- Joined
- Feb 8, 2017
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Hi all I've offered to look after a friend of a friend's cat for 3 weeks over the Christmas period, the only trouble is that I have resident cat (Pebble)... Pebble is 1 year old and quite used to being around different cats in a cattery, however a cattery is probably neutral territory, I expect things will be different if I'm bringing a new cat into his territory?
The owner cat I will possibly be looking after has suggested we do a meet and greet between the cats this weekend, does this seem like a good idea? I've read that cats should be introduced slowly between doors but would it be OK to introduce them briefly, say for half an hour or so, a week before the new cat comes to stay?
I have large dog crate (big enough for a doberman) that I've thought could come in handy here. Maybe I could put Pebble or Puss in the dog crate and introduce them that way? Then at least one of them is in the safety of a cage but still able to move about.
Pebble is quite social at catteries and enjoys saying hi to the other cats through their cages. The owner of the cattery also lets him play with kittens if there are any staying when he is there. The cattery owner (also a trained vet nurse and dog trainer) keeps encouraging me to get a second cat but I'm not quite ready too full time yet. I would like to start fostering cats when we eventually buy a house, with a view to adopt a second through that. At home he's alert but not threatening to other cats on the street. He's an indoor cat but I do walk him on a harness in the evenings. There's only one cat he gets worked up over (fluffing, hissing and growling) but it is a cat that started a fight with him when he got outside once, so I think it's just him remembering that.
This new cat has also lived with other cats, so I don't anticipate any problems, but I do have plans in place should the two end up fighting. The new cat can stay either in our smaller spare bedroom or in our garage (which is connected to the house, we pretty much use it as another room but it does lack the full insulation of the rest of the house). I have spare scratching posts, bedding, a fan (it's summer here) and a heat pad I can use for her, so she will be comfortable, but I'd like to do everything possible to ensure that she can be comfortable in the rest of the house with me, my husband and Pebble.
Any tips for this situation?
The owner cat I will possibly be looking after has suggested we do a meet and greet between the cats this weekend, does this seem like a good idea? I've read that cats should be introduced slowly between doors but would it be OK to introduce them briefly, say for half an hour or so, a week before the new cat comes to stay?
I have large dog crate (big enough for a doberman) that I've thought could come in handy here. Maybe I could put Pebble or Puss in the dog crate and introduce them that way? Then at least one of them is in the safety of a cage but still able to move about.
Pebble is quite social at catteries and enjoys saying hi to the other cats through their cages. The owner of the cattery also lets him play with kittens if there are any staying when he is there. The cattery owner (also a trained vet nurse and dog trainer) keeps encouraging me to get a second cat but I'm not quite ready too full time yet. I would like to start fostering cats when we eventually buy a house, with a view to adopt a second through that. At home he's alert but not threatening to other cats on the street. He's an indoor cat but I do walk him on a harness in the evenings. There's only one cat he gets worked up over (fluffing, hissing and growling) but it is a cat that started a fight with him when he got outside once, so I think it's just him remembering that.
This new cat has also lived with other cats, so I don't anticipate any problems, but I do have plans in place should the two end up fighting. The new cat can stay either in our smaller spare bedroom or in our garage (which is connected to the house, we pretty much use it as another room but it does lack the full insulation of the rest of the house). I have spare scratching posts, bedding, a fan (it's summer here) and a heat pad I can use for her, so she will be comfortable, but I'd like to do everything possible to ensure that she can be comfortable in the rest of the house with me, my husband and Pebble.
Any tips for this situation?