5/4 Leo + new cat, looking for your integration stories

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Lisa & Leo

Lisa & Leo

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Leo's Last Condo

Happy Caturday All!

We're checking in to say HI! I've been lurking on and off, and miss hanging around in Condos every day. Leo is doing fantastic - all greens since OTJ and loving being home in his house full time. Of course, I miss him terribly during the week, and this week I actually whacked his Turbo Scratcher around so I could hear the noise in my apartment. How sad is that?

Leo misses me during the week too - I come home and he goes crazy for love and play. I started sleeping one night during the weekend in his "old room" and he hops right up to sleep with me. I miss that!

So to our news ... we've decided to get Leo a playmate! Molly is 14 and just wants to lay in the sun, and has been annoyed and frustrated (and sometimes skittish and scared) of this young whipper-snapper, and Leo just wants to play. He zips around the house like a herd of buffalo. You've heard his adventures over time. He stalks Molly and they have hiss-a-fits (well, Molly does the hissing) and Leo is clearly aching for play. So we decided another cat would keep Leo occupied and take the pressure off Molly.

Any advice? I started looking on Pet Finder and many of the ads are out of date, unfortunately. I am hesitant to just show up at a shelter because I might leave with a cat who isn't perfect but who drags at my heart strings.

I'm surfing online trying to figure out the best breed/temperament, and it seems like we should be looking for a female cat who is also ready to play and not shy. Make sense?

Vines to all the kittehs and beans!

Lisa & Leo
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Leo's getting a new girlfriend! ;-)

Younger, I think but not a kitten. I'm thinking that a really young kitten could drive Leo bonkers. :lol: :lol: :lol: Younger, because they have more energy.
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Hi Lisa! ~O) ~O) ~O)

WOO HOO! A new playmate for Leo. How cool is that! Leo, DUDE! You are getting a girlfriend. you are one lucky kitty! I think a young cat would be best too, past the kitten stage? I have no clue on where to look.... all out kitties were rescues, from the local shelter., or strays that adopted us. I hear PetFinder is good too. Oh do keep us posted!!

Enjoy your day today.I am glad all is well with you. I think of you guys often. Leo - keep on truckin' dude.
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Hi Lisa,
I think that's wonderful that you're making room in your hearts for another kitty needing a home. I'm thinking Humane Society, Animal Control, rescue groups. We have so many great rescue groups that post pics online and give a background on them, etc. I think a young kitty past the kitten stage would be great, like 6 months to a year. All the breeds all have rescue groups/sites also.
Leo, glad you're getting a little companion. I'll be over to visit ya soon, k, like this weekend, Mags
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Not sure if this is the kind of suggestion you want, but I know of two kitties in New York City who are in need of a home:

One is a black female, approx 1 year but maybe younger, a former store cat. She's pregnant (near end of term) and currently in a temporary situation. I've promised to take her and the kittens after I return from an upcoming trip, with the plan of keeping her myself after spaying, vetting, etc. and giving the kittens to Bide-A-Wee for adoption. (Hopefully they'll have room.) I'd be happy to place her in another good home, though. Drawbacks are she has to be tested for infections, finish nursing the kittens, and be spayed first.

The second is an orange tabby male just under 4 years old. His owners had a baby who's allergic so the guy gave Tiger to his mother. The mother isn't a cat person, and now she has kidney disease and has just had a transplant and caring for an active cat is hard on her. Since he's male there's a slightly higher chance of conflict/fighting.

Just suggestions since you don't want to go to a shelter. Thing is, it's going to be even harder to pick a kitty over the Internet without meeting it first.
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Lucky Leo! Don't tell my kids - 3 kitties :o ! My girls want more but I'm maxed out with 2.

Glad he's doing so well OTJ cat_pet_icon
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

I am hesitant to just show up at a shelter because I might leave with a cat who isn't perfect but who drags at my heart strings.
Click to expand...
And how would that not be a perfect cat? Any kitty that finds a place in your heart will be perfect (IMHO)!
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Gosh I wish you weren't so far away.
I have a cat here who desperately needs a home and I have been waiting to post to see if anyone would be interested.
He's approximately 4-5 and very gentle.
I would offer to fly him somewhere to get him a good home. He is a real survivor and he has a story if you are interested.
He loves attention but not too much.... He's very content to just be in the room with you.
But Shadow will never except him and I can't do anything to upset her and his being younger than her would upset her dominance of our household.

