Need input - FIV+ and FIV- cats living together. Risks/Concerns

[catwoman707]

 
He really wants to be her friend and she's not convinced. I'm glad to see that about the sexes. The vet told me that if I got a third cat, then they would notice the sexes more. I've always thought Chaucer knew because of the way he would, well, mount Henryetta and then wrestle. She doesn't like it when he does the former. Orville just follows her around and rolls in front of her, and in front of Chaucer.

The one thing I don't like with Orville is his jumping on everything.  Chaucer is long, lean, and weighs just under 10 pounds so when he jumps on things it's light. Orville is heavy and lands with a thud and leaps on top of things - from the floor. All the cats have their claws and most definitely are keeping them, but  this may sound awful, but my house is full of family antiques and real vintage items. I'd prefer they not be destroyed by his jumping and scratching.  I'm hoping that he settles down soon. He also is introducing the other two to the joys of jumping on my counters. So, when I can get him to the vet for another worming, he is getting his claws trimmed way down. Ditto for the other two.

Remember my mentioning that males will show the females they are submitting to their dominance by rolling over and showing their tummies?

This is their most vulnerable position, and Orville is doing just what he should be, so another very good sign!

Chaucer might have mounted and wrestled her even if she were a male believe it or not! 

I've got a pair of  male siblings who take turns doing this to each other while at adoptions. Nice, thanks guys......

I have the same issue here, I use museum putty to prevent things from getting knocked over, etc. 

In time the newness will wear down too and there won't be so much table/counter hopping. Just be sure there are other vertical spaces for him/them, which is their goal and preferred space.

That really helps keep them off of everything else, especially if they are high like cat shelves. Also window perches are faves.

His kitten mews, normal, but always catches me by surprise too! I love it actually!

 

[chaucer]

Orville and Chaucer 6.jpg

• chaucer
• Feb 3, 2016

Orville and Chaucer 4.jpg

• chaucer
• Feb 3, 2016

Above are photos of the way Orville is with Chaucer. This was late the second evening in the house.  

@catwoman707        I like the kitten mews, too. And I like the museum putty too.

The museum putty sounds like a good idea.

 

[catwoman707]

It works amazingly well!

Pics are super cute!! The first Chaucer is like, dude, are you messing with me?"

Really the second pic shows better, he's not, just wanting to belong.

Look at those front bunny paws!! 

He's comfy

 

[zed xyzed]

OMG Orville is one huge cat !!! I can't tell you how much I enjoy catching up on this thread. There are so many sad and upsetting threads but this is a good news thread! Thank you for sharing this story with us.

 

[chaucer]

Orville got a report from the vet!  His teeth look good. He didn't have worms, just fat. He's 12 pounds 6, so I was close with the 13 pounds and he is healthy.  He had to be sedated but they said this time he didn't freak out when they gave him he injection. Currently, he is walking around the house still a little drugged.

I told the receptionist that because he adapted so easily to the house that I hoped I hadn't taken in someone's pet. She said I shouldn't worry about that.  He's got a much better home now with someone who will take care of him.

Thank you, Zed.

 

[zed xyzed]

 
I told the receptionist that because he adapted so easily to the house that I hoped I hadn't taken in someone's pet. She said I shouldn't worry about that.  He's got a much better home now with someone who will take care of him.

Amen to that!!!

 

[kittyluv387]

Orville got a report from the vet!  His teeth look good. He didn't have worms, just fat. He's 12 pounds 6, so I was close with the 13 pounds and he is healthy.  He had to be sedated but they said this time he didn't freak out when they gave him he injection. Currently, he is walking around the house still a little drugged.

I told the receptionist that because he adapted so easily to the house that I hoped I hadn't taken in someone's pet. She said I shouldn't worry about that.  He's got a much better home now with someone who will take care of him.

Thank you, Zed.

In my mind, Orville was always your cat. No doubt about it!

 

[foxxycat]

Thank you for keeping us posted. I say Orville has adopted you. He knows he is now home forever. I also recommend high cat trees and shelves they can climb and sleep on.

I found a huge cattree on Craig's list five years ago. Its held up amazing well. Its seven foot up but my youngest brat cat loves it. I put it in front of the built in book case then on that top shelf eight feet up I put a clothe dog house and blanket in it. She is currently sleeping in it. I call it her high rise penthouse. She goes up there several times a day.

Keep up the good work. Also aluminum foil on surface will discourage his walking on it or double side tape. Also they absolutely hate anything citrus smelly so you could buy some of those decorative soaps that used to be popular years ago. Get them with lemon or orange scent. Arange in a cut dish and put a few on the surfaces you don't want him on. That will help!

 

[catsnip404]

Wow!  Looks like Chaucer and Orville are thick as thieves now!  Great pics of them on the sofa!  And gratz on the great report card from the vet!  

 

[chaucer]

After the vet visit, I'm feeling better about his FIV. He's otherwise very healthy and 12 pounds 10 oz. (I wrote the wrong weight).  His teeth were great, so he may be younger than I thought.  Henryetta's teeth weren't as good as his so maybe not a litter mate after. Probably not his mother though. Would a Torbie have a male tabby?  I thought her tabbies would be orange because isn't that dominant?  I know her kittens were shades of orange - three with white added, and they were all tabbies. The father was a buff tabby. There is some connection, though, because they have the same black mark on their leg in the same place-just opposite leg.

