Older cat needs a home, taken it in but will it mix?

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• [Deleted User] Posts: 582

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  03/01/09 - 22:53 #2

  My friend/neighbour has done the same thing - her original cat isn't really that good a mixer, but they seem to have coped ok.
  
  So long at the cat is happy, it will come out when it is ready, it's all a case of time, patience and mutual trust.
  
  I looked after a cat for 4 weeks a few years ago and she was just venturing out of the bedroom where she felt secure, when she had to go home
  
  We have also in the last week taken on an adult cat, who is at the moment seeking refuge upstairs. I am hopeful that she will settle and learn to trust us. Sadly her owner has died and she had no home
  
  Meant to say we also have a cat and dog for our new addition to come to terms with

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• michelle666 Posts: 2,302

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  03/01/09 - 23:29 #3

  We took in a stray cat earlier this year who unfortunately doesn't get on with our other cat at all, despite our best efforts to gradually introduce them. It's a bit of a pain because we have to keep them apart and share ourselves between them as best we can, to ensure they get plenty of love and attention each.
  
  It is 'do-able' though and of course I'm glad we decided to keep him. (he was very unwell for the first few months, so we feared for his future if we tried to rehome him elsewhere)
  
  It's worth trying to integrate him at first, maybe start with feeding the cats together so they associate meeting one another with something nice happening, then add the dogs into the mix too and see how they all get along. One word of advice is to have a large towel and a spray bottle of water handy in case any serious fights happen. I had to break up a fight between our cats when they first met and was completely unprepared for it.. I ended up with some nasty scars on my arms for my trouble!
  
  If things don't work out and he seems happy upstairs though I wouldn't be too concerned about him, provided he seems content and gets plenty of attention.

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• [Deleted User] Posts: 3,759

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  04/01/09 - 23:16 #4

  Well thank you for your advice . I took my cat upstairs and slowly showed him his new guest and my cat blinked at the other cat (which i have read is a cat way of saying no fighting) and the pother cat just looked ta him, my cat sat on the foor and the other cat on the bed for 5 minutes, then i took mine out again, going to keep trying this, the dogs wont be a problem because they are used to being bossed by my cat so they will keep their distance

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• lazyjane Posts: 1,255

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  06/01/09 - 03:32 #5

  It's best to keep the new cat in a different room on it's own for the first few days so they can smell and hear each other. Sudden introductions can be a bad idea.
  
  http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_introducingcat

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• Cat Balou Posts: 1,502

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  07/01/09 - 19:41 #6

  It's always best to let stranger cats keep to different parts of the house initially. If you want them to integrate then try swapping some items, maybe bedding items, between the rooms that the different cats live in so they get used to each others smell.
  
  Cats tend to resist forced introductions but a bit of encouragement by swapping scents and leaving time for them to explore each others territories while the other is out may help. I managed to get my current 2 to mix happily this way after a month and now they readily cuddle up together to sleep.
  
  Good luck!

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