Topic: Two cats harder than one? (Read 8219 times)

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #28 on:** February 06, 2007, 09:25:15 AM »

This is such a lovely thread. Started my day very nicely. Cheers and best of luck to all three of you

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #27 on:** February 06, 2007, 07:56:08 AM »

Aww, am glad they are getting on.

Sarah (seldom_use) · « **Reply #26 on:** February 06, 2007, 07:52:31 AM »

They are gorgeous, it's fantastic that they're getting on now

Sarah x

Littlebobo · « **Reply #25 on:** February 05, 2007, 21:01:29 PM »

I want the tabby !..

Which is Robbie and which is Lilly ..great that they are kind of getting along and snuggling already and fingers crossed that it will chill him out

Debbie · « **Reply #24 on:** February 05, 2007, 17:26:02 PM »

Oooooh gorgeous kitties you have there....are you planning on selling them on ebay though? Just noticed the title of your pics? If so I might bid!

Sootyca · « **Reply #23 on:** February 05, 2007, 14:25:38 PM »

Finally got them to stay still long enough to take photos. Robbie has had some terratorial issues with his sleeping basket recently - Lilly can only use it if Robbie is in there. If she tries to sleep in it and he catches her he is not a happy kitty! They do snuggle together though and have taken to each other really well considering they aren't littermates. He's still hissy and nervy but not as bad as he was. Robbie is the tabby and Liilly is the tortoiseshell. She's a month younger than he is and needs spaying next month so there are no unwanted kittens (he's already been done but knowing Lilly she will manage to get out and get pregnant!)

Karen
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Sarah (seldom_use) · « **Reply #22 on:** February 01, 2007, 10:28:20 AM »

Awww thats great news

They'll be great company to each other!
My two are splashing each other from their water bowls just now haha, they love playing with water

Sarah x

COSMIC CREEPERS · « **Reply #21 on:** January 31, 2007, 22:56:12 PM »

ar thats greate are they the same age karen

i did warn u though about the running around

they will sound like a herd of elephants running up and down the stairs

how happy they must be
pics please

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #20 on:** January 31, 2007, 22:08:34 PM »

That's brilliant news

It's lovely for you too but it must be great for little Robbie to have a playmate

Can we have pics please as soon as she's settled!

Sootyca · « **Reply #19 on:** January 31, 2007, 22:00:30 PM »

Well, Robbie is now Robbie and Lilly. It was love at first sight for Robbie - he surgically attached himself at the hip and neck to Lilly and they have been running round terrorising the house for the last 2 hours. He's like a different cat, and very little hissing coming from him. She's not quite as enamoured with him, he won't leave her alone yet. Hopefully she won't mind being shut in the kitchen overnight and they won't make too much noise. It was good to see him being relaxed.

Karen
x

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #18 on:** January 31, 2007, 07:54:39 AM »

Aww, I am glad that you are persevering with him, it is a shame the poor little mite has been returned before though, they should have been made aware of his feral roots and warned that the hissing would be normal. Fingers crossed that some of the kittens she has will be a good friend for him.

Littlebobo · « **Reply #17 on:** January 31, 2007, 05:53:44 AM »

Sootyca,

My first furbaby Snarf was a semi ferral kitten she had been born on a farm and had no human contact through the first few weeks of her life !

Anyway i was fortunate enough to be given the oppurtunity to have her and she hissed at new visitors and me on occasion ..it wore off after a couple of month and she actually turned into the cutest little button ..although she was wild at first even the vet was scared of her lol ..

We decided to get her another Kitten and decided on a very laid back although confident kitten as we were advised this would be best for Snarf as she sometimes hid and got hissy and we wanted to bring her out of herself - it took about 3 months for them to actually get on but in the end was really worth it as they would share our ( their ) bed and groom each other and they play was adorable and really helped Snarf to grow in confidence ..

I am so glad to hear that you are giving the little kit a chance and that you will be getting another as for the litter trays yes they should be able to use one as kittens and then you can let them outside if you wish ..

Word of warning though this cat business is addictive i have now

cattawallawalla · « **Reply #16 on:** January 31, 2007, 00:18:17 AM »

Hey Sootyca -

I would not worry about the hissing overly much. I don't know that telling him "no" will help too much, but I don't think it can hurt. You mention that he hisses when you walk past him, and I am wondering if the hissing generally happens when you are "taller" than him, i.e. upright on two legs and moving around, and if he is generally friendly when you are sitting or lying down. That would be a very, very common behavior trait for a cat that was born to a feral mother. It generally improves with time, but can take several months.

