BS: Cat lovers...advise please

Subject: BS: Cat lovers...advice please
From: Becca72
Date: 01 May 06 - 09:56 AM

I had 2 cats...13 and 9 (they are mother and son) and about 2 months ago the 13 year old passed away. I was hoping the 9 year old would eventually adjust to being along, but it's not going well at all...he now physically blocks the door when I try to leave. I'm thinking I need to get another cat so he won't be lonely while I'm gone during the day, but I'm unsure how to go about it. Should I get a kitten (I've heard cats/dogs are less likely to be agressive towards "babies") or if an older cat would be alright. He has shown some agressive behavior in the past towards strange cats, but hasn't been exposed for long periods of time. Does anyone know if the kitten theory is true?

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 01 May 06 - 10:05 AM

Dear Becca
As a cat lover myself I have found it difficult to introduce another cat . I have two, one died last year. A kitten coming into the home of another cat is like you or I coming to terms with a young baby in the house again ! If you go to a cat rescue centre and get a young cat just past that kitten pest period you will find it much easier to introduce them. There will be a stand off period, but this will pass in time. In the long run it will be better for your cat to have the company.

Keep us informed and good luck with it.
Seamus

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 May 06 - 10:23 AM

HOW to introduce is said to be the trick. Put them in separate rooms for several days to let them smell each other and talk cat lingo through the closed door, THEN after a few days open the door. THEN let them work it out themselves.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 01 May 06 - 10:25 AM

The major problem with that is I live in a studio apartment...the only door is on the bathroom, and that's where the kitty box is...so it'll be a chaotic introduction at best...

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 May 06 - 10:50 AM

Can you get a large kennel to put the new one in when you are not at home? The Humane Society/Animal Shelter may have one you could borrow or rent. I agree with Seamus, a slightly-past-the-kitten stage would be easier. The older cat may surprise you. He may be so lonely that after a day or two of hissy-fitting, he will love the new cat and be a lot happier. Cats have a pecking order and the older cat will want to establish authority over the other. If you do get it from a shelter, they should be able to tell you which of their cats is the most mellow and friendly towards other animals. I cannot count the number of times I've brought home a stray, had it stay in a separate room for a few days, then let them all meet face-to-face as WYSIWYG suggested and it has always worked well.

It will never be the same but another kitty can certainly help ease the longing for the old pal. Good luck,

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 May 06 - 11:04 AM

We have a Siamese mix cat who was with a couple of our others when he first arrived, and was accepted by them. We got rid of the older pair (gave to a friend) because they weren't good with babies and were peeing everywhere. So the one cat was alone for a while, then he spotted a cat outside his window and got all excited. We found this sweet calico/Siamese mix on the porch and put up "Found Cat" signs and had no response (in an apartment complex life outside is short and brutal). She stayed on the porch in a kennel for a few days, and when it got cold the kennel was moved in, so all this time the older cat knew she was nearby. Soon she was spayed and stayed in the kennel for a few days recuperating, and they met nose to nose through the bars, hissing on occasion.

One evening I opened the door. She wandered out, he went in to check out the kennel, and was heard to be peeing in her box. An hour later I heard the tell-tale "scrape scrape scrape" and she had taken a dump in his box.

They've been fine. They play, they keep an eye on each other, and they occasionally have hissyfits. Normal stuff.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Santa
Date: 01 May 06 - 11:22 AM

We've mixed and matched cats over the years, but we did have one failure. A tortoiseshell female that was scared of the other two (another tortoiseshell female and a black male) and the other two didn't care for her either. We compromised by having her upstairs - she didn't like going outside, either - and the others downstairs. She spent a happier year with my son in a student house in Manchester, but when she came back things were no better. So we found a new home for her when my daughter's university friends in Durham needed an "indoors" cat. A happy ending.

However, other than this one, we've had no long-term problems introducing new cats into an established cathold.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: MaineDog
Date: 01 May 06 - 11:49 AM

I have heard that if you take a towel and rub them alternately, you will spread some of their scent to each other, and then they will be more likely to accept each other.
MD
btw, in prehistoric times I had 14 cats (yes, all at once!) most of them got along ok, but the pack ostracized several who had multiple toes. They eventually disappeared.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 May 06 - 12:10 PM

Get yourself 2 kittens.... (preferably brother and sister)

Bring them into the house in an animal carrier, and leave them in it, in the middle of the living room for a couple of days....   That'll let your current old-timer get used to the idea of them being there....

