When we married 4 1/2 years ago, we had an 17 year old pet parrot, (who is now 21), so didn't consider bringing in ferral cat, George, who was about 11 months old. He was a skittish, sweet boy sleeping under our shed, and the only humans he trusted were my husband and I. We fed him, got him neutered and got him shots, but didn’t bring him in the house until last year, when he was just under 4 years old. He was getting more and more nervous, outside, and I worried about him out there. He seemed very happy to be in the house, after some getting used to it. He loves his kitty condo, and sleeps a lot. Doesn’t seem too fond of toys, except for one toy that he only mildly plays with. He generally leaves the parrot alone, so we have been very happy with the arrangement.
Then, back in June, during many days of deluging rain, we could hear “mewing” coming from under our shed. A tiny little tuxedo kitten, about 6 weeks old would come out run around the yard, and then back under the shed. He was clearly not used to human contact, so we had to trap him. Here in FL, there are no rescues to bring him to since they are all full, and we don’t have the heart to take him to the pound. We thought we would do our best with him.
We had him neutered at 5 months old. He is about 6 months old, now. He is very, very playful, and occasionally likes some lap time, but mostly wants to play.
The difficult part, however, is that he is VERY aggressive to George, the older cat, who is very skittish. George hisses and runs like mad while little “Bo” runs and bites his legs and jumps on his back with teeth and claws. This is so upsetting to see. We want George to feel peaceful in his home, and we want Bo to feel welcome here, and to be able to mingle with his family. But instead, we have to lock him in the office for 12 hours,(overnight) while George has the house to himself, and George is locked in the bedroom sleeping in his condo for the other 12 hours (during the day) while Bo has the run of the house. Sounds like it is working? Maybe, but it isn’t ideal. Little Bo also shows some interest in the parrot, but knows that mom and dad will really give him heck when he goes near the bird, so he tends to avoid, except at some moments. I hope he’s learning!
I know that this is long, but I wanted you to have close to the full picture. What can we do to help George not act like prey, or to have Bo stop treating George like prey? Will Bo eventually outgrow this behaviour if we keep them apart long enough? George initially tried to take Bo as a buddy, licking him and lightly playing, but when it got rough, then George’s behaviour got very stressed.
We would love it if we could teach Bo to interact with us during hours that we are sitting watching TV or sleeping. He may love sleeping with us, but there is no way to allow that because George has the house from about 7PM on, after he wakes up from his long day sleep in the condo. We’re trying to be fair, and we want Bo to get socialized properly. He doesn't seem to have full kitty manners yet, and it is stressful for him to be locked up. We don’t know what to do!
Any ideas will be appreciated. Thank you!
Syrena
Then, back in June, during many days of deluging rain, we could hear “mewing” coming from under our shed. A tiny little tuxedo kitten, about 6 weeks old would come out run around the yard, and then back under the shed. He was clearly not used to human contact, so we had to trap him. Here in FL, there are no rescues to bring him to since they are all full, and we don’t have the heart to take him to the pound. We thought we would do our best with him.
We had him neutered at 5 months old. He is about 6 months old, now. He is very, very playful, and occasionally likes some lap time, but mostly wants to play.
The difficult part, however, is that he is VERY aggressive to George, the older cat, who is very skittish. George hisses and runs like mad while little “Bo” runs and bites his legs and jumps on his back with teeth and claws. This is so upsetting to see. We want George to feel peaceful in his home, and we want Bo to feel welcome here, and to be able to mingle with his family. But instead, we have to lock him in the office for 12 hours,(overnight) while George has the house to himself, and George is locked in the bedroom sleeping in his condo for the other 12 hours (during the day) while Bo has the run of the house. Sounds like it is working? Maybe, but it isn’t ideal. Little Bo also shows some interest in the parrot, but knows that mom and dad will really give him heck when he goes near the bird, so he tends to avoid, except at some moments. I hope he’s learning!
I know that this is long, but I wanted you to have close to the full picture. What can we do to help George not act like prey, or to have Bo stop treating George like prey? Will Bo eventually outgrow this behaviour if we keep them apart long enough? George initially tried to take Bo as a buddy, licking him and lightly playing, but when it got rough, then George’s behaviour got very stressed.
We would love it if we could teach Bo to interact with us during hours that we are sitting watching TV or sleeping. He may love sleeping with us, but there is no way to allow that because George has the house from about 7PM on, after he wakes up from his long day sleep in the condo. We’re trying to be fair, and we want Bo to get socialized properly. He doesn't seem to have full kitty manners yet, and it is stressful for him to be locked up. We don’t know what to do!
Any ideas will be appreciated. Thank you!
Syrena
