Did anyone have issues when adopting a new pet?
Johnnyswife
Posts: 1,447 Member
We have a cat named Fishy who is almost 3 years old. We recently adopted a new kitten about three nights ago. She is super cute, and full of energy, like you would expect a baby to be. She's super talkative and isn't afraid of Fishy at all!
Fishy however, seems to be a changed cat. He used to seek us out for laptime cuddles and just hang out with us. Now he seems wary and drained. It seems like whenever we get him to relax and chill out, she bounds by and he gets all tense and unhappy.
We did some research and certain articles showed that we need to treat him like the "Alpha Cat"..feeding him up higher than her, petting him first and last, and only having certain toys for just him.
Meantime, we decided to try and have Ginger locked in a seperate room at night, with food, water, litter box, ect..This might give Fishy a break and he'll just have to deal with her during the day.
Is this a good idea?? Bad idea?? Thoughts?
Fishy however, seems to be a changed cat. He used to seek us out for laptime cuddles and just hang out with us. Now he seems wary and drained. It seems like whenever we get him to relax and chill out, she bounds by and he gets all tense and unhappy.
We did some research and certain articles showed that we need to treat him like the "Alpha Cat"..feeding him up higher than her, petting him first and last, and only having certain toys for just him.
Meantime, we decided to try and have Ginger locked in a seperate room at night, with food, water, litter box, ect..This might give Fishy a break and he'll just have to deal with her during the day.
Is this a good idea?? Bad idea?? Thoughts?
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Replies
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Good plan - it's an adjustment period. As she gets older and they work out their places in the family he should relax somewhat. It's a process, can take up to a couple / few weeks.0
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We have just the opposite situation. We lost a beloved cat 4 weeks ago and now our surviving cat is warming up. He is naturally afraid of EVERYTHING. Always has been, always will be. But, since we lost our Tuxedo cat, our other now wants much more affection and lap time. It's a bittersweet thing to see him blossom in the absence of our other boy.
I imagine as time goes on your 2 cats will adore each other. Especially when it comes to nap time! Good luck with your new girl.0 -
Maybe you could get a feliway diffuser?? It's a plugin thingy that releases feline pheramones...ehen we brought our new dog home our cat became a bit stressed out and this seemed to help :-))0
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I've never heard of that before!! Thanks I'll look into it.Maybe you could get a feliway diffuser?? It's a plugin thingy that releases feline pheramones...ehen we brought our new dog home our cat became a bit stressed out and this seemed to help :-))
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Almost two months ago, we brought home two nine year old cats, Macs and Robbie. A week later, we adopted a five year old, Streaky. So three adult cats, all in a new home, yeah, we've got issues while they work out the hierarchy. For the first month, two of them would not explore outside of two rooms. At this point, they're just starting to tolerate, briefly, being in the same room with one another, but it's never without growling and hissing.
I would not suggest treating Fishy as an alpha because the cats themselves will work out who is in charge regardless of what we humans might try to decide for them.
I also would not suggest closeting the kitten away even for short periods of time to give Fishy a break since this will slow down the rebuilding of the household routine.
What I would suggest is making certain that you continue to give Fishy the same amount of attention as you have been in the past, maybe even a little more. (It's all too easy to fall into the cute kitten trap.) And to give him a place he can consistently go to get away from the kitten, though not somewhere that's closed off from you. This is where the 'up high' place is a good idea.
After that, just be patient.0 -
We adopted a 1yr old shiba inu (his registered name Barny Remington) from a breeder his previous family just didn’t have the time for him. We already had 2 cats at home and the one Rahj always played with by aunties other little dog (my auntie is my neighbor) and Mad Max our second cat tolerated the dogs never played with them. We thought Rahj would warm up right away but we were so wrong at first the cats would only come down from the cat post when Remington was out of the room and Mad Max would sneak up behind him and slap Rem on the *kitten*. Rahj the cat who had never missed a night in the bed with me didn’t sleep with me for 3 months. Rahj and Remy play some times now but Rahj isn’t all that interested. But the cat we thought would have a problem with the dog is his best buddy and they even share the dog bed.
i have always had cats and we just set them free in the house and they did what they wanted, it may be a jelousy thing like what rahj did when we got Rem, if the older cat isnt beating the other one up then just let cats be cats.
When we got Mad Max we would block Rahj if he wasnt letting Mad Max eat but they will sort it out. Rahj still doesnt let Max Max sleep by our heads in the bed, but he does get to sleep in the bed.0 -
I have the exact same issue! I originally adopted two girls from the same litter. One is headstrong and bold, one is very timid, but they co-exist perfectly. Earlier this year, I adopted a deaf kitten, Luna, who is now 7 months old. My timid girl, Izzie, is a year and 6 months old. She gets very stressed when Luna is in her space, and tenses up. Naturally, she is a shy demure little thing, so she gets more stressed more easily. We try to give them all the same level of attention, and we do on the odd occasion let Izzie sleep through with us if we feel she's had a particularly stressful day (which happens when there is a lot of people coming and going etc).
After a few months, they've settled into a routine and tolerate eachother well enough, but I do have to pull Luna away from Izzie a few times each day. Luna keeps trying to play and Izzie does not like that at all! Hopefully, as Luna gets older, she'll mellow and stop trying to jump all over Izzie. For now, I feed Izzie separately and will give her time by herself should she need it. Hope your two get on fine soon!0 -
Don't want to sound like a crazy cat lady but it's pretty much the same thing as bringing home a new baby. You need to shut the kitten up in a room for a little bit everyday and "fuss like crazy" over over your other kitty.. After a while they will be best buds.. Just takes time 0
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They normally take a good month or so to adjust. Especially with older pets. They are sometimes 'stuck' in the old ways. :laugh:0
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