I Have a Unique Situation

Sort of...

2 weeks ago I lost my cat Lyon too a blood clot. He and his brother have never been apart in 10 years. Today we adopted a new cat Otis who is 5 years old. I read the intro section but my wife and I have a 720 sqft condo and don't have the option of separating them.

Monte (old cat) is not having a good time. He's under the bed and is hissing at Otis, my wife and myself. I need another option as I can't separate them due to only having one bedroom. I could use the bathroom but I don't want to do that to Otis.

I don't want to take him back. He's 5 and had been there since Aug. I feel like we could give him the best home.

The other part is that we adopted a small girl who will be coming home tomorrow. Her name is Luna and she is 4 moths old. She's a pistol herself.

Any advice? Thank you all in advance. We are just trying to give a couple of new cats a good home and don't want to take them back to the shelter.

Brian

Use the bathroom - place a box in there and cover it with a blanket or with a towel so he can hide, kind of like this (you are doing him a favor, and not punishing him... he needs a small space while getting acclimated to the new place...):



Make sure there is food, water, and a litter box in the bathroom. Spend a lot of time in there with him - reading a book out loud is great. Put an item that has the scent of the resident cat inside of the bathroom.
Get a towel, rube the new cat all over with it (gently ), fold the towel and place it under the resident cats' food bowl.
They will start interacting with each other under the door... let them...
Little by little let the new kitty out to explore the place under supervision...
There will be hisses.... there will probably be a couple of fights while they are adjusting to each other and setting up the hierarchy.... or not....
Feliway diffuser can be a great tool in reducing stress...
Good Luck!

Here's the funny thing. The new cat (5y/o) is just fine and maybe the most chill cat I have ever met. It's Monte(the older cat who we have had for 10 years) that's having the issues. We are going to put Otis (new cat) in the bathroom for the night so Monte can relax a little. Then we have to go pick up the new kitten tomorrow...oi.

Originally Posted by irishwrx

Here's the funny thing. The new cat (5y/o) is just fine and maybe the most chill cat I have ever met. It's Monte(the older cat who we have had for 10 years) that's having the issues. We are going to put Otis (new cat) in the bathroom for the night so Monte can relax a little. Then we have to go pick up the new kitten tomorrow...oi.

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I think you are rushing things by bringing home another, especially a young kitten tomorrow.... It's actually more understandable that Monte is extremely stressed and threatened with this new introduction that has been forced on him within wees of loosing his life partner. Monte is lost and grieving, the first days of his life without his brother....... Otis is happy to have a new home, wants to explore and knows that Monte is weak and vulnerable. Separating the new kitty in the bathroom is the best idea! You need to make sure Monte doesn't feel punished, unloved, stressed out during these introductions, mainly because you love and care about his best interest, but this is how serious "unwanted behaviors" start.........

Originally Posted by cheylink

I think you are rushing things by bringing home another, especially a young kitten tomorrow.... It's actually more understandable that Monte is extremely stressed and threatened with this new introduction that has been forced on him within wees of loosing his life partner. Monte is lost and grieving, the first days of his life without his brother....... Otis is happy to have a new home, wants to explore and knows that Monte is weak and vulnerable. Separating the new kitty in the bathroom is the best idea! You need to make sure Monte doesn't feel punished, unloved, stressed out during these introductions, mainly because you love and care about his best interest, but this is how serious "unwanted behaviors" start.........

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Wow...I love Monte so much and just want to give the other two a good home. Otis had been there since aug. I know the kitten would most certainly be adopted but still. I think we have to try for all their sakes.

Originally Posted by irishwrx

Here's the funny thing. The new cat (5y/o) is just fine and maybe the most chill cat I have ever met. It's Monte(the older cat who we have had for 10 years) that's having the issues. We are going to put Otis (new cat) in the bathroom for the night so Monte can relax a little. Then we have to go pick up the new kitten tomorrow...oi.

Click to expand...

well... of course.... he is the one who is having his territory invaded... please do put Otis in the bathroom... and not for the night, but please do this for a week or so... especially now that you are bringing two cats, and not one... And IMO the kitten will need to be in the bathroom as well. The house belongs to the resident cat, Monte, and the appropriate introduction should follow through. Separate the kitten in a crate inside of the bathroom if there is a problem.
IMO all of them are going through a considerable amount of stress here - there is no one happy in this situation.... they are cats, think like cats, not people. Any move is very stressful for a cat, and on the other hand, for Monte having cats brought into his territory is not a walk in the park either.
Done in the right way, it can be the best thing for all parties. Done the wrong way, can be bad for all parties, and be very hard to fix he situation later on.
It all depends on their personalities, but for what you are telling me, a slow intro is in order here....

but I find a screen door works wonders. They aren't hidden from eachother, and can get acquainted safely. Good luck. You have a good heart to give these little ones a home.

This is an awful lot of stress you are putting on Monte.

That other kitten may need a home but Monte should be your priority. He has lost his lifelong companion, and now is faced with an intruder in his territory. Bringing in that kitten is really too much, and unfair to him, in my opinion.

I agree that the kitten and Otis should be kept in the bathroom away from Monte for now, so he can have time to adjust to these changes taking place.

Get some feliway plug in diffusers to help him feel more secure and less territorial. Use rescue remedy to help him feel calm. Give him a ton of attention and love and reassurance.

Be sure there are enough litter boxes so Monte doens't have to share.

And better schedule a vet trip for him in the next couple of weeks. Stress can make cats sick, and at 10 years old Monte is vulnerable to a number of illnesses.

Cats need time to adjust to change. It can take up to a year for a cat to accept a new cat, and you are making him accept two at once. It just seems like too much.

Why not move a bit slower? Get your cat introduced properly to Otis BEFORE getting another kitten, please. Then you can consider it after they are good friends and can stick together. Please don't stress your cat out. Why move so fast, anyway?