Introducing 16 Year Old Cat Into My Household

[Kflowers]

Meal time is the trickiest time to introduce them. Food brings out the 'survival you're going to take my food and I will die' issues in most. Right after a meal, when everyone is sated might be the best time.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Seems like Oriana is tired of having to be hidden from the others. Maybe that is a good thing - or so I hope anyway!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Oriana has become tired of being locked in her room, as soon as I open the door she sprints out. Today she came out and Oscar was in the hallway, she walked right up to him and meowed, but he hissed and ran away down the stairs. My 3 cats are so ravenous at meal time i'm considering trying to bring Oriana downstairs during that time, but i'm afraid it might cause Molly to run away rather than eat.

Have you seen cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy's series, "MY CAT FROM HELL" on Animal Planet or viewed any of his videos on YouTube, where he's known as The Cat Daddy? He has excellent suggestions on the subject.

 

[Dolly2002]

Meal time is the trickiest time to introduce them. Food brings out the 'survival you're going to take my food and I will die' issues in most. Right after a meal, when everyone is sated might be the best time.

I would go with after feeding as well. They will attack the sick and/or seniors who are around to live even after being together for years. I now have to feed dolly apart from the rest so she can eat.

 

[Kflowers]

I found it helps to overfeed, or at least provide a extra never-empty bowl of dry food, during the introduction process. Yes, some put on a little weight, but there are things -- really there are -- that are more important than a little extra weight. Knowing there is more than enough food for everyone takes some of the primal survival panic away.

Sorry about Dolly. Do they still like her apart from meals?

 

[kobata1928]

Oriana has become tired of being locked in her room, as soon as I open the door she sprints out. Today she came out and Oscar was in the hallway, she walked right up to him and meowed, but he hissed and ran away down the stairs. My 3 cats are so ravenous at meal time i'm considering trying to bring Oriana downstairs during that time, but i'm afraid it might cause Molly to run away rather than eat.

Oriana's attitude has taken a turn for the worse. She is now growling at me when I pick her up. I was almost scared she would bite me today, but she is a sweetheart and didn't. I have no idea what has suddenly caused her aggression.

 

[Dolly2002]

Sounds like she might be going 3 steps back. Call your sister on the phone and have her talk to oriana now would be a worthwhile time to do it. She might be going threw adbament issues. When I was in the hospital for 5 days I had to call home and talk to my cats and dog to calm them down.

 

[kobata1928]

I have put two baby gates on top of each other at the bottom of my upstairs, only when i'm there to make sure no one does anything rash. Oriana just lounges out in my upstairs hallway. Mister hissed at her through the bars yesterday and she just meowed at him. Molly wants to climb the gates to get upstairs and to her favorite napping place in the sun. It seems Oscar and Oriana are the closest to getting along now. I weighed Oriana today at 13.2 pounds, so still overweight but i'm not too worried since i'm still not really counting calories and just want to get her comfortable. I have completely switched her from her old dry food which was 35% carbs, to a high protein dry, but I still hope to completely switch her to wet. Her stomach has not agreed to that lately, even only giving her 1 ounce a day has been to much and she has got sick.

 

[rubysmama]

Seeing each other through the baby gates, should help. Hopefully.

 

[Kflowers]

I'd wait on the diet and maybe the change over in food until you've finished getting everyone together. An unruly stomach tends to make one grumpy. You don't want her to blame Oscar or Molly for feeling bad. Yes, I know, but consider how easily cats do redirected aggression. There must be some survival thing involved in that, but I can't figure it out.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Keep us posted on Oriana's and Oscar's progress. Maybe next will be Mister - seems like Oriana was telling him to 'get over yourself' with a meow response to his hiss!

Has Oriana stopped hissing at you?

I feel sorry for Molly - is there another window that is not upstairs that you could redirect her so she can still nap in the sun?

 

[Dolly2002]

I have a cat who can't eat canned food at all. Every time Jesse eats it he's sick for days. He weighs 18 pounds but he's a big cat... no fat at all.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I have a cat who can't eat canned food at all. Every time Jesse eats it he's sick for days. He weighs 18 pounds but he's a big cat... no fat at all.View attachment 263424

Jesse is very handsome! It's strange about his diet -- I've never known a cat who doesn't eat and love wet foods.

