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Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I've had very little exposure to cats, but I have been considering getting a cat and doing some research. I read the OP also.

Learning that declawing is incredibly inhumane was surprising.

I have some questions about scratching.

1. With softpaws and a scratching post(assuming I can get them to use them, reading articles on it now), would they still damage my furniture and walls? Even with a little bit of vinyl at the end of their claws, I would think they should be able to damage my couch pretty easily, no? Do softpaws cover the tip of the nail, or they basically cover the entire nail, making the end of their foot smooth? I don't even use my couch much, perhaps throwing a tarp or something over it is viable?

Edit: Some more googling made it clear they cover the entire nail, so I doubt they could damage my couch by scratching, except through pressure.

2. I have no friends who have cats, it would be a poor idea to just adopt one, where can I get more information on I don't know, fostering a cat or something?

3. I cook on my stove top a lot. Need I worry that a cat might burn itself on it?

4. How much noise do cats make? I have an elderly neighbor with health problems, need I worry that they may keep them awake?

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Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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I had been reading up on how to take care of a cat. I've never had one before and really had little exposure to one. I decided to go to the Humane Society to look at the cats and see if I liked them.

I don't make any decisions in my life hastily, anything of any consequence I take a long time to think about and consider. I swore I was just going to go look... I had not even bought anything or set up my place to be cat friendly!

She is a month old. She would not let me go without her. I am afraid she may have psychic powers.

Left, bought supplies, hastily cat proofed my home, went back for her.

I am pretty sure she is broken.

She has been crawling over me non stop the two last hour and is constantly purring. She seems like a very, very, very happy kitty. I don't think anything this small is allowed to be this happy...

I had a lot of dogs growing up, later in life I had frogs, salamanders, fish and guinea pigs. I've never seen any animal adjust to it's new home so quickly, is this strange, or is it just a cat thing?

Questions:

1. What are the odds I need to worry about fleas? They were in a shelter, but the place is pretty clean. My new kitty seems very, very happy, I don't want to traumatize her by giving her a bath right away, should I?

2. I set up her food and water and a liter box. She drank some, she ate some, she used the liter box right away and buried it. I removed anything I don't want to risk being soiled from the floor, but how likely is it I am going to have to deal with accidents?

3. I got two little beds for it. Where should I put them? Someplace covered? Someplace in a corner? Someplace open?

4. Should I prevent her from sleeping in my bed tonight? I don't mind, I think it would be neat, but I fear I could roll over and hurt her. She is all over me constantly, I don't know if I could stop her from trying to sleep in my bed.

5. How young a cat can I put something like soft-paws on? I bought a generic brand of them today, supposedly designed for kittens.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Nov 26, 2011

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Drink and Fight posted:

Are you sure she's a month old? That is very, very young. Most shelters do not let kittens go until at least 2 months.

They said a month. The person who brought her down got into what looked like a small argument with the people at the desk over letting her go, but I didn't really understand it, she is a month old though.

SupahCoolX posted:

Sounds like you're doing everything right so far, and the previous answers given are good.

On this point, I would personally not do the soft paws unless she exhibits a real scratching problem. In the meantime, get a decent nail clipper (I prefer scissor-style to the "guillotine" style) and get her used to regular clipping RIGHT AWAY while she's young. Hopefully she gets used to it, and you can keep it up regularly and won't have to worry about scratching damage. Also get a scratching post if you didn't already.

Also, I've always given cats a bath on the first day after coming home from the shelter because they're usually smelly. But after that, you generally don't have to worry.

There is literally almost nothing in my house she could ruin, besides clothes and my couch. My place is pretty bare. My couch is a semi expensive leather couch though, a gift, I am afraid she will tear it to pieces. If the couch is damaged, the family member who gave it to me will be upset. Besides giving her lots of other things to scratch and teaching her to use them, is there anything else I can do to protect that couch?

I got a sort of S curved scratching post identical to the one she had at the shelter and she is using it, I also got a few sort of cardboard thingys which seemed like a good idea, I put them around my place.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Perhaps she just wants to sleep in?

