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Calling all cat owners...

MC, Jinx hasn't been exposed to other cats other than the fosters and her litter mates when she was a baby. She hasn't seen (to my knowledge) any cats outside or anything like that. And your little boy sounds so sweet and adorable!!! I wish my Jinxy was so eager for a playmate!!!!

Haven, Mazi looks so sweet and adorable. It's always horrible when pets die. They are missed beyond anything-- they're our constant companions and snuggle bugs. Sigh.
 
Update!!! My local rescue group does allow trials! Hopefully I'll be able to work out something soon! I wish I could just adopt all of the sweet homeless kitties out there. It breaks my heart knowing that they are living in cages and being euthanized everyday just because they can't find loving homes. ;(
 
Another kitty lover, here. She lives here, rent free, with concierge service at her beck and call. I wouldn't dare call myself her "owner". :bigsmile:
 
oranges|1341966135|3232002 said:
Update!!! My local rescue group does allow trials! Hopefully I'll be able to work out something soon! I wish I could just adopt all of the sweet homeless kitties out there. It breaks my heart knowing that they are living in cages and being euthanized everyday just because they can't find loving homes. ;(
Click to expand...

I know Oranges, it breaks my heart whenever I think of all the homeless kitties that get "euthanized" ;( ;( ;(

Jinx is just beautiful and I agree she needs at least one playmate (or 2 or 3...) :cheeky:
We have a black female kitty and while she hissed at each and every addition she stopped after a few days and now she is so lovey dovey with all her brothers- so maybe getting a boy kitty would make it easier. So we now have 4 (rescue) kitties ((I know, I know- another crazy cat lady and crazy diamond lady here LOL- Haven that comment is pure genius and I hope you don't mind but I will be borrowing it :bigsmile: ) and while it took a bit of time to get used to each other they are seriously crazy about each other!

I mean, they are all so loving with each other and play with each other and it couldn't have worked out better! Of course as others have said there will be some personalities that might not mix but I think it is a lot easier for cats to get along than people so I think you will be successful!!! And they really do need a playmate and companionship when you are not there and as you said it will get her used to the fact you will be starting a (human)family soon!

Best of luck Oranges!!! :appl:


Haven, your mazi was gorgeous. What a shana punim. :love:
 
That's great news, Oranges! I hope you'll be able to find a great companion for your little Jinxie!

It IS heartbreaking to think about all the homeless animals. I used to spend time in our local shelter's cat room, but I no longer have the stomach for it. I would just sit down and they'd swarm up on me for cuddles. (I think I posted pictures of it once. It was simultaneously thrilling--KITTIES! KITTIES!!!!--and heartbreaking--I want to take them all home!)

Thank you, Missy! Mazi was short for the yiddish Mazak (MAH-zik)--we knew she'd be a trouble-maker from the start. :cheeky: (I have no idea why we spelled it with that second A, come to think of it!)
 
Yes, the overpopulation problem is a serious one - until there are guidelines in place REQUIRING owners to have their pets sterilized, it will never change. Years go by and people remain stupid. They have to face monetary penalties before they get off their butts and take proper care of their pets. Thankfully Perth has taken the first step, with most councils now requiring cats to be microchipped.

If you really want to help with the issues, be vocal. Repost homeless animal links of FB. Write to your local representatives about the puppy/kitten mill industries. Boycott pet stores that sell animals. Go to rallies, sign petitions, lecture your family and friends for allowing their pets to reproduce unnecessarily. And support your local, grassroots animal rescues...the ones who don't receive sponsorship from the government or big business.

Grab an extra bag of good kitty litter the next time you're at the shops and drop it off for them. It's amazing how much money it costs to keep fosters. I simply refuse to use the terribly quality items that have been donated to the rescue (crappy food with next to no nutritional value, clay litter that the kittens eat and have blockages, etc). If I am unable to get good quality products from the organization that have been donated, I buy it myself. In 3 years, I think I have received half a dozen bags of food/litter - the rest I've purchased myself. I think that each litter I raise, especially the ones with 6 or more kittens, costs me around $800. High quality kitten food (Science Diet or Royal Canin only), good wheat litter that they can digest if they eat it, worming meds, fresh blankets (they get ruined during the birthing process), bottles/formula when the mothers aren't feeding enough, flea treatments, toys, a new cat tree for about every other litter (amazing how they can tear those to shreds), etc. It's not cheap. If you want to help out without adopting everything you see, try to support people like me who have the space and time and inclination, but spend every spare penny on the little monsters!
 
