Topic: We now have 2 new cats..need help with first weeks (Read 2171 times)

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #20 on:** July 31, 2013, 12:03:17 PM »

I've sneaked back on for another look. I think these two are just gorgeous.

And don't they look in wonderful condition too? Such a shame about their original owner, but great that the shelter did their best to keep the two sets of cats together.

Dawn F · « **Reply #19 on:** July 31, 2013, 11:43:54 AM »

mine love the catnip bananas! they last ages as well - they are handsome boys!

Jo43 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 31, 2013, 11:42:36 AM »

I will go have a look at a da bird

. We have a monkey on a string!, tunnel, mouse and catnip bomb thing

Mymblesdaughter · « **Reply #17 on:** July 31, 2013, 11:27:51 AM »

My two are very active at night but they are worse at the moment as they sleep a lot in the day because it's so warm.

Definitely get them a da bird. It's great fun and amazing how it gets them moving. You can get them from the Purrs shop.

Jo43 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 31, 2013, 09:57:04 AM »

Ah thank you ...as far as I know they were taken along with 2 others to the shelter as their owner was too ill to care for them. They were paired together and so were the other 2 : Am not sure the same litter but they are brothers. Last night was o.k I didn't hear any goings on lol and when I said morning he came out right away...Last night the bigger one jumped into the narrow! box the bed came in..was v funny...I miss Tipsy and Sam forever but my heart is warming to these 2 rascals...I appreciate your kind words x

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #15 on:** July 31, 2013, 07:00:29 AM »

Oh my word - I'm in love!!!! They are absolute beauties!!!

And how about Tipsy - what a gorgeous, gorgeous girl!

Ah, Jo - you'be been properly blessed, not once, not twice, but four times, with Tipsy and Sam and now your two new boys.

When I think back over the animals who've graced my life, I feel abslutely honoured, because they've all been wonderful - and all of them different from each other. There are tings in life we just need to treasure for what they are.

I suspect your boys have been used perhaps to being out overnight, and that's their general "active" time, so because they aren't getting their nocturnal exercise, you're going to have to try (not easy!) to wear them out before bedtime, and the best way to do that is lots of playtime. Toys that are at the end of a rod and line are excellent for this, because they mimic a cat's natural prey, but anything that catches their attention and tires them out - laser dot pens are also great fun.

You can get little devices that are designed to stop children accessing drawers - they fit over the drawer openings and help prevent them from being opened, and if you look online you should be able to find them quite readily.

I remember when Mac, Ross and Dickie were kittens, and we'd be regularly woken in the night when they began fizzing round the bedroom like tiny beserkers (and sometimes Ross and Dickie still do it, although during the hot weather they're way too busy exploring the world outside to bother coming in and seeing us, lol - sometimes I'm never happy!

)

The pictures are lovely, Jo. So, one of them could be Henry.

What about the other one?

Do you know anything about their early life Jo? Were they littermates, or did they form a bond in the shelter?

Jo43 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 30, 2013, 23:36:27 PM »

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2z85dw0&s=5

I'm not sure if these worked I don't know how to get in one post. The 1st is dear Tipsy about a week before she passed..the 2 newbies and Tipsy about 2 months ago.

Funny we are thinking Henry:)

Question they sleep most of the day and come into living area after tea when they come alive again and during night how do I get them to sleep at night lol....lots of jumping banging going on

Sue your two kitties are so cute

Jo43 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 30, 2013, 23:25:06 PM »

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=29f9k3m&s=5

Jo43 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 30, 2013, 23:22:37 PM »

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=6e0rj7&s=5

Jo43 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 30, 2013, 23:12:05 PM »

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2vd3137&s=5

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #10 on:** July 30, 2013, 18:09:51 PM »

Wonder what they were looking for in the drawers...?

"Purrhaps we cud maek owr noo meowmy a caek - where der caek makin stuff, eh?"

Jo, if you use Tiny Pic, you can follow the instructions to browse your photos, upload your chosen pic, and then copy and paste the image code straight into your thread, and the pictures will come up. You dont need to open an account or anything - here's a link:

http://tinypic.com/

I like the name Henry

Yes, Ross is around 5kg, although he's slimmed down a little over the last three weeks as he spends so much time outdoors doing "stuff"

How about calling one Henry and one Cooper?

Dawn F · « **Reply #9 on:** July 30, 2013, 09:42:47 AM »

sounds like you are warming to them already! I've a naughty bengal who gets into cupboards!

Jo43 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 30, 2013, 09:41:19 AM »

Thank you in tears reading that. We don't have names yet but a lot have been mentioned Jaffa, Henry, Oscar. They are like yours one big boy (I lifted him and couldnt believe how heavy he was 4-5kg easy) and the other smaller. They are cheeky rascals for sure and they head butt each other. So their time clock appears off and they are v quiet during the day, come alive at night when we play with them then we go to bed and like last night at around 3-4 a.m they get a bit lively, lots of jumping and banging and when I eventually came downstairs one had opened a drawer and the contents were all over the floor lol..
how do I sort this one out?

I have been on the site before under jogym but I couldn't get access as my email account was closed so had to register again. I think Tipsy our tortie was posted about as she had a tumor in her mouth and I didn't know how I was going to be able to let her go or know when the right time was. Sam our wee black man also died of kidney failure and he was a wee runt and the gentlest wee cat. Loved them to bits so it's hard. Their pics I cannot upload it says they are too big.

Thank you for replying it means a lot and also that you understand x

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #7 on:** July 30, 2013, 06:59:02 AM »

Jo, it's understandable you're going to make comparisons.