Edit: Apparently garlic is toxic to cats. I am a garlic fiend, I love garlic. I cook with garlic in almost everything and I mean everything. If my kitten licks a little powder off of the counter, will it cause injury?

Double edit: My kitten seems obsessed with my eyes, any thoughts? When I am laying down and trying to sleep, she likes to poke at my closed eyes with her nose and then with her paw. It is sort of cute, but I worry if I don't stop her she'll cause injury when she gets bigger...

Diogines fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Nov 26, 2011

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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I think my kitten is trying to geld me. I don't know why, she was already spayed when I got her, so it cant be a revenge angle. She loves sitting on my lap, which is fine. The problem is she keeps stepping on my balls...

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Can anyone explain to me why my two month old kitten is freaking the hell out? She is 2 months old, I've had her for a few days, no problems of any sort, she eats, drinks, poos in her liter box and is incredibly affectionate. She even sleeps through the night(mostly) without waking me up.

She is right now FREAKING THE HELL OUT.

She is INCREDIBLY energetic and running around and pouncing on things like crazy, her eyes are really dilated. She is not hurt, she just suddenly seems VERY excited at everything.

I have a scratching post with some catnip in it but I did not see her use it, I am not sure if she has used it at all. Could this be a response to her getting some cat nip?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My two month old kitten loves to sit in my lap and I did not mind but it is becoming a serious problem and I do not know how what to do. She is stepping on my balls and that freaking hurts. I don't want to teach her not to sit in my lap but do I have any other option?

I am pretty sure googling for other people with this issue has me on some sort of beastiality watch list, by the way.

I now live in fear and must cup my balls whenever I hear the pitter patter of little feet, lest any moment she may pounce on them in her scramble into my lap.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Dec 1, 2011

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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She may be sleeping in one room and moments later make a mad dash for my crotch....

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Things to do:

1. Buy a bell.

2. Perform a piece of performance art for the benefit of my cat, to fake immense pain and hope she realizes why.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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As my two month old kitten gets older will it sleep more, less, roughly the same?

Diogines fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Dec 4, 2011

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My two month old cat likes to lay in my lap when I am at my computer, which is wonderful and good(except for the nailing me in the balls, but we are both working on that....). I like to eat at my computer desk and generally eat every meal at home there. I usually just pick her up and drop her down when she climbs up when I am eating, but she always tries to climb back up, sometimes with her claws, which hurts. I've not had trouble teaching her to stay away from things I don't want her near, but how do I teach her not to climb up when I am eating? Futile activity?

Edit: Christ sake, she just drew blood for the first time AS I typed this..... cut my hand trying to make a mad dash up my lap. Putting softpaws on her tomorrow.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My kitty likes to lay in my lap and be pet, but does not like it much when I hold her. She tolerates it, but she does not like to be held and will squirm out after a few seconds, is there anything I can to persuade her to not mind it?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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SupahCoolX posted:

How are you holding her? Don't hold her belly-up like a baby. That makes them feel vulnerable and they hate it. Keep them feet down, well supported in front and back, and held close.

Otherwise, you just have a cat. Some cats just don't like stuff. Time and treats may help, though.

Edit: Oh, and when she wants to go, let her go. Forcing her to stay makes it an unpleasant experience, and won't be conducive to her liking it.

That is the way I hold her. She will tolerate it for a second or two, but then wants to squirm free.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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In an effort to reduce the frequency with which my 3 month old cat runs around my entire home in stealth mode, then at a full run, leaps into my lap, destroying my testicles in the process, i've put a small bell on her collar to give me warning.

She is not crying, but she does not seem to like it much and seems to be trying to get it off. I don't have any reason to be alarmed, do I? She'll get used to it in a day or so?

Diogines fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Dec 23, 2011

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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I feel about 3 inches tall right now.

I came home from work today and heard what I can only describe as a cry for help from my three month old kitty, i've not heard her cry like that before. Somehow, she got into my closest. I cannot figure out how. There is a tiny gap under the door but it is not even big enough for her skull. There was no food, water or kitty box in there for her, she may have been trapped in there for nine hours... I cannot imagine she possibly somehow squeezed under the door, did she? The only other explination is that I accidentally got her stuck in there when I was getting ready this morning. She seemed a little skiddish when she came out, but okay now... yet she has not drunk, eaten anything or used her little box.