Missy, that's so awesome that all of your 4! kitties get along so well-- I can only hope for the same.

justginger, what you do (and volunteers like you!) for animals is just so admirable. I truly appreciate foster moms, they make an amazing difference in animal's lives. It stuns me that people don't get their pets spayed and neutered. Two (!!) of my friends families recently had a litter of kittens and a litter of puppies. I was like are you freaking kidding me?! We're from an affluent area and these people have tons of money-- there is absolutely no excuse. They easily could afford to spay and neuter all of their pets and then some! Ugh. For some reason, I also think that a lot of people turn a blind eye to the animal over population problem and don't think that adopting a cat or kitten will make a difference. :nono:

Anyway, I am going to meet Snuggles, an adorable 12 week old orange kitten that apparently has a wonderful, sweet, cuddly personality on Saturday. His foster mom also suggested a kitten named Fozzie. The only thing is that Fozzie looks like he has long hair and I know that I totally would hate to keep up with the grooming :(sad ... does that make me a bad person?! I wonder how long his hair would get. I'll attach a picture. I'm not sure if he looks like a truly long haired cat or some type of medium haired variation. What do you guys think? I LOVE the look of long haired cats and kittens, but for the majority of the year I'm just simply too busy for the maintenance and grooming. Sigh.

fozzie.jpg

snuggles.jpg
 
I don't think that one will have properly long hair when he is full grown. He looks like the foster we currently have, perhaps even less furry than she was at that age -- now, at 4ish months old, she has medium, silky hair and a puffy tail. She keeps herself very clean. I don't groom her at all. You have to get cats with pretty lush, long hair before you have an issue with grooming, breeds like Persians.

Both look absolutely gorgeous.

I have been thinking about your issue with separating the kitties. I think you should actually set up a little Fort Knox in your bedroom for the kitten. Not a cage that they can see each other through, proper little walls to hide him behind. Jinx will be very threatened to have a new kitty in her space, especially space as sacred as the bedroom. It's best to try to keep her from even SEEING him for a couple of days, just relying on her sense of smell at first.

Adopting is a wonderful thing for you to do - I know the organization that you're supporting there is grateful for people like you. :appl:
 
Justginger, you are my (s)hero! You and your dh are awesome in all you do for the homeless animals! :love:

Oranges, sending you good luck kitty dust....snuggles is adorable!
 
justginger, I was thinking that too, but I also was thinking that I could keep him upstairs with the AC, roaming free in both bedrooms during the day, but keep his crate and litter box in the guest bedroom. I could open a window at night (cool down the room) and put a fan in there to keep him cool enough at night while Jinx is in our room. That way, Jinx gets used to his scent upstairs in our bedroom, but has no contact with him at all for a week. Thoughts on this one? I think that with a window open at night, he might just be okay if the upstairs has been AC'd all day. Also, what made you think that Fozzie won't be a true long hair? How long do you think his fur would get? I'm tempted to try him out. Snuggles is the most friendly of the litter but Fozzie is the most submissive. Not sure which to choose. Either way it's saving a life :love:

Missy, thanks for the dust! I'll definitely keep everyone posted this weekend if I start a trial with one of those sweet orange boys.
 
I think this plan is better - keeping them completely apart is the best way to go. And cats live outside around the world, in crazy high temperatures - in the house with a window open, especially after being a/c-ed during the day, will be more than fine. I lived in Australia with no air conditioning at all for the first 3 years and all of my animals survived just fine. :)) Probably better than I did... :lol:

I am completely guessing on Fozzie's hair, based on his age and appearance of hair length now. I reckon it will get to be a top of maybe 2 inches long. At that age a true long haired kitten will already have fur 2 inches long and it doesn't appear to be anywhere close to that in the photo. Many cats, even short haired ones, are pretty fluffy at first and it gradually thins out. Another clue can be if the kitten has long tufts of fur between its toes, or coming from its ears. This little man doesn't seem to have either, so I think he'll be a medium fuzzy when he's done growing.

