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Can't we all just get along?
Filed under: Big Kids, Activities: Babies
I never intended for this to happen, but pets now outnumber people in my house. It started out sensibly enough. About a year before I met my husband, I found myself suddenly and sadly without a cat for the first time in my life. After an appropriate grieving period for my beloved Howie, I got a feisty little kitten I named Rusty. Well, Rusty needed a friend, so about a year later, I rescued Bonita from the cat shelter and brought her into the family. Fast forward to last year, when I decided Ellie needed a pet she wasn't allergic to. Enter Daisy, the crazy Bichon Frisé puppy. It took a little while, but eventually Daisy realized the cats weren't interested in being her friend and they mostly ignore each other now.
And then came Annie. The tiny, abandoned kitten, found wandering lost and alone in a field near my house. How could I not? I did and that is when I upset the delicate balance of the pet universe. Daisy likes Annie very much and the two of them are best buds. Rusty, secure in his position as Number One Cat, pretty much ignores Annie. But Bonita wants Annie dead and is determined to do the job herself. She has made several attempts to literally rip the guts out this poor little kitten, stopping only when I intervened. Bonita is now banned from the house and spends her days giving Annie the evil eye though the window.
I am holding out hope that when Annie gets a little bigger, she and Bonita will work it out and one of them will emerge as the top cat. But my husband thinks they will always fight and one or both will get hurt. He wants me to find another home for Bonita, but Ellie says that would be like giving away a member of the family. And I agree. I don't want either one to suffer, but isn't it possible that time will fix this problem?
And then came Annie. The tiny, abandoned kitten, found wandering lost and alone in a field near my house. How could I not? I did and that is when I upset the delicate balance of the pet universe. Daisy likes Annie very much and the two of them are best buds. Rusty, secure in his position as Number One Cat, pretty much ignores Annie. But Bonita wants Annie dead and is determined to do the job herself. She has made several attempts to literally rip the guts out this poor little kitten, stopping only when I intervened. Bonita is now banned from the house and spends her days giving Annie the evil eye though the window.
I am holding out hope that when Annie gets a little bigger, she and Bonita will work it out and one of them will emerge as the top cat. But my husband thinks they will always fight and one or both will get hurt. He wants me to find another home for Bonita, but Ellie says that would be like giving away a member of the family. And I agree. I don't want either one to suffer, but isn't it possible that time will fix this problem?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-21-2007 @ 10:25AM
sarah said...Coming from a house where the cats outnumber the people.... I would say that Bonita will PROBABLY get over it and once Annie is a little bigger she will either fend for herself, or set Bonita on her rear. ;-) They will work it out as to who is Cat #2 and who is Cat #3, and will learn to avoid each other/coexist as best they can. At least that's how it's always been every time a cat got added to our house...
..For what it's worth.
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8-21-2007 @ 11:03AM
Joy said...I was laughing reading this article. It sounds like my house as I sit here with 4 cats and 2 dogs at my feet. I'm glad I'm not the only one who cant' resist "adding one more" to the family. I agree with Sarah, above. They will learn to live together given time. I had to keep putting one cat outside as she was to "bossy" to the others but it has worked itself out. Keep it up. Glad to know there are others out there like me.
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8-21-2007 @ 11:25AM
Amanda said...try getting several litter boxes and putting them in different rooms, that way each cat can sort of 'claim' a room for themselves. maybe then they won't feel like they are competing for the alpha position
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8-21-2007 @ 2:45PM
nicolebarber said...Every time I say honey it's time for another baby he brings me a new cat except the last time a week ago he brought me him a puppy something I can take care of constantly. But we do have the same war Sammy is our alpha male cat the boss, Jo our ally cat we saved from outside and now Oscar the dog.
At first Oscar thought he was a cat until Sammy set him straight, Also Sammy does some major things to Oscar, such as having the dog chase his tail and will jump on the couch with Oscar running behind him bumping into the couch because he can't jump yet, spills the water or food so Oscar can't eat, and keeps the other cat from playing with him. He did the same with Jo so it's kind of letting them know who's boss and welcome..
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9-03-2007 @ 1:05AM
DaMoKi Bob said...I am sorry I didn't see this before. I have seven (7) cats. I love cats. They all don't get along, but things always seem to calm down after the introduction of someone new. Butters and Gracy are the new ones (catch an release strays) and they hiss and get into tiffs, but no real damage.
Here is what I do and it seems to work. I put the new one in a room by itself with the door closed for about five days (after getting them tested and neutered). There is a lot of smelling at the bottom of the door. After 5 days I open the door and put a screen door (just a frame with screening). Keep the nails trimmed if possible because they will get hung up in the screen a little. Please don't have them de-clawed; if for some reason they get out of the house, they are basicially defenseless, also, if they are climbing, they will not be able to "grip" for support or stability. If you don't know about how to do it, have your vet show you, it is easy. Anyway, with the screen in place, all the cats can look at each other, smell each other and hiss if they want. The idea is to allow the time for getting acquainted without the physical threats. After a few days, a limited trip out with the other cats is allowed, and for three to four days the trips are extended. Finally, I simply remove the screen and let things progress. Seems to work pretty well.
With your kitten, you might wnat to isolate the attaching cat or give it short 'time outs' for a few days rather than putting it outside. Who knows, it might work.
Good luck!
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