We are now a 4 cat household. Let''s see how long this lasts.

[Gypsy]

So just a week after Miss Victoria (now AmberGretchen's mom's kitty) left us in October a new female stray came into our backyard and we set about taking care of her. When we moved to our new larger apartment we still hadn't found a permanent home for her, but had come close a couple of times. So we gave her the second bedroom and some office furniture, a lot of cat toys and set about finding her owners.

It's now Mid-March. She's a black cat with a kinked tail (where it had been broken and healed wrong) about a 1 and a 1/2 years old and a 'unique' disposition.

He name is Lucy... Lulu, Lu Bear, Lucy Lu... and she answers to none of them.

And after so many months, we couldn't stand the enforced separation anymore and decided this weekend to try to integrate.

As expected Hally is Homocidal-- Catocidal? Visciously so. And this is gonna take A WHILE. We had two 10-15 minute meet and greets, very carefully monitored and controlled this weekend. At one point John caught Hally in the middle of a giant leap (looked like a reciever catching a superbowl touch down pass) and tackled her to the ground (gently, on her, hard on his back and shoulders). But we are going to try to integrate her into the household and hope that she bears up to dealing with Hally better than Noel did. There just doesn't seem to be another option at this point. On the plus side, she trusts us very much and that seems to be helping this situation, because she seems to understand that we won't let Hally kill her.

Here's a pic, from when we had her at the vet (she's very calm about the vet. Verry odd, that.)

She's a pretty good girl, and if she and Hally work things out... she'll make a great addition to our zoo (I mean, household).


Could use some good vibes/dust for the integration problem. Maybe some prayers that Hally has a complete personality shift and suddently decides she LIKES Lucy (and not as her favorite new toy to torment, either)?

 

[MonkeyPie]

Awww what a cutie! Gypsy, you are such a sweetheart, taking in all these stray kitties. This one sounds like a good one, even being good at the vet!

 

[tlh]

You are such a good momma!

 

[bee*]

aaaawww

what a cute kitty! Sending dust for you!

 

[Rhea]

Lucy is a pretty girl! You''re wonderful to take all the kitties in. No recommendations here, my cat has a "unique disposition" too.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Awww...I''m so sorry you and John and Hallie and Lucy are having so much stress with this. She (Lucy) (well, Hallie too really

) is such a sweetie pie - I just really hope you guys can work it out. You know if I could help find a home for her I would, and I''ll continue to keep my eyes and ears open just in case anything comes up.

In the meantime, fingers and toes and paws crossed.

 

[iluvcarats]

Lots of dust and good vibes coming your way.
I hope everything works out.
She is a beauty and lucky to have you guys!

 

[Gypsy]

Thank you so much Monkey Pie. I love cats so it''s very easy for me to take them in and care for them. They give you so much back. I just don''t understand the people who turn them out. I really don''t.

Thank you tlh!

Hi bee*, thank you for the dust! She''s very cute.

Hi Addy, yeah she''s a lap cat, quacks like a duck (weird meow), and a nipper too. Unique.

Hi AG! They are both very sweet to humans. It''s the other''s females of the species they are both struggling with. I know you would help if you could, and that means so much! Thank you for the fingers, toes and paw!!

Thank you Iluvcarats! We''re lucky to have her too. She''s got qualities our other kitties don''t (she''s a lap cat--okay so the other''s don''t nip either, but a little tart with the sweet is okay), I just have to hold a part of myself apart and back until I see how it works out. Leaving Noel in NJ with FMIL (even though I know it''s best for her and she''s happier) is still a hole in my heart. I don''t want to have that happen again.

 

[musey]

Kittyyyyy!! Oh she's so cute.
I hope Hally can learn to accept her. Sending lots of congenial kitty dust your way!!

 

[iluvcarats]

Date: 3/23/2009 7:46:04 PM
Author: Gypsy
Thank you so much Monkey Pie. I love cats so it''s very easy for me to take them in and care for them. They give you so much back. I just don''t understand the people who turn them out. I really don''t.


Thank you tlh!


Hi bee*, thank you for the dust! She''s very cute.


Hi Addy, yeah she''s a lap cat, quacks like a duck (weird meow), and a nipper too. Unique.


Hi AG! They are both very sweet to humans. It''s the other''s females of the species they are both struggling with. I know you would help if you could, and that means so much! Thank you for the fingers, toes and paw!!


Thank you Iluvcarats! We''re lucky to have her too. She''s got qualities our other kitties don''t (she''s a lap cat--okay so the other''s don''t nip either, but a little tart with the sweet is okay), I just have to hold a part of myself apart and back until I see how it works out. Leaving Noel in NJ with FMIL (even though I know it''s best for her and she''s happier) is still a hole in my heart. I don''t want to have that happen again.