Are they part of the same litter? It's also strange to get a proper long haired cat from the same litter as a proper short haired. Medium and short, yes. Medium and long, yes. But I've never had a litter with both extremes. Regardless, if they're from the same litter you'll be able to meet them both at the same time and see who you prefer. Watch how they interact with their siblings to get clues for how they will respond to Jinx.
 
Oranges, fozzie is also incredibly cute! It would be so great if jinx got along with both so you could adopt fozzie and snuggles! :halo:
 
Missy you are a terrible influence :cheeky: !! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to adopt both, but I live in an apartment and I think that 3 cats would be too crowded. Also, the man in my life might just SHOOT me if I suggest it! He reluctantly agreed to allow a second kitty into the home. He didn't even want to get a cat originally, but now he is absolutely *smitten* with Jinx :D ... I don't want to push the poor guy too far. According to him I'm already a crazy diamond lady and a crazy cat lady... I don't want to get into cat hoarding territory! Maybe when we buy a house I can adopt more :Up_to_something: .... I know when we get a house he wants to adopt a pup!

justginger, I feel better about this solution also. Plus, I'll be able to sleep :lol: ... I'm glad that you say he probably won't be a true long hair-- the maintenance would kill me. He is 12 weeks old btw (not sure if I mentioned that). These boys are from the same litter. They have two more brothers that look like snuggles (short orange fur). Thank you for the tips, I'll definitely look at how the kittens interact with each other before I choose. I think that a properly planned introduction combined with adopting a kitten with a friendly, laid back personality will be a winning combination :appl:

SO EXCITED!
 
Not trying to get you in trouble Oranges but apt living is A-Ok for cats! We live most of the week in an apt with 4 kitties and everyone gets along and has enough space....I promise you cats are cool with apt living ! :cheeky:

See how jinx adjusts to it all - she may end up loving having 2 brothers. Francesca (my black kitty) loves having 3 brothers and in the beginning she was hissing up a storm lol!


So excited for you in any case! :appl:
 
You're too much! I'm glad that your female enjoys having brother though-- it is promising! If it was just me living here, I wouldn't hesitate to continue to add kitties, but I have to respect the boyfriend's wishes. He has really come around-- before Jinx, he didn't even *like* cats! So I'm thrilled to just be able to get two of these little sweeties. I even asked the foster Mom if I could meet them before Saturday.. that would be lovely-- I just can't wait!!
 
Forgive me Oranges, I get so excited knowing you are going to be giving these kitties you adopt a great home so I get a bit over exuberant! :oops:

Of you need to respect your SO's wishes...but to give you hope I'll share a story about my dh. When we were dating he stayed away from my kitties as he was deathly allergic. However he eventually fell in love with them ( as your bf hopefully will) and started down the road of weekly allergy shots. Fast forward to now...we have added to our cat family ( my dh's decision) and this is a man who thought he wasn't an animal person!!

Any kitty would be lucky to have you as their mommy!
 
Both of those kitties are adorable...if you're concerned about keeping up with grooming, then maybe go with the short haired cat to be on the safe side. Or just be sure to have the kitty get accustomed to brushing at a young age to avoid kitty dread locks when he gets older. We have tried to stay with short haired cats for the same reason.

And, it is really strange that people still are superstitious of black cats. All of my kids' friends love our black cat. They all think he is a girl though! "Ah, she is so pretty." Luckily, he doesn't take it personally. lol
 
Missy- I was totally kidding! It's tough to get tone correct online :) It's all good - I appreciate all of your words of support :)

MC, I'd prefer short hair, but personality and how I think he will get along with my cat is #1. If I choose him, I will definitely brush him all of the time especially when he's a baby to get him used to it. My kitten loves it-- they love being groomed!!