 

[Kflowers]

I had trouble believing it myself, but Sweet Gum, raised from 5 weeks by my hands in my kitchen, ate wet food without much enthusiasm. We thought it was still wanting milk. In our effort to get her to eat, she had a dish of dry food and that was it. From then on she's refused wet food, all of it.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I had trouble believing it myself, but Sweet Gum, raised from 5 weeks by my hands in my kitchen, ate wet food without much enthusiasm. We thought it was still wanting milk. In our effort to get her to eat, she had a dish of dry food and that was it. From then on she's refused wet food, all of it.

I wonder if she'd eat dry mixed into wet? A dear feline friend of mine always had his food that way, and snorked it up.

 

[Kflowers]

I tried it. She buried it. She's 6 and 1/2 now. A younger more adventuresome cat might be tempted. A cat who could eat a chicken based rather than chicken seasoned food... (Just to be clear the little bit of wet food she'd eat, that wasn't chicken did stay down.) Now that we have a dog I supposed I could try some again. I hate to throw out meat, it seems morally wrong.

I know umpteen more years than I want to admit of cats eating wet food morning and night. Then a decade of adding a free feed of dry to the wet morning and night and everyone happy. I feed wet food to be certain everyone in the group was eating every day. You can't always tell that with dry food in one big bowl.

Who would have thought Sweet Gum would throw up chicken based food -- good stuff Dr. Esley's, but can eat food with chicken fat and broth in it but not chicken meal or chicken? She can have 6 pieces of Esley's as treats, but a dish of it is coming back.

A vet told me once, Every time you think you've seen it all with cats, they prove you wrong in 24 hours.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I tried it. She buried it. She's 6 and 1/2 now. A younger more adventuresome cat might be tempted. A cat who could eat a chicken based rather than chicken seasoned food... (Just to be clear the little bit of wet food she'd eat, that wasn't chicken did stay down.) Now that we have a dog I supposed I could try some again. I hate to throw out meat, it seems morally wrong.

I know umpteen more years than I want to admit of cats eating wet food morning and night. Then a decade of adding a free feed of dry to the wet morning and night and everyone happy. I feed wet food to be certain everyone in the group was eating every day. You can't always tell that with dry food in one big bowl.

Who would have thought Sweet Gum would throw up chicken based food -- good stuff Dr. Esley's, but can eat food with chicken fat and broth in it but not chicken meal or chicken? She can have 6 pieces of Esley's as treats, but a dish of it is coming back.

A vet told me once, Every time you think you've seen it all with cats, they prove you wrong in 24 hours.

I guess I must be fortunate. My world was "with cat" since birth, and I really can't recall any big refusals on the part of any of them to any foods I've fed. Of course there are moody times, not feeling well times, etc., occasionally, but total refusal? No.

 

[Kflowers]

Sweet Gum is a single cat, now with dog. The others were in groups starting with about 8 until finally went to one, then just the dog, then none, just the dog and suddenly Sweet Gum because Nature abhors a vacuum.

I firmly believe that competition eating eliminates a lot of pickiness.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Sweet Gum is a single cat, now with dog. The others were in groups starting with about 8 until finally went to one, then just the dog, then none, just the dog and suddenly Sweet Gum because Nature abhors a vacuum.

I firmly believe that competition eating eliminates a lot of pickiness.

Well, from what I've heard, when dogs are involved, food disappears. Even non-food items disappear. Because dogs also ahbor a vacuum.

 

[kobata1928]

Hi. Keep us posted on Oriana's and Oscar's progress. Maybe next will be Mister - seems like Oriana was telling him to 'get over yourself' with a meow response to his hiss!

Has Oriana stopped hissing at you?

I feel sorry for Molly - is there another window that is not upstairs that you could redirect her so she can still nap in the sun?

Yes I have plenty of other windows for Molly to see out of . And yes, oriana is sitting on my lap peacefully as I type this.