Conference misery::feline_v1

    We just did exactly what you described.  We have a year old cat,
    Autumn, (mostly persian) and because we enjoyed her so much decided
    to bring home another kitten.  We did that just about 2 weeks ago.
    
    Autumn was insulted for about 4 days and then slowly started to
    come around.  When I say insulted, I mean hissing, growling, etc..
    All the things we'd never seen her demonstrate before she did. 
    We actually saw a nasty side of her we never knew existed before.
    She is an indoor cat and is a wonderful friend!  ...but boy did
    she ever let us know that she did NOT approve of our decision. 
    
    She slowly warmed to the kitten, and then just ignored us.  Things
    are starting to get back to normal now, but it seemed like forever
    when she started.  Autumn actually cleans "Murphy" (kitten) now
    and they often sleep together.  
    
    I'm glad we did it, but I really had my doubts for a few days! 
    Now they frolic and romp together EVERYWHERE!
    
    Good luck.  

Hi Tim,
I think a Russian Blue would be a good choice for an indoor cat. By
coincidence, me and the missus have decided to get two Russian Blue kittens
this year, which will be indoor cats (hence my inquiries about Cat trees in
this conference).
*DC
ps  I don't think we discussed cats when you were over in the UK?

    We did this last year because Melody was obviously bored by herself.
    (It was obvious to us, or Bruce at least, because she kept shredding
    his plants.)
    
    We ended up with 2 kittens--Brittany and Melissa.  They were about
    6 weeks old at the time.
    
    Melody definitely did NOT approve the idea (but I wonder if that
    was because we made the decision without consulting her).  She
    promptly retired to the basement for 2 solid days.  I think I spent
    at least 3 hours each night sitting with her trying to convince
    her that she was my bestest kitty and I loved her.  
    
    Finally curiousity got the best of her and she came up to the top
    of the stairs where she sat, growling and hissing.  Then she got
    to the point of coming closer and taking a swat.
    
    Then she just plain ignored them.  About 4 or 5 days after they
    arrived, little Missy let out this pitiful cry and then got sick.
    Melody, forgetting herself, ran over to see what was the matter
    with the baby.
    
    And, from that point on, she became their mommy--washing them, 
    sleeping with them and loving them.  Now they are all the best of
    friends--still wash each other, sleep with each other and run
    around like a herd of baby elephants (you have no idea how loud
    a few racing kitties sound).
    
    So, Tim, don't worry if there is some hard feelings at first.  The
    kitties will probably become great friends.  By the way, all of
    ours are females.  
    
    Also, I should mention that when the 2 little ones went off to
    get spayed, we went through this all over again when they got back.
    I couldn't believe it but, evidently, it's the smell of the vet's
    on the animals that causes it.
    
    Good luck with your "babies". 
    
    Barbara

    	In early March I added a 3-year old spayed female to my household
    which had a 3-year old neutered Maine Coon.  It started with hissing
    at 20' and worked down to a foot or so over a month's time.  Now
    they seem to have a truce, occasionally touch noses, but no major
    shows of affection [no fighting, either - thank God].  Copy doesn't
    seem to be bored like he used to be.  
    	I now think that adding a kitten might have been the better
    move in that this might have triggered some paternal instincts and
    made for a friendlier relationship.  - Chris

    
    
    	(sorry, I somehow cut off the last half of that entry, here
    goes again)
    
    	Now brushing Sam seems to be an almost religious experience for
    him.  His eyes almost close, and he lets me turn him on his back
    and brush his tummy, and clip his front claws.  Quite a change from
    the street cat I found.
    
    	So, here's the timeframe:  I find Sam, four months later we
    move into the house, two months later we get Max, two months after
    that we add Tee, and two months later we return Max.
    
    	Here's the weird part.  Tee has always been a real loverboy,
    a favorite with other cats.  He has always been an indoor cat, used
    to live with four or five other cats, has always loved to play with
    them and groom them, very much a cuddler.  When Max left, Sammy
    started coming out a little bit, wanting more attention from me
    as I said, and also wanting to play with Tee.  Tee was not interested 
    in the least.  They didn't fight, they just seem to co-exist.  Sam
    tried hard, being cute and trying to get Tee to chase him, but Tee
    seemed to think he was some foreign creature, and ignored him or
    showed disdain.  It's not that Tee was listles, he could play all
    day with his ball.  And he did used to play with Max sometimes,
    and he groomed him pretty often.  But the only interaction Sam and
    Tee had was through Max.  Tee never tried to groom Sam, or play
    with him.  In fact, if Tee was in my lap and Sam came up, Tee would
    quit purring and leave.
    
    
    	Anyway, here we are, six months later and they are FINALLY
    beginning to establish a tentative relationship.  Linda and I
    actually  saw Tee initiate play with Sam the other day, and we've
    caught them sleeping together several times over the last 30 days.
    The playing didn't last long -- under 30 seconds -- and they sleep
    in the same chair, but not cuddled up, most times not even really
    touching each other, just very close to each other. 
    
