LisaM 0 #1 November 10, 2006 Ok gang. I think my little kitty would be happier with a playmate. My current kitty is 4 months and we'll get one a similar age. Maya is set to be spayed on Monday. Should we get a female or a male? Or do they all get along? And, we've had Maya for 5 weeks now. What kind of process should we do to introduce the new kitty? We don't have a way to keep them separate and still see each other (like a glass sliding door). Suggestions? ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sundevil777 102 #2 November 10, 2006 I had a female that was 6 years old, always alone before we got another female kitten. The old one was really pissed off for 2 days before she suddenly started grooming the kitten, treating it like its own daughter. They started to chase each other around the house, play fighting and everything. That first kitty died several months later. After about 4 months we got another female kitty, with exactly the same results, except it is still alive. I think our old cat is much happier since we made her 'adopt'. We didn't do anything special to help them get used to each other. The original and replacement playmates (they look very similar) are attached.People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #3 November 10, 2006 QuoteOk gang. I think my little kitty would be happier with a playmate. Quote Is that a euphamism? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popsjumper 2 #4 November 10, 2006 I can always use more shark bait.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites LisaM 0 #5 November 10, 2006 Thank you for being the only sane response. *sigh* That picture of the kitty falling out of the box is adorable! Do I really need multiple litter boxes? Can they share food and water bowls (indoor cats). ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mailin 0 #6 November 10, 2006 I work with a cat rescue on a regular basis. When we adopt cats, more often than not we recommend cats that will be close in age to be of opposite sex. With that being said, when I was growing up we only had female cats (2 being the most at any one time). But... there were 6 years between them. JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites sundevil777 102 #7 November 10, 2006 We didn't separate them at all. They have always shared everything. They like to groom each other at the same time, which usually develops into them play fighting after about 1 minute.People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mailin 0 #8 November 10, 2006 Yes, one litter box per cat. My parents do not do this and have not had any problem with their 2 cats. My two cats always require seperate boxes. My parents cats share water and food - as do mine. The only time I have had seperate food bowls was when the cats were on seperate diets. Edit to add: The rescue I work with recommends one week of isolation to avoid any conflict. THe new cats stays isolated from the existing cat for one week - this gives the new cat a period of time to adjust and gives the existing cat time to get used to there being another cat in his territory. Good luck! JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peregrinerose 0 #9 November 10, 2006 We have 3 cats... 2 females and a male. The girls belonged to my husband, the male to me, so when we introduced them there was a bit of hissing going on. It lasted a couple of days, then everyone was happy again. Definitely one litter box per cat. Mine share food and water bowls. Actually we have 2 water bowls in the house and 3 cats and 3 dogs all share it without a problem. If you have a question regarding how your cat will get along with a new one, call the humane league and see if you can introduce your kitty to the one you've picked to adopt to get a feel for the relationship. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skymama 37 #10 November 10, 2006 We "rescued" the cat we have now from a situation where the family had brought her into the house to keep their older, mature cat occupied. The older cat wouldn't let her eat, attacked her and she ended up cowering in the corner all day. The people had her in a kennel because they thought it was a better situation than being at home. They told me she didn't eat much, was quiet and kept to herself at their house. She's totally different at my house! She eats like a pig, is always underfoot and follows me around to every room that I go to. She brings toys to us to play with her and we think she must have been a dog in a past life because she acts more like a dog than a cat! I've often thought of getting her another cat to keep her company during the day, but don't want to run into the same problem that she came from. Hopefully you'll have better luck since the cats will be closer in age and are both relatively new to your home.She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites matt1215 0 #11 November 10, 2006 I have 2 litter boxes, and my 2 cats share them. One in the bathroom and one on my deck, and they usually only have access to one or the other. They share a big dish of dry food, but each gets her own dish when I put out canned food. As for water bowls, they share several. They're both young girls of 15 months and 2-3 years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites faulknerwn 38 #12 November 10, 2006 Mine are both 11 years old, but they've shared litter and food since they were young. Never had any problems but they grew up together. W Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites kingbunky 3 #13 November 10, 2006 we have three cats (two male, one female, on male and the female are siblings), and they share litter boxes, food and water. even though two of the cats are siblings, they were separated for the first 8 months or so, but they get along great. add two dogs and two ferrets, and everyone gets along."Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart." MB4252 TDS699 killing threads since 2001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Shotgun 1 #14 November 10, 2006 I'd suggest getting a younger (smaller) male kitten if you're going to get a playmate for Maya. He'll most likely grow to be bigger than her, but she'll have a bit of time to let him know who the boss is (her) before that happens. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites LisaM 0 #15 November 10, 2006 Good idea! ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites 1969912 0 #16 November 10, 2006 My black alley cat (male) was about 1.5 years old when I got a female bengal kitten. I kept her locked in a bedroom for the first couple days, but they could still check each other out through the crack under the door. When I let her out, they were instant buddies. They are close to 10 and 11 now. They can handle licking each other for 10 minutes or so before they go into gentle (usually) fight mode. Anyone know why cats behave that way? "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Dumpster 0 #17 November 10, 2006 I've got 2 cats, Bart and Enzo - didn't do anything special for the introduction, just turned Enzo loose when he came to us. Took a little while for them to get used to each other, but now they're best buddies. I do hear it's a good idea to isolate the newbie for a few days though. Two litter boxes, yes. One would probably suffice, but I'd have to clean it up more often. One food and one water dish. Although for some reason the cats like the to drink from the toilet from time to time. WTF? - They're cats. Easy Does It Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites LisaM 0 #18 November 10, 2006 QuoteTwo litter boxes, yes. One would probably suffice, but I'd have to clean it up more often. How often do you clean it? ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Dumpster 0 #19 November 10, 2006 I can get away with three days. I usually clean it every 1-2 days, but I know I can take off on Friday and they'll be OK until Sunday night. If I know I'll be gone all weekend I put a second dish of food and water out for them, even though I know they'll drink from the toilet if they need to. Easy Does It Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites LisaM 0 #20 November 10, 2006 We are a closed toilet seat family. Good to knew. I am going to chekc petsmart today. I would prefer to go to the shelter, but petsmart already has them spayed. If I get an animal this weekend wouldn't it have to be the same sex just in case cause the current cat is gettiny spayed on Monday. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites PhreeZone 20 #21 November 10, 2006 I love our cats. I just use the auto feeder and water bowls. One litter box fot them too. The big one was hers and was an indoor/outdoor, the little one was a DZ rescue kitty. The little one moved into the house first and the bog one came second. It was non-stop fighting for the first month we had them. We did the introduce via a door thing and all we heard was hissing from the big one all day and night. Finally we locked them into a laundy room together for a little bit and they got the fighting out of their system. They groom each other every once and a while but love to play keep away from me. Get them to use a single litter box, its simple to clean that way. We leave our cats to fend for themselves for weekends all the time.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites peregrinerose 0 #22 November 10, 2006 All of the shelters around here usually include spay/neuter in the adoption fee as well. Many of the adults are already spayed, and those are the ones most desperate for homes anyway. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites LisaM 0 #23 November 10, 2006 The shelter we got Maya at gave us 6 weeks to get her spayed and we get some of our money back. She'll end up costing $5. The shelters here in town require you to wait to take her home so they can spay her. Problem is I want to take her home on a weekend so I can spend time with her and watch her with the other cat. That's why I was thinking of the petsmart one. They are spayed and they had a fairly young one when we were there a couple of weeks ago. It's more expensive but then I won't have to take time off work to go to get her spayed (40 minute drive each way). Might be worth it if they have a young one. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Nightingale 0 #24 November 10, 2006 Mine share catbox, food, and water. Introduce them on neutral territory, like a friend's house. My cats met at my parents house. I took my new kitten over there, and my parents had been cat sitting the other one. We introduced them, and Anakin (the older cat) sniffed the kitten and had a "whatever. you're staying here and I'm going home" attitude. Then, when we got home and Ani found that the kitten was still there the attitude was "Oh! you're still here. Well... behave." And they got along just fine from that point on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites LisaM 0 #25 November 10, 2006 Here she is! She was just spayed yesterday so I need to keep them separate. She's 2 months. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 4 Next Page 1 of 4 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. 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popsjumper 2 #4 November 10, 2006 I can always use more shark bait.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #5 November 10, 2006 Thank you for being the only sane response. *sigh* That picture of the kitty falling out of the box is adorable! Do I really need multiple litter boxes? Can they share food and water bowls (indoor cats). ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mailin 0 #6 November 10, 2006 I work with a cat rescue on a regular basis. When we adopt cats, more often than not we recommend cats that will be close in age to be of opposite sex. With that being said, when I was growing up we only had female cats (2 being the most at any one time). But... there were 6 years between them. JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sundevil777 102 #7 November 10, 2006 We didn't separate them at all. They have always shared everything. They like to groom each other at the same time, which usually develops into them play fighting after about 1 minute.People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mailin 0 #8 November 10, 2006 Yes, one litter box per cat. My parents do not do this and have not had any problem with their 2 cats. My two cats always require seperate boxes. My parents cats share water and food - as do mine. The only time I have had seperate food bowls was when the cats were on seperate diets. Edit to add: The rescue I work with recommends one week of isolation to avoid any conflict. THe new cats stays isolated from the existing cat for one week - this gives the new cat a period of time to adjust and gives the existing cat time to get used to there being another cat in his territory. Good luck! JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #9 November 10, 2006 We have 3 cats... 2 females and a male. The girls belonged to my husband, the male to me, so when we introduced them there was a bit of hissing going on. It lasted a couple of days, then everyone was happy again. Definitely one litter box per cat. Mine share food and water bowls. Actually we have 2 water bowls in the house and 3 cats and 3 dogs all share it without a problem. If you have a question regarding how your cat will get along with a new one, call the humane league and see if you can introduce your kitty to the one you've picked to adopt to get a feel for the relationship. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #10 November 10, 2006 We "rescued" the cat we have now from a situation where the family had brought her into the house to keep their older, mature cat occupied. The older cat wouldn't let her eat, attacked her and she ended up cowering in the corner all day. The people had her in a kennel because they thought it was a better situation than being at home. They told me she didn't eat much, was quiet and kept to herself at their house. She's totally different at my house! She eats like a pig, is always underfoot and follows me around to every room that I go to. She brings toys to us to play with her and we think she must have been a dog in a past life because she acts more like a dog than a cat! I've often thought of getting her another cat to keep her company during the day, but don't want to run into the same problem that she came from. Hopefully you'll have better luck since the cats will be closer in age and are both relatively new to your home.She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matt1215 0 #11 November 10, 2006 I have 2 litter boxes, and my 2 cats share them. One in the bathroom and one on my deck, and they usually only have access to one or the other. They share a big dish of dry food, but each gets her own dish when I put out canned food. As for water bowls, they share several. They're both young girls of 15 months and 2-3 years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 38 #12 November 10, 2006 Mine are both 11 years old, but they've shared litter and food since they were young. Never had any problems but they grew up together. W Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingbunky 3 #13 November 10, 2006 we have three cats (two male, one female, on male and the female are siblings), and they share litter boxes, food and water. even though two of the cats are siblings, they were separated for the first 8 months or so, but they get along great. add two dogs and two ferrets, and everyone gets along."Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart." MB4252 TDS699 killing threads since 2001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #14 November 10, 2006 I'd suggest getting a younger (smaller) male kitten if you're going to get a playmate for Maya. He'll most likely grow to be bigger than her, but she'll have a bit of time to let him know who the boss is (her) before that happens. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #15 November 10, 2006 Good idea! ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #16 November 10, 2006 My black alley cat (male) was about 1.5 years old when I got a female bengal kitten. I kept her locked in a bedroom for the first couple days, but they could still check each other out through the crack under the door. When I let her out, they were instant buddies. They are close to 10 and 11 now. They can handle licking each other for 10 minutes or so before they go into gentle (usually) fight mode. Anyone know why cats behave that way? "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dumpster 0 #17 November 10, 2006 I've got 2 cats, Bart and Enzo - didn't do anything special for the introduction, just turned Enzo loose when he came to us. Took a little while for them to get used to each other, but now they're best buddies. I do hear it's a good idea to isolate the newbie for a few days though. Two litter boxes, yes. One would probably suffice, but I'd have to clean it up more often. One food and one water dish. Although for some reason the cats like the to drink from the toilet from time to time. WTF? - They're cats. Easy Does It Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #18 November 10, 2006 QuoteTwo litter boxes, yes. One would probably suffice, but I'd have to clean it up more often. How often do you clean it? ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dumpster 0 #19 November 10, 2006 I can get away with three days. I usually clean it every 1-2 days, but I know I can take off on Friday and they'll be OK until Sunday night. If I know I'll be gone all weekend I put a second dish of food and water out for them, even though I know they'll drink from the toilet if they need to. Easy Does It Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #20 November 10, 2006 We are a closed toilet seat family. Good to knew. I am going to chekc petsmart today. I would prefer to go to the shelter, but petsmart already has them spayed. If I get an animal this weekend wouldn't it have to be the same sex just in case cause the current cat is gettiny spayed on Monday. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #21 November 10, 2006 I love our cats. I just use the auto feeder and water bowls. One litter box fot them too. The big one was hers and was an indoor/outdoor, the little one was a DZ rescue kitty. The little one moved into the house first and the bog one came second. It was non-stop fighting for the first month we had them. We did the introduce via a door thing and all we heard was hissing from the big one all day and night. Finally we locked them into a laundy room together for a little bit and they got the fighting out of their system. They groom each other every once and a while but love to play keep away from me. Get them to use a single litter box, its simple to clean that way. We leave our cats to fend for themselves for weekends all the time.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #22 November 10, 2006 All of the shelters around here usually include spay/neuter in the adoption fee as well. Many of the adults are already spayed, and those are the ones most desperate for homes anyway. Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #23 November 10, 2006 The shelter we got Maya at gave us 6 weeks to get her spayed and we get some of our money back. She'll end up costing $5. The shelters here in town require you to wait to take her home so they can spay her. Problem is I want to take her home on a weekend so I can spend time with her and watch her with the other cat. That's why I was thinking of the petsmart one. They are spayed and they had a fairly young one when we were there a couple of weeks ago. It's more expensive but then I won't have to take time off work to go to get her spayed (40 minute drive each way). Might be worth it if they have a young one. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #24 November 10, 2006 Mine share catbox, food, and water. Introduce them on neutral territory, like a friend's house. My cats met at my parents house. I took my new kitten over there, and my parents had been cat sitting the other one. We introduced them, and Anakin (the older cat) sniffed the kitten and had a "whatever. you're staying here and I'm going home" attitude. Then, when we got home and Ani found that the kitten was still there the attitude was "Oh! you're still here. Well... behave." And they got along just fine from that point on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #25 November 10, 2006 Here she is! She was just spayed yesterday so I need to keep them separate. She's 2 months. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
