Is she overdoing it?

[Maggie]

Hello! About 3 weeks ago my boyfriend and I rescued an eight week old kitten from the street. We took her to the vet the following day and found out she is just fine, albeit flea ridden. She had evidentally not been taken care of for some time, as she had some old wounds. Everythng has been going very well since, other than her being VERY playful. She loves to attack feet, hands, etc., but also must have the last word if disciplined My boyfriend has had cats in the past and mentioned that it would be a good idea to get another kitten, so that 'CJ' would have a friend to play with and bond with during the time we are both at work. I too thought this would be a great idea. We went to the Humane Society in our area, and found a male kitten that we both fell in love with. I brought him home yesterday and introduced them......WOW! Rusty explored the new place and was sniffing around, while CJ was prowling behind him, growling and hissing the entire time. I let them be in the same room for a few minutes and then seperated them for a little bit. When they got back together again, it was the same thing but worse. CJ started chasing him around, cornering him in all kinds of tight spaces and swatting at him...not letting him escape. They actually started getting loud and latching on to each othr and kicking! (On a side note, Rusty is about 2 weeks younger and has just been neutered by the human society) This behaviour did not let up all night, so my boyfreind seperated the two for the night. This morning before work when they were with each other again, it was the same thing....CJ is a big bully! I understand that they need to sort out who is the dominant one, but I'm afraid that CJ's behaviour is a little too much? What do you think?

Thank you very much. Maggie

[kate & kobi]

Congratulations on your new additions!!

It would be a good idea to start over with the introductions, and take it much more slowly. It usually works best if you separate two cats entirely at first. Here are a couple of sites that I used as a guide when introducing my new cat (as of two weeks ago) to my resident cat:
http://www.catcaresociety.org/intro.htm
http://www.methuen-mspca.org/petcare/htm/catintro.htm

Debbie also has a bunch of links under "Debbie's Feline Health" at the left hand side of the board on how to do this - it's under Introductions, on this page: http://www.geocities.com/debbielinklett ... inks3.html.

You'll get a feel for how well they're interacting and you can adjust the timetable. They might accept each other after a few days, but it will probably take several weeks to even months before they're fully comfortable with each other. It's a balance - CJ needs to feel that she's not being replaced as your Number One cat, while Rusty needs to feel comfortable and at home with you, too.

Take it slow, and they'll be fine! Let us know how it's going.

[Susan and the girls]

I agree with Kate (and Kobi) - sometimes the introductions have to be taken really slowly.

In the past, when I've introduced new members into the house, I've seen the most success when I keep the new one entirely separated (in a different room) for a couple of days, and allow the original one to sniff at her under the door. Then I let them sorta "watch" each other in the same room, under strict supervision.

I'm glad they're both still small kittens. I predict that in about two to three weeks, you'll probably look back on this and think, "How could I have ever worried about this?" They'll be grooming each other, sleeping all cuddled up, and play-wrestling before you know it.

Keep us posted on how they're doing!

[Traci]

My concern is have you taken Rusty to your vet yet? You should NEVER introduce kittens or cats who have not yet recieved a health exam by your vet, dewormed, tested for FELV/FIV, vaccinated where necessary. Seperation of newly adopted cats/kittens is paramount until your vet gives them a clean bill of health.

Don't delay, get him examined TOMORROW.