Getting New Cats, Seeking Advice Thereupon

"Phil P." wrote

Must be one of the folks terrified of the normal settling.

Your method is a recipe for disaster/ return. 90% of the cats I get back
were returned because the apotives didn't follow my introduction
instructions.

Try teling them what to expect next time. Your recvidivism rate may drop.

No matter. You
have listed zero experience

Yep- you're right- I have zero experience- you're the expert. lol!

You listd nothing and i am not a mind reader.

Your attitude is like you own this group. No one else is welcome to have
another idea. If this is so, just say so.

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"Phil P." wrote

Must be one of the folks terrified of the normal settling.

Your method is a recipe for disaster/ return. 90% of the cats I get back
were returned because the apotives didn't follow my introduction
instructions.

Try teling them what to expect next time. Your recvidivism rate may drop.



Really? Ya think? Gee, I never would have thought of that....



No matter. You
have listed zero experience

Yep- you're right- I have zero experience- you're the expert. lol!

You listd nothing and i am not a mind reader.

Your attitude is like you own this group. No one else is welcome to have
another idea.

No one owns this group. Anyone can post whatever they like. Some topics
just draw more flack than others. You just happened to pick a very sensitive
topic to dive into without knowing how hot the water was.

"Robotech_Master" wrote in message
g...
On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:18:09 GMT, Phil P. wrote:

"Robotech_Master" wrote in message

Consider the sources.

Well, let's see.

One guy on the Internet is telling me to keep them separate.

Another guy on the Internet is telling me to put them together.

Okay, I've considered the sources. It doesn't help much.

The main issue here is introducing two cats to each other. The somewhat
neutral territory might make it a little easier- but the introduction should
still be done gradually. Cats should never be thrown together to work things
out. That's a recipe for disaster.

The chances of the cats becoming good friends will increase dramatically if
the introduction is done properly and slowly. If the introduction is done
right, everything else usually falls into place.

In article ,
Robotech_Master wrote:


I've gone solid with Iam's dry since the last time Gumdrop was sick
and the vet recommended it. (Plus, I'm Christian, and so the brand
name always amuses me.) I would get canned food and feed it to
Gumdrop as a special treat sometimes, but she was mostly on dry
because I figured it was better for her teeth. I'll probably start
off with half a can of canned each once or twice a day along with the
free feed, and may taper off a bit after that.

I haven't free fed in years (think of what is growing on the food in the
bowl - ick!) and went to a primarily canned diet for the cats several
years ago. They (now just one) get dry treat at bedtime. Canned food
can provide hydration that many cats don't get adequately otherwise.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

"Robotech_Master" wrote in message
g...
On Wed, 9 Jul 2008 22:36:06 -0400, cshenk wrote:

Chris, I know several have told you to separate them right away but
in my experience with both being new and arriving at the same time,
this will actually *cause* problems.

Aiee, conflicting advice. What am I to do??? I just want them to
make a good first impression on each other...

Yes, 2 litter boxes and separate feeding dishes for 'wet treats' is
a good idea, though you can dispense with the 2nd litter box the
moment you see both using each others if you want.

Well, there's a thought anyway.

If you plan to also free-feed a decent dry brand (IAMS or such,
check with vet for names recommended), feed only ones recommended
for male cats.

I've gone solid with Iam's dry since the last time Gumdrop was sick
and the vet recommended it. (Plus, I'm Christian, and so the brand
name always amuses me.) I would get canned food and feed it to
Gumdrop as a special treat sometimes, but she was mostly on dry
because I figured it was better for her teeth. I'll probably start
off with half a can of canned each once or twice a day along with the
free feed, and may taper off a bit after that.

Before deciding on what food to feed, I would *HIGHLY* recommend you read
this: http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm - it has information
even my vet didn't know (before I showed it to him, after he read it he
started changing his recommendations to patients about what food to feed).
The "sources" are listed at the bottom of the page and are impeccable.

Hugs,

CatNipped


--
Chris Meadows aka | WWW: http://www.terrania.us | Somebody
Robotech_Master | ICQ: 5477383 AIM: RoboMastr | help, I'm
| Skype, LJ-Gizmo: Robotech_Master | trapped in
| Yahoo: robotech_master_2000 | a sig file!

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"Robotech_Master" wrote
cshenk wrote:

Chris, I know several have told you to separate them right away but
in my experience with both being new and arriving at the same time,
this will actually *cause* problems.

Aiee, conflicting advice. What am I to do??? I just want them to
make a good first impression on each other...

Grin, I took my take on ths from the age of the kitties (1 year or so
each), both new to you, and arriving almost the same time.

Most others were from the perspective it seemed, of adding a cat to an
existing cat household. There is a difference. Some even mentioned it a
little.

I probably should have jumped in a little earlier instead of just reading
but (digging toe in carpet) I was just reading. No one gave you 'bad
advice'. They just seemed more used to adding a cat to an existing
household.

What I find is some cat owners are terrified of the short time when the
'who is alpha' is established (more obvious in dogs and can be bad harm
done with dogs). You can not stop this. You can only delay it. What
will happen is they will yowl a fre times, chase a few times, perhaps make
a little fur fly in a short battle that 'sounds horrid' but isnt serious
nor are they apt to hurt one another. In the next few hours or a day or
so, you find them sleeping on the same sofa and over the next few days,
sharing the ledge at the window.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, but do you *have* cats???! "it isn't
serious"???! Cat bites are more harmful than *dog* bites are - the only
bite worse is a human's. Cat claws can also shred an eye or an ear. Are
you truly advising someone to just throw them together and let them duke it
out? Are you willing to pay his vet bills? Will you take the
responsibility if one of the cats loses an eye?


