My girlfriend lives in a rental house with some other young women. They've been living together for a while but now they are a few years out of university and they are going their own ways. There are three female cats in the house -- including Prissy, my girlfriend's cat.
There is a lot of talk about introducing cats to create a household, but how do you separate cats that have been together for a few years?
One woman is moving out next month to get married and taking her cat. This is an older cat who she's had since she was a teenager living with her parents. The woman is pretty sure her cat will adjust to losing the two playmate cats.
The second cat is Prissy's littermate who belongs to my girlfriend's good friend. Prissy and this cat are almost four years old and have always been together. My girlfriend and the friend adopted one cat each out of a litter when the kittens were four months so there is a lot of history. From what I've seen, these two cats are very closely bonded to each other.
Then there is Prissy. In my estimation Prissy's favorite people are (in order of preference): (1) her littermate; (2) her littermate's owner; (3) my girlfriend; and (4) the other woman's cat. When this household breaks up, Prissy is going to take the hardest hit and be the most disoriented.
(My girlfriend's friend is a more hands-on cat owner -- always fussing over them and playing games. My girlfriend is attentive but the friend constantly cleans the litter box, always plays a game, regularly gives out treats and really spoils all the cats.)
Anyway, on behalf of my girlfriend, what can be done to help Prissy through the breakup of this household? Prissy is the type of cat who thinks the world is her friend. She loves living in a bustling household filled with cats and humans...I don't think she has ever spent a single minute alone. Being a cat with one caretaker who is at work eight hours a day will be a huge shock to Prissy.
There is a lot of talk about introducing cats to create a household, but how do you separate cats that have been together for a few years?
One woman is moving out next month to get married and taking her cat. This is an older cat who she's had since she was a teenager living with her parents. The woman is pretty sure her cat will adjust to losing the two playmate cats.
The second cat is Prissy's littermate who belongs to my girlfriend's good friend. Prissy and this cat are almost four years old and have always been together. My girlfriend and the friend adopted one cat each out of a litter when the kittens were four months so there is a lot of history. From what I've seen, these two cats are very closely bonded to each other.
Then there is Prissy. In my estimation Prissy's favorite people are (in order of preference): (1) her littermate; (2) her littermate's owner; (3) my girlfriend; and (4) the other woman's cat. When this household breaks up, Prissy is going to take the hardest hit and be the most disoriented.
(My girlfriend's friend is a more hands-on cat owner -- always fussing over them and playing games. My girlfriend is attentive but the friend constantly cleans the litter box, always plays a game, regularly gives out treats and really spoils all the cats.)
Anyway, on behalf of my girlfriend, what can be done to help Prissy through the breakup of this household? Prissy is the type of cat who thinks the world is her friend. She loves living in a bustling household filled with cats and humans...I don't think she has ever spent a single minute alone. Being a cat with one caretaker who is at work eight hours a day will be a huge shock to Prissy.