She may have been trapped in there for nine hours.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Bahunter22 posted:

Aww, poor kitty! It happens though. Unfortunately this is why my closet has to stay shut at all times and why even after I open it, I make sure I have both cats out somewhere else before I close it up. One has gotten trapped in there overnight and it was sad. Your kitten is probably really stressed out right now. Try to keep her calm, she'll eat and drink when she feels relaxed enough. Check your closet, she probably went potty in there and might not have anything left in her to require using the box at the moment. Maybe give her a treat or something too, you know, no hard feelings kind of a thing.

I've been home with her all evening as she sits in my lap contentedly purring(as she is want to do) while I use my computer, but I've not seen her eat or drink anything since I came home, or use the liter box...

I don't smell anything in my closet and I don't see anything in there either. The evidence presenting itself would claim that she has not taken a crap in almost 18 hours, but that is impossible.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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How do goons feel about collars for indoor cats? My kitty is microchipped and the odds of her escaping from my place are very low, but it could theoretically happen. Is the risk of it getting snagged(it is a break away collar) higher than the risk of her ever getting lost?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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The only strong reason I am considering keeping a collar on my kitty is that the bell helps me keep track of her.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Goons, can I get some input on treating my cat right? She is 3 months old, i've had her for a month.

I am afraid some of what I am doing is making her actually afraid of me :(.

There are 3 places I just CANNOT have her. The rest of my home is all fair game, but not those places:

1. Atop my computer, which she goes to very rarely.
2. On top of my computer desk when I am eating, as I eat most of my meals at home, there. She can't eat my people-food, she'll get sick.
3. The top of my kitchen counters. If she climbs up there, she could end up walking onto my stove while I am cooking, I cook on my stovetop all the time.

When she climbs onto my computer, which is rare, I just brush her off. When she walks onto my desk while I am eating, I gently pick her up and place her on the floor, though I may have to do it 6, 7, 8 or more times while I am eating. This is irritating, but nothing more. She does not freak out when I do this.

The real problem is the counters. If she climbs up there I spritz her with the a water bottle, she will run like hell and well, hide from me :(. She often seems afraid to come out and play with my hands, which she always loves to do. Then she will try to climb up again and again and again and run like hell every time I come back near her while she is up there, even if I do not spritz her.

How can I get her to stay off of there, without making her afraid of me by spritzing her constantly? I usually only need to spritz her once and then, she'll try to climb up ten more times and simply run like hell when I approach, without spritzing her.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jan 7, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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She hangs out on my computer desk sometimes. I also have a table nearby which is higher, she sometimes sits on there. I do not own a cat tree, should I get one?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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vonnegutt posted:

My cat was feral when I got him so he was an absolute terror and I was spraying him, clapping at him, or going "ssst!" every other second. After a bit he started to act afraid of me, since when I was around he was pretty much always "in trouble".

What worked to make him not hide at my approach was trying to have an equal amount of positive interaction - playing with his favorite toys and giving him treats for good behavior (or just for the hell of it, since good behavior means "not actively destroying something"). Lots of petting right when I come home or am about to leave as well, just to bookend that person = good.

I just wanted to thank you for great advice. I am giving her extra good attention as much as I can and she no longer seems afraid, even when I spritz her when she climbs ontop of my counter(which she now does very rarely).

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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I am the happy owner of my first kitty. One of the best decisions I ever made!

I had her since she was two months old, she is six months old now.

I recently discovered she REALLY likes having the side of her face well.... mushed? I always avoided petting her face because I thought she would not like it but she apparently, loves it.

I've had lots of dogs and none of them would have liked this, so I was surprised. Do most cats like this?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My 7 month old cat has sort of figured out that if she hops onto my desk while I work, toy in hand, I will throw it across the room, she will then fly to chase it and play with it and possibly bring it back to be thrown again, sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I want to encourage this behavior because it makes her happy and gives her some extra exercise without me having to do much.