That must have been really hard

Do let me know the next time you visit her in NJ though

 

[karee888]

When we adopted a new cat into an established 2-cat household, the woman told us to keep the new cat in a room all by itself for a day or so, so the other cats could get used to the new smell. She also told us to pet the new cat, and then pet the old cats so they could get the new smell on them as well. It worked out much better than we had anticipated!

 

[isaku5]

Lucy is sooo cute. Many head bonks from our resident kitty Sammy and kudos to you and John for looking after furbabies so well.

 

[Gypsy]

Musey, you have a gift! "Congenial Kitty Dust"... perfect! Thank you honey, she's a cutie.

ILC... I WILL! We're REALLY hoping to be out there for either Thanksgiving for for December. I think it's more likely to be Thanksgiving week, but it's going to depend on our job(s). It was hard. But she can now use the litter box without worrying about how much blood she's gonna lose from Hally's attacks. Not right in the head, my Hally. And Noel just is too sweet and didn't know how to fight back. Lucy was a fighter as a stray so I have some hope she'll stand up for herself a bit. If she does that when Hally attacks (but doesn't provoke attacks) then Hally might leave her alone (that's what my boys do, and she's okay with them).

Hi Karee... That's great advice they gave you. It also helps to introduce them around 'positive' activities. We've been doing introductions around either wetfood treats or Greenies plus play time for Hally (to distract her, tire her out, and give her attention), and we make sure to give them all lots of praise and positive reinforcement. Duncan is trying to be the cat ambassador, he's so cute. I think Frodo is the one that's going to make Lucy most comfortable though, that's kind of his 'thing'... he LOVES other cats.

Thank you Isaku!! Many head bonks back to Sammie from our motley crew.

 

[movie zombie]

integration can be very difficult and time consuming.....but it can be so worth it!

mz

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 3/23/2009 8:26:55 PM
Author: movie zombie
integration can be very difficult and time consuming.....but it can be so worth it!

mz

Says the lady with... how many cats is it now, MZ? You would definitely know. Any advice is always appreciated. Especially from you about multiple cat households? Have any of yours ever been sociopaths? Seriously, Hally would be in maximum security lock down if she were human.

 

[musey]

Date: 3/23/2009 8:23:47 PM
Author: Gypsy
Musey, you have a gift! ''Congenial Kitty Dust''... perfect! Thank you honey, she''s a cutie.

You really never know what will happen between two cats... my parents have two, Pippin and Tiger. Pippin, the original resident, was NOT happy about Tiger when he moved in. They hated each other for months. Then one morning, my parents woke up to see the two of them snuggled on their bed! They''ve been best buds ever since.

Who knows what goes on in their weird little brains. Something snaps, and they''re inseparable. Hopefully Hally will ''snap'' soon

 

[iheartscience]

Aw, Lucy is adorable! I'm sending tons of kitty-fur infused dust your way!

(You probably don't have enough cat fur, I figured!)

My twin sis also has an insane cat who HATES all other cats, and it's been difficult for her and her roommate (who also has a cat) to say the least. They either keep the cats in separate parts of the apartment (luckily it's a big apartment so there's plenty of room for each cat), or they let one cat have the run of the house while the other cat is locked in his/her owner's bedroom.

But her cat and her roommate's cat have slowly (and I mean slowly as in it's been about a year) gotten used to each other and can now be sort of near each other without fighting. So there is hope!

 

[IloveAsschers13]

What a cute cat! I never thought I would like black cats, I haven''t been drawn to them I mean, but then I got one and I think she is the most beautiful thing ever. She looks just like your new kitty! I hope the best for them getting along!!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

I hope FireGoddess will see this thread and chime in with an update on her babies - I know that was a long (and last I heard, ongoing) integration struggle, but it certainly gives one hope to know that even if it takes an incredibly long time, it can be done!

 

[movie zombie]

i''m only at 5 cats now....the house seems empty in a way as we had 9 cats at one time.

yes, my samantha anne was a hellion on wheels even after she integrated. the other cats didn''t dare to look at her or she''d be on them......they learned to not look and she learned to not look to see if they were looking. it was interesting to watch how they avoided provoking her by their mere presence and how she learned to pretend to ignore them as long as they didn''t cross her path or look at her directly.

it just took lots of time......really, lots of time....interacting with her and them together, enforcing household safety rules, and making sure that everyone understood that i was the head CAT.

