Cat owners: How long should I give?

[bballmom56]

The shelter also insisted I change the resident cats food to the new cats food and I've been trying that little by little but the resident cat isn't taking well to it and she is not eating as much and puked a couple times. I think this is all very overwhelming for her

Why did the shelter insist on you changing the resident cat's food?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Why did the shelter insist on you changing the resident cat's food?

Because my food is not grain free and they refused to give me the cat unless I agreed to not change over his food and switch hers.

 

[mom2rtk]

Because my food is not grain free and they refused to give me the cat unless I agreed to not change over his food and switch hers.

Wow, they want to dictate what your established cat eats? That would have been a problem for me.

Did you at least ease the other cat into it by mixing the food for a while first? That helps sometimes.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Wow, they want to dictate what your established cat eats? That would have been a problem for me.

Did you at least ease the other cat into it by mixing the food for a while first? That helps sometimes.

Yes but once I got to half and half she stopped liking it and tolerate it.
Yeah I was scared off by it but ultimately decided to do it to get him.
I'm at loss right now.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

We kind of went through the same thing with our kitten (Hei Hei) and older cat (Lucky). We did the "safe room" thing but Lucky wanted nothing to do with him or be anywhere near the room. Hei Hei, on the other hand, is VERY outgoing and adventurous so he wasn't happy. It got to the point where we were fighting with the kitten to keep him in the room in order to keep Lucky comfortable. We kind of just threw our hands up and let Hei Hei out to take his chances. It's been fine. They have little spats here and there but like others have said, they at least coexist. Good luck!

 

[Hikergirl]

Because my food is not grain free and they refused to give me the cat unless I agreed to not change over his food and switch hers.

Our vet said not to feed our cats grain free food. She said new studies are showing that more cats are getting sick from it. I don't know if that is true I haven't read the studies though.

I introduced 2 new cats in to my home back in October. My other cat did not take well to them. She doesn't like them at all, but she does tolerate them and has learned to co-exist with them.
I tried not to disrupt her as much as possible when bringing them in. We kept them in an area where she didn't use, and kept them out of all bedrooms since the other cat spent most of her time in either my dd's or my ds's rooms.
I would have never agreed to changing her food (not saying you were wrong too) because that would have just meant more stress.
I had a vision that she would become this loving and nurturing cat to the new kittens but it never happened. While I wish they were one big happy family I'm just happy there aren't cat fights constantly. I don't see her ever getting along with them, only tolerating them.
I don't think 2 weeks is enough, it took my cat up until around Feb to be able to walk by the other cats without hissing and going in for a swipe. Now she will stay in a room with them, but doesn't like if they come near her, she will go near them but not the other way around.
Give it time, but be prepared for the reality that they may never get along.
I also wouldn't risk my cat's health though, I would let her eat her own food, just keep it separate from the other one. If she continues to be too stressed with the other one there, I would find a new home for that rescue. Good luck.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Our vet said not to feed our cats grain free food. She said new studies are showing that more cats are getting sick from it. I don't know if that is true I haven't read the studies though.

Our vet has said the same thing.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

The shelter said I must bring it back to them so can't find a new home if it doesn't work.
They also told me it's unfair to be in the bathroom and he should be in my room but that isn't an option becaus3 of my resident cat.

 

[mom2rtk]

That's a lot of rigid instructions for adopting a cat. There are SO many cats out there to be rescued. I would have looked elsewhere. We checked on Craig's List and found one that had been abandoned out in a rural area. We felt like it was a real save and we have been able to handle everything without a list of rules.

I assume since the cat was there for a year that it's a "no kill" shelter? That's always an important part of the equation when we adopt.

 

[bballmom56]

Because my food is not grain free and they refused to give me the cat unless I agreed to not change over his food and switch hers.

Wow, yeah, that would have been a problem for me. Actually, we did adopt a cat last year after losing one. I had (still have) a resident cat who is 17 yo. He is doing quite well on grocery store food. New cat came with a "higher quality" food, so I thought, ok, maybe resident cat should try something better than grocery store. I will spring for the additional money. Yet after mixing it slowly, after a couple of weeks, resident cat was now vomiting - something he never did before. Went back to his old food and he was fine. I will not use the "higher quality" food again and new cat has adjusted to resident cat's food just fine.

Just curious - do you know if your new cat received only grain free food in the shelter? I would be surprised if he did, since (as you know) it is pretty expensive and shelters have a lot of other expenses.

Just for the fact that your resident cat has already had a big change in her life, I would go back to the food that works for her. Maybe you can feed him his food separately. Or maybe he will prefer hers......

 

[Hikergirl]

The shelter said I must bring it back to them so can't find a new home if it doesn't work.
They also told me it's unfair to be in the bathroom and he should be in my room but that isn't an option becaus3 of my resident cat.

