Hi
So glad I found you guys...I adopted a cat last December -- a female named Onyx...very sweet girl...her foster mother had said she would be best as an only cat -- apparently there were like 8 other cats in her foster home and she didn't like to play with them...apparently she didn't even like her litter mates. However, the woman who runs the adoption group mentioned that maybe, after Onyx was settled for a few months, I might want to see how she did with a buddy...so a few weeks ago she called me to ask if I wanted to foster a very sweet, submissive 1 1/2 year old male (O'Neill) and see how they did together..I brought O'Neill home 2 weeks ago and followed all the guidelines for introducing them...when they finally met face to face it was fine...some hissing from her, but that stopped after a day or so. So here's my question: how do I know if Onyx is happy to have a friend, or just merely tolerating him? And how much time goes by before it's clear what the dynamic is? They're not fighting...they chase each other around at times, and they also lie on the bed together, and perch on the couch together (albeit on opposite sides) and look outside...but they never get all that close. And every once in a while she'll swat at him. However, none of the behavior is overly aggressive. He's a total sweetie, loves to play, and I know that if she wanted to cuddle, he'd be more than happy to do so...is it still too early to tell? Do you think she might warm up? The woman I got him from said that I should really make a decision after 3 weeks as to whether I want to keep him or whether she should find him another home...I really like him and want it to work, but I feel like they both deserve the best - ie. he deserves a buddy, and she deserves not to have to spend her life "tolerating" someone else. Any insight/feedback would be SO helpful. Thanks so much!
So glad I found you guys...I adopted a cat last December -- a female named Onyx...very sweet girl...her foster mother had said she would be best as an only cat -- apparently there were like 8 other cats in her foster home and she didn't like to play with them...apparently she didn't even like her litter mates. However, the woman who runs the adoption group mentioned that maybe, after Onyx was settled for a few months, I might want to see how she did with a buddy...so a few weeks ago she called me to ask if I wanted to foster a very sweet, submissive 1 1/2 year old male (O'Neill) and see how they did together..I brought O'Neill home 2 weeks ago and followed all the guidelines for introducing them...when they finally met face to face it was fine...some hissing from her, but that stopped after a day or so. So here's my question: how do I know if Onyx is happy to have a friend, or just merely tolerating him? And how much time goes by before it's clear what the dynamic is? They're not fighting...they chase each other around at times, and they also lie on the bed together, and perch on the couch together (albeit on opposite sides) and look outside...but they never get all that close. And every once in a while she'll swat at him. However, none of the behavior is overly aggressive. He's a total sweetie, loves to play, and I know that if she wanted to cuddle, he'd be more than happy to do so...is it still too early to tell? Do you think she might warm up? The woman I got him from said that I should really make a decision after 3 weeks as to whether I want to keep him or whether she should find him another home...I really like him and want it to work, but I feel like they both deserve the best - ie. he deserves a buddy, and she deserves not to have to spend her life "tolerating" someone else. Any insight/feedback would be SO helpful. Thanks so much!
