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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005

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Advice, please

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Gail - 21 May 2005 02:21 GMT
I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently have a two
year old neutered male who I got as a stray kitten. He is very playful
(still) and active. Last year, he tormented my two elderly cats (who died of
medical problems last year, also). Any thoughts on the age/sex of the cat I
should adopt? My gut feeling is to adopt a kitten (who would equal his
energy and be easy to integrate), but I feel sorry for all of the adult cats
who need adopting. I am looking at petfinder in my state. Thanks in advance.
Gail
bigbadbarry - 21 May 2005 02:26 GMT
> I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently have a two
> year old neutered male who I got as a stray kitten. He is very playful
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> who need adopting. I am looking at petfinder in my state. Thanks in advance.
> Gail

I am sorry for you loss as mentioned above. Do you suspect that the
"tormenting" assisted in your unfortunate loss?

Good luck with finding a new playmate...for the tormentor (who Im sure
is sweet).
Gail - 21 May 2005 02:36 GMT
No, Freddie just was very playful with them. They were geriatric cats (15
and 17), who were in no mood to play. The 15 year old died of chronic renal
failure and the 17 year old died of a sarcoma on her leg. It was just tough
on everyone trying to keep everyone happy and stress-free.
Gail

>> I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently have a
> two
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Good luck with finding a new playmate...for the tormentor (who Im sure
> is sweet).
bigbadbarry - 21 May 2005 02:48 GMT
| No, Freddie just was very playful with them. They were geriatric cats (15
| and 17), who were in no mood to play. The 15 year old died of chronic renal
| failure and the 17 year old died of a sarcoma on her leg. It was just tough
| on everyone trying to keep everyone happy and stress-free.
| Gail

ah! I only have one cat. He's older than me in terms of years but mercy, he
keeps me moving.

I enjoy it. I like your idea of a kitten. In no time at all, he'll be a good
size for them two to wrestle you know.
Cheryl - 21 May 2005 02:37 GMT
> I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently
> have a two year old neutered male who I got as a stray kitten.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> cats who need adopting. I am looking at petfinder in my state.
> Thanks in advance. Gail

I would adopt one cat younger than yours. Not a kitten, but a one-
year-old. Take a toy like Da Bird or a stick toy with a feather on
the end with you and see how he/she reacts. I don't think gender
makes a difference. If kitty plays with the toy, kitty is outgoing
(because you're a stranger). Before you go, decide on the
personality of the cat that you think will get along with your
male.

Since you have a male, I can't stress enough that he will accept
kittens of any gender. Though, I do admire anyone who adopts older
kitties.

Signature

Cheryl

"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited
breath."
- W.C. Fields

friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 21 May 2005 03:22 GMT
> I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently have a two
> year old neutered male who I got as a stray kitten. He is very playful
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> who need adopting. I am looking at petfinder in my state. Thanks in advance.
> Gail

As long as the adult in question is active and playful, and gets along
with other cats, you could do quite well with an adult.

Back in February, I adopted an adult male. They figure he is about 4
years old. He was intact until they got him, so neutered only 2 weeks
before I adopted him.

I have 2 cats already, ages 18, 11, and 4. He blended into the family
really well. He backs down from the 18 and 11 year olds even though
they are half his size. And he plays big time with the 4 year old. In
fact, he plays so much with Chase, that Chase doesn't attack Kira
nearly as much, making it a more pleasant experience for everybody.