There are going to be hiss-fits and stuff... allow them to work out their 'social order' just like every other mammal does...

In the end, it'll all be fine

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 01 May 06 - 12:51 PM

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions...I've had my eye on a "teenager" (1.5 years) and I may just try it.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Cats
Date: 01 May 06 - 12:52 PM

When my 16 year old cat died 6 years ago we introduced a 3 year old rescued cat and the old cat who was the twin of the one which had just died was just so pleased to have another cat for company that after a little while they were brilliant together. When he died at 18 years old the rescued one had been so good in his last days, grooming him and looking after him, that we brought in a recued kitten that needed some loving. No problem at all. It depends on the temprament of the surviving cat. Good luck.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 01 May 06 - 02:08 PM

We had a mature male cat and introduced a young female, thinking the male would not be challenged much. Since then, a friend with many cats has told us that females tend to dominate. Whatever the problem, our cats have never really settled down.

He's old; she's not.
He has claws; she doesn't.
He wants out; she just wants the best spot in the house (my bed).
She's a smug little princess; he's the artistic type.

And so it goes.

Any thoughts on the male-female dominance opinion?
-------
A practical hint: when a new cat is introduced, one cat may try to dominate the other by keeping it from the litterbox. This explains why there is no often a standoff at a door or stair. If you get another cat, you will need another box, at least for a while.

Have you ever read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"? The narrator tells how mean boys in her grade school used to block the way to the toilets, no one knew why. Apparently those boys had the mentality of a cat.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 01 May 06 - 02:23 PM

Leeneia,
Every female cat I've ever had (about 3 or 4) has been dominant. The one who just passed was a royal bitch most of the time. I'm actually looking at getting another male for this very reason. I don't want the surviving cat to be any more stressed than need be so I don't want some hot young female coming in and pushing him around. He's a very affectionate being, and loves to be everywhere I am and is really still quite "kitten-like" even at 9 years old.
I already have a back up litter box, just in case I find the right match and bring someone home. I do think at this point he'll be so happy not to be alone anymore that the transition will go smoother than if I was just bringing home another cat for the hell of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 May 06 - 03:00 PM

Hello,

    We have 9 cats ranging in age from 6 months to 15 years old. We make sure we are home for the first day after we introduce the new kitten/cat. There really isn't ever a serious problem. The older cats may hiss or make an occassional swat at the new kitten/cat but they don't make contact...it's just a show of who's boss. Not long after that we find them curled up together taking a nap. The only time they seem to have territory issues is when it's time to sit in my lap. One starts out on my lap. Then another will jump up and sit on my belly, then the other moves to my chest and the next thing I know I have a cat under my chin. :)

If you do get a new kitten/cat, be sure to give the older cat a bit of extra love and attention so s/he knows s/he isn't being replaced.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 May 06 - 03:01 PM

Females are almost always dominant in the animal world.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 May 06 - 03:18 PM

They may be dominant but they're slightly less likely to piss on some odd corner or piece of furniture if they're annoyed about something. Neutered males can spray if provoked (the cat box needs to be cleaned daily or we sometimes encounter this vote of disapproval from our male cat).

The rule of thumb is one litter box per cat around the house, but in those multi-multi-cat households it would be a bit extreme. However, at least two, for various reasons. A door accidentally left shut is a prime example of why a backup somewhere else in the house is helpful.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Anonny Mouse
Date: 01 May 06 - 03:27 PM

Cats are weird. Sorry. MHO having a good friend who was a "cat lady." Oh yeah--great. They jumped on the dinner table, nibbled at flowers there, went around "rubbing" everyone and "MEEEEEYOWWWWWING" like they were in heat, and caused my lovely wife (allergic to Cat dander) to go into mild allergic anaphalactic shock every time we visited. Soon, we had to stop...only me stopping by--I was not allergic. I know there are cat people and dog people. Give me a DOG any day! Cats SUCK. Sorry--but they do.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 01 May 06 - 04:17 PM

Anonny Mouse,
How is this helpful to the thread? I did, after all, ask for cat lovers suggestions. To quote Thumper's mother, "if you can't say nothin' nice, don't say nothin' at all".

