Hey guys!
Just thought I'd stop by and see about getting a second opinion as I'm considering letting my new kitten and older cat hang out together tomorrow while I'm at work.
Older Cat
I got Tiger yesterday morning and have had him hanging out in the cabin freely with me and my almost 2 year old female cat. I've had Ivy, the older cat, since she was about 7 months old and between that time to now, I have tried to have 2 other cats with her. However, it did not work out as they were too calm and timid in nature so it would end up that Ivy would bully them so that they'd hide in a corner of the room and not come out unless she was in a different room. Both of these other cats were between the ages of 6 months - 5 years old.
The other reason for the bullying behavior, I believe, is because Ivy is also rather possessive of me. She honestly chose me more than I chose her when I was at the SPCA to get a cat. She spent the first few months of her life living on the streets, so due to this, she tends to play a bit rough too, and will use claws, making her not good to be with kids. While she doesn't mean to hurt you, she just doesn't understand how to not use claws when playing. And with the other cats I tried having, both were meek, calm, and a bit more on the timid side, while Ivy is more bold, energetic, very playful, and semi dominant. So the personality matchup wasn't great.
Tiger (kitten)
The reason why I chose to get Tiger, is because when i met him (basically the day he was born), I just got a feeling about him. I've learnt to listen to my gut, as it's helped me get some pets in my life over the last year or two that have really changed my life in a positive way.
As the weeks have gone by, I've been able to visit Tiger and see him grow up. He's the smartest of his siblings, being the first one to figure out how to get out of every box they've been put in. He's bold and fearless since as soon as you took him away from his mom and siblings and put him on the ground, he immediately started running around and exploring. He was also trying to do sneak attacks on his siblings before he'd learnt how to walk properly lol. He was also the first one to start hissing and growling at people when mom was gone for a bit. So due to his big personality, I started to think he really could be a good match for Ivy as a playmate.
Last Two days.
I brought Tiger home early yesterday morning. I know Ivy quite well and she doesn't run up to attack new cats. So I set Tiger in front of me for Ivy to see. She immediately hissed and growled, and Tiger started to run towards her as though she was offering him some sort of treat lol. Ivy actually ran away and growled some more.
But since then, they've started to sniff each other and Ivy is slowly warming up to him. I had a plan for how I was going to introduce them more slowly, but Ivy was reacting better to him than the other two in the past, so I decided to just let the two run around and I'd keep an eye on them.
Tiger repeatedly ran over to Ivy, despite her hissing at him. He was never scared and Ivy never bristled or did any intimidating tactics. It was more like she was just confused at seeing such a tiny creature lol. I've seen Ivy actually bat at him a few times today, and I was pleasantly surprised to see no claws. In fact, they've even started to play together. I've spent many moments today laughing at how funny it looks to see my cat, who's at least 3 times his size, go racing to the other side of the cabin with little Tiger running after her with a fluffed up tail. Then, after she flops over and he semi pounces, the roles reverse and he takes off with her running after him. I've also caught him coming up from behind, jumping near her, spitting/hissing at her, and then racing off before she can do anything.
Through all of this, Ivy has not once bristled, used claws, or done anything "mean/dangerous" towards little Tiger. She actually seems to be starting to enjoy his company. She's even cleaned up after him. He used the litter box, but didn't cover up his mess when he was done, so Ivy went along and burried it for him before continuing on (she's a neat freak when it comes to covering up her business and her food due to when she lived on the streets). Caught them semi sleeping together too once. She's overall, been much more accepting of this guy than the other cats in the past.
So I was just wondering what you guys thought about this, if you think it'd be safe enough to leave them together while I go to work tomorrow since they're doing so well. I'm thinking it'd be fine, as there are perches where Ivy is able to go to get away from Tiger when she needs her space, so she isn't forced to deal with him constantly either. But I'd love to hear other opinions too.
And here are some pics of Tiger and Ivy.
In this last pic, Ivy's paw was actually resting against his head which is pretty much the most contact they've had yet.
