How to do the two (2) cat thing? (kittens, eating, weight)

[scsigurl3000]

I've had one (1) cat my entire adult life, but I'm determined to get a second baby. At this point, I'm stable enough and have enough money finally to support two. One of my students has some farm property outside of town and their mama cat got run over recently -- they let all their cats run the barn yard -- and there is one little girl, Annie (odd, the name of my deceased, last girl), that they are fond of, and offered to me. I'm getting her tomorrow at their lesson.

I'm buying a second cat carrier and a collar, and kitten food (she's I think nine weeks, not sure, forgot). But what else should I be thinking of? I have the following concerns:

1. Wonder if my big, gentle Edward will fight with her? Is it inevitable that they will be friends, eventually? He was a stray, but he's been the center of my attention for a year now;
2. She doesn't have any shots yet -- he has all of his. Is he in danger around her until I can take her to the vet (right away, of course);
3. How can I keep him from eating her kitten chow? Won't that make him fat? Should I have more than the two areas, with bowl of food and bowl of water, that I have now for him;
4. Should I do two litter boxes?

Any help in this area will be appreciated!

[ouijeewoman]

Question #2 is the most important in my opinion. Keep them separated until she gets checked by the vet and tested for diseases. He should not be exposed to her at all until all test results have come back in.

Good luck and thanks for saving a kitty!

[J-CityRelo]

I would keep the kitten in a separate room, you can separate with a baby gate. And put a separate food station and litter box there. I would also get the kitten checked out by a vet pretty much as soon as you pick her up. That way if she has any parasites you can know that right away and keep them separated until the kitten has finished her medicine. (You'll want to bring a sample of the kitten's poop with you to the vet's so they can test for parasites). The baby gate is good because it allows Edward to smell her and see her. He will probably hiss and growl at her at first and that's completely normal!

My 7 year old cat, Cooper was 6 when we adopted Fritz (who was 12 weeks old) and Cooper growled and hissed for 1-2 days. Fritz growled back! And now they are best friends. The growling/hissing stage may last longer if they are separated for longer. Luckily Fritz was already vetted when I adopted him so they were only separated for a day or so. Make sure that you are giving Edward lots of attention during this period, reassure him that this new kitten isn't taking his place. And my vet told me to just ignore them, like walk away, when they growl/hiss (unless they are actually hurting each other) and eventually they will get used to each other and stop doing it. Which was what happened.

They may start wrestling and playing together. My cats did this and I had 2 cats that hated each other growing up so I was not used to seeing this and I got worried. But apparently it's completely normal. They are just playing! And it's very entertaining to watch them!

Also about the kitten food, I just let them share it. My adult cat didn't gain any weight and it's just temporary. Although my cats mostly eat wet food. Wet food is better, especially for kittens. There are lots of threads on food on C-D.

Have fun with your new kitten! Come here and ask if you're not sure about something, everyone here has helped me a lot!

[vermonter16]

You sound like you have the right idea. First to the vet...maybe you can take her in right away or the next day. Not sure if your other kitty will be able to jump over the baby gate or not. Generally - older cats will take to kittens and won't harm them even if they bat them around and such. I had a kitten that I got and put her in a big cage for the first night....she kept us up all night crying and screaming (we got her from the pound...she was like that there too . Needless to say...she held her own with our 7 other cats at the time....I think it was 7...maybe 6....who even knows any more.

Anyway, everyone has already given you solid advice. As far as the litter box....they say you should always have a second one....but, I don't think it would be such a big deal...maybe just see what happens. However - if you have several floors in your house (I have 3) you might want to have a litter box on at least two of the floors.... Just show your little baby the location and she should be set.

[CaseENT]

I agree with J-City. Get the cat to the vet ASAP and bring stool sample. If the kitten doesn't have worms then they can use same litter box. You can keep them separated for a few days but they are going to hiss and maybe swat at each at the beginning anyway. I didn't separate mine and they were fine just the usual hissing and showing off for a few days. They aren't going to kill each other.

[catsmom21]

Agree with keeping them separate until kitten sees the vet. Treat Howard for fleas before you bring her home, so that fleas will not become an issue, ever.

Also, separated when you are not home to supervise, for a week, or until you are sure Edward will not hurt her.

At LEAST two litter boxes, three is better for two cats.

Congratulations, and keep us posted. I can't wait to meet Annie!