I understand that since they are responsible for the rescue cat being in your care they feel that that cat should be treated in a certain way, but they seem to disregard your resident cat with their "requests". That is really sad.
I think in your home you need to find a balance that works for both cats until a time when they can get along or co-exist.
There is nothing unfair about a bathroom, it is a room in your home just like a bedroom is. As long as you aren't sticking the cat in there and completely ignoring it, the room they are in doesn't matter.
That is where we kept our kittens when we first got them because our other cat only went in there to drink out of the sink, so she just went in a different bathroom to do that. Now my other cats love our bathroom, I have no privacy in there LOL, they go in the windows, they sleep on the bath mat they lay in the doorway.
It isn't like you will be leaving your rescue in there forever, I wouldn't worry about that request from them. I would also start feeding your cat her food again. I really have a problem with them telling you to change her food. Do they not understand it isn't just a simple thing for a cat?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

That's a lot of rigid instructions for adopting a cat. There are SO many cats out there to be rescued. I would have looked elsewhere. We checked on Craig's List and found one that had been abandoned out in a rural area. We felt like it was a real save and we have been able to handle everything without a list of rules.

I assume since the cat was there for a year that it's a "no kill" shelter? That's always an important part of the equation when we adopt.

Yes it's no kill.
It seemed like they were trying to scare me away but I decided to not let it dter me. Then when I called to ask for advice that is when I was told the bathroom is unfair and maybe I should bring him back.

 

[bballmom56]

I will also add that not all cats need a companion. Many are just happy with their people. Some dogs are the same way. My resident cat would be just fine without another one in the house - he might actually prefer it. But they do coexist. We got the new cat for us, not him, lol.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Years later, my #1 cat still barely tolerates my #2 cat. You know what brought them together more than anything else?

We got a dog.

 

[sonnyjane]

Yes it's no kill.
It seemed like they were trying to scare me away but I decided to not let it dter me. Then when I called to ask for advice that is when I was told the bathroom is unfair and maybe I should bring him back.

I actually agree. I didn’t realize you were keeping the cat in the bathroom, I thought he was just hiding in there... it’s fine for the first couple of days but not for an extended period of time.

 

[mom2rtk]

Years later, my #1 cat still barely tolerates my #2 cat. You know what brought them together more than anything else?

We got a dog.

I think anyone getting a second cat with the expectation that they will be friends with an existing cat has a high likelihood of being disappointed.

We have 3 cats. On a good day they tolerate each other (usually when they are hungry and all hanging around waiting for me to put food down). On a bad day, I break up fights. But in general, they each seem to hang in their preferred zone in the house.

 

[sonnyjane]

Our vet said not to feed our cats grain free food. She said new studies are showing that more cats are getting sick from it. I don't know if that is true I haven't read the studies though.

My vet said it’s kind of like people and gluten. Some people are really gluten-intolerant just like some cats really shouldn’t have grain, but unless your cat has a specific allergy, you don’t need grain-free food. It should be high in protein and not rainbow-colored junk though. If the new cat didn’t have an allergy then definitely they shouldn’t have asked her to switch her original cat’s food unless there’s more to the story.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes it's no kill.
It seemed like they were trying to scare me away but I decided to not let it dter me. Then when I called to ask for advice that is when I was told the bathroom is unfair and maybe I should bring him back.

Then return the cat. It can live in the shelter another year or longer until the "right" family comes along to adopt it.

Then save one from the wild or a shelter where you are saving it from being put down. But do it only if you want a second cat. Don't do it as a companion for your first since that's so hit or miss. And commit to seeing through whatever issues arise.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I actually agree. I didn’t realize you were keeping the cat in the bathroom, I thought he was just hiding in there... it’s fine for the first couple of days but not for an extended period of time.

The door is open most of the day. He choses not to come out

 

[Wendy31]

I think a lot (most?) cats prefer to be solitary cats & have a hard time adjusting to new cats.

We had a cat for over 18 years that most definitely a solitary cat. In her old age, we introduced a puppy which she ignored.

After she passed away, we wanted another cat, & I found a cute little kitten at a rescue. When I asked about adopting her, we were told she was "bonded" w/ her sister, & we'd have to adopt both. So we did.

If these 2 cats are "bonded," I'd hate to see how they'd act if they weren't bonded. They don't sleep together. They don't play together. They do fight each other & can get pretty mean w/ each other.

The only time they "bond" is when they gang up on our dog.

They do share food & water bowls & litter boxes because that's all they've known - but they eat at different times, & one will drink out of the dog's water bowl instead of the cats' water bowl.

They're both very docile w/ humans & have never even attempted to scratch or bite anyone. They co-exist w/ each other just fine, but, in my less than professional opinion, they certainly don't act bonded.