Hubby brought home a kitten!

[Swttea]

We adopted a kitten about 3 months ago, who is about 6 months old now. She was spayed about a month ago. That was our first ever cat. We also have an 80lb dog.

Today my husband brought home another kitten. Someone at work rescued him off the street a few days ago, so we don't know his history. They could not keep him due to how many dogs/cats they already had. Hubby says he instantly fell in love with him, and I thought it was going to be me that ended up getting the second cat. LOL

He's very sweet. Much different from Winnie! He doesn't mind being held at all and wants to sit in our laps. He has fallen asleep on my chest several times already. Winnie is not too keen on him yet, hissing and whatnot but I can get them to eat/play and ignore each other. The boy shows absolutely no hostility towards Winnie, and just sort of sits and looks at her and won't move forward or whatever if she is being pushy. I hope they are both young enough that they become best friends. Any advice on this front? Brand new territory for me. Winnie was the same way with my dog for about 3 days, now they enjoy each other.

Everyone was closed when they came home, I will likely take him to t he vet tomorrow. He's got very mushy poop, but I think that is probably because he was on the street and then the other family has been giving him dry food so a shock to his system. He does seem a bit weak and tired, so I hope nothing is seriously wrong..
He's quite a bit smaller then Winnie. So I'm thinking he's 4-5 months at most? What about his coat pattern; what is he? I know a shorthair. These pictures make him look much lighter then he really is. He's very dark grey.

 

[Talien]

If your girl is 6 months then yeah, there should be no problem. It might take her a bit to get used to him but they're both young so before too long they'll be playing together.

 

[Swttea]

Yes, Winnie is about 6 months!

She really is not impressed right now. Hehe. Boy kitty was on the bed. Please ignore the (clean) hamper

 

[game misconduct]

cute lil guy but yeah vet check is priority for the health and safety of your other pets

 

[Babypaws]

I have a kitten I rescued from our yard, actually I brought in the 3 kittens from the same litter. My little boy looks just like yours. I named him “Tiger”.
He’s about 5 months old and very affectionate. He became buddies with my 2 year old, Midget.
I had brought him inside first and I took him for his shots before I let him near my other cats. Now I have his 2 siblings separated on our porch until they’re up to date with their shots and then introduce them to all my other cats. Weird but those two are all black, mother is all gray. So Tiger is the odd one but I’ve read two different males can get a female pregnant. I’ve seen the fathers in the yard, one is a tiger cat and the other is all black.
I’m attaching my guy and one of his siblings.
So glad your hubby is caring enough to bring home your little guy.

 

[ArtNJ]

Talien is correct, kittens this young are pretty much impossible to screw up the introduction, they will become friends. However, I do have a few suggestions for next time:

(1) it is important for a kitten to have a "safe room" by itself for a few days to settle in. There are several reasons, but one big one is that some kittens are scared for up to week in a new home, and if you let them roam around the house they can find somewhere bad to hide. We literally had one poster where the cat found a way into her walls and wouldn't come out. Under or behind appliances are common and can be traumatic for the worried owners and make it harder to bond with the kitten. When they come out of the safe room when ready, they are conditioned to go there to hide, if they feel they need too & under a bed is much much better than under or behind an appliance. It also gives everyone a few days to adjust, and helps with litter box adjustment. Many kittens don't need more than a couple days in there. It doesn't remotely surprise me that your kitten didn't need it, but for next time, its just a good practice;

(2) Your dog sounds nice and this is going fine - just be aware that as he gets older or if you try adding an older cat, a more formal process should be used. Nice to new pets is not necessarily a forever trait, and doesn't necessarily apply to new pets of any age;

(3) New kittens are often not perfectly litterbox compliant. Watch the kitten on the bed for a while, and don't leave the laundry basket unattended. Bed sheets and loose laundry are popular spots for "accidents" as they sheets/clothing can be kneeded beneath the paws.

P.S. I hope your new kitten stays super friendly, but sometimes being uncertain of a new home and new pets seems like it can make a kitten more cuddly (even though it has the opposite effect for most adults). Medical issues can sometimes have the same effect. So anyway, don't be shocked if the kitten starts flying around and has little time for you, and don't try to force it back on your lap or to cuddling. Let the kitten be the boss of where and when. For many kittens, being petted is only when tired, and there is some chance yours ends up in that category in a bit.

 

[susanm9006]

They will end up being friends. When you bring him to the vet be sure to bring a fresh piece of his poop with so the vet can check for parasites.

 

[Swttea]

Thank you everyone!

I just got back from the vets. I absolutely had to go today because apparently a hurricane is hitting tomorrow, in the middle of Arkansas. Never seen anything like it. Meanwhile, it was storming while I went today and already starting to flood. Bah!

