Do new cats NEED to fight the residents?

I'm getting some conflicting info from googling this whole
"introducing a new cat" thing.

There is a viewpoint out there that a new male, in particular, will
need to rassle with the current residents in order to establish the
new hierarchy.

Henry mostly watches the other cats, but he will occasionally make a
lurch toward one, that I'm fairly certain would end in a clawfest of
some sort. On the other hand, he may just be interested in
playing/sparring, which the two current cats do all the time without
injury.

The problem is, I don't think I can find out unless I actually let him
close the distance. And he's pretty damn tough, so I think he'd prolly
mess up one of the other cats pretty bad before I could subdue them.

What do you think? He seems pretty determined to sort out the pecking
order in his favor. He's prolly in line to be alpha cat since he was
only neutered a week and a half ago.

Bah. This is the most stressful cat adoption I've had to endure. I'm
half thinking of just trying to find a family for Henry because it's
worrying me so much.

Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor
----------------------------------
"I think animal testing is a terrible idea;
they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."
- regmech

Brian Link wrote in message . ..
I'm getting some conflicting info from googling this whole
"introducing a new cat" thing.

There is a viewpoint out there that a new male, in particular, will
need to rassle with the current residents in order to establish the
new hierarchy.

Henry mostly watches the other cats, but he will occasionally make a
lurch toward one, that I'm fairly certain would end in a clawfest of
some sort. On the other hand, he may just be interested in
playing/sparring, which the two current cats do all the time without
injury.

The problem is, I don't think I can find out unless I actually let him
close the distance. And he's pretty damn tough, so I think he'd prolly
mess up one of the other cats pretty bad before I could subdue them.

What do you think? He seems pretty determined to sort out the pecking
order in his favor. He's prolly in line to be alpha cat since he was
only neutered a week and a half ago.

Bah. This is the most stressful cat adoption I've had to endure. I'm
half thinking of just trying to find a family for Henry because it's
worrying me so much.

I think I would get him declawed before exposing the other 2 cats to
the interloper.

Maven


Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor
----------------------------------
"I think animal testing is a terrible idea;
they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."
- regmech

Brian Link wrote in message . ..
I'm getting some conflicting info from googling this whole
"introducing a new cat" thing.

There is a viewpoint out there that a new male, in particular, will
need to rassle with the current residents in order to establish the
new hierarchy.

Henry mostly watches the other cats, but he will occasionally make a
lurch toward one, that I'm fairly certain would end in a clawfest of
some sort. On the other hand, he may just be interested in
playing/sparring, which the two current cats do all the time without
injury.

The problem is, I don't think I can find out unless I actually let him
close the distance. And he's pretty damn tough, so I think he'd prolly
mess up one of the other cats pretty bad before I could subdue them.

What do you think? He seems pretty determined to sort out the pecking
order in his favor. He's prolly in line to be alpha cat since he was
only neutered a week and a half ago.

Bah. This is the most stressful cat adoption I've had to endure. I'm
half thinking of just trying to find a family for Henry because it's
worrying me so much.

I think I would get him declawed before exposing the other 2 cats to
the interloper.

Maven


Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor
----------------------------------
"I think animal testing is a terrible idea;
they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."
- regmech

Read thte thread I started called "Waaah, help me, please." I'm a little over
2 weeks into intro'ing a neutered (for several years) 6 yr. old male to my two
resident cats, a male and female, and I'm finding it stressful, too. See the
suggestions Mary, etc. have given to intro'ing. We're installing a cheapo
screen door this afternoon as the next step in our intro. I feel the same as
you, that it would be easier to return him to his rescue group, but I know I
would feel bad and worry about him and wonder if it would have worked out if I
had just given it a little more time.

But it's very stressful because our house isn't big enuf for prolonged
separations and it is making us short-tempered. To complicate it, this cat
meows and howls incessantly so we never have a moment of peace. He howls to be
with the other cats and, if he is, he charges them and scares the sh!t out of
them. It's crazy.

Did you get some Feliway? Some people claim it works but $130 later, I haven't
seen it yet. It's all working out to be far more expensive and stressful than
any previous intros I've done and, I agree, it's very disheartening. If I had
a huge house, it wouldn't be so bad but it's a little house and it's all very
disruptive.

