Do new cats NEED to fight the residents?

"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")

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.

Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor

Yes. There are always exceptions, but I think on the whole that new
cats do need to fight the resident cats. It's totally scary and
stressful for humans, but after doing the gradual introduction, I
really think things just simmer and don't get better if you don't let
them fight it out a little.

What I have found, admittedly with two female cats, is that a) the
fighting upset me, but no matter how awful I thought it was, they
didn't really hurt each other, appearances to the contrary and b)
After 4-5 weeks of death battles, they just decided to be friends and
now they love each other dearly.

I don't think sorting out the pecking order is optional for them. They
have to do it.

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.

Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor

Yes. There are always exceptions, but I think on the whole that new
cats do need to fight the resident cats. It's totally scary and
stressful for humans, but after doing the gradual introduction, I
really think things just simmer and don't get better if you don't let
them fight it out a little.

What I have found, admittedly with two female cats, is that a) the
fighting upset me, but no matter how awful I thought it was, they
didn't really hurt each other, appearances to the contrary and b)
After 4-5 weeks of death battles, they just decided to be friends and
now they love each other dearly.

I don't think sorting out the pecking order is optional for them. They
have to do it.

After 4-5 weeks of death battles, they just decided to be friends and
now they love each other dearly.

I don't think sorting out the pecking order is optional for them. They
have to do it.

If that's the case, then I'm spending a lot of time and effort putting off the
inevitable. My resident cats won't fight the newcomer, they'll just hide from
him so I don't know how it will ever get sorted out if you are correct.

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)

After 4-5 weeks of death battles, they just decided to be friends and
now they love each other dearly.

I don't think sorting out the pecking order is optional for them. They
have to do it.

If that's the case, then I'm spending a lot of time and effort putting off the
inevitable. My resident cats won't fight the newcomer, they'll just hide from
him so I don't know how it will ever get sorted out if you are correct.

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)

"Tracy" 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


Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor

Yes. There are always exceptions, but I think on the whole that new
cats do need to fight the resident cats. It's totally scary and
stressful for humans, but after doing the gradual introduction, I
really think things just simmer and don't get better if you don't let
them fight it out a little.

What I have found, admittedly with two female cats, is that a) the
fighting upset me, but no matter how awful I thought it was, they
didn't really hurt each other, appearances to the contrary and b)
After 4-5 weeks of death battles, they just decided to be friends and
now they love each other dearly.



I totally disagree. I used a very slow, careful approach for the
introduction, and my cats did not go through anything like you descibed.
New cats do not "need" to fight resident cats -- but that is something that
will often happen if care is not taken to avoid it.

MaryL

"Tracy" 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


Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor

Yes. There are always exceptions, but I think on the whole that new
cats do need to fight the resident cats. It's totally scary and
stressful for humans, but after doing the gradual introduction, I
really think things just simmer and don't get better if you don't let
them fight it out a little.

What I have found, admittedly with two female cats, is that a) the
fighting upset me, but no matter how awful I thought it was, they
didn't really hurt each other, appearances to the contrary and b)
After 4-5 weeks of death battles, they just decided to be friends and
now they love each other dearly.



I totally disagree. I used a very slow, careful approach for the
introduction, and my cats did not go through anything like you descibed.
New cats do not "need" to fight resident cats -- but that is something that
will often happen if care is not taken to avoid it.

MaryL

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message ...

I totally disagree. I used a very slow, careful approach for the
introduction, and my cats did not go through anything like you descibed.
New cats do not "need" to fight resident cats -- but that is something that
will often happen if care is not taken to avoid it.

MaryL

We took lots of care to avoid it in the first two weeks. And then
exactly what were trying to avoid happened anyway. It is a process of
sorting out the rules of co-existence, and I see it happen not only at
home, but at the no-kill whenever a new cat is added to the multicat
rooms. It astonishes me how cats will mercilessly
torture a new cat, and then bap .... best of friends one day. I'm sure
there are exceptions, but I don't think you can stage manage it out of
existence in every situation. What's relevent to the OP is that the
confrontations often look a lot worse than they are and that they
don't, at all, mean that the cats will never be friends.

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message ...

I totally disagree. I used a very slow, careful approach for the
introduction, and my cats did not go through anything like you descibed.
New cats do not "need" to fight resident cats -- but that is something that
will often happen if care is not taken to avoid it.

MaryL

We took lots of care to avoid it in the first two weeks. And then
exactly what were trying to avoid happened anyway. It is a process of
sorting out the rules of co-existence, and I see it happen not only at
home, but at the no-kill whenever a new cat is added to the multicat
rooms. It astonishes me how cats will mercilessly
torture a new cat, and then bap .... best of friends one day. I'm sure
there are exceptions, but I don't think you can stage manage it out of
existence in every situation. What's relevent to the OP is that the
confrontations often look a lot worse than they are and that they
don't, at all, mean that the cats will never be friends.

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message ...
"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.

How would YOU know? Have you ever tried it? Either on yourself OR
your kittykatt?

That is cruel
and inhumane.

I am beginning to think you are. For you to say let this male cat
have his run of the 2 already there really stinks.

Declawing is amputation.

How would YOU know? Have you ever tried it? Either on yourself OR
your kittykatt?


Moreover, declawed cats have a much
higher incidence of later behavioral and health problems, including biting,
inappropriation urination, and arthritis.

Don't listen to her. My cat, which was 7 when I "had him done" is now
14 years old and he is running like a champ. It all depends on how
you treat them. It sounds like you are unfit for having animals.

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!

Yeah, let 'em fight it out. You are a real beast Mary. Course, you
always have been. You and that Liz beach. :-}




(clippage of dogma and other half-truths related to a perfectly
accepted (by most vets) and acceptable (to keep the peace) practice.


MaryL

Go back to Kansas toto, and don't let the door hit you where the good
lord split ya'.
Maven

(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")