Play dates

jettafer99

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Any comments about kitty play dates? I have some friends who also have solitary indoor kitties who could use some socializing and they suggested a kitty play date, where one comes over to the others house for an afternoon. But later as I got to thinking about it, I am beginning to doubt the wisdom of this. From what I have read here, cats seem to need lots of time and space to introduce to others and I cant imagine realistically they would take well to this for an afternoon.. I think my cute girl would just hide until they went home. But thought I would check with you all so I have some info to tell my friends who really want to do this. Has anyone attempted such a crazy idea?
 

nano

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I think the elaborate introduction methods are more designed for when a new cat is permanently joining a household and the indigenous cats must accept the newcomer for a long term situation.

If all cats are fully vetted and in good health, if the owners relate well to their cats, and if the visitation will supervised by both of you, then why not? The worst that happens is a fight breaks out. Then you quickly throw a blanket over them to separate and call the experiment a failure.
 

cinderellie

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Haha, my neighbour seems to have gotten it in his head that cats would like playdates too! We can't help but politely nod, run away, and burst into laughter. Cats aren't generally big on the whole meeting other cats thing. Good luck if you try it though, maybe you'll have the luck that most of us have not found!
 

hissy

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I would pass just because of the stress factor on the cats. They aren't like toddlers, you can't explain things to them and let them know the cats are temporary visitors and won't be a threat to their place in the home. Plus if the other cats have fleas, or are not up on their vaccinations- again, I would pass.
 

kathryn41

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I would hesitate to introduce strange cats to each other on the speculation that they would enjoy each other's company and want to play right away. It works with dogs, but they are a social pack animal, while cats are not.

That said, I do remember several instances of neighbour cats, when all of our cats were still indoor/outdoor cats, who used to come and 'call' on our cats to come out and play. Ours would do the same at their place and you would see the cats 'hanging around together' out in the respective yards and even going into each other's homes. In fact, that is how we got one of our cats when I was a teenager - my best friend moved away a few miles and took their cat. The cat decided he didn't want to stay and kept returning 'home' but his home was now used by someone else so he made himself at home in our home. Eventually, we reached the mutual agreement that he would live with us permanently rather than risk having him get injured by travelling the few miles back to our neighbourhood every few days.

Kathryn
 
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jettafer99

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thanks guys.. Good points. I will probably pass. Bella seems just fine w/ my company <wink!>. She waits for me by the door when I come home and we play/cuddle at night. So she seems pretty content without the play dates.
 
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