What if anything can I do to encourage this?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My cat is 8 months old. I had her since she was 2. When I first got her I fear I tried to pick her up too much and was too forceful in trying to keep her off of things she would destroy. I NEVER hit her, but when I first got her, I used my spray bottle a fair bit to keep her out of stuff she'd destroy or just picked her up. She mostly stays away from stuff I don't want her to now.

She is friendly and loves to be petted and scratched etc, but at times, she is very skiddish. I've stopped trying to pick her up and am much gentler of keeping her off of stuff she'll destroy, but she still sometimes runs when she sees me, only to then skulk back and be petted.

She spends a majority of the time that I am home, laying on my computer desk, or on a little stool I use as a footrest, between my legs, so she is not hiding from me, she spends almost all the time I am home within a few feet of me.

1. What can I do to make her less skittish when I approach her?

2. Is there anything I can do to make her like being picked up? I rarely do it now, but she is adorable and I want to hold and gently pet her!

3. Sometimes she likes to 'play' bite. The problem is she is no longer a little kitten and her bites are VERY hard, it is PAINFUL! Even if I pull back, she'll keep charging and biting at my hands. She has only drawn blood twice, but she is leaving serious scratches in my hand, even if I put her on the floor she runs at me to bite at my hands again. I have a ton of welts on my hand from the last time she did this. How can I stop her from doing this, without making her even more skiddish? I am 100% certain this is NOT aggression from her or a response to when she is unhappy, she just did one of these "play" sessions not 3 minutes before I started to type this post and caused me serious pain and now is laying on my desk, purring as I pet her..... what do I do?

Diogines fucked around with this message at 01:26 on May 24, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My cat has discovered that if I am on the toilet, I will not move, so it is the perfect time to climb into my lap and have her belly rubbed. As I am her obedient slave, I oblige.

Most of my bowel movements now involve a purring pussy... how did my life come to this!?!?

VERY quick edit: I am holding her, so he is in my arms, not directly on my lap while I do my business.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 01:46 on May 29, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Questions:

1. My almost year old cat likes to play by biting my hands. I am 100% sure she is playing and not attacking me. The problem is she generally bites too hard and sometimes, way, way too hard, so much that it really hurts. How can I teach her to not bite so drat hard? Even her softest bites are harder than I like. I don't mind that she bites at all, I just wish she did not do it so hard! Sometimes if I cry out in pain or go tssssst she will stop at once, but not always.

2. When I lay down to sleep at night, she generally tries to play bite with my hands HARD, as hard as she ever does otherwise and I never play with her then, its so painful I have to hide my hands or just push her off my bed. What the heck do I do about that?

Diogines fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Jul 20, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Anyone give me some insight on how much more work 2 cats are than 1?

My cat is about 11 months old, I can't know her exact age but I got her when she was around 3 months old. She is very sweet and affectionate, always follows me around.

She has not damaged a single thing in my home and is great about keeping off of the stuff I want her off of. However, when I am at work, I keep her locked in my bedroom which is CatProof(tm) as opposed to the rest of my apartment which is simply cat proof. There is nothing in my bedroom she can really destroy besides my bed. The rest of my apartment is pretty open, so I can see her, she does not try to damage anything I have exposed and if she did, I could stop her.

I keep her food, water and liter box in my bedroom.

Some days I work 11+ hours and I feel terrible keeping her locked up alone for so long. I give her lots of affection and attention when I am home, but I fear it is unfair to her.

Maintenance for my kitty is minimal. Changer her liter box twice a day, food, water, that's it. Giving her love does not count as maintenance! It is the first thing I WANT to do when I get home!

I thought about getting a second cat so she would not be stuck in my bedroom alone. Am I underestimating the amount of maintenance this will ad to my life? This was my first cat and it was all so much easier than I ever imagined it would be.

New food and water bowl. Extra liter box to clean, that's it?

What unexpected downsides of getting a second cat am I overlooking?

I got her from an animal shelter. I went to the shelter and looked over the cats till I found "the one". We went home shortly after.

Will it be easier for her to adjust to getting a younger cat? Should I try to get a young cat?

