OT of all OT's - I have a Mgocat Question About....Cats
Mates,
With apologies as to the level of OT this is, I am hoping for some insight from you mgocat owners. We're not cat people but we've had a series of barn cats over the years that have been wonderful residents. Our present barn cat is at least 10 yrs old, kills everything in sight, trained like a dog (will come to me when I snap my fingers), likes people, etc. He's still in great health but he is getting old.
Now for the yesterday's true story: I was biking on a logging trail and a logging buddy of mine is on the side of the road next to his rig, and there is a kitten there that he's just finished cleaning up with wipes: the kitten had been abandoned and was a mess and had a signif leg cut. The kitten was very sweet, seemed to like people, guessing it was maybe 15-20 weeks old? A female. I told my buddy to take it into the local vet and I'd pay the bill with the idea that she could be a companion to our resident barn cat.
But here's my question: Do cats get along in that type of scenario? Our first loyalty is to our resident tom cat, but maybe a kitten with room to roam would be no problem for him?
Thank you mgocat people and mods, feel free to nuke this OP, but hopefully not until later this morning assuming I get some substantive feedback.
XM
An older cat is much more likely to accept a new kitten than they would be to accept a new adult cat.
The older male probably won't feel threatened by the kitten (territorial) and could accept coexisting with it, and best case maybe even embrace her.
It's luck of the draw, but in line with what others are saying, the odds are in favor of a good or at least manageable outcome. There are some good techniques that tilt the odds even more in your favor, but those are for indoor cats.
Your Tom sounds pretty secure and focused on his hunting, so that's a big plus. Like others, my guess is he will have a period of curiosity and then mostly ignore the other cat as long as she stays out of his way.
It is possible they become great friends and become very affectionate with each other. In that case, quit your day job and start an instagram page..... ;)
XM, this is a wonderful thing you're doing. A story to share, Christmas Evening, 2016. My GF and I spend it alone and have a romantic dinner alone after doing the family thing on Christmas Eve. While I was grilling filets and pan searing scallops, our favorite dinner, my GF was on the front porch letting me know there was a stray cat on the porch and we need to feed her, I was like whaaaaaa?
Well, I fed her a can of tuna, even gave her some scallops, she thought that was the cat's meow and kept coming back and she's been mine ever since, I never thought I'd have a cat or even wanted the responsibility and now I love her like a child and take cute pictures of her, all the suggestions you've gotten are great. Maybe make the kitten an indoor one, they are such great little companions and therapeutic and I can't imagine my life without her, she lays next to me all the time....this was a feral, loner cat on the streets, cats are creatures of habit but eventually are adaptable.
Just give it a try. A lot of it comes down to the personality of the older cat and even if it doesn't initially accept it, it might eventually.
If the older cat doesn’t like the kitten, he will establish boundaries where both can roam on your property. Three of our neighbors have outside cats and all three roam around in our backyard. Not all at the same time! The only time I see them fight is when one of the females walks through the other female’s yard. No one messes with Gus, the big male.
We have house cats, and a few years ago when our 18 year old male cat was in declining health, my wife decided to get two kittens, a male and a female litter mates. I wasn't so sure it was a good idea, but it worked out just fine.
I would let the kitten sleep with a little blanket, maybe while she's at the vet, and then bring the blanket to the tom cat and let him smell it and get used to the scent for a while. Then introduce the kitten to the tom cat and see how he reacts.
Also male cats are far more territorial when they're intact. If he is neutered he will definitely be more likely to accept the kitten. But the fact that it's a female makes it a lot more likely either way.
Last thought, maybe ask the vet to make sure the cat isn't already microchipped.
Xtra:
All the advice you're getting here is spot on - I especially agree with EvenyouBrutus on introducing the new cat to your existing one. As the proud owner of FOUR inside cats: the oldest is 16, youngest is three, we have introduced three cats to the family and the key is to let the existing cats get to know the scent of the newcomer without being threatened. Dont get discouraged though if initially there's a bit of territorialism from your existing cat - that's normal - we watched several nose bats as they got used to one another but in time, they assimilate.
I might add I think it's wonderful you're doing this for the kitten. I'm not surprised though, seems to be totally in character for you. Great job mate!
