Welcome, @LTmomof2!
H is allergic. He usually does well as long as none of the four-legged family members gets on our bed (ever). But generally speaking we’re finding that these goofy Maine Coon mixes we’ve had for the last six years (mom and her two kittens, all rescues) don’t cause much, if any, reaction in him.
@1214mom
Thanks for the warm welcome!
We were worried about the same thing, so the family in Houston brushed our nutso and send me a ziploc bag with his fur. Both my son and I (he is allergic too) put his fur on our pillows and slept with it for a week. Zero reaction. It was the breeders idea and a brilliant one. That way you can test it out without actually having the cat there.
Our pet sitter in Texas had 3 ragdolls and a Bengal. What beautiful cat the Bengal is! She made some crazy noises when we would sit for her that always had us cracking up! I know she was trying to tell us something and was probably frustrated that we didn’t know what it was!
Yep, our Bengal “talks” a lot. She’s really funny. We went away for a week just last week, and she was alone the entire week (our older cat just died in December). When we came back she had A LOT to say to us. They are fun, but different than “normal” cats.
@1214mom
I was just reading the past couple of pages of older posts. I am so sorry for the loss of your older kitty, especially so close to Christmas. Glad you still have your very vocal Bengal gal!
Does anyone know anything about adopting cats (female, if it matters) that were used for breeding? There is one available near us, but I don’t know how that would impact her temperament. She’s only 2, if that matters.
@1214mom
Our 3 girls were in our breeders breeding program. They were between 2-4 when we got them. Two of them warmed up right away, our third (and smartest) took a little longer but now you would think we have had her since she was a kitten.
@LTmomof2, thanks for sharing that. I’m hoping it would be the same for this little girl. We have a 10 YO female, and our other kitty died in December. I know they don’t “need” other cats, but it was kind of nice to have 2.
My cat friends with multiples or those with quirks. Have you tried the pheromone plug ins? We are using the cheaper ones, not Feliway brand. Comfort Zone they are called. We used them for awhile and I thought they were just ok. Now I realize we just weren’t using enough of them.
We have a 4 story house and I put two of the diffusers on each floor. Much less nutso from our big guy. So much so that we are weaning him off the Prozac. He is also not chasing his mom out of the litter box anymore.
I’m sure they don’t work for everyone. I’m using the “multi cat home” version. Anyway, now that I have ramped up the number, my pot stirrer male has really chilled out. Hooray!
My fellow CC’ers with long haired cats…
As you know, our long hairs need the “sani trim” around the bum and britches to keep poop from catching in their fur. When we lived in Texas, we had a local groomer that did our Big boy for $20.00. Honestly, it takes about 30 seconds to run a shaver over his butt and the back of his legs… When our girls came along she only added $10 each, so I could get our lot of four done for $50.00.
Fast forward to our move to MA…I could only find ONE groomer around here that does cats, and they said I would need to drop them in the morning and they would get to them when they could… Um… no. So I started to research the mobile groomers.
I got two quotes for mobile groomers. $110 per cat… I’m sorry…what? $440 for you to buzz their butt and legs which takes about 30 seconds per cat.
I now have a gal that is just OK. She comes to my house for $120 for the 4 of them. She’s not great, doesn’t get close enough and is hard to schedule. She is here for about 5-7 minutes.
What in the heck are other people doing? Are you paying that much? Or did I just have a total steal in Texas… I’m guessing that I did.
Could you learn to do it yourself?
We tried @ Nrdsb4
The only way four cats will sit still is when they are scared. It stinks and I hate it. But when we tried to to it ourself our biggest cat bit me to the point I landed up at urgent care. They put me on a staph infection regimen.
Pretty sure I’m going to put a deposit on a little Bengal kitten in the morning.
She’s a marbled Bengal, not a “normal” Bengal (they look like little leopards, with rosettes). I was thinking I wanted another rosetted one if I got any, but I’ve kind of fallen for this little cutie, even though I won’t get to meet her until I pick her up.