.http://i1336.photobucket.com/albums/o644/rhiannonandcat/DSC01472_zps8eab16ec.jpg
http://i1336.photobucket.com/albums/o644/rhiannonandcat/DSC01473_zpsd76fd087.jpg
http://i1336.photobucket.com/albums/o644/rhiannonandcat/DSC01476_zpsb698408a.jpg
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Good luck in your search to find a playmate for Leo. That sounds like a good idea to solve the problem of Leo always wanting Molly to play and her not wanting to.
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Hi guys soooooo excited for you! I think you know but I am bringing home a new kitty today (condo to follow). I checked the local petsmart and Internet. There are a ton of kitties on petfinder.com, humane society etc. you will know when you find the right one, once I started looking I got very overwhelmed and sad but you know when the right one comes along. There are too many out there that need homes. Good luck! Can't wait to hear your decision! Happy Caturday!
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

I agree w/ Sienne! The right kitteh will just speak to you, but you have to be open to listen.Emma just showed up one night and wormed her way into my heart! Yes she has some health problems and Tess wants no thing to do w/ her, but we're working it out.

Good luck finding the right little sister! :-D :-D :-D
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Oooooooh Lisa, this is gonna be so much fun! :-D flip_cat

I second what Sienne said. Whatever kitty tugs on your heartstrings, or shoestrings, can't not be perfect!! cat_pet_icon

I can't wait for Michelle to bring her new little pink lovin' guy, home. dancing_cat
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

how old is leo? I would recommend getting someone who is a little younger than Leo and boy or girl, up to you to see who tugs at your heart - talk with Caryl & Alex - she literally just did the same thing - she initially got a 9 month old girl and then realized her energy was too much for Alex, so she got a 6 month boy and those two are now playing well and hard together - and she only introduced the new boy to the others yesterday.

talk with her, she may even be able to suggest where to get someone too that may work for you and isn't too far for you to drive and see.
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Lisa, good to hear from you and that Leo is still his green handsome self. I too think a cat distraction would be good for Leo. And I agree with Sienne. As someone who worked and volunteered at our local shelter, I'm a big fan of getting a slightly older (non kitten) from a shelter. Just go in with a firm set of criteria and don't waiver from that. Don't be swayed into a cat that doesn't meet your criteria, someone else will be meant for that cat.

Cats are usually stressed at a shelter, and the one that's in a corner may still be a great cat but doesn't "market" themselves very well. My civie Theo was at the shelter for 6 years (a couple of failed adoptions in there) but is the most affectionate cat I've ever had. But he was always very shy at the shelter, which is why he was overlooked for so long. Talk to the shelter staff and let them know when you want, they can probably recommend some choices. You have more cat skills than the average adopter.

Another alternative is a local rescue or feral rescue. If you let them know your criteria for a cat, you can do a lot of the "shopping" over the internet, before seeing the cat. That's when it's hard not to fall in love.

Good luck and keep us posted. :-D
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Oh, how fun for you and Leo! Good luck finding his new best furry friend and playmate!
Phyllis >^..^<
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

HI all - thanks your all your suggestions. I agree with the 1-2 year old. Leo is 3 and needs to rough-and-tumble with another cat, so the quiet lap cats will just be more frustration for him I think.

I know, what Sienne said is so true, but then I could come home with a cat that is perfect for me, but not perfect for Molly and Leo. I wish I could see their real personalities instead of stressed cats in cages. That makes me so sad. I went shopping for trail running shoes this morning at EMS and St. Huberts shelter was running an adoption right in front of the store. How's that for a message? Tugged at my heart, but none of the cats fit the bill. One was 14 and just cried for affection. But we may go over to their place later today and check out the bunch of them.

We will keep you posted!
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Well, we just visited St Huberts and didn't find any perfect cats, although several I would adopt under other circumstances. Maybe more tomorrow!
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Woohoo! Some kitty is about to win the lottery! :-D :-D :-D You're an engineer so of course you're worried you'll bring home a cat that isn't a good fit. You will bring home perfect cat, I'm sure. :-D
Liz
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

Hi Lisa,

As Hillary said, after my Jackson died I started trying to get into my Alex's head and did a really bad job. About 3 months after his brother left us I thought he was crying cause he wanted a cat to cuddle with. I felt a kitten would be better than an adult cat because Alex has neuropathy and a kitten wouldn't bully him where an adult cat might try to take advantage of the way he walks. My vet tech is a cat rescue person and she has lots of very healthy year old and older kitties (they live at a vet's office) but I picked the eight month old that I was TOLD was very high energy. I picked her for ME...not Alex. This was not a happy ending. She did not bring out the youngster in Alex and she hurt him every time she pounced on him. I thought about bringing her-Dylan- back but it just is not in me to do that...unless it was stressing Alex out to the point that he was actually getting sick (he has heart issues) and I love her. So I put the gates up and had two cats that weren't terribly unhappy but not really happy either.Not a very good way for either to live. I realized that Alex really only wanted me and Dylan wasn't enjoying being a kitten and I needed to do something and that something was to get another kitten that would distract Dylan from Alex and Alex could hang with me. (don't get me wrong, Alex is SOMETIMES amused by her but he will always want me to hang with, not another cat)
Enter Jake, a 5 month old kitten I found at PetSmart. I'm lucky that I do know a lot of cat rescue people through my ex boyfriend who is my vet as well and therefore I know the people at Pet Smart as well. I just had a feeling about him even though he was sick when I met him. I brought him home two weeks after meeting him (I did see how he interacted with other cats. He loves to play..he just has a food aggression issue cause he was rescued from a hoarder home where there were 80 cats and he was starving). He was isolated for a week due to a URI but with medication and lots of love and TLC he got all better and he was introduced to Dylan and Alex yesterday. He and Dylan have been playing ever since. He almost has too much energy for her. And Alex is peacefully enjoying this. Unfortunately he is not crazy about Jake either because their first meeting was unfortunate. Jake ran out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where Alex was eating and started squealing because of the food and practically jumped into Alex's food bowl. Alex was very startled and looked at me like "Oh no Mommy...another crazy kitten"? Then hissed at him. Jake just walked away and is happy.

I'm good with all of this though. The kittens can now be kittens and if it really bothers Alex I will keep gates up. If he shows any interest, they will come down. That's the good thing about gates. But no one will suffer or be lacking what they need in my home. Alex will never 'like' either Dylan or Jake like he loved Jackson. I realize that now. It's just not going to happen. I'm sure that some senior cats are more accepting but he is not. I work from home and I can do the gate thing and give everyone attention.

But I have learned that you REALLY REALLY need to think about what will work for everyone. I heard but I didn't listen. You don't want anyone to be miserable, including Molly. I think that if you do adopt you need to go with a kitty who is between 2-5 years old who is still playful but who won't make Molly want to pack her bags and leave. (I agree that Leo needs a playmate and when I was looking at PetFinder I saw what you're seeing...a lot of outdated information). You will not know this of course until you actually have this cat home but you should try to adopt a cat that you can get a lot of information about...how he/she interacts with others; background; etc. And yes, some of the young adults especially act totally different in a a cage than they do when you get them home. They act stressed in the cage but are wonderful when they get into a home situation.

If you are willing to come to Northern NJ my vet tech still has a lot of these YOUNG adult healthy male cats, female cats too and she can tell you all about them. Seriously.

This is just my opinion, but bringing in a new cat with a senior cat is really a case of ECID :D

Good Luck! I'm sure you will make a good decision whatever you do!
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

I hope you find the perfect baby.

Since everyone is telling their stories....I will tell you a quick one of Gracie and Tobey.

Gracie was best friends with our Max....he was ten years older than her. When he crossed at 13, she was 3 and a rambunctious young girl. Teddi and Gus were much, much older. I decided Gracie needed a pal to grow up with. So began the search of Scottish Fold breeders because the one where we got Teddi, Gus, and Max had quit breeding and Gracie's breeder was in Canada and I just didn't want to make that trip again.....and they didn't have any kittens that really tugged at my heart strings. I contacted one of the top SF breeders and told her what I was looking for and when she had a litter with kittens that "fit the bill', then we had to wait until their ears folded or not (I wanted a straight ear). I saw Tobey's picture at 2 weeks and fell in love and his ears didn't fold. :-D :-D I got him when he was 13 weeks and Gracie HATED him :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Gus was ambivalent....Teddi set it straight that she was in charge. It took a couple months and then Gracie and Tobey started really interacting ALOT. They became fast and best friends. I think it helps that he has such a mellow personality....he's a wild man and he likes to play but he doesn't play as rough as she does and yet he tolerates it. Neither ever bite or scratch each other....they just wrassle. It's been perfect and he is such a love bug.

Good luck!!!
 
Re: 5/4 Leo checking in, getting a new playmate

HI All again -

Thank you for sharing your personal stories - they are helping me see how my "idea thoughts" may or may not be realistic. Please do keep sending them. I will respond to each of you after our crazy day, but thank you so much Camile, Rhiannon, Wendy, Caryn, and Marje. I am taking in your experiences as I search - these are very helpful.

More stories and experiences?

Thank you all! Today is my birthday and this is my present to Molly and Leo. Maybe today will be the day, but Lisa, don't rush it!!!
 
Happy Birthday Lisa !!!

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Lisa, you are so wonderful to be thinking about getting a new kitty. Yay!! I am in the midst of doing the same thing. Simon is so lonely without his Cleo (GA). I found a stray black kitty in my back yard and got him neutered and tested and given shots with the hopes that maybe it would work out in my home. Unfortunately, all he did was make Simon stressed because he was young (1 year) and just wanted to jump all over Simon (16 years). I found a great home for the new kitty with someone at work and her cat and the new one get along great due to the same energy level. I am now going to adopt a shelter kitty from a no-kill cat shelter. I think Missy will be a better fit cause she is 9 years old and not very active. Plus, I think Simon does better with a female. He was threatened by another male.

You will find the perfect kitty, even though it might not be so perfect in the beginning. I definitely think a young cat but not a kitten. And maybe a female. You will know when you have found the right cat -- you will feel it in your heart.
 
Happy Birthday!

My main thought is that, no matter what kitty you find (or finds you :-D !), remember to go very slowly with the introductions, and remember it can take a while for the bonds to form. Years ago, when we lost our Mr Kitty, we looked for some kittens, because Mario (who was 8 at the time) was lonely. Initially, he was really confused and not pleased at all. It literally took him about 6 months to adjust to the kittens, but once he did, he loved them with all his heart. They kept him young and feisty and playful until he crossed the bridge last Christmas at 17 years old. And until we fell everyone was secure - kittens and Mario alike - they were never left alone unsupervised.

It was very tiring, but I am glad we took our time with the transition. I know people who have rushed it because they thought it was too much hassle to go slow, and that the cats would "just work it out" on their own. Most of them have ended up with years of stress, illness, inappropriate elimination, etc. A few months of "hassle" is worth years of bliss!
 
I would highly recommend a book by Pam Johnson-Bennett, Think Like A Cat. She's a cat behaviorist. I linked her website so you can get a feel for how she thinks. I found the information very help when Gizmo came home.

I know people like to hear my Giz and Gab stories. Gabby is sufficiently mellow that she'll tolerate a lot. To be honest, like Caryl found, Gizmo could probably use having a kitten in the house. Gabby is 9 years Gizmo's senior and she was never a terribly active cat. Gizmo is the kitty equivalent of the Energizer bunny. He's a purebred and grew up with his own and another litter of kittens. When we met, there were 9 other kittens living in the breeder's bedroom (they hadn't yet been integrated with the 17 cats in the house yet.) He was used to having playmates. Naturally, he treated Gabby the way he treated his siblings. He will still jump on her back thinking he has the equipment to do something about it! He pesters her to the point that she's hissing. They do swat at each other but it's never with open claws. It's largely a dominance issue and one that results because Gizmo wants to play. Keep in mind, though, that I do find that Gabby will initiate and wash Gizmo's face. (Gizmo would give Gabby a bath from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail if she'd let him.) Gizmo unquestionably adores Gabby. (A sidebar: When Gabby was diagnosed with FD, she spent 3 days at the vetty ICU. When she came home -- Gizmo was about 6 mos. old and had been here about 2 mos. -- Gizmo was literally turning somersaults because he was so happy to see her. If a kitten could say, "You're home! You're home! You're home. I missed you! I missed you! I missed you!" he did.) They have different personalities. Gabby loves me and tolerates anyone else (people included) whereas Gizmo loves everyone.
 