If I get a cat younger than 3 months, should I expect to have to teach her how to use a liter box? This is my first cat and she took right to using the liter box at once, not on accident all the time i've had her. My biggest concern is that I can get a second cat on a Friday night, but by Monday, i'll be at work, which means i'll have at most 2 days and 3 nights to supervise the introduction. I read the tips about this in the OP, is this as applicable to a very young cat(2-3 months?) and a young cat(11ish months?)

My bedroom has a closet about 4 foot wide by 7 feet long, I could potentially keep the kitty in there the first few days while I am at work when I can't supervise?

Thanks for your input in advance!

Diogines fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Jul 21, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Went to shelter to look at cats and consider getting another.

An old cat purred and meowed at me as I went by, felt bad to see a 10 year old cat in a shelter so I went to pet her.

Demon spawn sunk her fangs into my hand as hard as she could. Serious blood lost. Stayed calm, resisted urge to slam her hard into the wall, very careful to detach her without hurting her, but she hurt me plenty. In hospital now, may need stitches.

Pretty much been stabbed.

Plans to get another cat on pause.

Thread title accurately describes cats.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Jul 21, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My one year old cat used to love to be petted on my computer desk and on her cat tree nearby. Now, sometimes when I try to pet her in either place, she bites me and sometimes, even hisses if I don't stop quickly enough. She is not drawing blood, but she is clearly saying "stop" and calms down once I do. I have no idea why. She does not do it every time, I don't see any obvious pattern.

She is still happy to be played with and petted elsewhere. Does anyone have any idea what could cause this sort of change in behavior? I am sure you'll need more information but I don't know what else to add.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Goons, I need your help.

I have a 14 month old female cat and a 2 month old female cat I just adopted. She was a stray I found. Local shelters had no room and would not take her so she came home with me after a checkup.

My place is big enough for two cats but due to a lack of doors in my home(stupid architect!) separating them is a tad difficult.

My older cat freaked out when I first brought the kitten home, understandably.

I set the kitten up in a bathroom and left here in there for a day with food, water, literbox, toys and frequent visits by me. Door closed, it is the only door in my home. I put my cats food bowl in front of the door. Every time I went inside to play with the kitty, my cat was very interested in sniffing my hands when I came out.

I have been putting my underwear in the bed I set up for the kitten. She sleeps on it, i've put a pair in my cats sleeping spot and her favorite perch.

Today I blocked the doorway with a baby-door-barrier-thingy and put a sheet to cover the rest of it so I can pass through but kitty and adult cat cannot get through. I opened the door. They can see each other through the baby-screen-thingy.

My cat seems a little scared and overall skittish now but is not openly hostile. Her back is not arched, her tail is not up and she has not hissed at it.

She is going over occasionally to watch from a distance. The kitten seems fine and very much wants to get out and I WANT to let her out, which is why I fear I may be speeding up the introduction more than I should? With my home setup the only way I can really keep them separate at all is to keep her in there, my home has no other doors except for one on one of my bathrooms.

Is it safe to keep things like this, till my older cat gets used to the kitten? Am I doing more harm than good in trying to speed things up like this?

Edit: Well, after about 20 minutes of this setup my cat went over and started hissing over and over about a foot from the door. Door closed... i'll keep working on scent association and try again in a few days. As much as I want to speed things up, I clearly can't. My cat is not attacking me or anything, she came to me for support but is skittish.

I work a full time job and have off today but am worried, I have no one who can come in to give my kitty attention during my work hours... I do not want to neglect my kitty but I will not be home till late in the evening tomorrow and Friday.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Sep 26, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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My biggest immediate problem is due to my busy job I can't give the kitty a lot of attention. I am happy to keep them apart to let the introduction go at their own pace but how do I give my kitty the attention she deserves?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Eggplant Wizard posted:

Honestly they sound fine to me. Do supervised interactions for a while. There will be hissing but your kitty will get over herself eventually. For now, keep them apart while you can't supervise, and separate them if serious poo poo goes down (blood, mainly). This is an example of a cat fight of the kind I'd expect from two recently introduced cats.* It'd upset you, but isn't really a big deal at all..