TODAY IS THE DAY! I am actually leaving in about an hour to go pick up one of the boys. I'm not sure who yet. I'm having a very tough time deciding. Any last minute input? Snuggles is very affectionate with people. Fozzie is laid back and "last to the food bowls". I just want the right fit for a outspoken female kitty. Thoughts? I am SO HAPPY! :appl:
 
Don't go in expecting to prefer one or the other. Just watch how they interact with you and their siblings - but don't be surprised if they're wary of you at first. It's not an insult! I always feel bad when my kittens don't want to be held by new visitors at first, but it is their natural instinct to be careful around new characters. :)) If they're not interested in you, see how their foster mom handles them and how they interact with her - that's a good litmus test for how they'll be with you once you take over mothering duties.

Let us know how you go; I'm very excited for you. :bigsmile:
 
Thanks Justginger, I was hoping that you would chime in. I can't expect them to be comfortable with me yet. I just hope I make the right decision and Jinx ends up adoring her brother! How long does it take before you can tell if they're going to get along (after the extremely slow introduction)? Also, any tips on actually introducing them physically after they get used to each others scents? I want to do this right!!!
 
I'll tell you exactly how I handle having a new cat in the house.

I pick a room that belongs to them, at least for the introductory time. You know this is going to be upstairs for your new bub. Before we get a cat/kitten, unless it's an emergency and we have no time to prepare ahead of time, I set everything up a day in advance, and leave the door open so the other cats can have a sniff around (but I don't let them use the litter box, I leave that up high until it's time to be used by the new rugrat).

When I get the cat/kitten, they go straight to the new room. There is no quick looksie in the cage, no smelling each other, nothing. The resident cats normally don't even realize there's a new animal in the house unless they happen to walk past the door and hear/smell the new addition. At this point, usually one of the resident cats will park herself outside of the door and sniff, and sniff, and sniff. The other resident cat continues being a fat, lazy blob and doesn't even bother pretending to care.

I let the cat/kitten settle into their new home for a day or two. I feed them MYSELF unless they're young enough to require a continuous supply of food. I always want them to associate me with food and treats. If they are young enough to need food constantly (like your's probably will be), I leave dry food down all the time and bring in sachets of wet food with me as a treat. During these couple of days, I'll let the resident cats sniff the bag of dirty litter that I remove from that room to get a sense of the cat on the other side of the door.

Next I'll pick the kitten/cat up, and put her in one of the other empty rooms in the house - bathroom, bedroom, whatever can be closed off without the other cats seeing him/her. Then I open his/her door and let the resident cats scope it out. At the same time, the new kitten will be checking out whatever room you've put him in. I usually let them stalk around for 10 or 15 minutes. If the resident cats use the litter box in the kitten's room that's ok, even good. It's a good way to get their smell in the kitten's familiar zone...so long as they're not actually trying to mark, which is to be discouraged.

Around this time I'll also pick one up, either the new cat or the resident cat, and carry it into the other one's space, so they can see each other. You'll know quickly whether or not this can be done repeatedly - in most cases it's fine, in a few I've had to put them down immediately because I was going to get scratched. I do this for a day or two, maybe 4-5 times/day.

Next comes letting the cats see each other through the door. I will stand in the doorway and crack open the door, letting the kitten peek out and the resident cats look in. The door is not open wide enough for them to actually fit through for the first day or two, just allowing them to look.

This is where the game plan changes depending on the outcome. MOST of the time when I open the door far enough for one to actually walk through, the kitten will come BOUNDING out of the room, completely undeterred by hisses or protests from the resident cats. Now begins the time of ignore, sniff, hiss, run away, ignore, sniff, hiss, run away, ignore, sniff, exchange paw smacks, run away, ignore, sniff, play. Play, play, play. That's generally how it goes for us.

Not always though. Sometimes there are very unfriendly hisses from both sides, arched backs, growls, even an attempted attack. In that case, I stand in the way, pick the closest cat up by the back of the neck, and separate them. I will do these introductions 3-4 times a day until the reaction is no longer aggressive. I also keep a squirt bottle handy in case they try to actually FIGHT. You don't want to go sticking your hand in the middle of that, so a good few sprays will do the dirty work of separation for you. And please don't panic if they do fight...it always sounds much worse than it really is!