As for 2 cats vs. 1. Absolutely get another cat, absolutely. They will probably share the box. The only thing I would want to point out is that the kitty that was born to a feral mom will probalby get attached to the other kitty faster than it will attach to you, but this too, will shift with time. Just try to make sure the second kitten or cat is very friendly with humans - maybe a bottle baby. Cats "pattern" after eachother and the scared/insecure ones will usually pattern after the secure friendly ones - at least that's what I see, and I have tamed about 3 feral litters this year, the oldest ones being about 4 months old. (No human contact prior to me handling them - and I have the scratches to prove it.) Actually, one of the litter didn't tame out, but that's a seperate post.

Good luck with the kitties! You are a gem for working with this little fluffer nut, I wish there were more understanding folks like you.

Esther

smudgepickles · « **Reply #15 on:** January 30, 2007, 22:32:14 PM »

Quote from: furbabystar (Michelle) on January 30, 2007, 09:38:12 AM

2 cats isnt harder than 1 - i have 10 !!!!

Why not ask the person you got him from if they have another cat/kitten that Robbie has meet before

I quite agree 2 cats arent harder than one as I have nine lol

Aw that would be a lovely story for both of them to be reunited again with you. Im sure having a mate to play with would help them both settle..... the sooner the better I say they can console each other.

Good luck

hugs from me and head kisses from my fur babies

xxxx

COSMIC CREEPERS · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2007, 21:54:26 PM »

orrr well done Karen

I think it will bring him on leaps and bounds , and the new addition might

I was worried about getting a second cat cause i thought moomin wouldnt want me as much , but i get twice the attention

let us know how you get on wont you

Kelly · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2007, 20:32:34 PM »

I currently have 3 cats here (2 fosters and my permo) and the 2 fosters dont go outside - they use a litter tray - being kittens if you buy a largish litter tray you should only need the one (provided you keep it clean!) and by the time they need one each it should be time to let them out to explore!!!! They will no doubt adopt your bed as their bed eventually so that sorts that - and you can always buy a bed or floor cushion large enough for the pair!!!! Archie (my permo) loves having poppy here so I don't think he'll ever go back to being an only cat - its always nice for them to have a companion to play with when maybe you're too tired or not there.

Sootyca · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2007, 19:18:37 PM »

Looks like Robbie will be getting a playmate. I've spoken to the rehoming centre. He was brought in as a feral kitten and hisses because he has obviously been taught that by mum. The lady running the home is delighted we are persevering with him and has more kittens in that will be ready to go at the weekend. She thinks that having another one around, which hasn't been born wild and is used to humans, will help teach Robbie how to behave and will really benefit him.

His original cage companion is no longer there but there are others available. We're discussing it further and we'll see what happens.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Karen
x

COSMIC CREEPERS · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2007, 16:35:38 PM »

oh and 2 is no harder than 1 , i want anouther but not told the hubby yet

COSMIC CREEPERS · « **Reply #10 on:** January 30, 2007, 16:32:16 PM »

karen i think your doing a great job with him

he will love you when he really settles

when i got moomin she was the only one in the litter but would have had 2 then when she was 6 months i got mango as i wanted anouther cat and thought moomin would like a friend
well moomin tollerates mango but they never sleep togeather or groom each other but they do run up and down the stairs in the twighlight and if moomin goes out mango waites atr the door for her so they do love each other really

if you are going to get anouther take my advice and do it now and they they can have lots of fun doing the kitten play , ask about the one he was with, poor little thing needs a home too

sasha x

Ela · « **Reply #9 on:** January 30, 2007, 14:57:02 PM »

Quote

Trust me, he isn't going back because he hisses!

Thats good news then, I have a cat here and for the first 2 or 3 weeks I was greeted by a his now she is a little darling.

Sootyca · « **Reply #8 on:** January 30, 2007, 14:01:52 PM »

I'm sure Robbie would be delighted to have company - he spent a good ten minutes meowing at his reflection last night. Financially it wouldn't be too much of a burden but space wise I think we may be to limited especially if they need separate litter boxes and food bowls.