So, I would say that an adult cat who is playful and socialble would be
a great addition to your home. It just depends on the cats involved.
tracyrose@gmail.com - 21 May 2005 07:09 GMT
I'd encourage you to look for a high energy one or two year old cat -
they
abound in shelters. You may have a slightly longer introduction time to
work out, but afterwards the two cats will benefit from being closer in
age. Look for a cat who is interested in the other cats at the shelter,
and dying to play . The shelter volunteers are great sources of info on
the personalities of the cats. And when you get them home, keep them
separated until their curiousity surpasses their anxiety, expect a
little tumbling around at the beginning and redirect their aggressive
energy into play. In a few months, it should all be fine and you'll
have a cute pair, and have done a wonderful thing by rescuing an adult
cat :>

I broke all the rules and introduced two two year old females with
completely different personalities. It all worked out fine. Just be
patient
with the process and make sure you pick a cat with social tendencies
and a similiar love for play.
Phil P. - 22 May 2005 08:00 GMT
> I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently have a two
> year old neutered male who I got as a stray kitten. He is very playful
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> who need adopting. I am looking at petfinder in my state. Thanks in advance.
> Gail

I would adopt a 1 or 2-year old female- but that's me.

Best of luck,

Phil
Mary - 22 May 2005 15:38 GMT
> > I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently have a two
> > year old neutered male who I got as a stray kitten. He is very playful
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> I would adopt a 1 or 2-year old female- but that's me.

Phil, this brings up a question I have often wondered about. Most of the
time that we have people in here about really bad cat conflicts, it seems to
me they are between two males. Are two males of similar ages more likely to
have conflicts, assuming they are neutered, than, say, two females or a
female or a male?
friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 22 May 2005 21:29 GMT
> Phil, this brings up a question I have often wondered about. Most of the
> time that we have people in here about really bad cat conflicts, it seems to
> me they are between two males. Are two males of similar ages more likely to
> have conflicts, assuming they are neutered, than, say, two females or a
> female or a male?

I can't speak to what as typical, but I have found in my own experience
that two males have worked well together. And we have had more trouble
with dominant females.

We have had 3 dominant females over the years. Darcy was the first one
and she terrorized Shalon when she arrived as a kitten. She never
missed a chance to prove herself top cat. Later, as her health
declined, Shalom started attacking her and she became the top cat. Same
thing when we added Tov. Shalom attacked Tove and was latter attacked
by Tov when she got older.

During that whole time, other cats, who were not dominant, were not
involved in these issues. My first cat Fiona, lived with all 3 of those
females and she was never attacked, nor did she do any attacking.

My sister has had two pairs of males. When her first cat died, she
brought in an 8 month old male to be buddies with her older male cat.
She insisted she din't want a male cat or an orange cat, but she came
home with an orange male cat :)   And they were great buddies for
years. After the older one died, she searched petfinder for a couple
weeks and came up with another male, about a year old. They are doing
well together too.

In our own home, the only male who was a problem was one that my mom
did not neuter right away, and he was also very dominant and jealous of
people attention too. He even went after the dogs if my mom was petting
them.

Currently, we have 3 males. One is Maynard, the almost 19 year old, and
he has always been mild. He tells off the dogs if they come too close,
and occasionally a cat. But he doesn't fight. If Chase goes after him
to play, then Maynard screams and swats back.

Chase is very playful and technically he doesn't attack anybody, but he
does go after Kira to play. She has a fluffy squirrel tail that never
stops moving. But he is much better now with the addition of...

Jay Jay - the newest addition. Guestimated at 4 years old. Just
neutered 2 weeks before we got him. And the most mild cat you've ever
seen. He backs down from Maynard and Kira, stands his ground with
Booper (my sister's cat who sometimes passes through and growls at
him), and he plays big time with Chase.
They are great buddies and play every day. And they are approximately
the same age. We don't really know for sure on Jay Jay. He could be
younger.
-L. - 22 May 2005 08:03 GMT
> I am thinking of adopting another cat this summer. I currently have a two
> year old neutered male who I got as a stray kitten. He is very playful
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> who need adopting. I am looking at petfinder in my state. Thanks in advance.
> Gail

honestly, I am partial to male cats and have had much better luck
adopting same-sex partnerships than mixed-sex.   If he is two years
old, I'd get a younger male - maye a teenager - like 8-10 mos.  That
way he's young enough to "grow into" the relationship, and not as much
of a threat to your existing cat as an adult would be.  But a laid-back
adult cat might work as well.  Some cats just get along with any other
animal.

Good luck,
-L.
 
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