Hi there. I wanted to see anybody had any advice or wisdom to share on this topic.
If you've read me before, then you probably know about Mason, of the ferals in our small colony. He is nearly 9 months old, and the only male in the family, but he is very silly and playful. His mom let us touch him since he was a few days old, and he rolls over on his back and smiles when he sees my husband. He is so sweet and cuddly and good tempered that we are thinking of bringing him in. We'd want him to be indoor/outdoor so he can have the human interaction he seems to really want while still having time with his sisters and Mom outside.
The issue has to do with our existing indoor family. I'm not too worried about our dog because she LOVES cats. She wants to lick them and sniff them and play and run, and I know she loves Mason. The potential issue is that we already have two male cats, age two-and-a-half, and they are brothers. They are indoor-only, and we've had them since they were about 3 months old. They are probably 8 and 9 pounds respectively with one being very dominant while the other is more submissive. However, the dominant one will defer to our dog.
I thought that step one would be to shut everybody in the basement, bring Mason in, and let him look and sniff around to see if he's interested in being in our house. If he runs out the door, that tells us that. But at least this lets him see the inside of a house without having to deal with other animals yet. Does this sound good?
What are other ideas for our indoor boys? I am concerned that they won't like a new cat who is much younger but much larger. He looks like he could easily be 15 or 16 pounds of all muscle. He's getting neutered tomorrow, so our boys won't have a tom cat on their hands. He's really just a big baby. He's still young, but he's growing up to be a big guy like his dad.
Suggestions? Thoughts? Advice?
Mason on 23 October (6 mo. old) - he's bigger now thanks to winter bulk and some hormones kicking in!
Thanks,
Debbie
If you've read me before, then you probably know about Mason, of the ferals in our small colony. He is nearly 9 months old, and the only male in the family, but he is very silly and playful. His mom let us touch him since he was a few days old, and he rolls over on his back and smiles when he sees my husband. He is so sweet and cuddly and good tempered that we are thinking of bringing him in. We'd want him to be indoor/outdoor so he can have the human interaction he seems to really want while still having time with his sisters and Mom outside.
The issue has to do with our existing indoor family. I'm not too worried about our dog because she LOVES cats. She wants to lick them and sniff them and play and run, and I know she loves Mason. The potential issue is that we already have two male cats, age two-and-a-half, and they are brothers. They are indoor-only, and we've had them since they were about 3 months old. They are probably 8 and 9 pounds respectively with one being very dominant while the other is more submissive. However, the dominant one will defer to our dog.
I thought that step one would be to shut everybody in the basement, bring Mason in, and let him look and sniff around to see if he's interested in being in our house. If he runs out the door, that tells us that. But at least this lets him see the inside of a house without having to deal with other animals yet. Does this sound good?
What are other ideas for our indoor boys? I am concerned that they won't like a new cat who is much younger but much larger. He looks like he could easily be 15 or 16 pounds of all muscle. He's getting neutered tomorrow, so our boys won't have a tom cat on their hands. He's really just a big baby. He's still young, but he's growing up to be a big guy like his dad.
Suggestions? Thoughts? Advice?
Mason on 23 October (6 mo. old) - he's bigger now thanks to winter bulk and some hormones kicking in!
Thanks,
Debbie