Just do not interupt this process. That is where so many go wrong. You
will not only make it worse, you will prolong it.

Experience he Added 2 new cats at same time to non-cat household.
Later added 2 cats to existing 2 cat household. Have added cats to single
cat homes several times. I am older so this is not wierd as cats tend
normally to live 14-15 years. The tactics for adding a new cat to an
existing cat, are not the same.

The only problem you may have is if the female doesnt like having other
cats around and if so, she's more apt to accept a male. I have not seen a
post of her character on this.

Yes, 2 litter boxes and separate feeding dishes for 'wet treats' is
a good idea, though you can dispense with the 2nd litter box the
moment you see both using each others if you want.

Well, there's a thought anyway.

Grin, if you want to scoup 2, it's ok. 2 cats with a LARGE box works.

Rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one. Some cats will tolerate less,
some cats will pee on your bed - if you want to take the chance of starting
an inappropriate litter box habit that is *really* hard to break, go ahead
and take your chances.


If you plan to also free-feed a decent dry brand (IAMS or such,
check with vet for names recommended), feed only ones recommended
for male cats.

I've gone solid with Iam's dry since the last time Gumdrop was sick
and the vet recommended it. (Plus, I'm Christian, and so the brand
name always amuses me.) I would get canned food and feed it to
Gumdrop as a special treat sometimes, but she was mostly on dry
because I figured it was better for her teeth. I'll probably start
off with half a can of canned each once or twice a day along with the
free feed, and may taper off a bit after that.

What some will say is 'dry food is horrible' (some are actually a bit
fanatic on it) but actually a decent grade of dry is fine. Cats are
better off if they also get wet food at least once a day. Do not be
shocked if the cats like some brands better than others. Daisy hates
9-lives for example and no cat I have ever had has liked the tuna versions
(luck of the draw, others must or it wouldnt sell).

1/2 a 6oz or so can per feeding is about right. This is the one time you
need (and will always need) separate dishes. The dry food, can be all in
one bowl as can the water if you want. Do not be shocked if you feed
something wet one day and the one cat eats both. That just means the other
one didnt want any of that sort of food just then. If it happens every
day though no matter what the food, you need to wet feed them in separate
rooms.

If that happens, always feed the 'alpha' seeming one first then get the
'beta' off to the other room to enjoy 'his' meal in peace. Normally
though you can feed them wet with just a foot or so apart between dishes.


Chris, I've been posting here since 1995. I have know Phil for many, many
years. I have *NEVER* seen him give bad advice. He has told me things even
my vet didn't know about cat nutrition (and, after reading the information
Phil compiled, my vet *changed* his advice to patients).

Hugs,

CatNipped

On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:21:32 -0500, CatNipped
wrote:

Before deciding on what food to feed, I would *HIGHLY* recommend
you read this: http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Thanks--some very useful and interesting information there. I will
definitely take it to heart.

--
Chris Meadows aka | WWW: http://www.terrania.us | Somebody
Robotech_Master | ICQ: 5477383 AIM: RoboMastr | help, I'm
| Skype, LJ-Gizmo: Robotech_Master | trapped in
| Yahoo: robotech_master_2000 | a sig file!

"Robotech_Master" wrote in message
g...
On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:21:32 -0500, CatNipped
wrote:

Before deciding on what food to feed, I would *HIGHLY* recommend
you read this: http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm

Thanks--some very useful and interesting information there. I will
definitely take it to heart.

That's PhilP's web site BTW. I know I'm as much of a stranger to you as he
is, but I hope you'll take my word that Phil has learned more about cats,
helped more cats, and done more to educate cat owners than any other person
I've ever known. I would (and have) taken his advice (and impressed the
hell out of my vet by what I knew) any day of the week.

Hugs,

CatNipped


--
Chris Meadows aka | WWW: http://www.terrania.us | Somebody
Robotech_Master | ICQ: 5477383 AIM: RoboMastr | help, I'm
| Skype, LJ-Gizmo: Robotech_Master | trapped in
| Yahoo: robotech_master_2000 | a sig file!

On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:24:35 GMT, Phil P. wrote:

The chances of the cats becoming good friends will increase
dramatically if the introduction is done properly and slowly. If
the introduction is done right, everything else usually falls into
place.

Thanks. Your advice is noted. I am seeking advice from all the cat
experts I can find, including folks here, on my LJ friends list, the
Bengals forum, and other such places. I will also be speaking to the
lady who runs the shelter when she comes to drop Benji off tomorrow.

I expect I will be starting them out separated, but probably on a
faster schedule than the one-week phases recommended for introducing a
cat to an established home. Hopefully I can let them get used to each
other easily without forming too-territorial attachments to their
parts of the apartment.

--
Chris Meadows aka | WWW: http://www.terrania.us | Somebody
Robotech_Master | ICQ: 5477383 AIM: RoboMastr | help, I'm
| Skype, LJ-Gizmo: Robotech_Master | trapped in
| Yahoo: robotech_master_2000 | a sig file!

Response to "blkcatgal" :

snip

Yes, the panting is dog-like...tongue hanging out, heavy
breathing. It really has me concerned. I've read that a cat
should not pant like a dog and would only pant if there was a
medical problem or the cat is stressed.

OK, Gabby's is heavy kitty breathing and wide-eyes. As far as I know
(which is not very far):

1. Cats don't drool...
2. Cats don't pant...

....unless something is wrong. I've read a few personal accounts of
stress-induced panting, but all veterinary staff that I talked to
about it says it means something is medically wrong -- and stress
just kicked it off.

Then again, "medically wrong" could mean psycho -- as is the case
with Gabby. He's plum bonkers.

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.