* It is also possible that your cat will try to do this but your kitten will be oblivious as gently caress and come running up all LET'S PLAY ARE WE FRIENDS I'M FRIENDS HI so then your cat might run away and hide a bit. Anyway that's fine, is what I'm saying.

When I open the door so they can see each other through the screen, my cat watches for a while, goes over and then hiises 4-5 times then runs back to me and resumes it.

The kitten just keeps meowing, she wants to come out and play.

Should I be worried about the repeated hissing?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Eggplant Wizard posted:

No. Hissing is normal and expected.

Next day. She is still doing the hissing routine... should I isolate them completely and give it more time?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Eggplant Wizard posted:

No, this advice vvvv still applies.


Hissing is like the cat version of small talk, except less friendly. It's part of sizing each other up and figuring out how the relationship is going to work. Older kitty is all "WHO THE gently caress ARE YOU WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE i'm scared mum YEAH YOU BETTER RUN after that laser pointer... YEAH" but eventually she'll figure out the kitten isn't interested in murdering her and it'll all be okay. They may never be kitten pile best friends forever, but after two days it is really hard to say.

I keep on posting and it's not making you feel better but I'll go ahead and keep on doing it. So I wrote up the introductions thing in the OP of this thread, but IRL I have never bothered with it. I usually give newcat/cat who just moved some chilling time, then once it's more or less copacetic, I let the other cats meet it. If someone's getting beaten up, sure I separate them. But if they're just hissing? Hell, that means things are going well! Just hissing is awesome. They usually work it out in a few days.

e: :words: I know. Anyway one more thing. If you separate them every time there is hissing, the hissing will not stop. You need to allow them time to get the hissy stage done before they can move on to "wary sniffing" and/or "grumpy ignoring." Only once the hissing and wary/grumpy period has passed can they figure out their relationship. Honestly with a clearly not super alpha cat (based on how you're describing her behavior) and a kitten, you'll probably have peace within a few days of total exposure. Just let them interact and chill.

It is, but I am just nervous :D

I have no trouble keeping an eye on both of them in my home, it is not very big.

Right now I still have my kitty screened off in a bathroom with the door blocked off by a screen, which I feel bad doing. How long should I wait till I get her out and freely roaming my place?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Older kitty *hates* being apart from me even for a short time, she howls till I let her out and is rarely more than a few feet from me in my home.

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

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Update:

1 year+ kitty and young kitten are getting along better now. Big kitty still hisses but they seem to have chased each other for a bit with minimal hissing. I am not sure if that was them fighting or playing but there was not a lot of hissing.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Oct 2, 2012

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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After my 2 month old new kitten has been in my place for a week, separated from my 13 monthish cat except for very short amounts of time together where older kitty was very hostile they SEEM to have calmed down.

They now chase each other around my home, big kitty only occasionally hissing or swatting. They have been running all over for almost 40 minutes. Can anyone confirm that this is them playing? Am I in the clear for the worst bits of introducing them?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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Now that my 2 month old kitty has free range of my home I am interacting with her much more.

I have had a 13 month old cat since she was a kitten, never any problems. My 13 month old cat is no purebreed or anything, she is a mutt(what is the cat equivilent?) Mostly black with some white on the face, paws and chest. I am not certain but I think that my new kitten may be giving me allergies. Now that I play with the two month old much more, my eyes are running, but I can't tell if it is really her or something else.

Is it possible to be allergic to only some sorts of cats?

I have a dust allergy and she gets into EVERYTHING... including under furniture which is dusty so it could be that. I will go see an allergist I suppose, but is an allergy to only some sorts of a cat a thing which actually exists? Isn't a cat allergy an allergy to all cats(except hypoallergenic ones) or nothing?

Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I was initially a little worried when my year plus old cat and my kitty first got together but I am SO glad I got a second cat.

After they got used to each other, older kitty now just seems SO much more relaxed, less anxious and altogether happier than before I got her some company.

She freaked out when I first got home from work every day, now, she is still happy to see me but seems much calmer.

It has not really been any extra work or stress on my lifestyle, very glad I did it.

