On Jun 16, 12:17 am, Takayuki wrote:
I'm finding myself calling Burt "Buster", for some reason.

Because Buster has "told" you his name. Obviously Burt was not his
name

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on integrating these two. They
didn't seem to be fighting, but when they meet, what usually happens
is that Dot will hiss and growl, Buster will try to get a little
closer and lie down, and eventually there will be a commotion with Dot
running to a hiding spot, and Buster chasing her. After Dot finds her
new hiding spot, Buster will lose interest, and Dot will just stay
there all big eyed and unhappy. Dot is such a social and needy cat,
it really pains me to see her hiding!


It sounds like Buster is trying to make friends, the fact that he's
trying to get close and then lying down is a non-aggressive posture
and a cat's way of saying, "I'm not a threat to you, I want to be
friends". They're probably making eye contact which makes Dot nervous
and she runs, which to a young cat like Buster is an invitation to
play. He thinks she wants to play chase! Are you sure Dot is unhappy
or are *you* assuming she is unhappy? How long does she stay in her
hiding place? I see this type of behavior frequently between Lacey
and Barnabus. Usually Barnabus will jump on Lacey, roll her over and
then Lacey will growl and hiss and take off running. Barnabus chases
her until she finds a hiding place. Then a little later I'll see
Barnabus running through the house with Lacey chasing him. With Sam
and Hobbes they put on the appearance of truly hating each other.
Usually Sam is the aggressor but I've watched Hobbes start a fight as
well. Just yesterday, Hobbes was at my feet with his back to the room
and Sam came around the corner, saw Hobbes' back and ran...literally,
he ran and jumped onto Hobbes' back and bit him. They don't draw
blood but they attack each other like this at least once or twice a
week. They growl at each other on a daily basis. But when I feed
them, they'll eat right next to each other and sometimes I'll go back
to the bedroom and find them asleep, 6 inches away from each other,
almost touching paws. I realize that Megan has a lot of experience
with a lot of different cats and I respect that, but I'm not sure
totally separating them is such a good idea. You're giving Buster a
chance to establish his own territory in the main part of the house
and Dot is going to have only one room. I wouldn't leave them together
alone but right now you have two cats who are in a new environment
without their own territory. They have a chance to set boundries
together. Unless they are literally fighting and hurting each other,
give them a chance. Watch their body language. Are their ears pointed
forward or back, are their tails up or are the slinking around with
their tails to the ground? You are concerned about them, you are
tense and over protective. They're going to pick up on that and react.
Go to bed and see what happens. You might end up with two cats in bed
with you and wake up with two cats curled up next to each other. I'm
going to tell you what I was told when I brought Selena home....go
slowly, expect occasional hissing and spitting. Give them "time-out"
periods if it gets really nasty but try to let them work it out on
their own. Remember that Buster is really still a kitten and is going
to want to play harder than Dot. Do you have a laser light or any
other type of interactive toy? A cat-chaser or whatever the fishing
pole toy is called? Even a piece of string. Something they can both
concentrate on and play with that will give them an opportunity to
interact with each other and with you at the same time. Hand out
treats at the same time so they're eating near each other. These are
just some of my ideas and opinions. I realize I've only integrated
five cats, not as many as others in this group but I have been
successful and we all live in relative peace and everyone seems happy.

Good luck, take your time and RELAX!

Hugs and headbutts,
Julie, Hobbes, Lacey, Sam and Barnabus

ps: Barnabus wants to know what is wrong with being on the counter?
How else is an inquisitive boy cat supposed to learn what his slave is
doing? (Seriously, when Barnabus jumps onto the counter I gently push
him off so that he has to jump down and at the same time telling him
he's not supposed to be on the counter. Over time this has worked.
He will occasionally still jump up onto the counter but jumps right
back down when I turn to look at him.)