Hi guys! Was hoping to get advice from some of the people who have had more experience at this sort of thing ...
I have had my first cat (Sparrow) for about eight years. He has been an only cat since I got him at the shelter (when he was about six months old). He's a pretty mellow cat overall but does demand attention and playtime. Recently, he has started showing signs that he's incredibly lonely during the daytime - everyone (myself, vet, family members who know him) are in agreement that he probably needs something to occupy himself when I'm not home. I decided to get a second cat; even if they're not BFFs, I'm hoping at least he'll have something else around to watch to stave off boredom. He bonded pretty strongly to me, but with the exception of a few other people, he's pretty aloof to everyone else.
So I adopted a second cat, Mo, who I brought home last Wednesday night. Mo's two years old, but he plays extremely well with other cats (and per the shelter, is good at not playing with a cat if the other cat is not feeling it). According to the shelter, he can be playful, but most of the time he's mellow and cuddly, which is the side I got to see of him every time I visited the shelter. He is extraordinarily affectionate with all humans that he meets, too.
I set up a separate spare bedroom for him with litterbox/food/water/scratchers/toys, and things seemed to be going OK. Sparrow growled at the door and hissed a few times, but as the days have worn on he's become noticeably less concerned about the newcomer, even going so far as to happily play on the other side of the door; eating is no problem, and he'll eat right there even if Mo is right on the other side. I've let Mo out to the 'main' part of the house with Sparrow locked in my bedroom a few times, and that also seems to be going well. They've sniffed each other through the door with nothing more than a few irritated huffs and an occasional growl from Sparrow. I think the only thing that alarms him a little at this point is that Mo is a very sociable cat, who is clearly desperate for the company of another cat at the moment. He cries and cries (like a kitten searching for its mother) when he hears Sparrow near the door, or if he hears Sparrow meowing at me, and goes looking for him every time I let him out in the main area of the house. So I'm taking the introductions pretty slow because I don't want to overwhelm Sparrow.
This morning, unfortunately, I noticed Mo had pretty bad diarrhea and he's developed a troubling cough. He's also become much more lethargic. I was going to take him in for his first wellness check next week anyway, but now I'm going to see if my vet can fit us in tomorrow morning instead. He was checked for all the usual at the shelter and has had several rounds of vaccinations, was neutered/dewormed/deflea-ed, etc., but I know they can't catch everything in a shelter environment, and the stress of moving has probably not been good to Mo's immune system.
I'm worried how this is going to affect the introduction period - obviously I don't want Sparrow to get sick, so I've quarantined Mo to the spare bedroom for now and have halted any further introductions, because I don't want to further stress Mo's immune system. But it's also a struggle because Mo is going to be very lonely in the spare bedroom (I think he's badly missing his shelter buddies), and I'm not sure he can last several weeks of being alone. I try to go in and either sit with him or play with him for several hours a day, but I do work and only have one bed to sleep in, so I have to leave him in his own room at night. He cries sporadically through the night.
I wanted to do more site-swapping between the two of them, but I have to hold off on it for now. Do you think Mo is going to be OK holed up in the spare room for that long? Is it a problem if I just halt introductions altogether at this point? I don't want Sparrow to think that the mysterious visitor is never coming out of the room. It's been a bit hard giving attention to two cats in two separate places, and I'm doing my best, but I feel like I'm neglecting both of them.
I also feel really bad because Mo's room is EXTREMELY stinky because of the diarrhea. I am scooping several times a day, and I've already fully replaced his litter once, but it doesn't seem to do much and I honestly feel bad about leaving him in there.
Would appreciate any advice. Thanks!
I have had my first cat (Sparrow) for about eight years. He has been an only cat since I got him at the shelter (when he was about six months old). He's a pretty mellow cat overall but does demand attention and playtime. Recently, he has started showing signs that he's incredibly lonely during the daytime - everyone (myself, vet, family members who know him) are in agreement that he probably needs something to occupy himself when I'm not home. I decided to get a second cat; even if they're not BFFs, I'm hoping at least he'll have something else around to watch to stave off boredom. He bonded pretty strongly to me, but with the exception of a few other people, he's pretty aloof to everyone else.
So I adopted a second cat, Mo, who I brought home last Wednesday night. Mo's two years old, but he plays extremely well with other cats (and per the shelter, is good at not playing with a cat if the other cat is not feeling it). According to the shelter, he can be playful, but most of the time he's mellow and cuddly, which is the side I got to see of him every time I visited the shelter. He is extraordinarily affectionate with all humans that he meets, too.
I set up a separate spare bedroom for him with litterbox/food/water/scratchers/toys, and things seemed to be going OK. Sparrow growled at the door and hissed a few times, but as the days have worn on he's become noticeably less concerned about the newcomer, even going so far as to happily play on the other side of the door; eating is no problem, and he'll eat right there even if Mo is right on the other side. I've let Mo out to the 'main' part of the house with Sparrow locked in my bedroom a few times, and that also seems to be going well. They've sniffed each other through the door with nothing more than a few irritated huffs and an occasional growl from Sparrow. I think the only thing that alarms him a little at this point is that Mo is a very sociable cat, who is clearly desperate for the company of another cat at the moment. He cries and cries (like a kitten searching for its mother) when he hears Sparrow near the door, or if he hears Sparrow meowing at me, and goes looking for him every time I let him out in the main area of the house. So I'm taking the introductions pretty slow because I don't want to overwhelm Sparrow.
This morning, unfortunately, I noticed Mo had pretty bad diarrhea and he's developed a troubling cough. He's also become much more lethargic. I was going to take him in for his first wellness check next week anyway, but now I'm going to see if my vet can fit us in tomorrow morning instead. He was checked for all the usual at the shelter and has had several rounds of vaccinations, was neutered/dewormed/deflea-ed, etc., but I know they can't catch everything in a shelter environment, and the stress of moving has probably not been good to Mo's immune system.
I'm worried how this is going to affect the introduction period - obviously I don't want Sparrow to get sick, so I've quarantined Mo to the spare bedroom for now and have halted any further introductions, because I don't want to further stress Mo's immune system. But it's also a struggle because Mo is going to be very lonely in the spare bedroom (I think he's badly missing his shelter buddies), and I'm not sure he can last several weeks of being alone. I try to go in and either sit with him or play with him for several hours a day, but I do work and only have one bed to sleep in, so I have to leave him in his own room at night. He cries sporadically through the night.
I wanted to do more site-swapping between the two of them, but I have to hold off on it for now. Do you think Mo is going to be OK holed up in the spare room for that long? Is it a problem if I just halt introductions altogether at this point? I don't want Sparrow to think that the mysterious visitor is never coming out of the room. It's been a bit hard giving attention to two cats in two separate places, and I'm doing my best, but I feel like I'm neglecting both of them.
I also feel really bad because Mo's room is EXTREMELY stinky because of the diarrhea. I am scooping several times a day, and I've already fully replaced his litter once, but it doesn't seem to do much and I honestly feel bad about leaving him in there.
Would appreciate any advice. Thanks!
Mo is getting better physically - and I should be able to schedule his surgery this week. But he's really desperate to get to Sparrow. I've never seen a cat this old so wanting to bond to a completely strange cat before. I can play with him for ten or fifteen minutes, and then he goes back to calling for Sparrow. When I let him into the rest of the house with Sparrow locked in my bedroom, he goes right outside the bedroom door and calls and calls. He doesn't want out of his safe room to play with me - he wants out so he can meet Sparrow.