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 01 May 06 - 04:48 PM

Ever notice how some people are quick to say, oh I don't like cats, can't stand them. Rare to hear people say that about other pets.

Anonny Mouse, sorry you don't like them because of their behaviour. There are a lot of people fit that profile too.

Prefer cats to a lot of people that come to mind.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 01 May 06 - 05:44 PM

My daughter could also do with some advice. She and her house mate have two cats which they have had from kittens (same litter). Until recently everything was fine but then one of the cats (her flat mates) had kittens. Natashas cat has now taken to peeing everywhere including on her bed. I suggested she shut her into the kitchen at night but the other cat and kittens are given the run of the house so her flat mate won't agree to the kitchen door being shut as her cats could not then reach the litter tray. I assume the cat is reacting to the new kittens but Natasha is getting desperate especially as the washer packed in and she is changing bed linen almost daily! Any suggestions??

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 May 06 - 05:49 PM

Be sure the litter box is very clean, and lock the errant cat and her box and some nice bedding in a kennel at night. Probably need to keep her in her owner's bedroom and not down in the kitchen so she doesn't feel abandoned. Give her some extra attention also, because she probably is jealous. Kennels can be purchased in the US for about $50 for a nice sized one, don't know what that works out to in pounds. I have one that is collapsible and is handy for if I have to take them somewhere in the truck because it goes in the camper and is big enough for their box and a little leg stretching when needed.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 May 06 - 06:03 PM

They may be dominant but they're slightly less likely to piss on some odd corner or piece of furniture if they're annoyed about something. - Want to bet? Queens will also spray to mark territory, and they will pee in corners to show their disapproval of certain situations (like being ignored)... been there, done that, cleaned the rugs many MANY times.....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: SINSULL
Date: 01 May 06 - 06:19 PM

Becca - want to have Alice for a visit????

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 01 May 06 - 06:40 PM

The above is the behaviour of young cats. Bet we can all look back on what our children did in their young years ! My two are out each night and sleep indoors all day, so no problems like you have sorry.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From:
Date: 01 May 06 - 06:56 PM

Sins,
I have a feeling Alice would scare the hell out of my Madmardigan...he only weighs in at 8lbs and is pretty timid...she could take him, easy! :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: GUEST,AR282
Date: 01 May 06 - 07:03 PM

I must be lucky. My cat is about 5 and has never peed or pooped anywhere but his box and I don't have to clean it everyday either. Maybe once or twice a week. He's never sprayed. I never housebroke him. He just knew to use the litter box, not sure how that works. He has the run of the house, sleeps on the sofa or my bed, and I let him out whenever he wants out which is usually at night. I think about getting another cat but one is handful as it is. I'm not sure how he'd react either since he has always been alone. He spends most of his outdoor time on the neighbor's porch staring at her cats. She has three beautiful fluffy cream-colored cats--obviously female (he's totally black). They're always indoors and sit on the sill all stuffy and regal like they own the damn place. And my cat jumps up on the sill and paws at them and rubs his head against the glass. He's fixed so that's strange. The females don't appear to react one way or the other. From what I see, cats that grew up with another cat in the house for several years generally need the companionship. If one dies, you pretty much have to replace it. If the cat is a loner, it's probably best that it stays a loner.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: GUEST,AR282
Date: 01 May 06 - 07:23 PM

>>Give me a DOG any day! Cats SUCK. Sorry--but they do.<<

I've had dogs all my life and I love dogs. I've never had a cat before and didn't think I liked them but I bought this one because I had mice--he got rid of them. I'm amazed by their speed, balance and agility. They can leap from the floor to the small hole in the screen mesh of the door and pass through it with ease. Extremely keen senses. He's loving, rowdy, very smart, very clean. He can take care of himself. I never worry about him. He is totally self-sufficient. I never worry about him being run over when he's outside because he won't even sit on the sidewalk when a car goes by--very flighty. Not friendly so you'll never get a hand on him if he doesn't know you.