Candace
(take the litter out before replying by e-mail)

See my cats:
http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace

"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other
than human." (Loren Eisely)

Read thte thread I started called "Waaah, help me, please." I'm a little over
2 weeks into intro'ing a neutered (for several years) 6 yr. old male to my two
resident cats, a male and female, and I'm finding it stressful, too. See the
suggestions Mary, etc. have given to intro'ing. We're installing a cheapo
screen door this afternoon as the next step in our intro. I feel the same as
you, that it would be easier to return him to his rescue group, but I know I
would feel bad and worry about him and wonder if it would have worked out if I
had just given it a little more time.

But it's very stressful because our house isn't big enuf for prolonged
separations and it is making us short-tempered. To complicate it, this cat
meows and howls incessantly so we never have a moment of peace. He howls to be
with the other cats and, if he is, he charges them and scares the sh!t out of
them. It's crazy.

Did you get some Feliway? Some people claim it works but $130 later, I haven't
seen it yet. It's all working out to be far more expensive and stressful than
any previous intros I've done and, I agree, it's very disheartening. If I had
a huge house, it wouldn't be so bad but it's a little house and it's all very
disruptive.

Candace
(take the litter out before replying by e-mail)

See my cats:
http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace

"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other
than human." (Loren Eisely)

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav",
itter (MacCandace) artfully composed this
message within
on 17 Jul 2004:

Did you get some Feliway? Some people claim it works but $130
later, I haven't seen it yet. It's all working out to be far
more expensive and stressful than any previous intros I've done
and, I agree, it's very disheartening. If I had a huge house,
it wouldn't be so bad but it's a little house and it's all very
disruptive.


Feliway seems to have a very subtle effect. When I first tried it
with mine, I really only noticed a difference when it ran out.

Good luck with the screen door, I know it will help!

--
Cheryl

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav",
itter (MacCandace) artfully composed this
message within
on 17 Jul 2004:

Did you get some Feliway? Some people claim it works but $130
later, I haven't seen it yet. It's all working out to be far
more expensive and stressful than any previous intros I've done
and, I agree, it's very disheartening. If I had a huge house,
it wouldn't be so bad but it's a little house and it's all very
disruptive.


Feliway seems to have a very subtle effect. When I first tried it
with mine, I really only noticed a difference when it ran out.

Good luck with the screen door, I know it will help!

--
Cheryl

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav",
itter (MacCandace) artfully composed this
message within
on 17 Jul 2004:


Feliway seems to have a very subtle effect. When I first tried it
with mine, I really only noticed a difference when it ran out.


--
Cheryl

I wondered if Feliway was working too until the first time it ran out.

As long as I'm fostering kittens I'm staying stocked up on that stuff. It's
been the salvation of my carpets.

W

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav",
itter (MacCandace) artfully composed this
message within
on 17 Jul 2004:


Feliway seems to have a very subtle effect. When I first tried it
with mine, I really only noticed a difference when it ran out.


--
Cheryl

I wondered if Feliway was working too until the first time it ran out.

As long as I'm fostering kittens I'm staying stocked up on that stuff. It's
been the salvation of my carpets.

W

"Fashion Maven" wrote in message
om...
Brian Link wrote in message
. ..
I'm getting some conflicting info from googling this whole
"introducing a new cat" thing.

There is a viewpoint out there that a new male, in particular, will
need to rassle with the current residents in order to establish the
new hierarchy.
snip


I think I would get him declawed before exposing the other 2 cats to
the interloper.

Maven


Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor
----------------------------------
"I think animal testing is a terrible idea;
they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."
- regmech


NO!!! *Please ignore* this person who suggested declawing. That is cruel
and inhumane. Declawing is amputation. Moreover, declawed cats have a much
higher incidence of later behavioral and health problems, including biting,
inappropriation urination, and arthritis. In addition, the idea that your
current cats need to have the new cat declawed in order to "protect" them
is ludicrous. Think about what that would leave the poor declawed cat to
use for protection -- his teeth!

*Just in case* you were to consider this person's suggestion, please look at
these sites first:
http://www.stopdeclaw.com
http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/declaw.html
http://www.cara-adopt.org/declaw.html
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawvettch.html
http://www.maxshouse.com/facts_about_declawing.htm
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=002

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")