I want another baby

[LadyVictorian]

Baby kitty that is :D

Been thinking about it and since we are moving soon and to a new place THAT ALLOWS PETS (YAY!!!!!!) I am taking my baby girl Raven back from my parents (MAMA'S COMING SWEETHEART >.<) and after some thought since we are going to rent a house I was thinking of getting a baby kitty from the shelter to come live with us and so Raven can have a little sibling. Plus the only thing better than snuggling one kitty at night is snuggling two (hugs pillow and cries from lack of cat hugging at night). HOWEVER...and I say this with slight pride...my cat is a spoiled rotten princess and has been an only child her whole life. She's five years old now and I rescued her myself off the streets when I worked with my shelter and took her home rather than to the shelter because it was love at first chirp (she can't meow because her vocal cords were damaged so she chirps like a bird instead). Raven has lived with other cats but they have all been older cats. Currently she last lived with my parents cat, a 15 year old Tabby who now lives with my grandma. She has also met my grandma's cat when he was a kitten and DIDN'T like him at all. Sooooo here is the question. How would I go about socializing her with a new kitten? I would like for her to bond with her sibling a little so they do not just co exist but they can actually keep each other company while I'm gone (mostly on tour) and won't be so lonely without me being home. Raven had lives with the cat who helped me foster her when she was a kitten (she was too young to be away from her mother when I got her but her mother had died on the road and her siblings had either been killed by the barnyard dog or were eaten by some wild animals) so my classy gay cat (yes he was...he liked boy cats it was proven, even our vet said he was the fruitiest male cat in the world xD) helped me raise her and she LOVED him so much up until we had to put him down due to the fact his insulin wasn't helping with his diabetes and he was withering away. So I know she can get along with other cats it's just the issue of she is bothered and worried by new things. Would it be best to let her settle into a new home and then get the kitten or would it be better to get the kitten as soon as possible so she does not view it as an intruder on her territory? Also what is the best way to get them use to each other? I can't do an instant meeting because Raven is not afraid to slap a kitten around for running up to her. I really want their first nose to nose interactions to be easy going and less scary. I would hate for the kitten to get beaten up, Raven's fast and when she starts a fight it happens like the speed of light. She also isn't afraid to turn and attack me if she gets scared or nervous enough so I wan't to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

Also have to take into consideration Raven does 100% believe me to be her mommy kitty since she was still on a bottle when I got her. Also I think losing her mother so young has made her a nervous cat.I'm the only human she trusts and likes, she mostly (when I lived at my old house) stayed in my room with me unless she had to go potty or eat (I kept water in my room). I call her delicate, touched, or fragile because honestly what she experienced as a kitten was awful and has left her super sensitive so I also have to take it into consideration. At the same time since i am the only thing she bonded to (other than the cat who is now gone) she has become super needy to me and when I am away she develops a lot of security issues. I am hoping having a cat she can bond with will help when I'm gone so she has someone to 'team up with' and feel safe around. Someone who can play with her (she is very playful), nap with her, she loves physical contact all the time, and even MAYBE help her come out of her shell a little more if she has a risk taking friend who pulls her out of her comfort zone. It's getting her to feel secure with a stranger that will be the challenge.

[registereduser]

Since your old cat will be new to the new place maybe she won't feel like it's her "territory" and thus might not feel as protective of it when you get the new kitten. Make sure to have 2 litterboxes and google "introducing new cat" for lots of good tips.

[aemaki09]

I've learned the best way is to keep them in seperate rooms for a couple days and only let them see each other during feedings and for a little bit after, then they will associate the new cat with being fed and should be okay. But if they don't have any problems with each other the first day you have the new baby then I'd just keep them together 24/7, if you are worried they might get in a fight, seperate them when you leave the house

[FoodFish]

Originally Posted by aemaki09

I've learned the best way is to keep them in seperate rooms for a couple days and only let them see each other during feedings and for a little bit after, then they will associate the new cat with being fed and should be okay. But if they don't have any problems with each other the first day you have the new baby then I'd just keep them together 24/7, if you are worried they might get in a fight, seperate them when you leave the house

I have 4 cats. When I took the 4'd one, one of my cats (females) was crazy for at least a week (and I only had a room back then). It was crazy.

[aemaki09]

Ooh I'd try the food thing, it's worked for me, if that doesn't work look up some of the episodes on animal planets "my cat from H*ll" he's got a lot of good ideas.

[LadyVictorian]

xD I have tried stuff from that show but my cat Raven does not think she's a cat. She hates high places and would rather hide under chairs, beds, and sofa's or our dining room table. She also doesn't like cat toys unless it's a simple long sting (and only one shoe lace nothing else.) