New Member

Posts: 2
From:bradford, ma usa
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 03-06-2004 01:17 PM         

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I have a 12 year old cat who is my baby. We recently moved to a place of our own, where previously he had another cat with him all day.

My cat, Max, always played the submissive role...never was aggressive at all.

Since we've moved he's become destructive and a just plain P.I.T.A!!! I figured he needed a companion during the day so I went and got another cat.

This cat, Kenyy, was very carefully chosen. He is very laid back and affectionate, much like my Max so I figured GREAT!!

Ya, NOT!! Not only does Max not like the new cat, he doesn't like ME!!! He sniffs my hand and if he smells Kenny, he'll hiss and growl at me. This is the cat who normally puts his paws on my shoulders and nuzzles his head into my neck. Now he won't come near me!!!

Anyone have a similar experience? Will Max get over himself or is he too much a "mommy's boy" to ever accept another one in our home???

I hate to bring poor Kenny back but I have to think of my Max first...and he aint a happy little camper right now!

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Member

Posts: 84
From:Ontario Canada
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-06-2004 02:18 PM         

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quote:

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We recently moved to a place of our own, where previously he had another cat with him all day.

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Does this mean that your 12 y.o. had another cat with him, not the new cat?
I have a similar situation with my 12 y.o. girl Bonnie. Her buddy died and we got a 2 y.o. to keep her company. That was 4 months ago and she still hates him. We also got a kitten a couple of months ago and Bonnie loves her. I think a big factor is the age and aggression level of the new guy. How old is the new guy? Make sure your 12 y.o. knows that he is the boss and introduce the new guy slowly. Feeding them at the same time can help to associate good things with the new one. Good luck.

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New Member

Posts: 2
From:bradford, ma usa
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 03-06-2004 02:30 PM         

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Max had another cat around the same age, but Max was brought in after the cat was already there...so Simba ruled the roost. Max was definately the "slave" in that relationship.
Max desperately tried to cuddle up with Simba, but Simba would just swat him away or chase him.

I figured since Max liked to cuddle so much, he'd like another cat who was similar. Kenny is 2 yo and immediately went up to max, in a very non threatening way but Max went ballistic!!

I was kinda expecting Max to be standoffish with the new cat but his reaction to ME is what is getting me!

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Member

Posts: 84
From:Ontario Canada
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-06-2004 05:22 PM         

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I imagine Max is jealous, so you have to make sure to make a lot of fuss over him. He is probably redirecting his aggressive or fearful feelings towards the new guy at you. Bonnie freaked out when I brought in the new guy, even though he was a gentle cat. I think she saw the younger, bigger cat as a threat. As for the smell of the new cat, I found that a few drops of vanilla on the back of the neck of each cat worked well when I was introducing the new kitten as it makes them all smell the same. There are several good sites on cat introductions, such as
http://www.catsontheweb.org/cat-introductions.htm

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