Introducing 3 y/o spade female to 4 y/o neutured male

jiazzi

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Here's their profile:

Resident Cat: Tyler
  • 4 years old
  • neutured recently
  • misses his old girlfriends back at his cattery
  • I adopted him this past January
  • He yowls and cries when he's home alone
  • He calls for females (according to the breeder...she also mentioned that he prefers the company of submissive females)
New Cat
  • appx 3 years old that I adopted through the local animal shelter
  • spade
  • drools when she's happy
  • SUPER loving and affectionate
  • Will plow over other cats to be petted
  • She's been at the animal shelter in a cage with another male since May 9 and since then, she's squeezed herself into his sleeping nook with him.
  • She LOVES humans and crawls all over you to get on your shoulders
I really hope they will end up being girlfriend and boyfriend soon. I got her so Tyler wouldn't be so lonely (he HATES being by himself as he's been used to living in a cattery).

Introductions will commence today at approximately 1:00 PM. Wish us luck!

Thanks for any advice, suggestions, thoughts, opinions!
 

goldenkitty45

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Sounds promising
Just put the new cat in a room by herself for a week or two and slowly introduce them.

Sprinkle some cornstarch baby powder on both (or give both a bath) so they smell the same. Expect some initial hissing, growling, etc. Since your boy has been neutered recently he still thinks as a tom cat (takes about a month to get the hormones out of his system).

He may or may not spray a little (does he now?) He probably will be a dominate "breeding" male at first, so it is wiser to really take introductions slow and give her extra time to be separarted from him.
 

mooficat

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I agree it all sounds very encouraging and they seem a good match - but these things do need to be taken slowly


Introduce them slowly and monitor the situation so that you can remove a cat if needed. Each cat should preferable have their own space to start of with, this will help them settle and feel secure until they both have general run of the house


Some of the products like feliway and cat-rescue can help but do expect to see some testing of the waters with each other, as Goldenkitty has mentioned, growling, hissing and the odd scrap will take place. Also as mentioned your tom will still be a bit 'lively' so the slow introductions will help while his hormones are settling


Spending play-time with each kitty will also help and this is also a good way of getting them to know each other and play, but be careful as you know games can easily turn rough and into a fight. So again, gently does it.

Feeding is of course another important routine and if not handled well can cause cat fights
At first its best to feed them in their own spaces, but gradually move the bowls nearer and nearer until they can feed next to each other.

Its all about setting the pace and routine which in the long run will both benefit you and your kitties - I am sure things will be fine


Do keep us posted and if you get chance post us some photos
 
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jiazzi

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Thanks for your replies. I forgot to mention that Tyler was neutured back in November but he still has tomcat behavior (calling out for a female cat, love nips, and very playful
).

Well today I brought her home (still don't know what to name her) and Tyler was meowing at the bedroom door b/c he wanted to meet her so badly. He squeezed his paws under the door in his feeble attempt to open the door.

She's been so GOOD. She hasn't cried at all and is loving the bedroom that I put her in. Tyler, on the other hand, is having a fit because he wants to meet her and howls when I'm in the bedroom with the new kitty.

I also brushed the new kitty and collected so much hair that I bunched it up into a ball and gave it to Tyler. He started licking it.


I did the same thing with Tyler and gave the new kitty Tyler's hairball. She didn't lick it like he did but sniffed it with curiosity and didn't show any signs of aggression.

I also bought some pure vanilla extract today for when they meet face to face. I'll keep you guys updated and post pictures soon.
 
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jiazzi

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Here's Tyler pawing for his new girlfriend.


Here's the new kitty pausing for just a moment before she continued snuggling against me again. And there's Tyler's paw in the background still.


Yet again, pawing for his new girlfriend...
 

mooficat

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aww bless sweet Tyler - he is certainly a persistent gentleman


and your new kitty is so beautiful
any thoughts on a name for her as yet ?

Good luck with the introductions - how are things today
 

goldenkitty45

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Wow - she's pretty - looks like a brown patched tabby maine coon type
I'm sure he will be totally "in love". What's her reaction with his feet under the door?

Oh, forgot to mention CLIP ALL NAILS on both cats before they meet face to face
 
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jiazzi

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Originally Posted by mooficat

aww bless sweet Tyler - he is certainly a persistent gentleman


and your new kitty is so beautiful
any thoughts on a name for her as yet ?

Good luck with the introductions - how are things today
Thanks for the good luck charm!
Now I know what those icons mean! LOL...well, I still haven't thought up a name for her yet...I want a silly non-human name that indicates she's a female but doesn't sound funny when you call her...
 
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jiazzi

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Wow - she's pretty - looks like a brown patched tabby maine coon type
I'm sure he will be totally "in love". What's her reaction with his feet under the door?

Oh, forgot to mention CLIP ALL NAILS on both cats before they meet face to face
Yes I think she definitely has maine coon in her. Her fur looks just like a maine coon's but she's very petite...She seems a bit fragile/bony to me so we'll have to make sure she's eating well.

She's definitely the submissive one. I know I shouldn't have but I had movers in and out of my rooms all day so I let the two kitties meet since Tyler seemed SO fond of having cat company but boy was I wrong in thinking that the new cat would be the first to hiss or show any signs of aggressive behavior. Tyler turned into a BULLY! The poor little girl cat just hid behind a cardboard box, peeping out to see what he would do. He growled and moved a little closer and she disappeared behind the cardboard. Poor thing! So now they are back to being isolated from each other and things have calmed down. I'm moving to a bigger place tomorrow so it'll be MUCH easier keeping them in separate rooms until I introduce them properly.
 
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