Advice?

[argentina90]

Here's the semi-long story, sorry people!

About a month ago my grandmother, who is visiting from Argentina and is staying with my uncle about five minutes away from where I live in another part of town, discovered a cat roaming around the neighborhood. The cat had been there for quite a while and each time she saw it she noticed it was becoming skinnier. Finally she decided to feed the cat and find out more about it.

Well comes to figure that the people who rented about four houses down the street form my uncle's house moved and decided to leave the cat. Of course taking it to a shelter was apparently too hard for them, so they left him to starve. The people that just moved in were offered the cat but they had a dog that wasn't cat friendly. So all in all a week ago I told my boyfriend I couldn't just sit there and watch the cat starve to death. (My grandmother goes back to Argentina in a month, and my uncle doesn't necessarily like cats). Well he was very friendly, walked right into the crate (of course he cried the whole way home ).

Well apart from being a little underweight (I'll get some pictures up asap!!) he's a very otherwise healthy and friendly cat, estimated to be around two years old. I've never met such a friendly cat, lets you rub his belly, paws, etc, doesn't ever bite harder than a nibble and likes to follow you around meowing. Uses the litter box, eats his food (doesn't gorge himself) and drinks appropriately. Well my real concern is that for now, I can home him at my house (though not very conveniently). My boyfriend and I already have a cat and two dogs. The two dogs (an Aussie shep and a Norwegian Elkhound/Smooth Collie cross) are both very playful and nice and the cat seems to have taken well to them. However he (he's neutered, btw) and our other cat (a spayed female) don't necessaril see eye to eye.

Does anyone know of any way to fix this? I mean, we've ben giving them time, only a few days ago have we let them see each other, within a reasonable distance. At first they sat there and hissed and now they just seem quiet and disinterested in one another, though i'm still not willing to put them together. What i've been doing lately is, since our dogs are crated at night, we'll lock Kitty (the female cat) in the basement (three rooms to herself) and letting the male cat roam the upstairs. Then in the mornings he gets put back into his room (sometimes he'll even just run back in there and stay there all night on his own, he likes perching himself by the window or on the end of the couch) and the other cat gets to roam back around.

I don't want to keep playing this game of swip-swap with them and i was wondering if anyone could give any advice on how to introduce the two cats without having a horrible fight? I've never owned cats before these two, so I can't say I know very much about them. He's a gorgeous and extremely well behaved cat, I hope it works out, but if it doesn't, i'm going to need to rehome him. If that's the case my boyfriend nad I have talked it out and are willing to keep him until we find a good home for him.

I promise pictures soon!

And he needs a name, if anyone would like to suggest any. He used to go by Eureka when I thought that he was a she .

[sundancer maiden]

If I was in your shoes I would just put them together. Choose a day when you will be home and let them go. It really doesn't sound to me like they are going to fight. If all they do is tolerate each other, that isn't such a bad thing. Sometimes it can take up to a year for cats to be friendly with each other. I have rescued tons of kitties and the 17 I have right now are pretty good, if I hear fussing I'll yell at them to "knock it off" and they usually do! Might have a little fur fly but haven't had any blood at all!
17 is a LOT of cats to have in one house, I know!! As long as they like and/or tolerate each other I'm thrilled!
I really do think yours will be fine. Just relax, if you're tense they'll wonder why and be upset. Let us know how it goes, do they ignore each other, hiss or play?

[tallyho]

i have 13 cats........males and females, young and older......and one ancient....they all are ok with each other, they have to establish a pecking order, just like the horses.......but as long as they have room enough to get away from each other, it susally won't come to serious blows, and eventually, they'll learn to co-habitate, if nothing else....some of my gang will consistantly make ugly faces at certain cats, but no fighting, they just make faces in passing, and keep going their own ways...

it will work out, just give it a chance , and don't make a hasty decision

[kesty6]

I just recently rescued 2 more cats and have taken in and re-homed various rescues. Sometimes it will take up to a month or longer for the cats to learn to get along. I supervise when I put them together in the same room. For the most part they hiss at each other and ignore each other.

The only time I have had trouble is when one cat chases the other one and gets mean and attacks- that doesn't really happen unless one cat runs away. The aggressor in question is really a very fearful cat- extremely fear aggressive. She even is scared of the kittens I have taken in- since they don't run she leaves them alone- she just hides whenever they are around. For introducing more aggressive cats- I usually put the aggressor in a cat carrier and put them in the same room for a few hours everyday with the other cat. Eventually they work it out.

If they do get aggressive- don't yell at them since it can make things worse. Just put the aggressive one in a cage (upside down laundry baskets work well too).

[Terry]

I just found and read this thread and was just wondering how your cats are doing? Did you come up with a name for your new kitty? And where are the pictures??