[jasper12]

He probably won't like her much the first couple of weeks, more like avoidance, and probably some hissing. Don't expect immediate bonding. Double cat boxes, best. Give both of them wet food, and I would go with kitten food for her in her "space", and his regular food for him in his space. I doubt he will hurt her.

It really depends on the cat, one cat I had, hated the kitten we got him. But they eventually bonded. When that cat died, and we got another kitten, the senior cat, just sort of tolerated the kitten. That kitten, now the senior, loves kittens, and bathes and grooms all kittens, cats, and pups within his area. So, all cats are different.

Remember, ignore the kitten first, always give Edward love first. That will make things much easier. I know it will be difficult. Brush Edward first, play with him first, feed him first, put him on the bed and cuddle him first.

[=^..^=]

Originally Posted by scsigurl3000

I've had one (1) cat my entire adult life, but I'm determined to get a second baby. At this point, I'm stable enough and have enough money finally to support two. One of my students has some farm property outside of town and their mama cat got run over recently -- they let all their cats run the barn yard -- and there is one little girl, Annie (odd, the name of my deceased, last girl), that they are fond of, and offered to me. I'm getting her tomorrow at their lesson.

Bless you for taking her in.

I'm buying a second cat carrier and a collar, and kitten food (she's I think nine weeks, not sure, forgot).

STOP at your vet on the way home and have her tested for FIV and FeLV. You don't want her around Edward if he's been tested clean - unless you can keep her in a separate room. As a barn cat she may also have fleas and worms. And please get her canned food, not kibble. Kibble is loaded with cheap useless fillers.

But what else should I be thinking of? I have the following concerns:

1. Wonder if my big, gentle Edward will fight with her? Is it inevitable that they will be friends, eventually? He was a stray, but he's been the center of my attention for a year now;
2. She doesn't have any shots yet -- he has all of his. Is he in danger around her until I can take her to the vet (right away, of course);

In MHO, YES! She needs to be tested for disease (see above) and checked for fleas, eat mites and worms so she doesn't share them with him.

1. How can I keep him from eating her kitten chow? Won't that make him fat? Should I have more than the two areas, with bowl of food and bowl of water, that I have now for him;
2. Should I do two litter boxes?

For 2 cats you would need THREE litter boxes. Don't place them all together. Spread them out in your house if possible. Don't free feed kitten chow as it's too high in carbs - very unhealthy for cats and kittens as they're obligate carnivores. Or if feeding canned isn't possible for some reason, get one of the kibbles that are grain free.

Any help in this area will be appreciated!

[LIGuyandGal]

I completely agree with JCityRelo. That is exactly how I brought my second cat into my home. At the time she was a 1 year old stray and my resident cat was 3 years old. When I finally captured her, the first thing I did was bring her to the vet, had her tested for worms/diseases, innoculated, and fixed. Maybe I shouldn't have had it done all at once, but I wanted her as healthy as possible before bringing her home. She did test positive for worms, so I quartered her off in my spare bedroom with baby gates. To start the bonding process, I made sure I fed them at the same time every day on either side of the gate. I also gave them the same toys to play with. When my stray was declared worm free, I gave her a blanket to sleep on and then switched it with the one my resident cat slept on to get them used to each others scent. After 2 weeks, I would let my resident cat into the spare room for a few minutes to see how they interacted. If she hissed, I chased her out. If she was good, I rewarded her with a treat. Finally, after three weeks they started running around like best friends. They still have their tiffs but they get along just fine. I also suggest letting your new cat have that room as his/her own. If your resident cat tries to take it over, let her know who's boss.

[maggie2101]

We adopted a new kitten last year and we already had two adult cats...one elderly female and one adult male. She had basic shots before we brought her home. We kept her in the sitting room off the master bedroom separated from the others. She had a litter box, food/water, bed, and toys in that room. The room has French doors, so the cats could see each other. We took the new kitty to our vet for a complete exam the next day after bringing her home.

After a week or so we gradually introduced her to the rest of the house and the other cats. We kept the sitting room available as her room where the other cats were not allowed. Sitting on the bed with her was a good way to introduce the other cats as we were right there to interfere, if necessary.

They all get along fine now with the exception of the dirty looks and big sighs Gracie gets from the older two when she is running around the whole house like a galloping horse. She careens off everything like a pinball and you have to get out of her way or risk being mowed down.