Just thought I'd stop by and see about getting a second opinion as I'm considering letting my new kitten and older cat hang out together tomorrow while I'm at work.
Older Cat
I got Tiger yesterday morning and have had him hanging out in the cabin freely with me and my almost 2 year old female cat. I've had Ivy, the older cat, since she was about 7 months old and between that time to now, I have tried to have 2 other cats with her. However, it did not work out as they were too calm and timid in nature so it would end up that Ivy would bully them so that they'd hide in a corner of the room and not come out unless she was in a different room. Both of these other cats were between the ages of 6 months - 5 years old.
The other reason for the bullying behavior, I believe, is because Ivy is also rather possessive of me. She honestly chose me more than I chose her when I was at the SPCA to get a cat. She spent the first few months of her life living on the streets, so due to this, she tends to play a bit rough too, and will use claws, making her not good to be with kids. While she doesn't mean to hurt you, she just doesn't understand how to not use claws when playing. And with the other cats I tried having, both were meek, calm, and a bit more on the timid side, while Ivy is more bold, energetic, very playful, and semi dominant. So the personality matchup wasn't great.
Tiger (kitten)
The reason why I chose to get Tiger, is because when i met him (basically the day he was born), I just got a feeling about him. I've learnt to listen to my gut, as it's helped me get some pets in my life over the last year or two that have really changed my life in a positive way.
As the weeks have gone by, I've been able to visit Tiger and see him grow up. He's the smartest of his siblings, being the first one to figure out how to get out of every box they've been put in. He's bold and fearless since as soon as you took him away from his mom and siblings and put him on the ground, he immediately started running around and exploring. He was also trying to do sneak attacks on his siblings before he'd learnt how to walk properly lol. He was also the first one to start hissing and growling at people when mom was gone for a bit. So due to his big personality, I started to think he really could be a good match for Ivy as a playmate.
Last Two days.
I brought Tiger home early yesterday morning. I know Ivy quite well and she doesn't run up to attack new cats. So I set Tiger in front of me for Ivy to see. She immediately hissed and growled, and Tiger started to run towards her as though she was offering him some sort of treat lol. Ivy actually ran away and growled some more.
But since then, they've started to sniff each other and Ivy is slowly warming up to him. I had a plan for how I was going to introduce them more slowly, but Ivy was reacting better to him than the other two in the past, so I decided to just let the two run around and I'd keep an eye on them.
Tiger repeatedly ran over to Ivy, despite her hissing at him. He was never scared and Ivy never bristled or did any intimidating tactics. It was more like she was just confused at seeing such a tiny creature lol. I've seen Ivy actually bat at him a few times today, and I was pleasantly surprised to see no claws. In fact, they've even started to play together. I've spent many moments today laughing at how funny it looks to see my cat, who's at least 3 times his size, go racing to the other side of the cabin with little Tiger running after her with a fluffed up tail. Then, after she flops over and he semi pounces, the roles reverse and he takes off with her running after him. I've also caught him coming up from behind, jumping near her, spitting/hissing at her, and then racing off before she can do anything.
Through all of this, Ivy has not once bristled, used claws, or done anything "mean/dangerous" towards little Tiger. She actually seems to be starting to enjoy his company. She's even cleaned up after him. He used the litter box, but didn't cover up his mess when he was done, so Ivy went along and burried it for him before continuing on (she's a neat freak when it comes to covering up her business and her food due to when she lived on the streets). Caught them semi sleeping together too once. She's overall, been much more accepting of this guy than the other cats in the past.
So I was just wondering what you guys thought about this, if you think it'd be safe enough to leave them together while I go to work tomorrow since they're doing so well. I'm thinking it'd be fine, as there are perches where Ivy is able to go to get away from Tiger when she needs her space, so she isn't forced to deal with him constantly either. But I'd love to hear other opinions too.
And here are some pics of Tiger and Ivy.
In this last pic, Ivy's paw was actually resting against his head which is pretty much the most contact they've had yet.
