's life,
right?!
Thanks for all your help!
Lauren
|
2030.8 | Make TJ feel loved at ALL COSTS! | MDA::NEWSTED | | Tue Dec 06 1988 15:15 | 12 |
|
Plan on some hissing for a while. TJ's territory is threatened
bigtime, you may notice a major change in TJ's personality
and rightfully so! He feels he's being ousted! Take my advise
It may sound hard but try not to give the kitten the attention
you want to in front of TJ. That was my mistake, and six months
after Pippin arrived, I was feeling I changed the older cat
( Yaddie, 2 yrs ) personality. She's just now slowly inching
out of it, but she'll never be the same as she was.
n
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2030.9 | Personality changes are a bummer... | HPSCAD::KNEWTON | This Space For Rent | Tue Dec 06 1988 16:45 | 9 |
| I agree with .8. Snuggles changed big-time after getting Tigger.
It's taken 6 months for Snuggles to even want to sit on my lap.
His personality has changed a great deal. It's a real bummer, too.
Tigger's getting neutered today. It should be fun at our house
tonight when I bring home. I just hope Tigger becomes more of a
lap cat.
Kathy
|
2030.10 | personalities changing | SAGE::PRIESTLEY | Priestley DTN 264-0128 | Tue Dec 06 1988 16:58 | 16 |
| After I brought Norman into the house, we had a few personality
changes too, but they were for the better. Norman had been an indoor
cat, and used to having a lot of attention. He was also extremely
lovable. It "rubbed off" on Taffy and Fluffy. They suddenly became
much less aloof and more friendly. Taffy had always hated being
cuddled, but after Norman came it was as if she and Fluffy realized
that they could have the attention if they wanted it.
They also started to Meow when Norman came, which neither of them
had ever done unless they were in pain. Now Fluffy Meows all the
time (and Norman meows even more)
I wonder if Norman's personality will change with a new kitty around
now. Hmmmm.
Michelle
|
2030.11 | But not a change for the better | WITNES::MACONE | It's the story of a man named Brady | Wed Dec 07 1988 07:50 | 4 |
| Portia's personality also changed after I brought Elmo home. Now
she's even bitchier, snootier and bossier than before.
-Nancy
|
2030.12 | | MRESS::FEASE | Andrea Midtmoen Fease | Wed Dec 07 1988 07:52 | 11 |
| We had personality changes too. My husband's two cats became
indoor cats (not by their choice, but by ours); Bigfoot adjusted
well, Fluffy, not so well. The interesting thing was Loki, though;
Loki was king of the roost, so to speak, when my husband and his
cats moved in. Now Loki's at the bottom of the pecking order (sniff)
with Bigfoot in the middle and crazy Fluffy on top. Loki gets miffed
at times, understandably, but usually he gets bullied around by
the others and runs when they go near him. It's too bad, wish there
was something I could do, but I guess not. Poor Loki!
- Andrea
|