Anyway, I got there and they took him back without me (I had to be squeezed in as a walk-in between a lot of people). They had to come out and basically ask me permission to be mean, poor lil guy. He did NOT want them to draw blood or anything, so it was sedation or use a cat bag. Thankfully the cat bag worked and they were able to get blood and he is heart worm, aids and leukemia free! I was SO worried about those, thank goodness. They were not able to get a stool sample because he was just too upset, but they gave me a dewormer and some diarrhea medicine. If it continues I will collect a sample to bring in, but they're leaning towards stress/diet change. I wasn't prepared so I did not get a sample to bring in, and hes been going such little amounts and it would have been completely covered in litter I don't think it would have been usable today anyways. There was a lot more poo last night, but that would have been almost 24hrs old.

He is 5lbs, so guessing he is about 5 months. We did not do vaccines today, since his system is already stressed out, we're going to wait for that to clear up.

I did get some conflicting advice to what I've always thought? I was suggested to just feed him dry for now because wet can be hard on the tummy and might make the diarrhea worse. I always thought it was easier. Regardless, he's not a big fan of wet food. He ate one can the first night he was here, but he definitely wants dry food, so that is what I've had down, and it's crummy Meow Mix because that's what the other people were giving him and I didn't want to upset his tummy even more. Before that he had started turning his nose up at the wet food and started taking Missys (my doggie) kibbles. Thankfully he IS drinking at least.

He & Winnie are still not good friends, but I think there is some progress. I fed them both and they ate on the table in relative peace. And I can get Winnies attention easily. She also is now attempting to smell him without all the hissing if his back is to her. He continues to show absolutely no care at all about her reactions, and it's kind of funny. Just, like, whatever girl. Hiss all you want. LOL

I got an extra litter box out so there are now 3, which I think is what we want for a 2 cat household? I am not so sure where to put the 3rd one yet. I just have it in the hallway, which is central to the house for now.

 

[Talien]

Thank you everyone!

I just got back from the vets. I absolutely had to go today because apparently a hurricane is hitting tomorrow, in the middle of Arkansas. Never seen anything like it. Meanwhile, it was storming while I went today and already starting to flood. Bah!

Anyway, I got there and they took him back without me (I had to be squeezed in as a walk-in between a lot of people). They had to come out and basically ask me permission to be mean, poor lil guy. He did NOT want them to draw blood or anything, so it was sedation or use a cat bag. Thankfully the cat bag worked and they were able to get blood and he is heart worm, aids and leukemia free! I was SO worried about those, thank goodness. They were not able to get a stool sample because he was just too upset, but they gave me a dewormer and some diarrhea medicine. If it continues I will collect a sample to bring in, but they're leaning towards stress/diet change. I wasn't prepared so I did not get a sample to bring in, and hes been going such little amounts and it would have been completely covered in litter I don't think it would have been usable today anyways. There was a lot more poo last night, but that would have been almost 24hrs old.

He is 5lbs, so guessing he is about 5 months. We did not do vaccines today, since his system is already stressed out, we're going to wait for that to clear up.

I did get some conflicting advice to what I've always thought? I was suggested to just feed him dry for now because wet can be hard on the tummy and might make the diarrhea worse. I always thought it was easier. Regardless, he's not a big fan of wet food. He ate one can the first night he was here, but he definitely wants dry food, so that is what I've had down, and it's crummy Meow Mix because that's what the other people were giving him and I didn't want to upset his tummy even more. Before that he had started turning his nose up at the wet food and started taking Missys (my doggie) kibbles. Thankfully he IS drinking at least.

He & Winnie are still not good friends, but I think there is some progress. I fed them both and they ate on the table in relative peace. And I can get Winnies attention easily. She also is now attempting to smell him without all the hissing if his back is to her. He continues to show absolutely no care at all about her reactions, and it's kind of funny. Just, like, whatever girl. Hiss all you want. LOL

I got an extra litter box out so there are now 3, which I think is what we want for a 2 cat household? I am not so sure where to put the 3rd one yet. I just have it in the hallway, which is central to the house for now.

It's not so much the wet or dry food that's hard on a Cat, it's the stuff that's mostly plant based. It's true that a crappy wet food is better than the best dry food overall because of hydration but that doesn't mean the crappy wet food is good because it's probably loaded with carbs and other junk.

And yup, 1 box per Cat plus 1 extra is good. Just try to keep them in places your Dog doesn't have easy access too, otherwise they'll become snack bars. For whatever reason most Dogs really like eating Cat poop.

 

[susanm9006]

If he wants dry then I would feed him that and once his belly settles you can slowly try to transition him to wet. He will be fine. Thinking of you and your family and hoping the storm passes you without damage.

