Cats...and other cats

[RoJoHen]

There was a little baby kitty in the hallway of my friend's apartment, so I took it home. My other cat is not a fan. Her tail is full, and she's moaning like I've never heard before. The new kitty is a baby, very tiny. I've never lived with multiple cats before, and I don't know what to do.

 

[Da'an]

I think you may just have to wait it out.

Probably best not to leave the baby kitten alone though, until your other cat is a lot more comfortable with the situation.

 

[RoJoHen]

Well, luckily I have the entire day off tomorrow, and I don't have to be at work until 4pm on Monday, so I'm hoping that will be enough time for them to get used to each other. I really wasn't wanting another pet, but she looked so helpless.

 

[Da'an]

Can you tell how old the kitten is? I'm wondering how it got in the situation of being abandoned inside an apartment building.

 

[The Sneeze Police]

I'm with Da'an. I have four cats brought into the house at about 1-2 year intervals. There are still occasional spats, but they mostly get along.

Just be sure to get the kitten to the vet for an assessment.

I used to keep one cat at a time, but I think they are happier with company. Four is 1-2 too many, but we have the space for them.

 

[RoJoHen]

Can you tell how old the kitten is? I'm wondering how it got in the situation of being abandoned inside an apartment building.

I'm wondering if maybe it snuck outside of someone's apartment when the door was open. It's late at night, so maybe the owners didn't even notice (though that is hard for me to believe).

It's a tiny kitten, only a couple months old. Assuming nobody comes to claim it, I will take it to the vet next week when I have a day off. I didn't want a new cat, but my old cat is only 1.5 years old, so hopefully they will learn to get along and be friends.

 

[Saturn0660]

Take it for a ride.. You said yourself you don't want another cat... Do what you gotta do..

 

[Da'an]

This thread is useless without pics.

 

[RoJoHen]

Not a lot of pics taken yet. It's 5:30am, and I'm quite tired. This is the closest the cats have gotten. Old cat in the corner. New kitty underneath the chair.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I think it is far easier to introduce a kitten into a home that already has cats than it is to introduce older cats. A kitten isn't seen as a threat for very long and most cats will get use to it after a couple of days.

When we got our little Dexter my male cat liked him straight away and would happily play with him. Miss Chicken took a bit longer to warm to him but in the end she used to like to clean him.

Sadly Dexter disappeared when he was 5 months old. One of my sons must have accidently let him out of the house.

 

[RoJoHen]

TI cannot believe how upset my old cat is about this. She has been hissing at the kitty ever since I brought her inside (I have never heard her hiss at anything before), and when the kitty gets too close, the old cat swats at it with her very clawed paws. I'm about to go to bed, and I'm wondering if maybe I should keep one of them locked in a different room while I sleep so they don't hurt each other.

 

[Da'an]

Yes, I would think that's a very good idea.

Do you have two separate litter boxes and food/water bowls?

 

[RoJoHen]

Don't have two litter boxes, but I think I'm gonna have to fudge something. Old Cat is soooooo pissed off!

Edit: All right. I'm locking the new kitty in my bedroom with me. She's got a make-shift litter box and some food and water. Old cat will have to deal without sleeping with me tonight.

 

[nevermore]

they'll be fine. The older cat won't actually hurt the kitten, but it may take a couple of days to warm up to having another critter in the house, especially if its a particularly boisterous kitten.

 

[Spot's Meow]

We had an older cat and introduced a kitten (both male) and the older cat had the same reaction as yours. For the first couple of days there was a lot of hissing. After that the older cat just completely ignored the kitten for a couple of months. Eventually they became closer and would clean each other and lay together. It just takes time. Though, they might never be comfortable sharing a litter box, especially if they are both male.

 

[RoJoHen]

Cats are just so weird. I mean, I don't start freaking out any time I see another human!

 

[AstroSmurf]

^ You have obviously never been to a gay bar before. I have seen drag queens try to kill each other in a feral (yet hilarious) territorial show. One minute they are casually sipping martinis at the bar and the next they have abandoned their wigs, hiked their skirts and intent on turning someone's face into hamburger.

But don't worry to much RoJo. Cats are naturally territorial. It takes time for them to decide who is dominant. Give it a couple of weeks and let them work it out on their own.

 

[RoJoHen]

All right, my friend ran into the cat's owner this morning, so now I know where she belongs. My apartment really isn't big enough for me to deal with two cats, so I'm gonna get to send her home.

 

[trampledamage]

You did a good thing looking after her this long, but I'm glad you've found her owner. I hope she'll be safe and happy now

 

[RoJoHen]

I'll just be happy for MY cat to calm the fuck down.