I am a first time cat owner. I adopted my first cat from a shelter about 1 month ago. A 3 month old male named Charlie. I wanted to initially adopt him and his sister from the shelter, but, his sister was adopted by someone else. Either way, i brought Charlie home, and I swear he was a miracle cat. From all the stories I've hear about owning cats, and articles I've read on how to handle cats, Charlie seriously was not what I expected. Very friendly, and forthcoming from the start. The same night he came home he shared the bed with me, and he rarely ever hid under the bed, unless he was hunting for my feet.
However, despite the happy cat in our happy home, I noticed that Charlie was lonely. He was curious about other animals, and mostly other cats (those that he would see outside and online in videos). Seeing other cats instantly calmed him down. It was so weird. He would go from rowdy, energetic and ready to play to calm, quiet, sitting or rubbing against me and purring. He was lonely and no doubt he missed his litter mates. He still remembered them. So I decided to adopt another kitten closer to his age, but of the opposite sex, so that eventually they will be bff's. I adopted Jet (female, 3.5 months) from the shelter a few days ago. The people at the shelter told me she was a stray, but you couldn't tell by how affectionate she was when I met her. She just balled up and clung to my chest, and was instantly purring. Also according to the Shelter, Jet scored an 11/11 on her cat behavioral exam which is extremely rare for cats (as they say). She was rated as a beginner cat, perfect for first time pet owners, So i brought her home.
Unfortunately, without me knowing, my boyfriend decided it would be a good idea to introduce the cats to each other, which he tired to do while I was at work. And...I've had mixed reactions from Jet. Charlie on the other hand is SUPER excited and just wants to play with Jet all the time. And this is when the hissing started. After doing some research, i learned that stray cat means, feral cat...and I had adopted a feral cat. My heart sank immediately with the thought that Charlie and Jet might never get along. But observing Jet's behavior...I'm just really confused.
By now, my ever playful Charlie has learned to give Jet her space...because when he comes near her she hisses (8/10 times). But he is just dying to play with her and can't contain his energy and excitement. Sometimes i hear them both screaming like their fighting, but they're just playing...either way i separate them. And when i do, i notice Jet goes around looking for Charlie. When she finds Charlie (in his crate), she sometimes goes upto the crate and hisses at him, and sometimes she just sits and and looks at him and sniffs for him and starts to dig...like she wants him to be out.
Sometimes she will go up to Charlie and lick his face, or play with his tail, but when charlie reciprocates, she hisses. Its like she doesn't want charlie to do anything but stand there...and just...let her do whatever she wants?? I digress. Main reason for this really long post...please someone give me guidance...reassurance...will Jet ever get used to Charlie? will her hissing stop? is this normal? should i always keep them separated? when i separate them, one looks for the other. Does Jet need time to be normal??
An extremely confused, new, and loving cat mommy.
However, despite the happy cat in our happy home, I noticed that Charlie was lonely. He was curious about other animals, and mostly other cats (those that he would see outside and online in videos). Seeing other cats instantly calmed him down. It was so weird. He would go from rowdy, energetic and ready to play to calm, quiet, sitting or rubbing against me and purring. He was lonely and no doubt he missed his litter mates. He still remembered them. So I decided to adopt another kitten closer to his age, but of the opposite sex, so that eventually they will be bff's. I adopted Jet (female, 3.5 months) from the shelter a few days ago. The people at the shelter told me she was a stray, but you couldn't tell by how affectionate she was when I met her. She just balled up and clung to my chest, and was instantly purring. Also according to the Shelter, Jet scored an 11/11 on her cat behavioral exam which is extremely rare for cats (as they say). She was rated as a beginner cat, perfect for first time pet owners, So i brought her home.
Unfortunately, without me knowing, my boyfriend decided it would be a good idea to introduce the cats to each other, which he tired to do while I was at work. And...I've had mixed reactions from Jet. Charlie on the other hand is SUPER excited and just wants to play with Jet all the time. And this is when the hissing started. After doing some research, i learned that stray cat means, feral cat...and I had adopted a feral cat. My heart sank immediately with the thought that Charlie and Jet might never get along. But observing Jet's behavior...I'm just really confused.
By now, my ever playful Charlie has learned to give Jet her space...because when he comes near her she hisses (8/10 times). But he is just dying to play with her and can't contain his energy and excitement. Sometimes i hear them both screaming like their fighting, but they're just playing...either way i separate them. And when i do, i notice Jet goes around looking for Charlie. When she finds Charlie (in his crate), she sometimes goes upto the crate and hisses at him, and sometimes she just sits and and looks at him and sniffs for him and starts to dig...like she wants him to be out.
Sometimes she will go up to Charlie and lick his face, or play with his tail, but when charlie reciprocates, she hisses. Its like she doesn't want charlie to do anything but stand there...and just...let her do whatever she wants?? I digress. Main reason for this really long post...please someone give me guidance...reassurance...will Jet ever get used to Charlie? will her hissing stop? is this normal? should i always keep them separated? when i separate them, one looks for the other. Does Jet need time to be normal??
An extremely confused, new, and loving cat mommy.