    	What could it be?  Is it normal for them to take so long in
    getting to know each other?  Linda has two theories: 1) Tee is not
    sure what to think of Sam because he is long-haired and Tee has
    never seen a long-haired cat, and 2) Maybe the age difference has
    something to do with it (10 and 2).  Sound possible?  Why is Sammy
    so different now, does it usually take 1.5 years for a cat to start
    showing his personality?  His comes out more and more every day,
    he is so different now than when I found him.  Is there anything
    we can do to facilitate their friendship, since we would both love
    to see them cuddling and playing.   Right now we're afraid to make
    too much fuss over it for fear of jinxing it.   I'm stumped, but
    then I don't have much experience with cats.  Another thought on
    Sam is that maybe he was just breaking ME in, not being too
    affectionate until I slowly got ac-cat-mitized.  I really had an
    aversion to them stemming from childhood, Sam's my first serious
    attempt at getting over it, and it's been successful-- I love 'em
    both.  Could the long bout with roundworms have caused some of this?
    I have suffered guilt feelings for sticking with the original vet
    as long as I did, too.  
    
    	Whew!  Anyone got any ideas?  Oh, btw, this same new vet came
    up with a dietary change for Tee (Hill's k/d and distilled water
    exclusively) which has cleared up his problem almost entirely. 
    The only time he needs Prep-H now is when he gets into the trash
    and eats something bad.  He and Linda are both much happier!
    
        Thanks for your patience...and for any tips you can give!
    
    Anita  (& Linda & Tee & SammyKat)
    

================================================================================
Note 2477.5                   A second Pussy Cat ?                        5 of 6
USHS08::RENTERIA                                      0 lines  18-MAY-1989 14:14
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                             -< Theories, anyone? >-
    
    
    	I think this is an appropriate place to post this.  I am rather
    new to having cats around.  Sam found me a December 13, 1987.  He
    is a black long-hair with brilliant green eyes, rather small for
    a male cat.  He was very skinny, VERY hungry, and had a raging case
    of roundworms -- no kidding, it took over a year to get rid of them.
    The vet (who came highly recommended by a breeder-friend) wormed
    him at least a half-dozen times, including sending samples to the Texas
    A&M College of Veterinary Medicine.  (After the first time, return
    visits were free, since he wasn't doing the job.)  I finally changed
    vets, and he got rid of them immediately.  Anyway, Sam's my first
    cat ever.  He would act VERY friendly when he wanted to eat, and
    he liked being brushed, but he really didn't want too much attention
    from me, which was fine because I wasn't really sure how to act
    with him.  
    
    	Anyway, in April of '88, I moved into a big, old two-story house
    with a roommate, Linda.  Linda had a cat of her own, Tee, who couldn't
    come live with us, so she got Max, a grey short-haired kitten. 
    Max was very aggressive, liked LOTS of attention from us and from
    Sammy.  He also did not like Sammy coming near us.  Sam seemed to
    love Max, liked to groom him and play sometimes, but occasionally,
    Max was just too much and Sam would retire to a high kitten-proof
    spot somewhere.
    
      THEN, Tee did get to come live with us.  Tee is also black
    (short-hair)with
    white markings on his chest and tummy.  He is 10 years old, very
    vocal, a MUCH bigger cat than Sam, though he's very skinny.  Tee
    has the most expressive face I have ever seen on an animal, and
    he definitely understands our conversations, often joining in with
    his opinion.  He also fetches a rubber ball, but that's another
    story.  
    
    	The reason Tee is so skinny is that he has had a history
    of kidney and urinary problems, which Linda had been told required
    administering Preparation H to him daily.  Neither of them liked
    that.  Unfortunately, Max thought it was great.  His favorite time
    to pounce on Tee was when Linda had given him his medicine and he
    jumped out of her arms and ran. He has his claws, and Tee has none
    in the front, so this little kitten could really hassle the much
    bigger Tee. He really got to where he was
    torturing Tee, so we gave Max back to the friends we got him from,
    where he is now King of the House, and we get to see him frequently.
    
    	(Bear with me, I'm getting to the point.)  Once Max left, Sammy
    was a changed cat.  He now LOVES attention, especially from me.

                Re the definite change in a cats character after years
        of a given type of behavior:
                
                My former cat (I'm currently catless - temporarily) went
        through a dramatic change in her personality at the age of about
        6 years. This happened suddenly and simultaneously with a
        serious event in my family (my father died). Cinamon was a
        female/neutered Seal-point Siamese who had always been a bit of
        a "scaredy-cat" about strangers (did the run and hide trick when
        they arrived). The night that my father was taken to the
        hospital and my mother brought his clothes home, Cinamon met us
        at the door (not unusual) and when my mother dumped the clothes
        into the nearest chair to take off her coat, Cinamon jumped up
        into the chair, on the clothes, and howled the most mournful cry
        you ever heard (not that loud, just emphatic). My father never
        did return home and with the steady stream of visitors to the
        house, Cinamon never again did the run and hide routine. I
        cannot explain the change in any rational way (or the howl,
        either). I do believe that somehow she knew what was
        happening/did happen and just decided not to be left out ever
        again. So "late life" changes are indeed possible.
                
                /s/     Bob
                
                
 BTW - She had gone through this routine of my father going to the
        Hospital twice before without any sign of either reaction.

    	My thanks to all of you who took the trouble to reply,
    Dave (Carr), I'll send you a Vaxmail within a few days, I
    want to know where you'll be buying your Russian Blue(s).
    
    Tim