I adopted a cat (well she was about 6-7 months old, so not quiet grown) about 9 months ago. When I first got her (Saddie), I was a little worried because she came from a home where she was the only animal in the house and we have both a older cat (Oliver) and a dog (Lass), but her owner had cancer and couldn't keep her.
Anyways, at first she would attack the Oliver whenever he came into the room her things were in (bed, food, litterbox). Over the months she has gotten better, I even came home the other day to see them sleeping side by side in that room.
What she has started to do is play...well we call her our body guard. The older cat was also adopted and has always had sudden mood shifts, one moment he will be purring and the next he is hissing and biting, and there is rarely any clue as to when. But now, whenever he starts to hiss and bite Saddie will put herself between Oliver and whoever he's hissing at and start hissing and attacking until he goes into another room. After he is far enough away she always comes back, sits on your lap and purrs. She doesn't attack when he is behaving and I swear Oliver has stopped shifting moods as much, even moreso whenever he hears her bell. Saddie will do the same thing with Lass whenever she gets to excited to see us (she is a lab, so a fairly large dog) and starts to jump up and down. I don't know if this means Saddie is the alpha or what, but honestly I think its sweet.
It looks like I might be moving soon. Oliver and Lass would be staying here, but I would like to bring Saddie with me. The person I would be moving in with has a older cat (Tess) who is about 15 years old. Tess has never lived with another cat before, but she is a very mellow cat. But since no other cat has lived with her before, I have to assume she considers herself the alpha of the house. Do you think it would be safe to bring Saddie with me? The other problem is that Tess is a inside/outside cat while Saddie is only a indoor cat. Would it be better for Saddie to stay here? I would miss her, and she was "my" cat, so to speak, since I adopted her and she always seems to follow me around, but I want her safe and happy....
Anyways, at first she would attack the Oliver whenever he came into the room her things were in (bed, food, litterbox). Over the months she has gotten better, I even came home the other day to see them sleeping side by side in that room.
What she has started to do is play...well we call her our body guard. The older cat was also adopted and has always had sudden mood shifts, one moment he will be purring and the next he is hissing and biting, and there is rarely any clue as to when. But now, whenever he starts to hiss and bite Saddie will put herself between Oliver and whoever he's hissing at and start hissing and attacking until he goes into another room. After he is far enough away she always comes back, sits on your lap and purrs. She doesn't attack when he is behaving and I swear Oliver has stopped shifting moods as much, even moreso whenever he hears her bell. Saddie will do the same thing with Lass whenever she gets to excited to see us (she is a lab, so a fairly large dog) and starts to jump up and down. I don't know if this means Saddie is the alpha or what, but honestly I think its sweet.
It looks like I might be moving soon. Oliver and Lass would be staying here, but I would like to bring Saddie with me. The person I would be moving in with has a older cat (Tess) who is about 15 years old. Tess has never lived with another cat before, but she is a very mellow cat. But since no other cat has lived with her before, I have to assume she considers herself the alpha of the house. Do you think it would be safe to bring Saddie with me? The other problem is that Tess is a inside/outside cat while Saddie is only a indoor cat. Would it be better for Saddie to stay here? I would miss her, and she was "my" cat, so to speak, since I adopted her and she always seems to follow me around, but I want her safe and happy....
Tess may or may not adjust to a newcomer. If they become good friends, there is a risk that Saddie may want to join Tess outside. And I think you do not like that happening. Or Saddie will have no interest in the outdoors at all. One can never tell.
