Another cat question....

[Lynnie]

for all you cat experts!

Here''s the situation. DH and I live in a small apt with our 10 year old cat, Salem. I guess he''s a typical 10 year old. He''s sociable with humans (he''s a ham when company comes over), he likes cuddling, and playful when he wants to be.

I used to live at my mom''s with Salem and my mom''s cat. Salem & moms cat got along fine. Then I moved here w/BF (now DH), and Salem about 3 1/2 years ago. Salem took to the move well, and I think he likes being king of the roost here - getting all the attention, etc.

DH & I are in the process of shopping/buying a house. The plan includes my brother moving in with us once we buy a house. He''ll be able to help out with the mortgage, while saving $$ for a year or two for his own place. DH & I are fine with this idea... it really is ideal for all of us, as DH & I will be buying a fixer-upper, and will surely be able to use the extra $, plus the three of us get along really well - and my brother is the responsible type - not a party animal or anything.

BUT my brother comes with a cat, Milo. Milo is a year old, super cute and friendly, but he''s still a kitten - really curious and he''s got loads of energy - something Salem''s pretty much lost over the years.

So we thought it''d be a good idea to get the cats acquainted before the actual move. My bro brought Milo over yesterday. Salem did NOT like this at all... he pretty much sat in the doorway of our living room and eyed up Milo, growling & hissing the whole time. Milo kinda just ignored him and went about exploring the room, and sat in the window for a while. Salem musta been planted in that spot, just sitting and growling for about an hour while Milo sat in the window. Then Salem left the room and hung out in our kitchen and bedroom. He didn''t come back in the living room till Milo & my bro were gone.

So - to get to the question... is it a good idea to keep bringing Milo over? Or should we just wait till we get into a new house? Milo actually loves the car, so bringing him over is no big deal, bro only lives 5 minutes away. Will bringing Milo over, say, once a week help at all? Or is it just a waste of time because it will just keep upsetting Salem? Anyone have experience with situations like this? Will Salem ever warm up to Milo? Both cats are male, and fixed.

Thanks!

 

[Lynnie]

Salem with his fave toy...

 

[Lynnie]

Milo...

 

[Po10472]

Its Salems patch and Milo is encroaching on it so of course he''s peed off! He''s the king of the castle and all of a sudden this young, excited titten is running around his place and he''s not happy.

I think once you move to your new place, it will be fine, but maybe bringing Milo over once week is a good idea until then.

They''re gorgeous cats, love the names.

My cat Pee-wee is currently lying flat out on the desk moving my hand away from the mouse - he''s a nightmare when I''m on the computer, he''s normally lying on the keyboard *sigh*

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

First of all, it take a LOT longer than a few hours for cats to get to know each other. All cats hate each other at first (unless they''re raised together as kittens). They''re very territorial and possessive. It''s going to take time, sometimes a lot of time for them to get used to each other but they will eventually (most likely lol). Here''s what worked for me when I introduced my cats to each other (one was about 4 and one was about 3 months).

When I brought binks home I put him in the bathroom with food water a litter box and a bed. This gave him a secure safe place to be where Murphy my other cat could smell him and get used to him. Murphy hissed and spit at the door but eventually started to ignore him. I would take Binks out and spend time with him regularly but I was always there with them both. This showed Murphy that Binks was a member of the family and I was OK with it. After about a week I let Binks have the run of the house. Murphy was OK with him at that point. They''re not best friends, but they tolerate each other well enough now.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Right now, you''re brining Milo over into Salem''s territory and he will always want to defend that to some level. If you wait until you move into a new house and then have both cats move together, THEN there will be less chance of competition over space. Before moving into your new place, have the carpets and walls cleaned to remove any previous pet odors. Since Salem has had positive relationships with previous cats, chances are he will warm up to Milo. It will take time for him, but from experience he''s demonstrated that he is social with other kitties and so eventually him and Milo will be pals.

 

[Lynnie]

Thanks for the replies. I think I''ll be waiting till we actually have a house and then get them acquainted. I agree, this IS Salem''s territory, and I don''t want to cuase him un-needed grief.

HH, Thanks for sharing what you did with your kittehs... maybe I ought to keep them in separate areas of the house till they get used to each other.
MC, thanks for the tip! The house we''re hoping to buy (deal''s not done yet, but fingers'' crossed!) had kitties living there (it''s in the seller''s contract). It''s been vacant for almost a year, too, and will definitely require an in-depth clean job, anyways.

Another thing - Salem''s front paws are declawed

. I can thank my mom for that. At 17, I wasn''t as wise on that front, and just kinda went along with it, because moms are supposed to know best, right?

Milo''s not declawed.... so I don''t want poor Salem to get his eyes clawed at with no defense of his own!

THanks again, guys!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

i haven''t read the other replies but i have a litle personal story with something similar.

We have a cat named Casper, he was king of the castle in our old home, the older cats before him had all passed on and he was the only one left... until my oma''s cat came to live with us when she went into a home. Amber was older than casper and for 18 months we had to keep them seperated because Casper would take any opportunity to attack poor Amber, it didn''t matter how many times we tried to get them used to it, Casper just wan''t having a bar of it and poor amber would run and hide to get away from him, well that was until we moved, we took them both to the new house and dropped them into the main living area together, Casper went to attack Amber and she turned around and swiped him accross the face in an ''i don''t think so buddy'' kind of way.
That afternoon they were both curled up on the lounge together and friends from that day on.

I think it would be alot easier to introduce the two of them in the new environment so they are both on even ground.

Goodluck!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

woops! thanks to my kittys it posted twice!