The most important thing is the way cats are introduced, which, as a rescuer, I am doing all the time. I either place a large cage where the cats are, and they get to know one another safely. It's also a good idea to use Feliway at the same time. Another trick we have is to have a screen door installed between a bathroom and another room where cats come and go. They get to know each other through the screen safely, and once, opened, all's well. Yes, there are some cats that would love to be "the only cat", but they're far and in-between. Cats are very social creatures; people always think of them as being solitary, lone, antisocial....The only time I would advise anyone not to adopt another cat or kitten, is if the cat is very old and perhaps ill. Very often, the big difference could be the type of cat (age, personality) that is adopted. I always tell our adopters to give it some time, you can't expect cats to get along in a day or two. Although, the two FeLV cats became great friends overnight, with just a screen door between them.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Emeraldkittee Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 10:31 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] how to know if your "only" needs a friend? It's funny you mention asking him, because I have, and he's been silent about the whole thing. Not a stony silence, just a musing things over..."I will answer when I am ready, human!' ;) The outside entrance, thru which we have always come and gone, has frozen shut with the cold, so we have to go to see him thru the house. He's caught glimpses of the 'others' and was curious, ran to door, no hissing, fear, he seemed excited, and then started his drooly purr. I will let you know when he gives his answer :) --- On Wed, 12/15/10, MaiMaiPG <[email protected]> wrote: From: MaiMaiPG <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] how to know if your "only" needs a friend? To: [email protected] Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 8:03 PM Consider what you would want if you were Whimsy. I don't know about another version but would you rather have a buddy even if your life was a little shorter? I can't answer that for you. I can tell you quality of life is very important to me and my family--both 2 legged and 4 legged. If I were considering a partner, I would probably look for a female (spayed) and maybe younger but who knows???? Whimsy may have other ideas. For reasons unknown, I have been blessed with animals who accepted each other. It hasn't mattered whether they were dogs or cats......I have been blessed. Follow your heart and ask your cat. On Dec 15, 2010, at 7:28 PM, Emeraldkittee wrote: > Whimsy is adapting perfectly to being indoor only! (someone here said 'you control the door', and it was that simple. a few protests, an escape due to a foggy glass door, but overall very smooth transition) I'm watching him closely to make sure he isn't lonely. > > I did see him attack another feral who was taking 'his' yard, a few months after he was fixed. Obviously that doesn't necessarily mean he couldn't have a pal, but ... we don't really have anywhere to get him used to a new kitty, they'd have to be together right away... > > so, is it a good idea? > should I open the blinds on the door that separates him from his siblings to see how he reacts to other kitties? > male or female? > If Whimsy has a stronger constitution, would another FeLV kitty potentially make him sicker with a more virulent version? > > again, Whimsy is a boy, about 2.5, asymptomatic. > > thank you!! > Shannon > > > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > [email protected] > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