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Diogines
Dec 22, 2007

Beaky the Tortoise says, click here to join our choose Your Own Adventure Game!

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I have a behavioral problem with my cats which I don't know how to deal with. I have two cats, both female, both fixed. I live alone.

One cat is about 3 and a half years old. I will call her Kitty 3.0.

The other is a few months shy of 2 years old. I will call her Kitty 1.7.

I got Kitty 3.0 from a shelter when she was a kitten. She lived with me and my elderly rabbit and was generally calm and laid back. She would groom the rabbit, sometimes they slept together. They both got along really well. I kept her in my bedroom when I was out of my place, in another room from my rabbit but I never saw a single time when they fought. A few months after I got Kitty 3.0, my rabbit died. Kitty 3.0 was left alone at home for about 8ish months after that while I was at work. I know cats are best in pairs, I didn't expect my rabbit to die and I was not ready to get a second one.

Kitty 3.0's favorite place in my house is in my living room where I have my computer and TV. Right next to my computer desk I have a cat tree with two levels on it. She loved to lay on it.

When Kitty 3.0 was about a year and a half old, I got a second cat, also a kitten, who we shall now call Kitty 1.7.

Kitty 1.7 is sort of a dick. She always wanted to play with Kitty 3.0, even though Kitty 3.0 made it clear she didn't want to play. To this day, Kitty 1.7 chases Kitty 3.0 around my home, not constantly but at least once a day. Sometimes Kitty 3.0 plays back, often she wants to be left alone and then hisses and swats at Kitty 1.7 till she leaves her alone. I have never seen it get any worse than a little hissing and swatting which I read online can be normal? They never draw blood. When I leave for work during the week I leave them locked in my bedroom, they seem to be okay.

I often see them sit a few feet away from each other near a window. Sometimes(rarely) they sit together or sleep together. I see Kitty 1.7 try to groom Kitty 3.0 sometimes, Kitty 3.0 does not groom her in turn but seems to tolerate it, she does not seem to like it. Kitty 1.7 has long since displaced Kitty 3.0 from the cat tree next to my computer desk. At night Kitty 1.7 usually sleeps near my feet, Kitty 3.0 usually sleeps on a space next to my pillow or on my back.

This morning I found that Kitty 1.7 had some blood in the corners of one of her eyes. I wiped it and took her to the vet right away fearing it was an infection. The vet said she thought it was probably a scratch on the eyelid and nothing to worry about. The prior evening I saw that she tried to crawl into a tight space under a piece of furniture and figured she scratched herself that way. Now I think that Kitty 3.0 may have scratched her on the face.

Today... today Kitty 3.0 spent pretty much the entire day under my bed, in a corner near my nightstand where she has almost full cover. At first I thought she might be sick, but when my Kitty 1.7 came over, Kitty 3.0 hissed at her over and over. When Kitty 1.7 left, Kitty 3.0 was loveable and affectionate to me like she always is, let me pet her and purred happily.

If I had to try to simplify it, Kitty 1.7 likes Kitty 3.0, who does not return the affection, Kitty 1.7 also plays too much. Both of them are always affectionate to me. Kitty 3.0 seems to hiss whenever 1.7 comes within sight today, Kitty 1.7 is not acting aggressively at all and seems a little freaked out.

This is the first time either of them has ever been hurt. Tomorrow I go back to work, what can I do in the short term to deal with this while I am out of my home and what can I do in the long term to get them to get along better? Separating them while I am at work is not really an option.


Edit: After the two were apart all day, I finally picked up Kitty 3.0, carried her to my computer and petted her for a bit. She climbed into one of her favorite spots on the floor next to my tower. She hissed at Kitty 1.7 and made rumbling noises, eventually Kitty 1.7 moved away and climbed onto the cat tree, well less than five feet of space is between the two of them. Kitty 1.7 is perfectly calm, laid down and went to sleep. Kitty 3.0 has stopped hissing but keeps giving concerned looks at Kitty 1.7 as I continue to pet her to try to keep her calm.

More advice on what to do would still be appreciated.

Diogines fucked around with this message at 00:48 on May 27, 2014

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