The problem with a dog is they have to be fed regularly. I was in Wisconsin all last week so I locked the cat in and left out extra food and water for him. I came home after 4 days and 3 nights and he was perfectly fine, plenty of food still left out, used his litterbox like always, didn't destroy anything. That's something you really can't and shouldn't do with a dog. But dogs are superb burglary and intruder alert systems and are not too shabby at catching mice either. So, to me, take your pick.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: LadyJean
Date: 01 May 06 - 11:43 PM

When Solomon was 8, we acquired a kitten named Ocelittle ( as opposed to Ocelot, which she wasn't.) The next day Sol went out and brought us a nice dead squirrel to show us that we didn't need that little pipsqueak. He endured a certain amount of pestering, until Ocelittle turned 1, then he chased her around the house, to make sure she knew who was boss, and they became friends. Cats do have dominance issues. I think it has to do with size and age. While the oldest cat is the alpha kitty as a rule, he explains this to the youner cats as soon as their size begins to match his or hers.
My present pair are going on 2 and going on 1. I have cat fights on my lap. It's interesting.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: kendall
Date: 02 May 06 - 08:30 AM

I hate to drag logic into this, but the fact is, the only species of cat that lives in groups is the Lion. It is not natural for house cats to have companions. They want the whole house for themselves, and in groups they will piss on everything to show their displeasure.

Dogs, on the other hand, are pack animals and they love company.

My advice would be, let the cat get over the loss of its mother, and in time it will adjust to the normality of the situation. In the meantime, lavish lots of affection on the one you have, and give it time to adjust. You created an unnatural situation to which the remaining cat became accustomed, but things will return to normal if you give it time.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 02 May 06 - 08:51 AM

Not to argue, but I've had housecats most of my life (remember Harold in the Barbie van? hehe) and I do see that they benefit from the company of other cats, and actually enjoy it very much. I know the "experts" will disagree, but I've experienced it first hand many times, having had 10 cats so far in my life. And they don't simply tolerate each other...they groom each other, play and sleep together, etc. While they may not have the "pack mentality" of dogs or other animals, feral cats do form colonies...they just don't have the power structure of a pack.

It's been 2 months since the older cat passed, and his behavior is getting worse, not better and I know it's because he's lonely and/or bored. Since I can't quit my job to stay home and play with him all day, the best solution to the problem is another cat.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: artbrooks
Date: 02 May 06 - 09:15 AM

We have had 3 at a time for twenty years or more and, when one left us (usually of old age), we have always gone down to the pound and gotten a 4-6 month old kitten...without much regard to its sex or that of the others in the family. We introduce the new one by bringing it into the house (after a stop at the vet for exam and shots) and letting it loose. No kennel, no room separation, just cold turkey. There have never been any problems expect, once in a while, a brief episode of kitten-under-the-bed.

Female dominance? Not always. Abby, our most recent kitten, is now two. She always defers to the others (both male), even to the extent of letting them eat her food.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: GUEST,G
Date: 02 May 06 - 09:25 AM

Becca, get another one - I just finished a series of emails with a company I consider about the best pet info and food provider on the planet. My premise was for a person wanting a new kitten to get two. They keep each other company, their playing togehter is entertaining and two cats are not half the work of one dog. (The only time "they suck" is during the nursing stage when they are very young.)

Have 'cat sat' a couple times for a friends two cats that grew up together and they are a riot. A little disconcerting when they charged into the bedroom at 1 AM and jump up and over the bed. You can either roll over and go back to sleep or close the door.

The cat food company's feeling was cats "are loners" and don't need company. I feel that was based on the days when there was someone at the house all day. My other statement to them was than when they did get older, that there would be a doorstop for BOTH the front and the back doors. No response on that comment.

Love dogs but I travel extensively and kennel charges are so high. Rather give that money to a humane society.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 May 06 - 09:51 AM

Cats have complex brains, and where there is complexity, there is variation. Some cats may be loners, but others are sociable towards other cats.

For example, the literature says that a male cat pays no attention to its kittens. But we used to have a Siamese whose father always helped take care of its kittens.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: GUEST,DB
Date: 02 May 06 - 09:53 AM

I remember, many years ago, visiting the house of a 'bird doctor' in the Manchester area. This bloke took in injured wild birds and nursed them back to health. He was such an expert that even the RSPCA brought him injured wild birds to care for. There were kestrels on the picture rail in the back room, herring gulls in the lounge, little owls in the hall and even a barn owl in the toilet!
Amazingly, he also had at least two cats! I asked him how he stopped the cats attacking the birds and he said, "when a newcomer arrives we just introduce it to all the other creatures in the house and we never seem to have any trouble".
So perhaps it's as simple as that - just introduce the cats to each other and they should get on ...

