- Joined
- Jan 18, 2018
- Messages
- 64
- Purraise
- 85
So here’s the situation...
I have a two year old cat and she has been my only cat in the house. I live in a house with her and my husband. She is a great cat but she is independent and not really down for snuggles. We wanted a second cat that was more snuggly and affectionate.
We were looking at cats at a local kill shelter about 7 weeks ago and i fell in love with a small adult female that was very affectionate. She came home with us but was sick, the poor thing was not treated with care...emaciated and had a viral infection and a large spotty scab on her back that she kept picking at. We took her to the vet who recommended we keep her in her own quarantine room until healed and stated they would run a culture on her wound to test for ringworm. It took an entire four weeks for us to have her treated and healthy again before she was ready to interact with our resident cat without passing on an illness. When our cats actually met we slowly introduced, using each others scent on items and letting them sniff between a screen patio before being supervised in close contact. The intro went on for a few days and then once they were out and about my cat continually bullied this smaller cat.
Meanwhile i have a coworker that is married with two kids and has no other pets and really wanted to home this cat if it seems my resident girl was not adjusting. I told her that would be a good idea at this point as my cat seems rather unhappy, eating less, bullying etc. i told her to come by with her kids for a “meet and greet”, thinking we would have a chance to talk it over before she actually took this new baby home. I did not know how the new kitty would be around kids. Turns out i was not clear enough which is my fault. She came over and her kids (3 and 6) already “knew” from their mom they were taking the cat home. During the meet it was unnerving as the kids are not mature enough, chased the cat and were too rambunctious. They are not mean boys they are sweet, but just way too excitable for this kitty. The kitty tolerates them and does not bite or scratch but she is clearly terrified. It is my fault i didnt speak up and pull the Mom (my coworker) aside to tell her it wasn’t a good fit. I just balked because her kids were so excited and she was like ok kids let’s take her home!
Anyway she takes her home and i come to find the cat has been hiding under the bed 75% of the time and has barely eaten for two days. On the third day she came out and ate so much at once she threw up. Then went back to hiding. This is not behavior she displayed at my house, she was gregarious, eating like a horse, and loved to walk around. I feel so guilty that i thought i was doing the right thing for this kitty and now it seems she is in a position where she is terrified and being harassed by kids. I already know I am the one who made a mistake here but my question is what would you do? I plan on giving it a full week of her having the cat to ask if the situation has improved and the cat has adjusted any. If it seems this behavior is still happening i think i will suggest it’s not a good fit and that i pick her up..... i think even living with my cat being a bully would be better than the situation she’s in now.
I have a two year old cat and she has been my only cat in the house. I live in a house with her and my husband. She is a great cat but she is independent and not really down for snuggles. We wanted a second cat that was more snuggly and affectionate.
We were looking at cats at a local kill shelter about 7 weeks ago and i fell in love with a small adult female that was very affectionate. She came home with us but was sick, the poor thing was not treated with care...emaciated and had a viral infection and a large spotty scab on her back that she kept picking at. We took her to the vet who recommended we keep her in her own quarantine room until healed and stated they would run a culture on her wound to test for ringworm. It took an entire four weeks for us to have her treated and healthy again before she was ready to interact with our resident cat without passing on an illness. When our cats actually met we slowly introduced, using each others scent on items and letting them sniff between a screen patio before being supervised in close contact. The intro went on for a few days and then once they were out and about my cat continually bullied this smaller cat.
Meanwhile i have a coworker that is married with two kids and has no other pets and really wanted to home this cat if it seems my resident girl was not adjusting. I told her that would be a good idea at this point as my cat seems rather unhappy, eating less, bullying etc. i told her to come by with her kids for a “meet and greet”, thinking we would have a chance to talk it over before she actually took this new baby home. I did not know how the new kitty would be around kids. Turns out i was not clear enough which is my fault. She came over and her kids (3 and 6) already “knew” from their mom they were taking the cat home. During the meet it was unnerving as the kids are not mature enough, chased the cat and were too rambunctious. They are not mean boys they are sweet, but just way too excitable for this kitty. The kitty tolerates them and does not bite or scratch but she is clearly terrified. It is my fault i didnt speak up and pull the Mom (my coworker) aside to tell her it wasn’t a good fit. I just balked because her kids were so excited and she was like ok kids let’s take her home!
Anyway she takes her home and i come to find the cat has been hiding under the bed 75% of the time and has barely eaten for two days. On the third day she came out and ate so much at once she threw up. Then went back to hiding. This is not behavior she displayed at my house, she was gregarious, eating like a horse, and loved to walk around. I feel so guilty that i thought i was doing the right thing for this kitty and now it seems she is in a position where she is terrified and being harassed by kids. I already know I am the one who made a mistake here but my question is what would you do? I plan on giving it a full week of her having the cat to ask if the situation has improved and the cat has adjusted any. If it seems this behavior is still happening i think i will suggest it’s not a good fit and that i pick her up..... i think even living with my cat being a bully would be better than the situation she’s in now.