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got a second cat, need advice

post #1 of 7
6/28/11 at 11:33am
Thread Starter 
I've had a sweet neutered cat for about 6 months. He is very affectionate and playful. I decided to get him a playmate last week since I am gone quite a bit with my work. A found an extremely affectionate female and she just got spayed before I brought her home from the shelter. The problem is that he seems to only want to play with her by pouncing on her and being rough. She doesn't tolerate this and gets very aggressive and growls and throws her arms at him. He doesn't seem to have any restraint and just wants to play with her. I don't know if he sees her as some type of play object. I think she just wants to not be played with so roughly but I'm not sure how to change his behavior. Any advice is welcome.
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post #2 of 7
6/28/11 at 1:02pm
Are they about the same size and age? My 12 pound Thumper likes to chase and pounce on my 8 pount Cookie. loves to play, but she likes to run around and pat Thumper whereas Thumper likes to pounce and bother everyone including humans.

The onlything I have found so far is to play with Thumper and tire him out. Then he does not seem to be so rough.
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post #3 of 7
6/28/11 at 3:11pm
How did you introduce them? Did you do a proper introduction?
Here is some good information on how to introduce cats: http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/49/Id-like-you-to-Meet...-Introducing-Cats.html
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post #4 of 7
6/28/11 at 8:08pm
Congratz on your new addition it can work out but there are steps that have been missed. Initially the newbie cat or kitten should have it's own room for a week or two before formal intros are done with the resident cat. This way the new kitty can get adjusted to the new environment first. And your cat can get used to the idea and smells of having a new friend in the house. After those initial days, you can start scent transferring back and forth. The initial intros should be short and sweet until they are really comfortable with eachother.

You might have to go back to square one with these two. The new kitty is overwhelmed with the new environment plus your cat pouncing on her. Thus is distressing to her as she is trying to find her place in your home. She needs her own space for a few days and they need to be supervised in the beginning. They will become friends, but you have to start over. You don't want the new kitten to have bad experiences right off the bat with your other cat.
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post #5 of 7
6/29/11 at 1:48pm
Thread Starter 
I have tried putting her in a safe room but she meows for hours and constantly buts her head into and jumps on the door. And when I go in the room, she wants nothing to do with me - merely sits by the door. So I'm doing the opposite - I put my other cat in the safe room and am letting the new cat be in the rest of the apartment for a while. She seems to be adjusting pretty well and is becoming more receptive and affectionate to me and to my girlfriend when she visits. She is really a lap kitty. She is also recovering from her surgery so hopefully she she feels better she will be more receptive to the cat when I reintroduce them in a few days. The other cat does just fine and I am making sure I spend time with him too. The safe room is my bedroom so he sleeps with me all night which he always enjoys.
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post #6 of 7
6/29/11 at 7:40pm
Good decision! And your boy seems comfortable in your room. I wish you the best when you re-introduce them. make the interactions short in the beginning and just try to redirect your male if he seems to be ready to pounce on the new kitty. There are usually minor issues in the beginning of any two cats getting to know eachother. That is normal and usually they will work it out amongst themselves. If things get out of hand, return your male kitten back to your room for a break. Try tiring him out with a wand toy for fifteen minutes also before you let him out again. In a matter of days or a couple of weeks, I bet they will be good friends and playmates
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post #7 of 7
6/29/11 at 8:09pm
She really needs time to rest. I don't know about anyone else, but when I brought a female kitty home to a boy kitty, she always ended up being the queen.

I see lots off good advice on here. Good Luck sweetie.
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