Two ' s company: Slow introductions make for happy cat couples

I don't understand it myself, but this week's Pet Connection newspaper feature says it, so it must be true: Most people who have dogs have only one dog. Cat lovers, on the other hand, tend to have multiple feline family members.

But in a lot of those multi-feline families, relations between cats are a bit strained. And when cats aren’t happy, nobody’s happy. The noise of cats grumbling threats at each other or engaging in frequent rumbles can get on one’s nerves and even mean trips to the veterinarian. And the litter-box problems that can be a part of such turf wars can turn an entire house into a toilet.



Living with more than one cat doesn’t have to be so contentious. The trick to domestic harmony for cohabiting felines is to introduce—or reintroduce—them slowly and carefully.

Gina and Dr. Marty Becker go on to explain just how that's best done, and other tips for getting your cats to live together in harmony if possible, and to benignly co-exist at worst.



Got ferrets? Dr Becker says to be sure to take their lumps and bumps seriously:

Lumps and bumps are common on ferrets as they age, but their presence should never be taken for granted. A ferret with a skin mass of any kind needs to see a veterinarian promptly to have the mass evaluated and possibly removed.



[....]



Because lumps in ferrets are often cancerous, the veterinarian will probably recommend that any mass that looks suspicious be removed while the animal is under anesthesia. The mass will then be sent to a pathologist for further identification to help identify proper follow-up treatment.

Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon share some good news about a new pain medication for dogs that may last as long as 21 days; the American Veterinary Medical Association has revamped its free Web site’s section on first-aid tips for pet owners; when it comes to cat litter boxes, more is more; and find out what Susan Tripp, MS, and Rolan Tripp  DVM suggest for this dog owner:

I have a 2-year-old Chihuahua. I recently went away for eight months and had him looked after by my parents. My parents are too easy on him, and he seems to like them more.



He doesn’t want me going near him. And when I try to stroke him, he growls and shows his teeth and tries to go for me. At first, when he became angry he would get over it within a few minutes and give me a cuddle as an apology, but not anymore. I try to play with him using his toys, but he goes all stiff. I try to give him his treat to like me again and he’ll take it from me nicely, but then he doesn’t want to know me afterward and starts growling.

All this and more, in our Pet Connection newspaper feature, which you can read right here.



You can also see it exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers here. (PDF)

Comments

[Steve]

retrieverman good point but every situation is unique.



One cat we had didn't like cats but was fascinated with dogs. She wasn't the least bit intimidated by them.

[retrieverman]

I find that very ironic, considering most dogs would be better off with companions and about half of the cats I know would be better off on their own.

[Nicole]

Five months ago, I had a two year old princess, this is my kingdom, female cat and a dog. Then one day outside my house I came upon an abandoned male cat pet. I say he was a pet because he was so friendly and already neutered. He was very hurt, had every parasite and he was near death in starvation. Yet, he was still one of the friendliest cats I have ever met, even in that awful condition. Anyway, to make a long story short I took him to the vet, got him all fixed up and made him a part of our family.



I followed the instructions for introducing cats to the letter. He stayed in a room with the door closed for a bit, then we built a screen for the door and opened the door a bit and then further opened it and on and on. After a few weeks with everyone sleeping next to the screen on opposite sides, I allowed a brief in person hello. Fast forward to now, five months later, and my two cats are best friends. They play and wrestle and eat and hang out together and it is more than I could ever have wished for. My dog also loves the new cat and vice versa.



I really think the slow introduction can make the difference between cats that just tolerate each other and cats that really like each other. Because when you rush and if things go bad, sometimes you can't recover from that. My female hissed and growled her brains out when I first opened the door with the screen in place. Imagine if I let the new cat out at that time and said work it out. It would have been a disaster and they may have never liked each other. I have perfect harmony and I love that.

[Steve]

Animals, especially felines who are ultra sensitive to "vibrations" are a reflection of their owners, guardians, parents whatever nomenclature you prefer.



If the animals are engaging in chaos or weird off beat behavior I learned to go and look at myself in the mirror. ("Oh my I do look like a freaking nervous wreck today don't I")



It's a hard truth to swallow.



Cats are also the ultimate enemy of the state because they won't submit to authority.



Forget "training cats" it's not going to happen. They let you think you have yourself convinced your training them. That's about it.



LOL

[Gina Spadafori]

Too true. And I've been amazed at how cleverly and throroughly my cats have trained ME.

[Steve]

Well what counts is we all carry each other through the good times and bad times. That's whats amazing out our pets. I never stop marveling about how amazing it is that our pets become so close and trusting and such devoted and unselfishly loyal friends.