Might Adopt Another Cat

  We went to the shelter to see if it was nice and that the animals were taken care of so I could volunteer. We ended up looking at the cats and my dad just fell in love with one of the cats. So instead of jumping into adoption and having to give the cat back because he doesn't suit us we thought we might try and foster.  Our cat Julian is around 2 years old, we have a dog which he gets along with really well, and a bird that he ignores. We're positively sure that our dog would be okay with a new cat, and the bird would be fine, we're mostly unsure about Julian and how he'll react. He's finally gotten over the stress of a new bird. We learned as much as we could about the cat we want to get and he's a very nice cat who's very easy going and playful, he's around 11 months and is good with other cats but slightly dominate. We know we can afford another pet we're just worried about upsetting the balance that we have. So any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

We have a few questions about having two cats. 

• Do we need double everything?

•How do we introduce them?

•Will our present cat get stressed?

•Is there anything we should be concerned about?

•Any tips?

Hi ImTheBae,

Welcome to The Cat Site.

Good for you for thinking of giving a home to a cat from the shelter.   Here's an article on how to introduce your new cat to Julian.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

It's a good idea to keep the new cat in his own room for the first day or two, depending on how quickly he settles in. He'll need his own litter box and food bowls but once he and Julian are buddies they'll probably share toys and cat condos.

I've got a lot of cats and they all get on well together. I've found that a Feliway diffuser is a good way of keeping everything calm.

Good luck, I hope everything goes well.

Keep us updated on how the new guy settles in.

So my dad brought the cat from the shelter today; we decided to re-name him Bagheera because he resembles the black panther from the Jungle Book. 

   We pet both cats with a sock and let them smell the socks. Then I let Julian out of my room so he could wander around the house, we don't want to force them to meet each other. But Julian went running, hissing, and swiping at Bagheera who was hiding under the couch. I don't think he could reach him, so now Bagheera is in my parents room with the door closed. We decided to just let him get used to being here for a day or two before doing the introduction again.  What do you guys think? Is that a good idea? 

   Also, do you have any tips on how to introduce cats to dogs? Because Bagheera doesn't seem to care about Julian, he's scared of our dog. 

Please be sure to read the link Norachan posted in regards to cat introductions. Also, don't rush the process. Go at the cats' pace. It can take weeks to months before cats can share a space. Just be mindful that the introduction process takes time.

Here's a link on how to introduce cats and dogs

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs

I think you should take things really slooooowly. Have Bagheera in one room for half the day while Julian has the run of the house, then switch them around. That way each cat will get chance to interact with the rest of the family and they will get used to each others smell. Follow the steps in the introducing cats guide. It can take weeks for them to get comfortable with each other. they key is not to rush things and be prepared to go back and repeat a step if they start acting aggressively.

I'm not really a dog person, but maybe this will help?

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/caring-for-cats-and-dogs

Thank you for your advice and the links. We were having one cat in one room for an hour while the other roamed the house. But then the cat in the room started pulling up the carpet at the door so we decided to let them both out with supervision. And they didn't hiss or anything and now they're playing with each other. We'll continue to keep an eye on them though. Bagheera still isn't comfortable with the dog so we'll keep working on that. Also, they're already sharing a scratching post So thank you!

Hi! So wonderful to hear of your recent adoption and the patience you have to work at getting everyone to get along. Growing up we always had cats and dogs together. For the most part they all got along though i do remember one instance where my dog chased the cat under the car and flew out the otherside with cat in pursuit! They often slept and played together. Currently, i have 3 cats. Lucy is going on 10 (have had from 6 months); Pudding is near 4 years and Bandit is just over 1 year. Lucy just ignores both unless they get close, then she hisses and they back off. She loves to cuddle me but refuses to be around the other 2. Pudding bounced BAndit til she felt his claws. I just had his front claws out and now they both get along very well. It took about a month of slow introudicing before they started to get along well. Also, I watch Jackson Galaxy (he is on youtube and animal planet) and recommended having playtime together and that seemed to help too. I really admire you for saving another cat. All 3 of mine were rescued and i havent been sorry. You probably need close to double your food and litter. Depends to on what they like. Bandit likes canned and some dry while the other two prefer dry. You will also need separate litter boxes. I think you are on the right track with giving each attention. Lucy gets jealous if i don't spend time with her and Bandit will shove Pudding away from attention and food so i have to correct him because pudding is a very meek cat. I feed him first then pudding in separate places so she can eat. They dont like lucys food so ok there. Just takes time and noting their different personalities and things will work out. Good luck and bless you for opening your heart to another.