If the introductions are going well, but they're not quite sure of each other yet (in other words, if you know they won't fight, but maybe hiss and run away), try playing with a toy with both of them at the same time - I use one of the feather wand things. When they're both running and catching the same object, it seems to create a bit of camaraderie. :lol:

You have to judge how well things are going and act accordingly. You can speed up or slow down the introductions. We've had cats come into the house, stay in their room overnight, and then practically knock the door down trying to get out to the rest of the house the next morning. Out they came, obligatory sniffs to the resident cats, and then they've plopped themselves in the middle of the floor or couch, with no work necessary. Those are blessings! Day long introductions. Other ones are not so easy, and take a good 8 days or so before I'm comfortable that no one is going to get hurt. And in those cases, I still choose to keep them apart when we're out of the house - so the new cat goes back to their room for the day while we're at work.

It also might help to have some catnip around, if your Jinx responds to it. It might mellow her out a bit for the introductions! Good luck. :wavey:
 
Wow! Thank you so much for the detailed tips! You are SO helpful--I can't thank you enough. I will absolutely give your method a try. I think that taking it slow is key. I just got home with Snuggles (we haven't changed his name yet) and he is a DEAR! Jinx is aware that he is in the house. She saw me pass by with the carrier and heard him meowing. However, I put him upstairs, petted him a bit and came back down. I think he needs time to adapt on his own-- he's currently hiding. I'll go back up in a little bit to check on him. Jinx seems fine and is acting normal even though she knows he's around somewhere. I have a really good feeling about this. He seems to be a lovely kitten. I'll post pics later or tomorrow :love: .. this better work out-- I love him already!!
 
ooh, so excited and happy for you Oranges. Snuggles sounds awesome!! :love: And so so sweet!! Fingers crossed that Jinx will fall in love with him too!!! :appl:
 
Thanks Missy!!

and now that name game begins... any suggestions? I'm having a tough time with it-- i might let the boyfriend name him (with my approval!) because it's so darn difficult!
 
I've wanted to name a male cat Vern for the longest time. VERN! How stinkin' cute is that?! :cheeky:
 
Vern is adorable!!! My favorite pet names are 1 syllable. I'll pitch that one later--VERN!!!! That is hilariously cute. I just got a text from my boyfriend suggesting Lieutenant Tuggles HAHAHA. Too long for my taste-- but really really funny!
 
I hope that it goes smoothly; it's a good sign that she hasn't stationed herself outside of the door, hissing. The hiding is normal - taking in treats with you does the trick and will get him out with curiosity. :naughty:

I have named SO many cats now, we try really had to keep the names catchy (to draw attention from prospective adopters) and unique (to keep the records easy - we don't want 17 orange "Tiger"s in our system!). I am found of noun names (one of our litters was 12 desserts - Brulee, Pavlova, Tiramisu, etc) and foreign words (Leta is Swahili for happiness). We also had Doxy, who passed away after surgery, and Niffler, from the Harry Potter books. Take your time and you'll come up with something awesome. :bigsmile:
 
I'm very happy with how he is doing so far-- his favorite hiding place is under a dresser. When he is under there he lets me stick my hand under and pet him and he purrs. He even rolls over and lets me rub is adorable little belly! How sweet. I also got him out of hiding with a jingly ball toy and he played with that for a while. He also has a hearty appetite and had a large dinner. I think that he is adjusting nicely. It's great that he'll have a chance to get used to the people first-- then Jinx! Jinx hasn't had any access to upstairs so far today... we'll see if she stalks his door tonight!

Niffler is a great name-- it's cute and I'm a HUGE HP fan!
 
Justginger, Jinx got into the kitten's room last night at some point between 1 and 5:30. We have very strange antique door "knobs" and I guess when I went to check on him last night, I didn't shut it properly. I even pushed back on the door to see if it closed-- i could have sworn it did :nono: ..... I'm not sure how the interaction went. Jinx seems okay and I spent some time with the new guy who seems completely fine. Do you recommend still staying on track with the plan or what? I can't believe that happened. Well actually I can, Murphy's Law! I'm so upset!!!! ;(
 
Oranges, don't be upset. It seems to have gone OK! I'm not justginger and I'm interested to see what she says but I think since the first face to face went OK I would not keep them separated anymore. See how it goes. I think they will be fast friends!
 
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