 

[Babypaws]

It's not so much the wet or dry food that's hard on a Cat, it's the stuff that's mostly plant based. It's true that a crappy wet food is better than the best dry food overall because of hydration but that doesn't mean the crappy wet food is good because it's probably loaded with carbs and other junk.

And yup, 1 box per Cat plus 1 extra is good. Just try to keep them in places your Dog doesn't have easy access too, otherwise they'll become snack bars. For whatever reason most Dogs really like eating Cat poop.

Everything sounds good....stay safe with the hurricane on the way!

 

[Swttea]

It's not so much the wet or dry food that's hard on a Cat, it's the stuff that's mostly plant based. It's true that a crappy wet food is better than the best dry food overall because of hydration but that doesn't mean the crappy wet food is good because it's probably loaded with carbs and other junk.

And yup, 1 box per Cat plus 1 extra is good. Just try to keep them in places your Dog doesn't have easy access too, otherwise they'll become snack bars. For whatever reason most Dogs really like eating Cat poop.

Haha! Ive had Winnie for a few months now and THANKFULLY Missy totally ignores the litter boxes!

 

[Talien]

Haha! Ive had Winnie for a few months now and THANKFULLY Missy totally ignores the litter boxes!

Oh, you are lucky then. Not much is more gross than a dog licking your face right after rooting around in a litterbox.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Haha! Ive had Winnie for a few months now and THANKFULLY Missy totally ignores the litter boxes!

I was skimming this thread and came across the above and had to do a double take! Members here are not usually thankful when litter boxes are ignored, lol. It took me a minute to realize that Missy is a dog.

What a fine looking boy you have! He resembles my gray male tabby, Atticus. You and your husband are awesome to take him in. As far as his food goes, what if you mixed some of his dry food with wet food? I always get nervous when I hear about male cats eating dry food because of their propensity for urinary blockages. Regardless, I know he's in great hands with you! He's a very lucky boy.

 

[Swttea]

I was skimming this thread and came across the above and had to do a double take! Members here are not usually thankful when litter boxes are ignored, lol. It took me a minute to realize that Missy is a dog.

What a fine looking boy you have! He resembles my gray male tabby, Atticus. You and your husband are awesome to take him in. As far as his food goes, what if you mixed some of his dry food with wet food? I always get nervous when I hear about male cats eating dry food because of their propensity for urinary blockages. Regardless, I know he's in great hands with you! He's a very lucky boy.

Haha! She's taken cat poop from outside before so I was worried she'd go after the litter box but so far, she doesn't care about it, thankfully!
I'm worried about dry food too! So far, I can't really get him to eat any wet. He wants his kibble or Missys kibbles. However, he is drinking a bunch (compared to Winnie anyhow, who gets wet food so rarely drinks). He'll sit at the bowl for a good minute drinking, several times a day sofar. So that's good. But I do want him to eat some wet eventually!

Alright so last night I decided to sorta "Let them work it out themselves". I decided not to interfere as much as the first day. It sounded scary a few times, but I think they were being dramatic, and it really wasn't too bad! Boy kitty finally decided to start defending himself, and Winnie sort of became more curious then. I don't think she liked how docile he was, lol. He has a bit of a habit to corner himself so if he did that I would move him somewhere with an escape route. They were never out of my sight!

When we went to bed, for now hubby is on the couch and I'm locked in the room with Missy/Winnie. So boy is getting to explore in peace all night. When I let Winnie out today, the immediate reaction...wasn't growling and swatting! They're doing MUCH better today. Whats going on seems more in line with play then what was going on before. The hissing has decreased a bunch. They're just chasing each other around, going into the tunnels/tents/boxes. There food is out and they'll go eat independently or together. It is still a bit aggressive looking but I can tell it's more like "woah..lets play.. woah too much... PLAY.. WOAH", LOL. They just don't know what to make of each other yet.

Boy is also doing fine with Missy now. He hissed at her the first night, but now he pretty much ignores her. Only if she gets pushy with the butt sniffing does he react to her anymore. Which is great! Missy is really respectful when she gets hissed at and leaves them alone LOL.

Heres a cute little interaction from earlier...

 

[Swttea]

Found some wet food he likes! Weruva Lamborghini. Glad to find something I already had some of, but I wish he liked some of the cheaper options too lol.

 

[Swttea]

I also think they're over it. Today, the only noises from them are when they are playing too rough. Winnie hasn't growled today at all, I don't think she hissed either. I just hear some yowling when they tackle each other, I assume letting each other know it's too rough. I walked into the living room last night and they were both asleep on the chair. Not RIGHT next to each other, but really close I also left the bedroom door open all night and woke up to them both sleeping peacefully.

I'm happy!

I don't know what to name him, though!! He's a very sleepy, affectionate boy.
Have some more photos! Winnie says hello