You had Tipsy and her half brother for a huge part of your life - within that lies all of the memories you shared over almost two decades.

That can't be replaced overnight, and you must be feeling a tremendous sense of loss right now. Be gentle with yourself, and recognise the binding process sometimes takes time to grow.

When we lost Mac, my husband wanted to get another ginger cat, a boy, and to call him Mac. He was reacting from grief. I suggested we got another cat - another ginger cat if that was what he wanted, but I had to gently point out that any new cat would not be Mac, and it wasn't fair to expect any new cat to be another Mac. I didnt really know whether the message was getting through or not, and I was feeling very emotional about our loss myself.

The main thing was that Ross helped us both cope with our loss, and I think your new babies will too, if you give them the chance.

Tell us some more about them. What are they called? What are they like (Ross is a chunky monkey, and Tinky smaller but quite sturdy - Ross is the ginger one by the way) and what do your children think of having them about? Got any piccies? (hint-hint

) And do you have any piccies of Tipsy and her half brother that you could post - maybe here, or on a separate thread, just about them?

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #6 on:** July 29, 2013, 20:39:51 PM »

Bless you Jo

it is still very soon after losing Tipsy, no wonder you are having problems bonding with the new boys. It will come, just give it a bit of time.

Jo43 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 29, 2013, 20:31:59 PM »

Thanks for your replies. I need to remind myself they are all different and I can't compare and I need time to get to know them. My husband has just brought home a pink tunnel!!

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #4 on:** July 29, 2013, 18:30:41 PM »

I also agree with Dawn and Purdy Bear.

When we lost Mac last year, we got Ross very soon after. At first I wasn't sure, but within days he'd won me round - simply because he was alone and vulnerable and dependent on us for everything in his world - he hadnt asked to come home with us.

You're still grieving for your beautiful Tipsy, and for her half brother.

Right now, you haven't had a chance to get to know the new cats and of course they'll turn to each other for companionship.

What you need to do is to interact with them as much as possible - play with them and engage them in activities with you and the children, and you'll gradually see their characters emerge. All cats have the capacity for love, and these two have already ended up in a shelter through no fault of their own. As such very young cats, that's tragic.

They're now dependent on you to help make their world not only acceptable, but enjoyable. They weren't being naughty, they were just investigating "stuff" while everyone else was asleep. Some cats like to climb - it makes them feel safe. Can you make a place for them to retreat to which is high up? Maybe clear a space fr them on a bookcase or a desk, or put up some shelving which is big enough for a cat to sit on comfortably? The "floating" shelves which are quite broad can be very good. Invest in some cat climbing frames/beds for them and encourage them to use them by making them interesting. Put toys on them - play with a toy on a fishing rod with them.

You all need time to grow accustomed to each other, but you have to put the effort in if you're going to get anything back. If you don't commit then you can't expect that they will either.

Let us know how things go.

Am very partial to gingers myself - do you have any piccies? Here's our two - one ginger, one tabby and white:

Purdy Bear · « **Reply #3 on:** July 29, 2013, 18:06:46 PM »

I agree with Dawn. You've only just met, you wouldn't expect to be best buddies with a person in such a short time and it's exactly the same with any pet. On both sides that trust needs to build slowly and it will in time. They need to learn your boundaries as you need to learn about their personalities etc. Finally maybe months down the line you will look at them and realize you love them so much your heart breaks just thinking of letting them go.

Just give yourself and the cats time, be gentle, kind and don't rush things and it will come in time. Remember you've only just met these strangers, but they will soon become your friends.

Dawn F · « **Reply #2 on:** July 29, 2013, 13:11:37 PM »

oh of course you will, we used to have a cat that my oh had handreared, when we lost him to cancer we went to a rescue and got a pair of young brothers, have to say I wasn't particularly taken with them at first being young they were into everything and not as affectionate as the cat we had lost who after all had been in our company since he was three weeks old - I'm happy to say it was just a phase, although we lost one on the road several years ago we still have oscar 8 years later and he is a great boy - your boys won't ever be tipsy, they will have their own personality and ways but I'm sure in time they will come to be just as important to you

Jo43 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 29, 2013, 13:06:47 PM »

Our puss Tipsy passed away 27 June 2013. She was 17 and we had her from a kitten. Her half brother we also lost the year before at 16. So....we went to the shelter at the weekend and took 2 ginger brothers 2-3 years old. My 2 girls fell for them and as we have always had 2 we decided to take 2 who were together. I cried Saturday night and Sunday

I'm not sure if it was too soon for me or what but my heart doesn't seem to be in it. I don't feel any connection with them...they are just cats. I'm not even sure if I like them..have never really liked ginger cats (I know that sounds bad)...We let them settle in the one area kitchen/dining area. I was woke by a loud crash at 3.45 a.m. When I went down a candle and lamp had been knocked off a sideboard, kitchen roll holder was on the floor and kitchen towel everywhere. I sat with them...maybe they wanted company or were scared at being left alone. Sunday they were a bit more settled, able to sleep a bit as they seemed more relaxed. They were allowed in the living area. The little one keeps looking at the ceiling and is wanting to jump up on everything..the fireplace, corner unit, behind the t.v, kitchen worktop. Last night they were scratching at the hall door. I don't know what to do, we never had our other cats do this.

I wanted my old cat back

Please please tell me this is normal and I will eventually learn to love them

Author Topic: We now have 2 new cats..need help with first weeks (Read 2171 times)