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 May 06 - 10:18 AM

The extent to which adult cats enjoy each others' company is largely a function of how they were socialized with people (and/or other pet cats) as kittens. When we adopt them as kittens, we actually get them partially stuck in kittenhood in their socialization. Those tend to be the ones that sleep together, wash each other/accept the other's washing attention, and play together. So this may be a factor in deciding on either kitten or an adult cat as a newcomer; unless of course the adult has been kittenized elsewhere.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: JudyB
Date: 02 May 06 - 10:37 AM

Our two were adopted as kittens within a week of each other, and don't get along very well - we chose them from two different shelters because they were both outgoing and looked as if they might be a bit high-maintenance, which might make them harder to place. What we didn't consider is that that meant that both wanted to be the primary (or possibly only) cat in the house. They also have very different styles - one is a snuggler and the other a rough-houser. They've worked it out - each has her own part of the house where the other treads warily, and there's occasionally some hissing or a chase scene when they're both in the yard, but no overt combat.

On the other hand, we had a third cat for several years - a stray they adopted, and we took in once we discovered that they had no problems with his presence. The little cat that claimed the bedroom let him sleep on the foot of the bed. The slightly larger rough and tumble cat would pounce on him occasionally, leading to some rough play that didn't seem to do any harm to either.

I think he fit in because, even though he outweighed the other two combined once he recovered from being half-starved, he saw himself as a very junior member of the pack, and deferred to his big sisters.

So the moral of all this - I think there's one here somewhere - is to think about your cat's personality and play habits, and work with the folks who have your current first choice to see if it seems a good fit, or (if they're a shelter or someplace with a number of cats) if they have another cat they think might fit in better with yours.

Our highly independent pair didn't seem to miss the big guy when he passed away (we knew all along that he had some health issues, not dangerous to the other two but likely to shorten his life), and we have no plans to replace him - unless our other two show up with another stray and ask if they can keep him!

But another cat seems a good choice in your case - especially if you can find one that seems a good personality match.

Good luck!
JudyB

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 May 06 - 10:48 AM

You'll see barn cats that hang out in groups. They may not be as cohesive as lions on the veldt, but they're still social. The dynamic of wild cats and what happens to kittens of a competitive male is pretty harsh, house cats don't seem to enact those dominance roles.

My female is younger and fat. She still defers to the older male cat at the food dish, but she makes more trips back when he isn't there. :)

When they want to be alone they'll go to different rooms of the house. When they want to be together they seem to start their swat and pounce game on the foot of my bed in the middle of the night.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: kendall
Date: 02 May 06 - 12:45 PM

I knew logic wouldn't work.

Feral cats have the liberty to roam. House cats are stuck in a small area. That makes a difference.
What do you think would happen if you had a grown cat and tried to bring in another cat?

What I was saying is, under normal conditions, that is, one cat, is quite happy to be the only child. It's natural. However, Becca broke the rules of nature by having two cats. Now the survivor is suddenly alone and has never had to deal with being alone.

I still say it will adjust given the time.
I have to laugh at people who apply human values to animals.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Kaleea
Date: 02 May 06 - 01:11 PM

Becca--
   I've had this dilemma many times over the years. Most of the time, I had success. I usually get a little kitty somewhere around 6-12 mos. Nowadays, there are lots of things the experts suggest which help, tho back in the day, I never got extra litter boxes cause I never had the $$, but it's a good thing to do in the beginning. It's good use a different dish for the new kitty as the new kitty should have kitten food, & you pretty much have to try to feed the kitten away from the older one, or just sigh & let them both have it cause the kitten needs to eat several times a day.
Here's the thing--I would dab a little bit of cologne on the butt of both kitties! (on the very top of the tail) I did this each day. Usually, it was Old Spice, as that was what my then husband used. This helped the kitties think that they were the same & accept each other. You also need to help them out by showing them both lots of affection, especially the original kitty. Your small apt certainly complicates things so that they will see each other constantly, as well as any attention you give the other. Just do the best you can.
Critters who are loved usually respond in kind, & I do believe that we can set an example for our critters-yes, even cats.
   Good Luck!

