Introducing a New Kitty Into Your Home
Cats are quite a popular addition to a home, and for good reason: they are as lovable as they are intelligent! However, too many cats have ended up in a shelter because of improper adjustment to their new home. A website that I found that has a lot of information on how to deal with various cat behavior problems can be found HERE .
As a responsible kitty parent, here are some tips to make the new kitty feel more at home:
First of all, a cat should always have a companion. If the kitty parent will be home most of the time, then the cat will be fine on its own. However, for those kitty parents that have to be at work most of the day, it’s very important to have a playmate for the cat - get two cats instead of just one to keep each other company while Mom or Dad are away.
If you do plan on getting two cats contingently, make sure they’re the same age. I found this out the hard way. When I got my youngest cat Mozart two years ago, I thought he’d keep himself busy with the two older cats I have. However, since the two older cats are, in fact, so much older, they weren’t really all that interested in playing with him. Thank goodness for my little Yorkie Spunky, because he will play with him!
Of course, I ran into a bit of trouble with dominance on the part of Mozart and my oldest cat, a male named Buster. Buster, then fifteen, had ruled the roost, and now here was a young whippersnapper trying to take over his territory. The result? Many a fight. Mozart didn’t try to challenge Ruby because she’s female. Needless to say, it was quite hectic around my home for a while, trying to break up fights and making sure that poor old Buster didn’t get hurt. I consulted the veterinarian about it, and he said that it is a natural process and to let them duke it out until it really looked like one of them was going to get hurt. Nowadays, there’s still the occasional fight, but everyone’s pretty much accepted everyone else.
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