Boo Boo is a long haired Manx mix. She is very independent and has been the ruler of the roost for the past 3 years. We did have a dog in the home and they got along perfect and were best pals. However, it was a dog, not another cat.
Our beloved dog had been my best pal for the past 14 years. She developed lymphoma (tumor on the brain) and had to be put down almost two years ago. Since then, our kitty Boo Boo was alone in the home getting all the attention and not having to share her space with any other animal. She was the queen of the kingdom! However, she was lonely when I was away and began to over eat and not get the excersise she needed. The Manx breed came suffer from depression when left alone or seperated from is owner. They can tend to be clingy to their owners, which is a neat thing if you like a devoted and loving cat. Its like having a dog around the house. They are always waiting at the door every day when you arrive from work and want to be part of your life unlike some breeds that are just hanging around because they have no where else to be right then.
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I decided to adopt a new buddy into our tribe to keep her occupied during my absence. I wasn't sure of a kitten or mature cat. Since she is no longer in the "kitten" playing stage, that might not be a good idea and could cause problems if the active kitten wanted to play a little to much. So, I decided to adopt a mature cat who would like to play but not over do it and know when to say "ok, stop!". In this day and age, the local no kill shelters are overflowing with wonderful pets to adopt who are released with a clean bill of health, spay/nuetured, microchipped and current on all shots. Its hard to go wrong with a shelter adoption. Unlike what you get from places like Carigslist where people are only looking to dump animals with agression issues, bad health and who knows what else! That can cost a new owner a lot of money as well as heartbreak if the pet has serious health issues and you are stuck with the issues of putting them down. Not to mension bringing home nasty infections or illness to an existing family pet. Always be safe and learn all you can about your new pet. No matter what, no pet is free! It always costs you something now or later. My last "free" cat cost me over 1500.00 in creeping vet bills over a 1 year period with a upper repsritory infection when I got her, medications, spayed, shots and microchip. Trust me, NOTHING is free! Shelters have already done this work for you. If animals show signs of agression or illness, they are no placed on the adoption lists.
I started my serch by calling my vet and asking them the names of some shelters in our area that they had dealing with and would recommend. I was given phone numbers and web addresses. I started my search and looked at the animals on the wed site to get an idea of what I wanted as well as the cost of the adoption fees. I found that most of the mature cats where at a discounted price because it was harder to place them in a new home. Most people prefer cute little kittens when making selections. I had decided on a mature cat and had a few items that I wanted with my new cat. I would prefer a declawed cat if available, housebroken, microchipped and spay/nuetered. Of course, my cats are indoors only and I didn't want a cat that is a great escape artist each time I open the door. Always shop around for good shelter too. Not all are great and wonderful. Look at the shelters conditions and make sure they are clean and the animals look clean and well taken care off. There should not be offensive odors, the cats and dogs cages or kennels should be clean and they should have plenty of water out for the pets. If its dirty or smelly and the animals conditions look poor, walk away!! Animals kept in poor condition are much more likely to have health issues that you will be paying for in the long run and you can transfer an illness to your resident pets. My husband got a dog once that had a very bad case of kennel caugh. It cost him a lot of money to get that dog well and in the long run it created other health issues for the poor dog. The shelter originally told him the dog looked to be in poor condition because she was stressed and depressed and wasn't eating. The ugly truth was, most of the dogs had kennel cough and the poor thing wasn't eating because she was so sick and dehydrated. He paid 25.00 to adopt her and it cost him 2000.00 with in the first 4 months due to her time in animal hospital to save her life as well as shots, spay and medications. She also had heart worms and he ultimately lost her anyway. Be aware when adopting pets. If a shelter can not produce a clean bill of health from a certified vets office, don't take the pet.
In my search, I found a few possibilites and went to met them. Most shelters will have an area that you can meet the animals and get to know them. This shelter had a "cat" room where they allowed cats to roam free and mingle with other cats of all ages. I liked this idea, I could get a better idea of which cat would get along best with other cats to make sure I had the right fit for my current cat. The shelter had a few cats that fit my preferences perfectly. Previous owners had surrendered perfectly good pets for many reasons being allergies or relocation and these pets needed a new homes. I found two perfect candidates and went home to sleep on it. The next morning I had made up my mind and went back down to visit my first choice again. And, yes, he was the perfect fit! He was 3 years old, declawed, nuetered, current on all shots and microchipped just waiting on a home. He had been there for a few months and the price was reduced. I paid a 50.00 donation and got the healthy cat, all the docs on his shots, nueter and microchip, a pet carrier and a 5lb bag of Science Diet cat food. Also assurance that if something didn't work out with my current cat or if he developed health issues, I could take him back to the shelter for medical attention or a surrender if it got that bad at home and they hated each other. You can't beat that deal!
I bought our new guy home and followed some very good advise. I placed him in a spare bedroom to allow him time to get used to the new place. It is a shock to them! Once he got used to the new room, I took him into the family area and let him wonder for a while and placed him back into the "safe room" where his things were. While he was wondering the family area, I placed our resident cat in his room to check out his smell and start the introduction process. My cat was smelling the stranger and the stranger was smelling the resident cats place. Of course, they sniffed each other under the bedroom door and there were lots of hissing going on, mostly from the resident cat. I chose a very laid back personality for our new cat since my resident cat was posessive, being a typical trait of the Manx personality. I belong to her, not him!
I did this process several times during the day and into the night. After we had dinner, I decided to formally introduce them by opening the door to the new cats room and let him come out when he was ready. It went pretty good. The resident cat was very hissy-spitty towards the new cat but his presonality towards her was great. He just let her hiss and spit and sat in the middle of the room looking at her do her dance. We allowed them to have the great stare down for about 30 minutes since there was no attack. Only the hssy-spitty dancing and a few growls, again, mainly from the resident cat. Then I placed him back in his room for the night with lots of praise on what a good kitty he was before I left the room. Then I spent time trying to calm our resident cat before bed and she relaxed. Then she fell asleep in her usual spot. It was a big day for all of us.
The next morning, I spent time with our resident cat. Then I spent time with the new cat in his room. I then, opened his door and let him come out on his on. The resident cat just sat and watched him on her perch. Once he started wondering around, she went on the defence again with the hissy-spitty stuff. The door to his room is open for him to go in and out then he wants. They seem to get getting along a little better. Our resident isn't showing signs of aggression as bad the second day as she was the first day. But, I'm still on cat patrol and monitoring with a spray bottle of water handy. I will not be leaving them unattended in our home for a week or so until I feel they are more confortable with each other.
If you do have a resident cat that is clingy, make sure you try to find a personality that will match your cats and not just yours or other family members. It's not all about "you" when choosing the right pet. Make sure its as smooth as possible for everyone involved. It will be better for everyone in the home if we all get along!
Good luck with introducing your new pet to his or her new home!
Cheryl, the cat patrol!
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