<p>Jackie O – The cat who halted international business in 3 countries. :D</p>
<p>Congrats on the new addition.</p>
<p>LTS, Congratulations on your new family member. I hope you get to keep her at this point since it sounds like at this point you are hooked. See - you were looking for a diversion just last week and it looks like you found one, or should I say she found you!</p>
<p>Jackie O I love that !!</p>
<p>Best of Luck</p>
<p>Oh, I’m glad she’s healthy. With a spay all they have to look for externally is a scar and there isn’t always one, especially if it was a pediatric spay…but it’s possible either way. If she does go into heat then you may want to keep her separate from your other cat, because they can get more defensive at that time. </p>
<p>I guess you have decided to keep her? I hope they get along well, I am sure they will…</p>
<p>What good news! congratulations LTS. It’s been such fun following your adventure.</p>
<p>latetoschool, you are going to keep us updated on the kitties first meeing aren’t you? Both cats sound pretty laid back. A little hissing is just cat talk.</p>
<p>Kathiep I sure will - one of the issues I raised with the vet is that I am very worried about our incumbent cat - with my daughter gone for the summer (and perhaps beyond) - his soulmate is gone. These two are like frick and frack - he sleeps with her, etc., wherever in the house she goes, he follows; he runs to the door when he hears her car outside etc. He even waits for her right outside the shower curtain she she’s taking a shower. Over the weekend it was clear he missed her very badly - waiting by the door for her to come home, etc., and of course he does not understand that she is not coming home, not today or this week or this month and perhaps not for a very long time. So I quizzed the vet re psychological impact to him, ie, is he going to be upset because his best friend is gone, AND his home is invaded by the new cat? Or, will it go the other way - is this going to be healthier for him, sort of in the way people who in marriages live longer because they have human companionship etc. - and will he “transfer” affection???..anyway, she couldn’t really answer except to say that male cats do have a harder time adjusting and accepting a newcomer. She said there will be lots and lots of noise, but, when I asked her if they tended to stop short of actually injuring each other, she said it was very rare for them to harm each other, mostly it’s a lot of hissing, spitting and they make a lot of noise.</p>
<p>Hey latetoschool, how are your kitties getting along? I hope they’re making nice with each other.</p>
<p>LTS~</p>
<p>After all of Belle’s baby kitties died, my D went out to the Humane Society and for Mother’s Day, adopted a new baby kitten for me! Though D’s intention was good, the timing was poor. Belle was still postpartum and in that uber-protective mommy mode, and she was AWFUL with our new baby, Phantom. In fact, we had to break up two bad cat fights, and my dh received a nasty bite from Belle and had to go on antibiotics.</p>
<p>After that, we kept the two separated for around ten days. Then, we tried a gradual introduction, at first with Phantom in his little crate. I am very happy to report that within a matter of days, the two were tolerating each other quite well, and now, though they aren’t BFFs, they at least leave each other alone. </p>
<p>I’m sure your kitties will do fine after a bit of time, and I wish you all the luck in the world with Jackie O! :D</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Coronax2, Berurah, you are so nice to ask, I wish I could say it was going well or even making progress, but unfortunately I am rather stuck, and disappointed. </p>
<p>Jackie O does NOT like being shut up in my room, period. I originally set it up so that she had a separate litter box and separate food, etc., all set up in my room, the plan being that she could “live” in that room while I tried the process that everyone here has described. That lasted no more than an hour - she simply hated being shut away like that and she was very, very miserable. On top of that, she was terrified for some reason - the presence of our first cat I assume - and she wanted very badly to be outside again. Odd, considering how badly she wanted to be INSIDE when she first arrived here nearly three weeks ago. </p>
<p>So, I let her go back outside. I didn’t want to but I simply cannot force her to remain in my room if she does not want to be there. I can certainly understand why she likes it outside - she’s not trapped; the back yard is literally a tropical paradise with something like 20 or so variations of palm trees and hundreds of other blooming things and more variations of beautiful flowers than you can imagine, and, butterflies, snakes, squirrels, brightly colored birds, even a possum or two, etc. all make their home here. So a lot to entertain her. </p>
<p>BUT she still lives and remains on the rear deck and almost never leaves. She sleeps curled up in blankets I laid out for her, and she is all alone. So, I spend my days something like this: I do conference calls and my work, punctuated with lots and lots of breaks while I go outside and play with her. Then, I come back inside and play with our original cat so that he is getting “equal time”. My day ends the same way - I go outside on the deck, play with Jackie, tuck her in for the night in her blankets, then come back inside and put our original cat to bed. I know this sounds ridiculous but that’s what I do. </p>
