Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / May 2005
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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