Ally and Ollie meet Thursday, and I leave the following Wednesday

ut0pia

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

As hard as what it will be, don't portray human emotions on them. They are kittens, who are at a formative stage in life where life's lessons are learned through play..
That is so wisely said!!! I think it's extremely important because if you try to interpret and decipher their behavior as if they are humans it can really drive you crazy and make it more frustrating and scary to watch...
 

darlili

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Originally Posted by LawGuy

Tried da bird. Turns out, unexpectedly, Ollie is actually better at it than Ally, he can jump higher and hold onto it really well (I have to REALLY pull to get it out of his mouth).

Ollie being better at it made Ally even more p/o'd. Add to that the mid-air collisions they had and Ally is ticked!
For a long time, I did parallel fishing pole toys - one in each hand - so both could play at the same time yet have their own toy. I actually got less awkward with it. What's funny is now, when I have the laser toy out, they take turns at who's chasing it. Ollie may indeed be a better jumper, etc., since he's got those male muscles, like my Dante - but my Dharma is actually more graceful and much quicker at turns when she's chasing him around. Just keep on making sure Ally gets first try at everything for now - they'll work it out.

hey, any pictures of the two sort of together yet (hint!)
 
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lawguy

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Ally is the faster runner... and Ollie is the higher jumper.

I think they're playing right now. I'm not 100% sure because Ally is still growling and hissing a little bit, but they're all over the place chasing each other and wrestling.

I don't think it's a fight.
 

GoldyCat

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Yeah, that sounds pretty normal. As long as there's no blood or fur flying I'd say they're going to be just fine.
 

browneyes106

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It sounds like they are off to great start. There will be hissing and growling for awhile. In time Ally will learn to share with Ollie and Olllie will learn to be close to non-relative cat.
 

darlili

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My hair stylist was able to bring two feral kittens in (momma never wanted to come in) - the boy was the first one who stayed in all night, while the girl would come in and then scoot to the porch every evening for a week or so. Even those these were definitely siblings, the boy decided the house was his, and hissed, growled and chased his own sister off the furniture, etc., for over a year.

Last night I was skimming some of the early posts about Ally - to say I'm in awe of the transformation is a wild understatement. Prayers that all goes well for this little family - they deserve it after all the struggles.
 
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lawguy

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They just shared the cat bed for about 30 seconds together without either one going off on the other.

That was a great moment. Too bad I didn't have a camera ready.

Ollie got out after 30 seconds because he decided he was hungry.
 
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lawguy

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Yeah. I finally got some sleep - however, I'm an insomniac anyways, so sleep loss is something I'm pretty used to regardless of the scenario.

I slept last night and only got woken up 2 or 3 times to the sound of Ally and Ollie fighting on my bed. I broke it up and went back to sleep.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by ut0pia

I always thought (from what I had read) that who came first doesn't determine cat hierarchy...the one who is alpha material will become alpha no matter what...Am I wrong?? I don't know much i'm just asking..
to a certain extent, that's correct. when i went looking for Chip, i knew i already HAD an alpha [Cable] so i looked for one that was listed as 'non-alpha' & 'laid-back'. seems to have worked out ok... altho Cable will still gripe at him, he just backs down.
Pixel was alpha for maybe 2-3 months after Mouse died - then Cable asserted herself. Firefox seems to be 2nd, even tho she's the youngest. she's the only one who'll stand up to Cable.
 
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lawguy

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I thought Ally was laid back, and figured another cat that was laid back would be good.

Now, Ally is trying to be alpha... and I think Ollie changed his personality and wants to be alpha too.

I really didn't expect that. Ollie's sister at the humane society seemed more high-strung than him and I figured she would be more of a fighter.

This outcome between Ally and Ollie was totally unpredictable based on previously witnessed behavior.
 

ut0pia

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Well, since they are territorial Ally's reaction is understandable...Ollie is not having it for now but he might step down..or Ally might step down.
 

lilyluvscats

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Originally Posted by LawGuy

I thought Ally was laid back, and figured another cat that was laid back would be good.

Now, Ally is trying to be alpha... and I think Ollie changed his personality and wants to be alpha too.

I really didn't expect that. Ollie's sister at the humane society seemed more high-strung than him and I figured she would be more of a fighter.

This outcome between Ally and Ollie was totally unpredictable based on previously witnessed behavior.
Cats are very unpredictable, But like others have said 1. It is way too early to tell and 2. As time goes on, they will adjust to each other in their own way.
My 3 co-exist very nicely but Manny became alpha almost the minute he was exposed to the other 2. At first we thought it was because he was so small and young that they were just being nice, But he's been here 9 months. He's not a bully but what Manny wants Manny gets.
 

howtoholdacat

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Originally Posted by LawGuy

This outcome between Ally and Ollie was totally unpredictable based on previously witnessed behavior.
Yeah, that's the way it goes. Sometimes you just don't know until you try. When I first brought Seti home Kit tried to kill him. Seti's pretty spunky (he'd have to be in my house) and gave her hell right back. Needless to say they aren't the best of friends but even those two have learned to live together. I even catch them playing from time to time when they think no one's watching but that's rare. Anyway, your cats are young. They'll have an easier adjustment than if they were older. Once they figure out where they stand I bet they're good friends.
 
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lawguy

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Does this mean anything or does it say nothing about potential progress they've made?
 
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lawguy

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They both just used the litter box, one after the other with no attacks. That seemed good. Also, they both played with Da Bird and Ally only hissed twice, and it was not nearly as aggressive of a hiss as the last time.

I think they're making progress.

Unfortunately, Ollie kept me awake all night. Every time I'd fall asleep, he'd come and walk across my face. One thing at a time I guess though.
 
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lawguy

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Now they're "fighting" and "biting" each other, smacking each other in the face and chasing each other.... but I don't know if it's for real or playing. No hissing or screaming though, that's what makes it different and confuses me.
 

addiebee

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Originally Posted by LawGuy

Now they're "fighting" and "biting" each other, smacking each other in the face and chasing each other.... but I don't know if it's for real or playing. No hissing or screaming though, that's what makes it different and confuses me.
Sounds like pretty normal kitten play to me.They will bite ea. others faces, ears, necks and bellies... as well as other parts. As long as there is "pin and release" going on... you know... not holding down until the other kitten is screaming and still the one doing the pinning won't let up. We had some brother kittens in rescue who liked to play a game I called " jump on your brother's head and bite his ears."
 

GoldyCat

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My guess is they're just playing. My girls wrestle a lot and they usually have each other by the throat while they're doing it. As long as there's no blood I let them have at it.
 
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