<p>When I get lucky and can make it happen, I open the back door just enough for the two of them to get visuals of each other - oddly, our original cat seems very curious and interested in her, almost like he’s ready to play and looking forward to have a friend - he never hisses and his hair doesn’t stand up, etc., but, Jackie isn’t having any of it. She hisses at him and shows no signs of curiousity or wanting to make friends. But anyway I do this about five or six times a day, hoping each time that Jackie will begin to get friendly towards him - because I have a feeling based on how he is reacting that they could be great friends or at least nice playmates, if Jackie would just chill. They do get within inches of each other when this happens - and Jackie just hisses. </p>
<p>I also have turned the ac off and opened all the windows - the house has lots and lots of floor to ceiling window space and the tropical growth surrounds it on three sides, so, they have lots of opportunity to see each other through open windows. It hasn’t seemed to help get them closer together though. </p>
<p>One thing is certain - I have to figure out some way to get her comfortable enough to come inside. I paid the vet close to $300 for every sort of test and vaccine you can imagine, and, it is troubling me that it could all go to waste - if she remains outside much longer it seems like I will no longer be able to be assured that she is free of fleas and other parasites, etc., so, I will have to go spend that money all over again.</p>
<p>Last, I am not at all sure she knows how to use a litter box. I put one in my room for her - a brand new one, all hers, with new litter of course, and, when I put her in my room the first thing I did was put her in her litterbox so she would know what it was. She didn’t seem to like it at all, and jumped right out of it…</p>
<p>I have to resolve this soon - one, I am going to go nuts like this - I am not getting my work done; two, I will start traveling in a couple of weeks and sure would like the house to be somewhat normalized before then. </p>
<p>Any ideas? Berurah - I do not want to have to be breaking up cat fights. In the first place, I wouldn’t know how to do so, and in the second place, two cats fighting would scare me. Cats strike me as very dangerous when they begin to fight and I do not want to get into that sort of thing…and, if anything were to happen to our original cat, my daughter would be devastated. That is her pet that I brought home to her as a little kitten many years ago and they are very, very close…</p>
<p>Oh dear. What a frustrating situation! Has Jackie asked to go inside like she used to do? If she’s getting all she needs outside, she may no longer want to come in.</p>
<p>You’re a good person to spend so much time giving them attention, but it will wear you out. </p>
<p>I wonder if Jackie would follow you in if you gave her a tiny bit of attention, walked to the door and beckoned her to come inside to get more lovin’. </p>
<p>Keep us posted! :)</p>
<p>MaryTN, I did get her to come inside on her own, and I had our original cat (I feel stupid typing “original cat” over and over) closed off in my office while I did so. She became frightened, nervous and ran outside again, so, I haven’t tried to get her to come in again since. Once, I am worried that the two cats may get into some conflict that I cannot control. Two, if I leave an exit path for Jackie O, our original cat who is an indoor cat may get lost out there if he decides to follow her out the exit, and, he isn’t smart enough or competent enough to find his way back home. </p>
<p>So for now, opening the door enough to get them to see each other up close…she will come inside if I open the door enough to let her - OR - our first cat will go outside, and potentially get lost. Our back yard is not like the typical suburban back yard - imagine the everglades, but with people and houses - there are hundreds of growing things for him to get lost in, forever. I will never be able to find him again.</p>
<p>What do you think would happen if they were both in the house suddenly, and no open door for Jackie to escape?</p>
<p>LTS~</p>
<p>I had never witnessed a true cat fight before the one I saw (and was in the middle of, as I was trying to hold Phantom at the time). It was terrifying, and I’m sure Belle would have killed Phantom if my dh hadn’t intervened (and gotten that HORRID bite :eek: ). We had not intended for the cats to be together at that point, but someone had accidentally let Belle out of the room she had been in. I definitely don’t blame you for not wanting to deal with a cat fight! </p>
