getting kitten nr 2

[miabanks]

Hi again all :-)

After my message, bored kitty, it's become clear to me that getting Chloe a friend is probably the best thing to do. We do have a few concerns that a would like your opinion on.

1. We would like to adopt a homeless kitten, but are not sure if it's wise to put a Siamese and another type cat together.

2. What would be a good age for the Kitten? Chloe is 18 months

3. How do we introduce the two?

4. Would it be nest to get another female, or a boy?

Lot's of questions I know, But we want to do this right.

Merry Christmas to all of you
Mia

 

[hissy]

Hi mia-

How about I put this in the Breeder's Forum for you? I don't have much experience with Siamese, though I have a few Si Mixes in my group. Let's let the experts guide you through this.

I will say that you should separate the two before they initially meet. And do a gradual introduction. One of the best ways that I get two cats to like each other, is by taking a long piece of string and tying two toys one to each end and then putting on toy in the room where the new kitten is confined, and bringing the other toy to the other cat who is already here. Closing the door between them and letting them play with the two-headed toy. Breaks the ice quickly.

Also brings out the prey response so you can see if they are going to fight each other or not when they get together for the first time.

 

[fireshoes]

That's a cool suggestion, Hissy. I haven't heard that one before!

 

[meezer_mama]

I have Siamese mixes and I recently fostered some non-Siamese. I think when kittens are little, they all have about the same energy level, Siamese or not.

Hissy has some good advice. A slow and gradual introduction is best. Also, take a towel and rub the new cat with it, and let your original cat smell the towel before they ever meet face to face. Watch how your cat reacts to the smell of the new cat (and vice versa). This will give you a good indication of how they will react to each other. Take that same towel and rub your cat with it and let the new cat smell it too. Keep doing that until their scents have merged both on the towel, and on their fur. (They will pick up the scent when they groom themselves.)

A string or leash is a great toy for the intro! Often my cats will end up one on each end, both pulling it back and forth! They entertain themselves pretty well in this manner!

Be sure to give each cat individual attention - with the other cat in another room if necessary.

Take it slow, and trust your instincts! And always watch them! I had two littermates that loved to snuggle and groom each other. Then I noticed that during their snuggle sessions, they'd eventually break into a little hissy fit. It took some time observing them closely, but I eventually saw that one would groom the other's ear...and that would upset him. That cat had a particulary bad case of ear mites we had been treating. So it must have irritated him to have his sister licking down in there. After we finally got them all cleaned up, they were fine!

Good luck with your kitties! Have you checked the Siamese Rescue websiste? We have kitties across the nation looking for great homes like yours!

www.siameserescue.org