Orville's been trying to fit into the routine. This morning, all three were outside my bedroom door. Yes, it was about 4:00 AM, and yes, I finally got up due to the scratching and meowing. (Henryetta).  He's going with them on their morning routine - food, front door, windows. Good thing I have three high windows in the den/breakfast room, but it is cold opening all three just so they can look outside and sniff the air!   My female is still hissing and growling, but I think it might be better. He can sometimes sit in the larger window with her and she let him eat next to her for a minute. She's now chasing her ball before he can get to it. 

 

[catwoman707]

 
After the vet visit, I'm feeling better about his FIV. He's otherwise very healthy and 12 pounds 10 oz. (I wrote the wrong weight).  His teeth were great, so he may be younger than I thought.  Henryetta's teeth weren't as good as his so maybe not a litter mate after. Probably not his mother though. Would a Torbie have a male tabby?  I thought her tabbies would be orange because isn't that dominant?  I know her kittens were shades of orange - three with white added, and they were all tabbies. The father was a buff tabby. There is some connection, though, because they have the same black mark on their leg in the same place-just opposite leg.

Orville's been trying to fit into the routine. This morning, all three were outside my bedroom door. Yes, it was about 4:00 AM, and yes, I finally got up due to the scratching and meowing. (Henryetta).  He's going with them on their morning routine - food, front door, windows. Good thing I have three high windows in the den/breakfast room, but it is cold opening all three just so they can look outside and sniff the air!   My female is still hissing and growling, but I think it might be better. He can sometimes sit in the larger window with her and she let him eat next to her for a minute. She's now chasing her ball before he can get to it. 

I have to admit I was smiling about the 4am wake up, your household seems to be ruled by your cats as mine is, they call the shots, it's ridiculous but cats just have that way!

Reminds me of what I have gone through during the night when I have to get up to use the bathroom and don't want to disturb my girls, one on each side, the contortionist moves I have pulled.............landing on the floor once, pulling a leg muscle, blanket snug over me as they lay on top of it, so I found myself shimmying down to the foot of the bed..........I mean come on now! What a riot!

I love the trio pack now, things are coming along well Henryetta is not so guarded either if she chases her ball when he is present. A good sign.

I'm no expert on color, but I do know that I am always amazed at the combo of colors that come out in litters, almost anything seems possible.

I would say that the leg spot should be on the same leg though. Not even positive about that either to be honest......

 

[chaucer]

I went so far as not to park in my carport at the back a few times in the evening so as not to frighten Orville who would be in his bed out there. I would park in the driveway at the front and then walk around the side to the back, calling him so he would know it was me.  I also worried when my friends would come by and disturb him so I told them to park in the front!  I would wait until Orville left for the so he wouldn't run off when I had to leave!  I would worry when he didn't show up at his usual times too.  It was then I realized that I loved this cat and I had to find a way for him to live in the house, and I am so glad he finally decided he wanted to live in the house. At least I know it was his choice.

 

[kittyluv387]

What a nice grand finale. i hope you keep us updated about Chaucer and the gang.

 

[catsnip404]

Sounds like all is going well, and yes, I know EXACTLY what you guys mean about them ruling the roost.  I march too often to their drumbeat, and I had to laugh about the extremes we will go through to "not disturb" them while getting out of bed, when they have no qualms about disturbing us!  LOL!

My "Cat Bachelor" series would not have even made it through Season 1.  I introduced all four girls to him, and it went a lot better than expected.  They were the only ones fussing about it--he never hissed or growled once!  He is just so mellow and cool and patient with their little hissy fits, so much so that I had a party last night in his room with all four of the girls in there with him.  This gala event started off with wet food galore and treats sprinkled around the floor like appetizers.  Then we played with the laser light, and a variety of other toys.

Nero was the life of the party, actually, and was a gracious host, even if his guests weren't so gracious at times.  At one point he made a rather acrobatic dive for his mousie and got a dual-hiss from two of the girls that he landed between, and promptly retreated and laid on the lower shelf of the bookshelf and meowed at me almost dejectedly, the poor guy!  So I "saved" his mousie and brought it to him and all was forgotten as he started playing with it again.

All in all, though, it was successful, so as I write, the bedroom door is now open, and they are all out and about, and all is quiet in the house.  No one is hyper-focused on anyone, and over time the "hissing radius" is shrinking.  Mama and Nero were both laying on the bed a bit ago about a foot from each other.  XD

 

[chaucer]

 
Sounds like all is going well, and yes, I know EXACTLY what you guys mean about them ruling the roost.  I march too often to their drumbeat, and I had to laugh about the extremes we will go through to "not disturb" them while getting out of bed, when they have no qualms about disturbing us!  LOL!

