- Joined
- Nov 23, 2022
- Messages
- 8
- Purraise
- 15
Hi guys
Myself and my partner have had our cat Prince for about 3 and a half years. We got him from a shelter, he was already about two years old and had been re-homed due to his former owners getting a new cat that attacked him. He's settled in extremely well with us, he's so loving and has the sweetest nature, though he is quite shy, unconfident, maybe a bit timid.
For a couple years now we've wondered if he could benefit from having a cat friend, as we've seen him interact with some of the neighbours' cats locally and he seems interested in them rather than hostile. So about a month ago, we got a 9 week old ragdoll cross kitten, Pasha.
I did as much reading as I could on how to introduce them, though I will admit I read quite a lot of conflicting narratives and so I think I probably did this stage wrong. We set up the kitten's living space in our bedroom as it was the only place we could really keep him enclosed in, but we were encouraged to let Prince see him straight away when we brought him home, which he did (the kitten was in the cat carrier). Prince sniffed at him and then left, though he did seem very wary. After that we kept him in the bedroom for over a week.
We did try things like scent swapping etc, which seemed to work decently alright. The first few days were really hard as Prince would hide a lot under blankets and didn't want to come out and socialise with us at all. I admit we didn't manage to do any site swapping as Prince didn't seem happy with the idea of going in there at all. As for feeding, we also tried to give them treats either side of the door but didn't get them to regularly eat meals there.
I've recently found the Jackson Galaxy advice on how to introduce cats and I admit I'm feeling a little crestfallen about getting it wrong. It's been around a month now and they live in the same space. They can sleep in the same room, in different areas, use the litter without bothering one another, etc. Prince doesn't hiss at him at all anymore unless Pasha tries to initiate play with him when he's not in the mood, which he does a lot. They're able to eat treats side by side and they seem to be playing to some level - I have questions about that too, but that can wait. I'm just really worried that we've mucked it up and that there's no chance they'll learn to properly get along now. Prince is still not quite "himself" again yet, which makes me sad as I care for him a lot and it's upsetting to see him be less sure than he was. For example he won't come up on the sofa with us anymore, especially as the kitten will almost always be there if we are (he's very attached to sitting on my partner), and if I do manage to have any nice moments with him ie. brushing and stroking him, the kitten comes in and bothers him until he walks away. Is this a bust? I'm prone to over worrying and know it may take more time, but I'm worried that we've set ourselves up for failure and now it's screwed with no chances of them bonding/becoming friends. Can anyone help?
Thank you!
Myself and my partner have had our cat Prince for about 3 and a half years. We got him from a shelter, he was already about two years old and had been re-homed due to his former owners getting a new cat that attacked him. He's settled in extremely well with us, he's so loving and has the sweetest nature, though he is quite shy, unconfident, maybe a bit timid.
For a couple years now we've wondered if he could benefit from having a cat friend, as we've seen him interact with some of the neighbours' cats locally and he seems interested in them rather than hostile. So about a month ago, we got a 9 week old ragdoll cross kitten, Pasha.
I did as much reading as I could on how to introduce them, though I will admit I read quite a lot of conflicting narratives and so I think I probably did this stage wrong. We set up the kitten's living space in our bedroom as it was the only place we could really keep him enclosed in, but we were encouraged to let Prince see him straight away when we brought him home, which he did (the kitten was in the cat carrier). Prince sniffed at him and then left, though he did seem very wary. After that we kept him in the bedroom for over a week.
We did try things like scent swapping etc, which seemed to work decently alright. The first few days were really hard as Prince would hide a lot under blankets and didn't want to come out and socialise with us at all. I admit we didn't manage to do any site swapping as Prince didn't seem happy with the idea of going in there at all. As for feeding, we also tried to give them treats either side of the door but didn't get them to regularly eat meals there.
I've recently found the Jackson Galaxy advice on how to introduce cats and I admit I'm feeling a little crestfallen about getting it wrong. It's been around a month now and they live in the same space. They can sleep in the same room, in different areas, use the litter without bothering one another, etc. Prince doesn't hiss at him at all anymore unless Pasha tries to initiate play with him when he's not in the mood, which he does a lot. They're able to eat treats side by side and they seem to be playing to some level - I have questions about that too, but that can wait. I'm just really worried that we've mucked it up and that there's no chance they'll learn to properly get along now. Prince is still not quite "himself" again yet, which makes me sad as I care for him a lot and it's upsetting to see him be less sure than he was. For example he won't come up on the sofa with us anymore, especially as the kitten will almost always be there if we are (he's very attached to sitting on my partner), and if I do manage to have any nice moments with him ie. brushing and stroking him, the kitten comes in and bothers him until he walks away. Is this a bust? I'm prone to over worrying and know it may take more time, but I'm worried that we've set ourselves up for failure and now it's screwed with no chances of them bonding/becoming friends. Can anyone help?
Thank you!