Tomorrow's the big day! Joni's coming home!

The boys seem to be doing okay

Relaxing as always:

Originally Posted by Draco

I hope for a safe and successful introduction! She's a beauty!

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Thank you!!!

I'd suggest trying to remember to always greet and feed the boys first - even though she's so little, they may feel a little displaced and worry that mom doesn't love them as much anymore. Give them even more cuddles and playtime, so they start thinking the 'new girl' just means more fun and treats for them.

Believe me, I know it's hard to be torn between two rooms. She is a little beauty!

Your boys are just the sweetest little boys!
That little girl just may rule the roost - it's probably in her genes.

Give her a little time, she's probably a little stressed.

She seems to be doing better away from the boys. We played for a little bit and she let me hold her again and starting purring when I was petting her, and now she is passed out on a pile of dirty clothes I hadn't gotten the chance to wash before she came home, lol! So hopefully she'll get used to my scent that way

Sorry to keep updating this thread and rambling into the abyss... I PROMISE that I am ordinarily a calm, laidback, cheerful person, lol!

Anyway, gave Joni some treats (her first Greenies!) on a pillowcase I rubbed on Simon & Garfunkel. No reaction, except to eat those Greenies! Can't wait until she's home from the vet tomorrow.

Off to watch a movie & relax. I promise no boring updates for awhile!

Joni is beautiful

Just a quick update - we had a great vet's visit, she was absolutely perfect - other than one low, mournful wail at the thermometer! She's 3lb 7oz and tested negative for FIV/FeLV!

She wasn't very happy about getting into the carrier this morning which surprised me (though it shouldn't have, looking back). I guess I'm used to the boys, who haven't spent a single minute apart since they were born and are fearless as a result! Anyway, she's resting in the safe room now, I checked on her about 20 minutes after we got home to make sure there was no allergic reaction to the vaccines. She's doing well!

She wasn't eating the Meow Mix so I mixed in some of the new Simply Nourish I'm transitioning the boys to, and she picked out all the pieces overnight and left all the Meow Mix!!!!! Should I keep mixing it in or just give her the new food? I forgot and left the bedroom door open when I took her to the vet this morning, and the boys got in and ate the rest of her food - all that corn and wheat gluten!!!! !!! Oh well - I hope to have her off of it soon so they won't get anymore opportunities.

This isn't so "quick" anymore, lol! So I'll stop here. Thanks again for reading and letting me vent and talk things out!

Originally Posted by PatrickCampbell

Really...she looks like a beautiful angel. You did right to take her home.

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Thank you she is very sweet!

I'd just switch the food right away, especially since she's not eating the Meow Mix. Actually, I never "transition" foods and in my 25 years of owning pets, I've never had one get an upset tummy from it. After all, in the wild animals eat what they can catch--a mouse one day, bird the next. They are tougher than you think!

Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires

I'd just switch the food right away, especially since she's not eating the Meow Mix. Actually, I never "transition" foods and in my 25 years of owning pets, I've never had one get an upset tummy from it. After all, in the wild animals eat what they can cat--a mouse one day, bird the next. They are tougher than you think!

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Sometimes I wonder where or what caused such instructions for foods to be slowly introduced. I thought my "no problems switching foods around" was just my "good luck" - but, the more I learn about cats, and their short digestive systems ability to process food, the more I think that some things just become "wives' tales". ?? I'm not ALL that sure, but so far, that's what my evidence is showing me.

I guess the transitioning depends on the reason - what they like, or how the change may affect their health?

By all means - give her the good food, and get her off the junk food as quickly as you can.

Meow Mix Ingredients: http://meowmix.com/products/dry-food/

Ingredients: ground yellow corn,
corn gluten meal,
chicken by-product meal,
soybean meal,
beef tallow (preserved with mixed tocopherols),
animal digest,
calcium carbonate,
turkey by-product meal,
salmon meal,
ocean fish meal,
phosphoric acid,
choline chloride,
salt,
potassium chloride,
titanium dioxide (color),
vitamins
(vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, vitamin A supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate [source of vitamin B1], riboflavin supplement [source of vitamin B2], pyridoxine hydrochloride [source of vitamin B6], menadione sodium bisulfite complex [source of vitamin K activity], vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), potassium chloride, minerals (ferrous sulfate [source of iron], zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), taurine, yellow 5, red 40, yellow 6, yellow 5, red 40, blue 2, dl-methionine, l-lysine, rosemary extract.

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yuck.

The only thing I'd suggest is keep some of her 'old' food around, just in case she does get an upset tummy - then you can put her back on it. That said, even my boy of the bad tummy has picked out all the 'new' stuff and left the rest without a problem.

And I love the updates - I want to hear how she does with the boys, and what the boys think of having 'this girl' hanging around.

I'm so happy to hear Joni's healthy! I'm sure she'll get settled in her new home soon enough. I hope she'll get along well with the boys too!

Oh, and I just love the milk mustache!

I am SOOOOOOOOO happy for you and for Joni!! Glad she got a clean bill of health; I know you were concerned about that. Did you talk to the vet about when to spay her? (I know you were worried about that, too.)

All I can say is, you better post LOTS of pics of her cuteness and how she does with the boys!!