My "Cat Bachelor" series would not have even made it through Season 1.  I introduced all four girls to him, and it went a lot better than expected.  They were the only ones fussing about it--he never hissed or growled once!  He is just so mellow and cool and patient with their little hissy fits, so much so that I had a party last night in his room with all four of the girls in there with him.  This gala event started off with wet food galore and treats sprinkled around the floor like appetizers.  Then we played with the laser light, and a variety of other toys.

Nero was the life of the party, actually, and was a gracious host, even if his guests weren't so gracious at times.  At one point he made a rather acrobatic dive for his mousie and got a dual-hiss from two of the girls that he landed between, and promptly retreated and laid on the lower shelf of the bookshelf and meowed at me almost dejectedly, the poor guy!  So I "saved" his mousie and brought it to him and all was forgotten as he started playing with it again.

All in all, though, it was successful, so as I write, the bedroom door is now open, and they are all out and about, and all is quiet in the house.  No one is hyper-focused on anyone, and over time the "hissing radius" is shrinking.  Mama and Nero were both laying on the bed a bit ago about a foot from each other.  XD

That's just how it is going with Orville and Henryetta!  We both have mellow, gentle loving new boys!   Henryetta doesn't really want to play with Orville around, but I think she will come around. She will sit in the window with him and will touch noses now.

Just for the record, I'm actually allergic to cats and dogs, and took shots starting at age 15 until age 32.  It's been a number of years since those shots. I just get a stuffy head or headache instead of the usual red,watery eyes and sneezing. I'm also sensitive to even small scratches which will puff up very quickly. I don't take antihistimines any longer though so I think I'm sensitized now.  Adding any new cat means I'm stuffy after a few days until I adjust.

Thank you, everyone, for all your support and advice. I don't think I could have done all of this with both my stray rescues without this site the past two years. Thank you so much!

 

[catsnip404]

Yes, with time and patience, it's turning out well for both of us and all of our brood, and especially well for Nero and Orville, who otherwise would still be sleeping rough outside but will now live longer and healthier and happier lives.

It was a leap of faith for both of us to take in semi-feral FIV+ tom cats and turn them into housecats with our FIV- babies for the first time (and with your allergies on top of that!), and I too would like to thank everyone on here for their support, encouragement and words of wisdom!

 

 

 

[zed xyzed]

I am so happy you took a chance on these boys!!! Thank you both for opening up your hearts and homes for these special kitties

 

[chaucer]

 
Yes, with time and patience, it's turning out well for both of us and all of our brood, and especially well for Nero and Orville, who otherwise would still be sleeping rough outside but will now live longer and healthier and happier lives.

It was a leap of faith for both of us to take in semi-feral FIV+ tom cats and turn them into housecats with our FIV- babies for the first time (and with your allergies on top of that!), and I too would like to thank everyone on here for their support, encouragement and words of wisdom!

 

 

Thank you for sharing your story!  It's been nice knowing I wasn't alone in my worry.   Our furbabies were probably abandoned housecats like several have suggested since they have adapted so well, so quickly.

 

[harleyq143]

@Chaucer @CatSnip404...checking in to see how both of your little guys are doing and so happy to see they are doing great! Very funny stories, especially with the cat party haha! Thank you both for posting up your progress because it has really helped me and inspired me to keep doing what I'm doing. I can't wait till BW kitty gets to where Nero and Orville are at! And with the added FIV factor, just very grateful to have a support group and advisers here on this site. Proving to me that positives and negatives can live harmoniously  is possible! Please continue with the updates and kisses to Orville and Nero

 

[catsnip404]

@HarleyQ143  -- Yes they are doing great!  Things went so well yesterday with everyone having full access to the house that last night I decided to have Nero's first "sleep over" with all the girls (chaperoned by me of course....lol!).  The girls have been locked out of my bedroom since mid-October, but amazingly they all remember their "spots" on the bed!  And I'm remembering what it's like to feel like I'm sleeping in a straight jacket, with all of them pinning down my comforter.  

With that said though, last night exceeded my expectations.  With all five of them jockeying for position and a relatively "new" cat in the mix, I half-expected to be startled awake by a loud but minor skermish in the dead of night, but not only did that NOT happen, Nero did not make his usual circuit between me and the window, meowing.  All was quiet and I got the best sleep that I have in months.  The only thing I heard was the growling in my ear that woke me this morning from Martha (aka Martha Stewart), who likes to sleep next to my head, when Nero stood up from his spot.

The girls are rapidly adjusting to Nero.  There's a "hiss of warning" here and there, but I haven't even seen an actual spat so far.  I bet part of it is that he's been in the house for that past few months and surely they knew it and are used to his scent, so this part is more of a "formality" for them I guess, just to make sure he knows where he stands.  

I'm glad that the experiences of me and @Chaucer as first time integrators of FIV+ cats with FIV- cats, with our natural anxieties about that, have helped you.  I have to admit, at the "party" the other night, when they were first sharing wet food for the first time, I felt an unexpected return of that minor pang of anxiety once again.  I put out enough dishes for all, but as expected, they all nibbled here and there throughout the party on different plates.  So I combated that pang by focusing on what I've learned about FIV from my research, from my vet's advice, and the wonderful knowledge base here on TheCateSite and especially from those that contributed to this post.  That was the final "leap" for me and I'm all in now and it's turned out great!