Ela, I should have made it clear that we knew when we took him on that he had been returned for hissing at the last people who adopted him, and knowing he was shy and would take time to settle. I'm not bothered about the hissing as I'm sure he will stop sooner or later - there have only been a couple of times that it looks like a fear hiss, he has backed away from us and arched himself at the same time. Most of the time his hissing looks like it is out of habit so we will have to cure him of that one! Silly thing is, he can be really friendly, throwing himself all over me, purring, pushing for attention and be happy to be like that for hours. If I happen to then get up and move somewhere and then walk past him he will hiss, even though I haven't tried to approach him. I could be the other side of the kitchen from him and move ever so slightly and he hisses.

Everytime he hisses now he is being told "no" in a stern voice which he seems to understand as he will look at us. If he lets me approach him without hissing he gets affection and praise. I'm also talking gently to him as I approach him to keep him calm. I hope this is the right way to go about teaching him. The cats I've had in the past have never needed training.

Trust me, he isn't going back because he hisses!

Karen
x

JackSpratt · « **Reply #7 on:** January 30, 2007, 09:53:43 AM »

Nope, regardless of how many cats you have you still end up their servant! (Willingly, I might add. When they do the "but you love me really face", the destroyed paperwork is forgotten!)

I think the only thing you need to worry about if you know your cat would be happy to share the home is finances. If you feel your budget will stretch to two cats, go for it!

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #6 on:** January 30, 2007, 09:38:12 AM »

2 cats isnt harder than 1 - i have 10 !!!!

Why not ask the person you got him from if they have another cat/kitten that Robbie has meet before

Sarah (seldom_use) · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2007, 07:41:33 AM »

Hi there.
I adopted both of my kittens from the same litter and they are inseperable. I don't find it harder looking after two at all either, it's rewarding when you see them playing with each other and snuggling up to sleep. Best choice I could have made

Go for it

Sarah x

Ela · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2007, 03:22:22 AM »

Quote

Our new kitten, Robbie, has been rehomed from a rescue which was based in someones house. He had been rehomed a couple of times before but was returned as he has the habit of hissing at people

Over they years I have dealt with tens of thousands of cats and I have never had a cat come in because it was hissing at people. We get cat in all the time that initially hiss but after a time they soon learn to love the hand that feeds them. What if they hiss at visitors a his is not life threatening is it? In fact I would have though it a bonus if someone came to visit you and you did not care for them too much, it may encourage them to cut their visit short. Also after the first time it had been returned you would have thought the rescue would have andvised the 2nd homing family of the reason it was returned and they should have been prepared to deal with the problem or not have adopted the cat.

Wendy Q · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2007, 01:05:13 AM »

I had the same dilemna when I was getting a kitten. As I was getting a Birman I really couldn't afford to take 2 but as it got nearer to the time when I was to pick her up I started to think about how she'd feel when I was at work or out for the night. I kept thinking of how much she seemed to enjoy playing with the others in the litter so lo and behold I took a boy as well. It was the best thing I ever did. They are completely inseparable (they are chasing each other up and down the stairs as I type!), they snuggle up together all the time and are never in separate rooms. I don't need to worry if I go out for the day or the night as they keep each other company and have each other to play with. They are still really affectionate with me and anyone who comes to visit. I definately had reservations about having 2 but glad I took the plunge! There is no more work involved in having 2 unless you have the type that need grooming like mine!

ChrisB · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2007, 22:55:49 PM »

Glad that Robbie is settling in. How about adopting the other kitten he was in the pen with as they obviously got on together and are probably used to sharing ? In my experience two take no more looking after than one plus you know they will have company if you are out. Go for it - it is so much fun to see them play together, sometimes get moody and then make up, snuggle up, the list is endless ........

Sootyca · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2007, 22:45:15 PM »

Our new kitten, Robbie, has been rehomed from a rescue which was based in someones house. He had been rehomed a couple of times before but was returned as he has the habit of hissing at people. Anyway, after a rocky first full day he has come round a lot more today, although he can't decide whether we are friends or not - he can be all over me one minute, wander off and then hiss at me for walking past him. Cats!

Anyway, he has now taken to wandering around the house meowing for other cats. I'm guessing he will grow out of this quite soon but I'm wondering whether to get him a cat companion as he was in his cage with another kitten which is in need of adoption. The only problem is our house isn't massive and if they need separate litter trays/food trays/beds then he may just have to get used to being an only cat. He won't be completely alone as there will be human company for him during the day.

I'm thinking if another cat comes in then his hissing may stop, although I can't see him sharing his catnip mouse - love at first play!!

Karen
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Author Topic: Two cats harder than one? (Read 8219 times)