Depending on where you adopt from, find out if they will let you "test drive" the new cat for a few weeks before committing 100%. You may find that the cat may/may not be the right match. May/may not like Leo and vice versa and knowing that if you needed to you could give back could be helpful and less stressful on you. Yes, I know you will feel guilty about it, but you need to do what is right for the good of everyone.
 
Happy Birthday Lisa!

Last weekend was mine and Jake was my birthday present to all of us as well. As I also said, you really should try to match personalities to Leo's as Molly will probably have little to nothing to do with either. I just gave breakfast to my crew feeding the kittens separately of course and Jake was finished with his before Dylan had eaten a fourth of hers. She really is not a frantic eater and walked away. Jake who is still fearful of where his next meal is coming from, finished her food as well. She came back and looked at it ...and me and they just started playing. She knows she'll get more food. I am so pleased with the match. Not with the isolation issues but it is what it is. If you look further at adoption websites you'll see that most will not adopt out single kittens or young playful cats unless you have another similar aged cat at home. It didn't used to be that way but I totally understand why now.

Good luck!
 
Happy Birthday Lisa :-D I'm so happy to hear that you are getting Leo a new playmate, yippee! I know you'll find the perfect kitteh.

My story... Zeus picked me at the shelter. They said he was 2 but he was really 3, and was very tiny. He came right up to me and rubbed on my legs, I fell in love, but couldn't take him home because I was going out of town for work. I thought about him all week while i was away. i kept checking the shelter's website to see if he was still there. Luckily he was still there a week later and I took him home. A year later, I was buying my Aunts house and inheriting her 14 year old female cat - Smokey. Zeus wanted to play, but Smokey did not, and she let us both know it. She hissed and growled and would run away from both of us. Since it was a family sale, I was able to keep the apartment and move into the house at the same time. So we all slept in the house at night and worked on being friends, and then I'd drop Zeus off at the apartment in the morning on my way to work. Why you ask? This is a really old house, and none of the bedroom doors close all the way so there wasn't a way to separate the cats during the day and I didn't want Smokey to beat up on Zeus. Zeus was bigger than Smokey, but he is so mellow and laid back... She is the boss for sure. Smokey finally stopped growling and hissing, but she would make him get off the furniture, or chase him away if someone was paying attention to him and not her. She still gets jealous, but After a couple of years, they sit on the same piece of furniture together and they like to chase each other from room to room. They swat at each other but never with claws out.

Good luck with your search. You'll know when you find the right kitty.

Kathie
 
Wow - thank you all for the stories! I will have to re-read them, especially the parts about introductions. It is so interesting and fun to hear how kittehs came into our lives!

We have news .... we have a kitty! We just got home and put him in a spare room with LB and food and scratching post and letting him settle down. He found us at the shelter and he separately caught me and DH's eye :-) He is 8 months old and reminds us so much of Leo. I will post pictures and the whole story probably tomorrow, but another kitteh found a Forever Home today!
 
Yeah, new kitty for Lisa and Leo! We'll be waiting for the pictures, story and name of the new kitty. Staying tuned for tomorrow's update.
 
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What a great birthday present! Paws crossed for a good introduction.

When Emma adopted us i didn't have much say in the matter. I came home one night and there she was. And here she stayed. :lol: :lol: Tess still isn't impressed and because of Emma's health problems I've gone really slowly. Emma is in the laundry room in the garage (heated of course) at night with a few visits and spend a good part of the day outside w/ me. Out house is small and too open to be able to separate them, except the bathroom which is too small for a litter box! We've been feeding Emma outside the kitchen door. Tess watches w/ a few hisses, but not too upset. I've brought Emma into the house and let her wander while i sat holding Tess. Hopefully soo Tess will settle down, but she has been an only cat for 12 years.

I know that having Emma outside even if I'm out there isn't the best thing, but she is miserable alone and I just can't spend all day in the laundry room. :lol: :lol: We're making plans to totally enclose the patio, but it would need a roof too. Emma has already made her way up the pergola and onto the garage roof!
 
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