I need advice re kitten

katyk_2

Hi,
We have had two male cats for the last 5 years, having had them since they were about 5 months old. They wee brothers from the same litter. Sadly we lost one a couple of days ago when he was hit by a car and I now have a predicament.
They were obtained from the Cats Protection League and had had a rough start to life with us being their 3rd owners by that age. Consequently it took a long time and lots of love to get them to trust us.
My children would very much love to get a new kitten so we would still have two cats, but I am very worried about how Timmy, the surviving brother, would react. He is a very large tom and is quick enough to see any other cat off the premises if it comes into the garden as did Shadow. I am worried that if we take a small kitten into the house, Timmy may go for it. I have asked the vet and the CPL and had conflicting advice. Mainly it seems to be a process of introducing them very slowly, with the kitten in a safe cat box at first until Tim gets used to him/her. My only fear is that if I once set the ball rolling and then we cannot keep the kitten due to a clash, 2 children would be heartbroken. I really would rather not take on another older cat as I feel the children could get closer to a small kitten who would repsond to their love from day 1 if he/she had not known anything else. They are 11 and 13 so not too small or impatient.
Can any catowners out there give me any advice?
Many thanks
Katyk

Nile

Hello katyk

I'll move your thread to the 'Pets & Pet Care' board.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]!!!!!![/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile

katyk_2

Nile wrote: »

Hello katyk

I'll move your thread to the 'Pets & Pet Care' board.

Nile

Thanks, Nile, had not been sure where best to put it.

Zed42

I totally understand your predicament and I'm afraid I don't have a magic answer either.

Our cat (recently deceased too ) was a bruiser of a cat who we got from the RSPCA and took us ages before he settled in. He would see off any other grown cat who attempted to enter his territory, however, when our next door neighbours got a kitten, he was a complete sweetie and allowed the kitten to play with him for hours, and only when he'd completely had enough would he give the kitten a warning shot (and trust me you could definitely tell the difference, it was like a Bagpuss lazy wave of paw to swipe the kitten away).

I think the difference was that as a kitten he wasn't a threat, as the kitten was entering established territory and knew the pecking order....

Good luck with whatever you do .... us, well, we're going to get 2 kittens next year in an attempt to keep each other company!

emmahip

We had a similar situation - had a very spoilt female cat (7 years old) which we got when she was about 5 months - taken in when a realtive died and were desperate for a kitten (for company for her - haha! - for us really).
Got a 6 week old turbo nutter and existing cat HATED her.

We persevered, kept new kitten in a different room for a weeks weeks letting her out for a few minutes at a time when cat was out and also then letting cat into kitten's room when kitten was not in it.

Also we had about 3 Feliway plugins (kinda like Cat Prozac) going about the house and gradually increased kitten "free" time until the cat just ignored her most of the time.

2 years on the "kitten" still loves to bug her big sister as much as ever but now big sis will occasionally play too.

The creme de la creme is seeing them both crashed out and just about touching each other on the sofa.

We are thinking of getting a couple of dogs next year as we've just bought a house in the country.... Must be mad!:rotfl:

Whatever you decide hope it goes well (definietly try the Feliway stuff too)

EDIT :: Feliway was recommended by my vet (who is FAB) - it comes in 2 versions a spray or a plug in and it basically acts to calm and remove anxiety in cats. It's not cheap but I think it works wonders - http://www.feliway.uk.com

(I'm not even on commission!)

katyk_2

emmahip wrote: »

Also we had about 3 Feliway plugins (kinda like Cat Prozac) going about the house and gradually increased kitten "free" time until the cat just ignored her most of the time.

definietly try the Feliway stuff too)

Thanks Emmahip
Never even heard of Feliway - where do you buy it from? and what is it meant to do?
Katyk

Petethevet

Feliway is a pheromone based anti-stress product for cats that comes in 2 forms: one is a spray, the other you use like a Glade plug-in. It spreads out around the house over 48hrs or so, one refill lasts about a month. Some cats respond very well to the de-stressing pheromones, with others it doesn't seem to make a difference. You should be able to buy it over the counter at a local vet, although they may need to order it for you. It isn't a Prescription medicine, so you don't need to see a vet to buy it. My last practice sold it for around £20 per plug in (with refill); extra refills were about £12. You may be able to get it cheaper online. In this situation the spray version isn't useful unless the older cat gets stressed and starts urine marking around the house. No side effects or addiction problems ;-) that i'm aware of!

I'd agree with most of what people have said already - introduce them slowly to each other, always surpervised initially. Even if they don't learn to love each other, the majority of cats learn to at least tolerate each other. As emmahip implies, it can take a lot of patience!

eviljim6

Hi katyk,
if you are certain that you can't rescue an adult cat then get a kitten.
It (eventually) will be great socialisation (is that a real word?) for your older cat.
My partner had two cats of many years when I moved in and we decided to take on a friends kitten. It was tough at first. Big cats did not like little cat one bit although she was eager to play from the get go. She is now nearly 3 when we rescued another little kitten from a feral.
The girl cat was disgusted as she ruled the roost. All we got was hiss, hiss, hiss. At one point I thought kitten would have to go as she was so angry.
What you have to remember is that these are animals and left to the wild they would just get on with it. My female was upset cos she wasn't the baby anymore. There was an intruder. As would you be if someone introduce another human into your relationship.
My advice is to keep the kitten in the front room with a barrier at the door so that the grown up cat can see what is happening and they can both learn smells.
Whatever happens give it time. They will get used to each other.
I am so glad that we got a kitten. Cat are bred in packs so should be around each other is. I'm no vet but really enjoy seeing my cats interact. All my cats are indoor cos we live by a very busy road so it is extra stress but it works for us
Sorry for the long post again, I seem to be on one tonight!

katyk_2

Many thanks Petethevet and Eviljim6 - and don't apologise for the long post - the more input I can get the better.
My current cat is an indoor/outdoor cat as he pleases (albeit we don't have a catflap so he has to wait till we come home to get in if he is out when we go out). Thus the newcomer will almost certainly be the same once old enough and vaccinated. There are a number of cats in the neighbourhood, and also a busy road (which is what cost us our beloved Shadow), but Timmy would never settle to an indoor life now. They were indoor cats initially (because of the road) but with children aged 6 & 8 at the time, forever in and out with various pals who never remembered to close doors etc, I gave up after the first year. Also, although people say they never miss what they have not known, all my two seemed to do was gaze wishfully out the window and door and try to sneak past peoples ankles. However, the road is another worry, especially if this one got out younger than 16/17 months.
If I did get a kitten would the gender make any difference? Which gender would not bother me at all.

tealady

Is your older cat a catnip freak as one of mine was? If so try giving the older cat lots ot catnip in and outside whilst the kitten is around, it might help defuse any tension.

Tortieshell

katyk wrote: »

Also, although people say they never miss what they have not known, all my two seemed to do was gaze wishfully out the window and door and try to sneak past peoples ankles. If I did get a kitten would the gender make any difference? Which gender would not bother me at all.

I agree with you about cats wanting to go outdoors after all it is their instinct to want to be free to run and jump and climb and hunt. It's a bit like seeing all those animals in cages at the zoo, it's very upsetting however I can understand if you are near a busy road the predicament you must be in.

As for the sex of the kitten I would go with a female as the other cat is a tom he wont see the kitten as too much of a threat (so they say).

Also a kitten is a better choice as your cat is a full grown adult (again less of a threat).

Good luck with whatever you decide.