<p>The only thing I can tell you is that we had essentially NO hope for Belle and Phantom getting along, but they are fine now, if standoffish. Our other kitty, Wee Wee, is a dolly who loves EVERYONE, person or animal, so there were not problems there.</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK!! </p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>We have spent approximately 8 years now managing two cats who do not get along. My son’s cat (15 pounds of solid muscle and nicknamed “Psycho-cat” by our friends) attacked our D’s cat (11 pounds of muscle and fat) and left puncture wounds across the spine near the tail, costing us $700 in vet bills to repair. (Yes, she made a full recovery.) Since then Psycho-cat and D’s cat have been kept separately (right now D’s cat is in another state, with D). It’s a different situation, and both cats got along with our other cats and dogs, but be aware that cat fights can be VERY serious.</p>
<p>Still, in 40 years of owning cats (and I’ve had as many as 6 at a time), that is the ONLY time I’ve seen one cat damage another cat that severely. Psycho-cat really does have problems; he’s lovely with people (very cuddly), but so assertive with other animals that he’s also acquired the nickname “Bada** cat.” He’s an indoor cat, mostly because I worry about the neighborhood cats.</p>
<p>I love the description of your house! The everglades…</p>
<p>How big is your house? One story or two? When you are sick of sitting outside, bring Jackie in. The vast majority of the people who have responded to this thread have said there will be hissing but things will settle down. Having a big house would be helpful.</p>
<p>In our house, you’ll find sleeping on the same bed: cat 1/cat 2 or cat 1/cat 3. Cats 2 hates cat 3 with a passion. Cat 3 doesn’t care and will occasionally go near her just to cause trouble. </p>
<p>berurah: Thanks for telling us about Belle and Phantom. It’s a good lession for us to learn. You are probably right about hormone and new mother issues for poor Belle.</p>
<p>MaryTN, this house isn’t very big - it’s a rental, two bedroom, one bath, very limited closet space, and only one logical, appropriate place for exactly one litter box. Cat #1 sleeps with whichever human happens to be here, which, for the summer, will be only me, and then not consistently (my plan was to take him with me to the house we own in another city, later in July/August, because I had planned to be there for 4-6 weeks) - hadn’t planned on taking TWO cats but I could, as, the house I own is far larger and has two stories. Cat #2 doesn’t really work in this scenario unless they have some small chance of getting along. </p>
<p>Cats scare me when they get mad at each other - they’re dangerous. If these two actually got into a fight I don’t know what I would do, and, my daughter would be extremely upset if Cat #1 got hurt - a likely outcome of such a fight because he appears to not even recognize a threat (he doesn’t hiss back, etc., just appears to be curious) and I am not sure he would be able to defend himself or even try to. </p>
<p>Having said that, separately, they both appear to have wonderful dispositions. Cat #1 loves people, runs to the door to greet complete strangers, jumps in their laps, etc.; Jackie O is just so hopelessly sweet - I have been petting her and playing with her all day, and she is just so happy - sometimes she gets so excited when I’m petting her that she looses her balance and falls over lol. She loves to be petted and held, and, so, if these two are basically “nice”, and love people, I wonder if that will make them less likely to get into a serious fight, or, if perhaps their dispositions with human interaction have no bearing at all on how they will react to each other.</p>
<p>
<em>LOL</em> Belle does this too! All of our cats are super people friendly…no choice in THIS packed house, but Belle was certainly not that great with Phantom at first, probably because she was so newly postpartum.</p>
<p>I actually asked out vet about all of this, and he said that it was his unproven opinion that black and white cats (like belle and phantom) were less friendly to other cats than were orange or white cats. Have you ever heard that? Wee Wee, our Siamese mix, is UNBELIEVABLE. She’s the gentlest being on this planet, man or beast. She loves our guinea pigs, the bunny, other cats <em>and</em> people, and she follows me around and comes when called! :)</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>DMD77 those two sound like huge cats - where did your son and daughter find such big cats? And how does one get a solid 15 pound cat to the vet anyway? He must be huge…these two cats are only nine pounds each so a 15 pound cat has to be very big - are you sure psychocat isn’t a panther lol?</p>
<p>Berurah, really??? Our Cat #1 is all black with white whiskers and paws, and he’s not hissing at anyone. Jackie O is white and brindle-colored (I think that’s the right word). I have never heard of temperment based on color, although it would be nice if it were true, so that there would be at least some small predictability to these creatures. Also, the vet told me that female cats are easier to introduce to new cats than males, and, that isn’t the case here either…</p>
<p>“She’s very clean and healthy, highly socialized, very friendly (well except when she sees my cat - then she loses it…).”</p>
<p>She might just be jealous. Maybe if you let her in, there wouldn’t be any animosity between them since they’d be on the same level.</p>
<p>The same thing happens at dog off-leash parks–if a dog is on a leash inside the park, it generally growls at the dogs who don’t have leashes on due to jealousy.</p>