Yes, absolutely - lots of pictures of that DARLING little angel (I love the milk mustache too! ). !!!! Stop apologizing for the updates - LOVE the blow-by-blow!

We're sharing your excitement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aww!! Congrats on the new kitten. She's adorable. Now the boys would have a friend( even though I would probably just keep them. lol

OMG, is she ever adorable!

Thanks everyone! and sorry for saying sorry...........

Things are going pretty well. Joni is not as easy as her brothers were (I realize now I was so lucky!) so I'm even more determined to see this through and win her respect and love. I think it's a woman thing.

She met the boys briefly a few hours after she got home from the vet's office. They were friendly and curious, Simon's tail puffed a little bit but they did not and do not seem concerned, and have not hissed or growled - and Garfunkel hasn't gotten ruffled at all, really. She is hissing and growling when they get too close. She watched us play with da bird for a few minutes and looked like she wanted to join in but didn't. After about 20 minutes I put her back in the saferoom and we played with da bird together without the boys.

I can't tell if that early meeting was a mistake or not. She seems happy and content in the room. I took a nap earlier for nearly three hours and she either sat or napped by my head the whole time. So I think she's pretty comfortable with me, just not happy about the two older kittens. And I think it's intimidating for there to be two of them, anyway, and only one of her.

Right now I'm working on scent exchanges, I took the same pillowcase that I used yesterday and did a more dedicated rubdown of the boys - Simon tolerated it well and Garfunkel thought it was a toy, of course! - for about 20 minutes and then put it under her food bowl. I gave her some wet food but in the 10 or so minutes I stayed watching her, she didn't eat any. I did try to give her some off my finger but she didn't want it then either. I stuck some kibble in it since she really seemed to like the Simply Nourish, but it didn't work right away either. It's her first time having wet food ever, so I don't know if it's a sign that she doesn't like it or just isn't used to eating it.

I'm more glad than ever that I took today off. They probably won't be ready by Monday to be together - she may end up staying in the safe room for several weeks if things don't progress, which is absolutely fine of course! - but they'll be farther along than if I had picked her up Saturday morning as originally planned.

Oh - and everyone's getting flea treatments today! I forgot to take it when I picked her up yesterday.

If you're going to be home a lot of the day tomorrow, I'd simply open up the house and let them work things out amongst themselves. They aren't big enough (or aggressive enough, imo) to do any real damage and if you just let them "feel each other out" I'll bet they'll all settle.

I wouldn't expect to get many "menage a trois" cuddle photos as the boys are so deeply bonded, but as long as they tolerate each other, it is fine.

As for her lack of appetite this evening, it's very likely due to her kitten vaccine. Just keep offering food and she'll come around shortly, and you'll be able to tell what she really likes, etc.

Good luck!

I brought her out again..... I don't know if I'm doing this too quickly or not! I'm getting mixed signals.

She still growls low if the boys get within a foot or two of her. Yet she was sitting on top of the table, Simon hopped up on a chair and started sniffing her tail - she turned around to look and saw him, growled but did not move, and then turned her back on him and continued exploring the tabletop.

Simon and Garfunkel too have turned their backs on her - which seems like a good sign, but I can't tell! Garfunkel actually rolled over and showed her his belly and groomed his paws while she was sitting on the couch and he was a few feet away on the floor.

I'm getting ready to go out soon so she'll be back in the safe room, but what are your honest opinions about how things are going? Am I moving too quickly and should just keep them out of sight of each other for another several days, exchanging scents? Or since there have been no attacks on Joni's part, and what seem like conciliatory gestures on the part of my sweet, sweet boys, is it going well and I should continue supervised visits? Please - I won't take offense if you think I should give it more time. Let me know!

The articles have definitely been helpful, by the way - I'm combing through a google site search on the subject. The only thing is they all seem to be introducing kittens or cats to older cats who've been around for years - or they focus on the resident cat and how to prevent hostility on his part, when for us it seems to be the other way around. So while the articles have great info in them, I'm finding it difficult to apply some of the principles.

It sounds like things are going really well so far. Of course there will be some hissing and growling, Joni's in a new home, with new cats. It's all new! "What the heck's going on?!" I agree that if you feel like it's working out well, let her out whenever you're out and let her and the boys work out who's boss or whatever. I couldn't even keep Dorothy locked up for 3 days til her first vet visit, because she just meowed so loud and constantly, and was really scratching at the door. So I just let her out and very closely supervised and tried to keep them apart til Dorothy had her check-up. Genever did a lot of hissing and growling for a week or so, and for a few days at least, when we left the house we locked one of them in the spare room just to make sure no one got hurt. (Sounds totally wrong, but it was actually easier to lock up Genever, she takes things like that much better than Dot)

Then, 7 days after we took Dot home, they were sleeping next to each other on the sofa!! Genever grooming Dorothy's face, a lot. That was all back in late January. Now they don't nap near each other too much, and they fight/wrestle/chase/smack each other, I think it's mostly playing though. Sometimes it gets nasty, but for the most part there is peace in the household.

So I think your crew will be just fine with each other. Just take cues from the kittens, if someone seems too upset that it's going too quickly, then separate Joni for a bit longer and try again. You'll figure it out.