I can’t decide if I’m crazy or not. This particular breeder is calling it quits after 20+ years and they had one unexpectedly become available, so I have to decide quickly. We lost one of our cars late last year, so we’ve been a 1 cat house for just a few months. I talked my husband into it, and my son thinks it’s a great idea. I’m not sure why I’m hesitating just a little.
Ok, rambling over.
Go for it!!! ?
Well, thanks for helping me through that decision…
I’ve committed and will pick her up when she’s ready in early to mid May.
Our son got a kitten from a coworker whose barn cat had kittens. The kitty was about 6 weeks when he got her (Mom had lost interest in her babies). He lives less than 10 minutes away, so we offered to kitty-sit while he is at work. He has another cat, and he doesn’t want to introduce them yet. So we get the pleasure of having a kitten around for a few weeks. She is 7 weeks old now & is so much fun!!
@1214mom I can’t wait to hear about the new kitty!
@LTmomof2 , I had never heard of shaving a cat’s butt until I read your post, and we had a long haired kitty for 15 years! We just bought packs of cat wipes to deal with the dingleberries. I’m laughing so hard right now at the thought of trying to give a cat a trim! Can’t imagine what that would be like. Good luck, but if you can’t find a cat butt groomer, try the wipes. They’re non toxic and they really do help.
"I got two quotes for mobile groomers. $110 per cat… I’m sorry…what? $440 for you to buzz their butt and legs which takes about 30 seconds per cat.
"
Danger money.
I should be picking up my new kitty next Friday.
If anyone has any special tricks for getting cats to do well together, please let me know. I’ve only owned 2 cats, and got the second one 10 plus years ago. The one I still have lived her entire life with another cat until December, so I’m HOPING it won’t be too much of an adjustment for her, but time will tell.
I will have a locked off room for the kitten for as long as we need one, I won’t introduce them right away, and some other “basics,” but I’m looking for info. from people more experienced than I am.
I introduced two kittens to a house that already has three cats. Yes, I know … that’s a lot of cats but the kittens were born under a bush in my front yard. I fostered them with mama cat and three siblings from birth and found homes for all - two of them with me.
All my cats get along well.
First and foremost: don’t rush it!!! Take long enough that your cat and kitten absolutely want to find out who is on the other side of that door. I’m not talking a day or two.
Second: Don’t give up if you hit a problem. I had absolutely no intention of getting rid of anyone. Start with that in your mind.
So advice:
When you leave the kitten’s room, rub goodbye with a cloth and then rub your older cat with the same cloth to say hello. Repeat when going from older cat to kitten.
When FINALLY introducing the kitten to the older cat - in short segments - multiple times - do so with treats for all. Older cat needs to associate the kitten with happiness. I used treats, favorite toys, brushing one than the other.
Let the kitten explore the house while you pet older cat. Older cat needs to know you love it best.
Let the older cat observe the kitten playing. One problem will be the energy level between older cat and kitten. Kitten won’t understand that older cat may not want to tussle and chase.
Again, don’t rush it. Continue to separate whenever you’re not going to be around - nights or just out of the house - way longer than necessary. Better safe than sorry should be the motto.
Remember that hissing and a swat or two across the face is normal at first. Growling and attack mode are what you need to watch for. Of my three older cats, one hissed at the kittens for weeks. I’d ask her if it was really necessary; she never answered, just continued to make her displeasure known. And then one day, she accepted her “new normal” and gets along with all.
You may or may not end up with best-friend cats. It’s been interesting to watch my cats, old and new, interact. My nine-year old male cat adores the male kitten and vice versa. The others all get along but aren’t besties. They do eat together, sleep near each other, play on occasion, and sometimes take a moment to lick a housemate. I couldn’t be happier.
Make the goal tolerance. Consider anything more lagniappe.
(I meant to add this is the second time in the last five years I’ve done this. Toby is eight. Almost three years ago, my husband and I adopted two kittens from the SPCA. Those three also spent much time apart before getting together but all went well from the start. The kittens - born in my front yard - are now eight months. I just repeated what worked the first time.)