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: EBarnacle
Date: 02 May 06 - 01:12 PM

Be very careful about adopting a feral cat. You are asking them to completely change their behavior as well as their life style. I have been in situations where feral cats were asked to live with housecats as potential adoptees. 'Tweren't pretty. Much better to work with a cat who has learned to live indoors unless you wish to intend to allow Felix to be an in and out cat.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 02 May 06 - 01:23 PM

I did not break the "rules of nature", I broke the "rules of circumstance" by having more than one housecat.
Feral cats have the liberty to roam and yet they still choose to form colonies...they're not forced into it, which says to me that they like the company of others.
I have had adult cats in the past and brought other adult cats into the fold and after a transition period they all got along fine. Another time the existing cat went psycho and screamed like a fire engine every time the new cat entered the room. Circumstances were different than the current situation because of the age of the animals and the personalities, etc. I'm not saying that my cat feels love in the same way I do, but he feels something or he wouldn't show affection (in a cat-like way) to me or another cat the way that he does. He'd just hang out and sleep and wait for the food dish to be filled.
I have to laugh at people who don't give animals enough credit.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: kendall
Date: 02 May 06 - 04:39 PM

So, who's the wildlife expert here?

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: kendall
Date: 02 May 06 - 04:42 PM

Becca, we both know a certain lady who has 4 cats. They hate each other. They fight all the time and one of them pisses on anything that she wants to lay claim to.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 02 May 06 - 04:48 PM

We're not talking about wildlife, we're talking about domestic housecats. I have no idea how 2 bears would get on in my apartment together, but I do know a little something about cats, having owned many over the last 30 years..

And that certain lady with 4 cats is the exception, not the rule. I know many many more multiple cat households that don't have any problems at all. A co-worker of mine also has 4 cats and they adore each other.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 02 May 06 - 05:05 PM

Welcome to mudcat Becca, often threads end up going of their course. I have had cats like yourself for many many years and they are great pets. Hope all works out for you

Seamus.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Dave Earl
Date: 02 May 06 - 05:26 PM

Sorry cat lovers but my advice is to keep them away from me.

I'm allergic and they make I sneeze.

Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From:
Date: 02 May 06 - 05:54 PM

Divis, I've noticed the undertow around here..hehe. Kendall is my father, actually, and as you can see I was lucky enough to inherit his stubborn streak. :-) I love him with all my heart and value his opinion and I also like a good argument!

Breton,
I will be certain to keep mine away from you...sorry to hear about the allergies...my sister suffers the same and also sees cats as too "aloof" for her liking. She instead has a dog that runs head first into the slider, full speed...SO uncool. A cat would never!

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Mo the caller
Date: 02 May 06 - 07:24 PM

I've only ever kept one cat at a time, but our first cat came from the same litter as the cat that lived across the road, and they used to play together (two neutered toms). When Scamper had to be put down Kipper came looking for him, obviously missed him.
OTOH 2 cats living near my daughter that looked like brothers started coming in through the flap (installed by previous owner of house). One seemed to be bullied by the other, and decided it would move in. So it did, and now sleeps on the bed or sofa 23hours a day.
We've just adopted an abandoned cat, couldn't resist him. He came on March 17th so is called "Pat the Cat"

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: kendall
Date: 02 May 06 - 08:04 PM

No dear, you are the exception. the rule is that domestic cats prefer to be the only cat in the house. They can, and do adjust to the meddling of humans.

Subject: RE: BS: Cat lovers...advise please
From: Becca72
Date: 03 May 06 - 08:43 AM

Let me ask the question, father, how many domestic cats have you shared your house with? My count is up to 10, working on 11 and this is the longest period of time I've had only one...and he's miserable (I know this by the crying, following me around and blocking the door when I try to leave)...the others have come and gone at various times, not always together as kittens, too.
I realize the Discovery Channel may not totally agree with me, but I am working on almost 30 years of cat ownership experience. Just admit I MIGHT know what I'm talking about.