Our Bruno is a very active 18-month-old. A lot of play, a lot of ankle-biting, etc. We've been working to train him without much luck (although I think some of that has to do with consistency on our part). My first question is a result of a conversation I had a few nights ago with a behavioral specialist: she told me that all of the typical training methods, i.e. time out, loud noises, hissing, redirection, were only 5% of the training methods that we could use, and that by doing those things we were only being negative with him. She raved about more positive training that we could do with him -- and then tried to get me to pay $525 for her to help. So my first question is, was she just trying to get us to part with our money? Or are there really other, more positive methods for training a cat with strong play-aggressive and some dominant traits? If so, I would love to hear about them!
Second question: I've often been told that getting a second cat would help to solve the problem with Bruno. I'm trying to determine the 'best' kind of kitty to match up with him, and I'm thinking about getting another boy who's the same age & just slightly smaller than Bruno (in fact, they could almost be twins!). Does that sound about right? Or should I try to get one that's younger and won't challenge Bruno as much?
Third question: I've read all of the information on introducing new cats, and am considering which rooms to keep the two cats in during the introductory period. My first instinct is to put the new cat in our bedroom and let Bruno have the rest of the house; I don't think it would disrupt his schedule too much, as he's only in there when we're sleeping (and he often gets kicked out due to misbehaving). Do you think that could be ok, or do you think it could cause more serious jealousy problems? We don't have a whole lot in the way of options...one of them will probably be spending time in our bedroom, as we only have a 2 bedroom apartment with an office. I worry shutting Bruno up in the smaller space for that long period of time would just be atrocious, but I also don't want him to think that new kitty is getting our affection through the night!
Sorry this is so long, but THANK YOU so much for any help or advice you can offer!!! I've learned a lot by reading these forums!
Second question: I've often been told that getting a second cat would help to solve the problem with Bruno. I'm trying to determine the 'best' kind of kitty to match up with him, and I'm thinking about getting another boy who's the same age & just slightly smaller than Bruno (in fact, they could almost be twins!). Does that sound about right? Or should I try to get one that's younger and won't challenge Bruno as much?
Third question: I've read all of the information on introducing new cats, and am considering which rooms to keep the two cats in during the introductory period. My first instinct is to put the new cat in our bedroom and let Bruno have the rest of the house; I don't think it would disrupt his schedule too much, as he's only in there when we're sleeping (and he often gets kicked out due to misbehaving). Do you think that could be ok, or do you think it could cause more serious jealousy problems? We don't have a whole lot in the way of options...one of them will probably be spending time in our bedroom, as we only have a 2 bedroom apartment with an office. I worry shutting Bruno up in the smaller space for that long period of time would just be atrocious, but I also don't want him to think that new kitty is getting our affection through the night!
Sorry this is so long, but THANK YOU so much for any help or advice you can offer!!! I've learned a lot by reading these forums!