don''t rush it. don''t have them together unless you''re home and in the room. give the sociopath a lot of kitty pets when the others are around......keep a spray water bottle or water pistol handy for breaking up fights, if necessary. make sure there are litter boxes for each cat plus one....i found that this really made a difference. perhaps confining the sociopath to one room and letting the others in to checkout that space once socipath has calmed down. did i mention it takes a LOT OF TIME in some cases? i think in some ways the best we got was an acceptable truce with her but i did catch her playing periodically with some of the others.....although her "playing" was so fierce that it was intimatating to some of the more timid cats. a couple of them were spry enough to enjoy her chasing them and were quick enough to keep out of harms way. she actually was playing but because she''d been so fierce for so many years, they weren''t taking any chances. unfortunately, she died from cancer just about the time that she developed a play relationship with one of the more playful cats.

mz

mz

 

[Deelight]

Oh gypsy she is a doll

, sending you loads of kitty love dust .

 

[CJ2008]

Lucy is so, so cute! Wishing you that Hally and Lucy end up loving each other!

 

[Lorelei]

Lots of head bonks and happy kittah dust******** going your way from my crew and I !! She is a darling!!

 

[CJ2008]

Gypsy, so what's the update? How are the kitties doing? Are they getting along?

ETA: pics if you have some, please!

 

[zhuzhu]

How are Lucy and Hally getting along? I wish it works out as Lucy will be very lucky to have you as mommy!

 

[EricaR]

Oh yes, how is the Hally-monster taking the invader?

 

[Gypsy]

I haven't posted because it's just not going well. Hally is actually not turning out to be the biggest problem (shocked the heck out of us too), it's Lucy. She really HATES other cats. All of them. Even my fuzzy headed Dodo seems to incite her. She's a very HISSY kitty and she GROWLS and her tail gets puffy and it's just NOT GOOD.

We've started doing one on one intro's since the group thing was too much to handle-- for Lucy and for us. So we did Lucy and Hally last night. Tonight we're gonna do Duncan and Lucy. And then tomorrow we're going to try Frodo and Lucy. And so forth to see if she starts exhibiting any less negative reaction to any of them individually. Lucy and Hally... not so much a positive experience. Lucy was a huge ball of bristled UNHAPPY fur pretty much the whole time.

But I'll be honest, I've already contacted our new vet who works with a local no-kill though and volunteered a trade. We'll take a male cat who wants companions if they'll take Lucy into a situation where she has a good chance of a forever home where she can be someone's one and only love. It's tearing us apart because we love her, but she REALLY seems to want to be an only cat and we can't give that to her.

I don't know. We're very much hoping that will one on one intro's maybe she'll loosen up a little and maybe show tolerance for at least one of ours. It's not that we expect or want friendship and bonding. Just a basic level of tolerance from her is all we're looking for.

We'll see how it goes tonight.

Hally hunts other cats (we obviously have not allowed her to do this to Lucy).
Duncan ignores them (he hasn't been an issue at all)
Frodo tried to bond with them and become BFFs (we can't allow him to do this either because Lucy attacks him).

A little out of our depth to be honest.

 

[Gypsy]

No intro tonight. Fire alarm went off in our building. New building so we actually have alarms in our apartment hall and right in our bedroom. LOUD AS HECK. Cats freaked. Just when I finished stuffing them into carriers (chasing them around the house and chasing them out from under the bed with broom sticks) the freaking thing stopped. They are traumatized enough tonight. Will try tomorrow. Lucy is unfazed. She was the easiest. Went in her room picked her up, put her in the carrier. She lie down. She's a good cat.

 

[sofi]

Gypsy, I hope some of the things you are trying will bring some results soon, it can take weeks and even months before you see any progress. One thing that worked for me was putting the new cat into a carrier and leaving him in the same room with the older cat. At first I would stay in the room, and after a while I felt comfortable leaving them alone for a few hours at a time.
This worked better than keeping them in separate rooms, and I avoided a lot of shredded carpet and pee stains too.
Wishing you the best of luck with this. your kindness will surely be rewarded!

 

[movie zombie]

it takes a lot of time. they may be being introduced to each other too soon.

mz

ps our deceased Samantha Anne would have liked to have been an only cat worshipped by an adoring couple. however, she got me a single person with 3 cats already......when i met my now husband and was introduced to him, she adored him. i think he was a refuge for her. it took a lot of work to get her to not attack the others. not having it work has never been an option for me. i always make it clear that i am the mother cat....the source of all things good and bad. i had to keep her isolated for a very long time. my cats always end up wanting my attention and affection and over time...lots of it in some cases....get over their aggressive bad habits enough to integrate and receive the benefit of my attention in a group setting. not sure what it is i do but it works. i'm not a patient person but when it comes to this, i'm probably more patient than most. good luck.