- Joined
- Jul 25, 2012
- Messages
- 26
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Hi,
My wife and I are now looking for a new companion for our 4 year old cat (Pims) after he lost his sister due to a car hitting her. I have already asked questions on another thread regarding suggestions, compatibilities etc, and I've had several very helpful responses (see http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306300/getting-a-new-companion-for-our-now-alone-cat).
I found what looked like a good candidate online - her name is Pops (yes, the Pims & Pops duo sounds quite fun), she's a 6 months old semi long haired kitty, and she's absolutely gorgeous.
However, we visisted her at her foster home today... and she pretty much had the behaviour of the "cat you shouldn't get":
- She won't let anyone touch her, let alone stroke her, even the lady who's been looking after her for 3 months
- She looks terrified all the time - rapid breathing, looking around... the only times where I've seen a cat like this was when it was living in a rather hostile environment, with the man of the house being quite violent. I'm however pretty certain she hasn't suffered any abuse.
There are some positives:
- She seems to interact ok with some of the other cats that are part of the foster home
- She's quite lively when playing with toys, and looks quite inquisitive in the sense of exploring rooms and such - just not towards humans
- To be fair, when shying away from us, she didn't run away as far as she could have. She stayed a couple of yards away, but should she have chosen to she could have just gone in a box hidden from sight and stayed there.
At this point, I'm wondering if some elements of her current surroundings are contributing factors: she lives somewhere quite unstable (being a foster home, cats come and go), and she's sharing litter trays, food etc in quite close proximity. From what I understand, she's the only one left of her litter, all her siblings having been adopted - probably because everyone visiting her has had the same gut reaction as we did. She made friends with another kitten in particular, but he has now been spayed and seems to have lost interest.
I'm a bit torn. She's a splendid animal, but there are many alarm bells ringing - the fact that she still hasn't started trusting her current person makes me wonder if there's just no way she'd settle in our home, especially with our resident cat. On the other hand, there's a nagging guilt thing. I feel like if we don't try, she'll just spend the rest of her days in the foster home, as I don't see her doing well in an "interview" any time soon...
I've always been taught to pick the cat that is the most inquisitive and people-friendly, and she's quite the opposite - would there be a chance for her to change once she joins us in our home, or is it more likely to just be her personality and she'll never get along?
If it's a matter of perseverance and work, we may be able to do something - we have flexible work hours, and should be able to dedicate quite a bit of time to her and the introduction. But if it's just doomed from the start, I'd rather not put anyone (her, Pims and ourselves) trough the additional stress.
My wife and I are now looking for a new companion for our 4 year old cat (Pims) after he lost his sister due to a car hitting her. I have already asked questions on another thread regarding suggestions, compatibilities etc, and I've had several very helpful responses (see http://www.thecatsite.com/t/306300/getting-a-new-companion-for-our-now-alone-cat).
I found what looked like a good candidate online - her name is Pops (yes, the Pims & Pops duo sounds quite fun), she's a 6 months old semi long haired kitty, and she's absolutely gorgeous.
However, we visisted her at her foster home today... and she pretty much had the behaviour of the "cat you shouldn't get":
- She won't let anyone touch her, let alone stroke her, even the lady who's been looking after her for 3 months
- She looks terrified all the time - rapid breathing, looking around... the only times where I've seen a cat like this was when it was living in a rather hostile environment, with the man of the house being quite violent. I'm however pretty certain she hasn't suffered any abuse.
There are some positives:
- She seems to interact ok with some of the other cats that are part of the foster home
- She's quite lively when playing with toys, and looks quite inquisitive in the sense of exploring rooms and such - just not towards humans
- To be fair, when shying away from us, she didn't run away as far as she could have. She stayed a couple of yards away, but should she have chosen to she could have just gone in a box hidden from sight and stayed there.
At this point, I'm wondering if some elements of her current surroundings are contributing factors: she lives somewhere quite unstable (being a foster home, cats come and go), and she's sharing litter trays, food etc in quite close proximity. From what I understand, she's the only one left of her litter, all her siblings having been adopted - probably because everyone visiting her has had the same gut reaction as we did. She made friends with another kitten in particular, but he has now been spayed and seems to have lost interest.
I'm a bit torn. She's a splendid animal, but there are many alarm bells ringing - the fact that she still hasn't started trusting her current person makes me wonder if there's just no way she'd settle in our home, especially with our resident cat. On the other hand, there's a nagging guilt thing. I feel like if we don't try, she'll just spend the rest of her days in the foster home, as I don't see her doing well in an "interview" any time soon...
I've always been taught to pick the cat that is the most inquisitive and people-friendly, and she's quite the opposite - would there be a chance for her to change once she joins us in our home, or is it more likely to just be her personality and she'll never get along?
If it's a matter of perseverance and work, we may be able to do something - we have flexible work hours, and should be able to dedicate quite a bit of time to her and the introduction. But if it's just doomed from the start, I'd rather not put anyone (her, Pims and ourselves) trough the additional stress.