Can confirm EYB and Old's posts - they will be assimilated. There will be some initial batting of paws, running away, and loud cat growls. But an older tomcat will not be bothered much by a female kitten. Especially since he's pretty used to you, he'll follow that lead for the most part. I wouldn't expect them to share food and water bowls right away, though! There is also a chance the tomcat just won't like her - that chance exists, but is a reasonably low percentage, so just be aware of it.
For reference, I have 6 indoor cats that live with 7 dogs. My house is a gated zoo, but everyone gets along. And we go through vacuums quickly. Dyson loves us...
And we go through vacuums quickly. Dyson loves us...
I eventually got tired of that game. Ripped up all the carpet and put down wood and tile. Furniture is either leather, metal, or wood.
It takes 10 minutes to clean the house.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:07 AM ^
Between MGrowold's extensive cat experience and the fact that EYB's family literally does this sort of thing for a living, I think we have good answers here (and elsewhere in the thread).
Honestly I'm just posting this because it's a good thread and I don't want to feel left out.
Cats are never off topic!
My mom is one of those crazy old cat ladies with one of hers currently over 20. They all have different personalities and temperaments. I've seen cats not take a shine to kittens and other times be indifferent. I've never seen one hurt a kitten though. Really hard to know until you put them together. I would make sure the cat is very clean first and not carrying any kind of funky smells that could throw your cat off. Good luck
March 24th, 2021 at 10:06 AM ^
Your mom is one of those crazy old cat ladies? Surprisingly it seems like half the board are “cat ladies” as well based on this thread!?
Normally, the new cat will blend in. Introduce the kitten carefully and slowly. Don't immediately put it in the same room as the other cat, but let hem know the other one is there. Because the new cat is a kitten, you'll have a better chance of success. Even better if the tom has been fixed. That lessens the chance of fighting and spraying.
This is great advice. Introduce them slowly. It will take about 3 weeks.
3 weeks? this is a working farm. kitty will get a few hours and hopefully that will be all that's needed.
March 24th, 2021 at 12:05 PM ^
The cats will figure it out. They are far more adaptable than humans. They will have their "moments" as they negotiate terms of engagement, but the young one in your care is infinitely better off. I've had multiple transitions introducing kittens to established members of the territory and all have gone well with minimal human help.
March 24th, 2021 at 12:34 PM ^
You can ignore that. I’ve always just added the new kitten to the mix right away because of living in small houses that don’t allow for separation.
Love this. All great advice.
not to threadjack, but if anyone has advice on how to get a cat and dog to live in peace, we’re all ears. We just got a dog a few months ago and she + the cat are in a stage of Korean Peninsula standoffs.
I've seen this quite a bit and imho, every time I do it's usually because the dog thinks it's the alpha in the household. I expect you may need to put in the hours to train your dog correctly. Once done properly, your dog should follow your lead and accept whatever you bring into your house, be it other pets, babies, whatever. I'm not meaning to sound rude, but I've known a lot of people that think their dogs are "trained" but aren't.
Not much to do about the cat's behavior.
I don't know how to train a cat, but I wouldn't say there's nothing you can do about a cat's behavior. Maybe he should go watch some of "My Cat From Hell" haha.
I'll look it up. Nice name for a show.
"...a lot of people that think their dogs are "trained" but aren't..."
Truer words, blah blah blah...
Having lived a previous life training retrievers for field trials, I can accurately (and sanctimoniously) state that a dog is largely untrained unless you can walk it at heel through a crowd of people and other dogs without worrying about it running off. While that's more control than most people will ever need, it stands as a barometer for which one should aim. I will admit that none of my current dogs will do this...
our dog is definitely not trained. not offended at all. :)
Does it seem like one instigates things? They both just hate each other or is one just reacting and defending itself from the other? I would think whichever is the aggressor is the one you need to work on.
If you're already a few months in, chances are good that Korea is now the state of being in your household. As Hillbilly said, work on controlling the dog better - you should be able to have her sit still, calmly, as you introduce the cat again for a short time. If you can get away with that, increase the time they're together until it becomes the normal mode. But until the dog will sit calmly, you're gonna have a stand-off.
yeah, i think that's been our realization. We're getting her to a trainer asap, and have heard similar things re: the basic level of obedience before making an intro.
Right on. A well trained dog is truly a happy dog as they don't experience the stress of being the alpha and trying to control things all the time. Should be faster and easier with a female. Good luck!
March 24th, 2021 at 11:16 AM ^
We had a two year old male cat (neutered) when we decided to get a puppy. He did NOT appreciate our soon to be 82lb female Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Arched back, nose swats, sneak attacks from high ground...total dick.
