Conference misery::feline_v1

    We had two adult male indoor cats when our third cat, Tigger, a
    little starving kitten at the time, decided that she'd like to move
    in.  Since she was a stray we did not want her in contact with the
    other two until she'd seen the vet for shots and had been deflead,
    so we kept her in the garage for a few days while we had these things
    taken care of.  Now time to bring her in the house, here is what
    we did...
    
    We placed her in a cat carrier and let only one of the other cats
    in the room at a time.  They sniffed and spit and growled (to be
    expected).  After a while we brought the other male and went through
    the same process.  Then we returned Tigger to the garage.  Then
    next day we brought her back in the house, this time when we brought
    the other cats in the room, we allowed the door on the cat carrier
    to remain open.  She came out, spit and groweled, and just went
    about her way getting to know her new surroundings.  I was amazed
    at the fact that the other two just ignored her for the most part.
    Everytime they would come close she'd spit and they would back off.
    Keep in mind that we were in the room watching her everymove.  As
    this process went on, we'd make a big deal over the other two cats,
    playing with them and giving them treats...etc.  We payed as little
    attention as possible to Tigger.  We did this for the next two days,
    Tigger slept in the garage at night, and slowly but surely they
    got used to each other, and Tigger was accepted into their territory
    (my house).
    
    The key to the whole thing is to pay more than the usual attention
    to the cats that you own already, and no more than what is needed
    to keep the new cat from getting into trouble.

    This process worked great for us.
    

    Yes, actually, it works quite well.  Several years ago I decided
    to adopt another roly-poly kitten as company for the mistress of
    the house, PDG.  PDG is pronounced PEE-DIDGE, named after a command
    in the CALMA CAD/CAM system, short for POINT DIGITIZE.  PDG was
    less than two years old, on the slender side and a soft-gray color
    coat.  I selected a gray kitten because many years ago I read that
    each coat color had a distinctive scent and while I don't know if
    indeed there is any truth to this rumor, it sort of made sense.
    
    I brought the kitten home and placed her in the bathroom for a full
    24 hours.  Her meows were pitiful and almost broke my heart, but
    my vet had encouraged this type of an introduction as a way to build
    sympathy in the resident cat.  All night long, PDG paced from my
    bed to the bathroom door, expressing concern with meows of her own.
    In the morning, I opened the door to see what the reaction might
    be.  PDG marched into the bathroom, went directly to the crying
    kitten, and picked her up as if it were her long lost baby.  The
    look she gave me was one of sheer disgust at my letting this little
    suffer all night.  PIXEL, as we called her became PDG's adopted
    daughter.  She carried her around, allowed her to suckle, even though
    she had no milk, took her to the litter box and always made sure
    PIXEL had her fill of food before she would eat.  PIXEL grew quickly
    into a large-boned barn cat and it was quite comical to see PDG
    struggle with trying to carry her down the hall, her little fanny
    dragging on the carpet.
    
    They remained close friends for several years until we introduced
    a third cat to the family.  PY, short for PYTHAGORUS, was a four
    month old tiger SCOTTISH FOLD.  He wasn't nearly as easy to introduce;
    he was older, a male, and a high-strung pure breed.  They all live
    together now, accepting each other without conflict.  But nothing
    matches the closeness I observed between PDG and PIXEL during PIXEL's
    first year.

    Is it better to try to keep the ages of the kitties the same?  

    We are thinking of getting Fuzzles, our 5 month old Himalayan, a
    new brother or sister.  We have a choice.  We can either aquire
    her brother Harry, who is the same age, or wait a few weeks for
    one of her new baby sibling (sex yet unknown, their only 3 weeks
    old).  We like Harry, but we're not too sure Fuzzles still likes
    him.  They didn't get along too well when visiting each other last
    week while we were away.  We would love one of the newborns, but
    now we wonder if Fuzzles will accept a intruder into Her home. 
    
    Anyone have any idea which new kitty would cause less trauma?
    
    Marianne

    

    I found it was a lot easier to bring a younger kitten intothe house
    than one that was the same age, or older.  At one time I had 8 cats,
    all indoor pets exclusively, and they all where different ages;
    the oldest was 13 1/2 when the youngest was brought in at 5 wks.
    It was easier I think because the cat/kitten that is already there
    is bigger, and isn't as threatened.  Just remember to keep making
    a fuss over the first one, and also that it will take a little while
    for them to get use to each other.
    
    One of ours came in and made herself right at home, ignoring all
    the other ones when they hissed or growled.  She would just look
    at them and then walk off, or worse yet..... she sometimes would
    walk up and nuzzle the offendor (talk about frustration for the
    older baby).  Also, all my cats are declawed (no flames PLEASE),
    and I had few worries of them hurting the younger one.

Recently, my wife took in a tabby that happened into our garage somehow 
before/during a snow.  Since we've been unable to locate the owner of the cat, 
it's been decided that we will keep him.  So, I have some questions:

1)  Do you think the tactic of excess-loving the resident cat and minimally-
    loving the new cat (only for the first few days) would work with a 
    14-year-old female and an 8-month-old male?  We want to make sure we
    don't put any unnecessary strain on her because of her age (though she's
    in excellent shape for her age).

2)  Our 14-year-old, Tabatha, is *strictly* an indoor cat.  The new addition,
    Toby, of course came from an outdoor environment.  Given this, what
    would you suggest:  Toby remain an indoor/outdoor cat or strictly indoor
    like Tabatha?

3)  Tabatha (and my wife) have a few habits that I absolutely don't wish
    to have carried over to Toby. Foremost of these is that she gets fed 
    (can-food) at least 4-times a day.  Now admittedly her consumption per 
    serving is usually relatively small, but I'd like to have Toby expect to 
    be fed only 1-2 times a day.  Any suggestions on how to separate their 
    feedings would be appreciated.

Though I probably have more questions, I'll stop for now.

-Andy

    A method that works well for me is to bring the new kitty into the
    house and put him in a room by himself.  After he has had a chance
    to explore that room totally, I casually crack open the door and
    let the cats find each other on their own.  I think that little
    interaction with either cat is the best approach.  Until they accept
    each other, stay out of it.  This may take several days, depending
    on the cats.  One thing that I have learned is not to scold the
    larger cat for picking on the newcomer.  They have to establish
    their own relationship as to who is dominant and who is submissive.
    Any interference from you will be greatly resented.
    
    If it were me, I would keep Toby inside also.  It is my feeling
    that he will react better socially to you and your cat if he is
    in close proximity to you most of the time.  I have had it both
    ways, cats outside, cats inside, some out some in, and *I* prefer
    all cats inside.  Since he is only about 8 months he probably will
    adapt very well to inside.  One of my cats converted at 5 years
    and the other at 11years.
    
    As far as the eating is concerned,  twice a day should be plenty
    for him.  I usually feed my kittens three or four times a day until
    they are a year old and then switch to twice a day.  Get him on
    a schedule like you did for your other cat (only this schedule is
    twice a day not four times) and he will only expect food twice a
    day.  You can feed your cats in seperate rooms if necessary.  Two
    of mine eat in the front bathroom and the other three eat in the
    other bathroom.  Old cats together, kittens and adolescents together.
    
    Jo