The puppy ignored him for the most part until one day, about 6 months in, he curled up between her front and back paws. Chessie looked at me like “WTF” then laid her head back down with what I swear was a doggy smirk They were best buddies until she was put down 12 years later
First, thank you for all the folks that have chimed in. I may know about livestock but I know diddly squat about cats.
Second, our existing barn cat, Leo, is intact. Also remember this is a very large barn so there won’t be a press of space. I do like the suggestions about getting to know the scent a little bit for just putting kitten in the barn.
Appreciate any other further suggestions, again thanks guys.
He'll shag the kitten as soon as she's old enough if she's intact. You'll have lots of cats after that.
and as barn cats tend to do, they will all shag each other. Eventually you will have a lot of inbred cats roaming your barn.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:00 AM ^
look at rgard, doing his best mike myers/austin powers imitation.
that was a stipulation: kitty gets spayed or she can't come to the farm.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:17 AM ^
:-) learned that before Austin Powers. My wife is Welsh.
Good on getting her fixed.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:23 AM ^
you got your wife fixed? oh my....
(j/k)
March 24th, 2021 at 10:36 AM ^
:-) two separate points. MGoAging has taken care of the second point.
BTW...if you put 'MGo' in front of anything, it's no longer OT.
Examples:
- Shagging: OT
- MGoShagging: Not OT.
Xtra, you made the joke before I could. Well done.
Also, all this cat talk and no pictures? What kind of obsessive cat parents are you people?
So toward that end, here's my late cat Harry, who's made an appearance on this here blog before. He would thoroughly approve of adopting cats, especially strays - since he was one. (Showed up in the back yard and stayed 14 years.)
March 24th, 2021 at 11:39 PM ^
X,
from what I understand, and have read for 40 years, is that if you give the cats Italian food and let them sleep in, they will be of no trouble, except for odie, poor guy. Also, your dating life will suffer. That is a small price to pay. Further, the cats I’ve studied like to take the lazy boy in front of the TV. Sometimes there is a narration voice that sounds a lot like bill Murray, sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, no mice will be harmed. Best of luck.
We had a 2 yo cat when we brought home a 2 month old kitten, both males, both from a shelter. From day one we’ve had virtually no problems. They will alternate between sleeping on each other, wrestling and completely ignoring the other. They seem to keep each other company. Initially, we made sure each had his own food bowl, but today they both eat out of both bowls and sometimes eat out of the same bowl simultaneously
Cats seem to be fairly adaptable and given they will be barn cats, I have to imagine they will have plenty of room to spread out if they want to.
Introducing our puppy to the adult cats has been an entirely different story.
I can't add much to what others have contributed here, but I'd suggest to XM that empty grocery bags are dangerous:
https://local.theonion.com/kitchen-floor-conflict-intensifies-as-rival-house-cats-1819569628
that was funny. the onion has some really good stuff.
In my experience cats of the same gender is usually the biggest problem. So, like others have said, that they're opposite plus the fact that it's a kitten and not a threat makes me think it should be fine.
I used to be a dog person, but cats are cool, too. I've had several rescued cats over the years.
Great advice from lots of cool cats on the Board.
We have a few cats ourselves (in addition to a dog and a small menagerie of reptiles) and everyone so far has been spot on - let them get the scent in a non-threatening atmosphere and as others have said, the fact that they are not the same sex will help enormously. Even though all of ours are male, we have been able to integrate them in the ways described below and they are now pretty good friends as cats go. They even kill as a team when things get in the house.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:01 AM ^
note to self: if ever invited to LSA's home, watch out for cats hunting in teams. muy dangeroso.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
I have a lot of experience with cats. You can never really know until you put them together.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:07 AM ^
I suggest getting them fixed. If they are feral cats , there are many rescues who work to help get them fixed pretty cheap. I doubt thats an issue since you generously offered to pay the vet bill for this little kitty . The normal fee to get a cat fixed is about $100 though . If you decide you want more , there are many adoptable cats already in this world. Local rescues can help you in that regard too .
All animals deserve to be loved .
March 24th, 2021 at 10:27 AM ^
no more cats. until the present one (or ones, if this kitty makes it) gets worn out so to speak.
and while we love our animals, some are great for eating, too.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:45 AM ^
You love them as you raise them and then love to eat them.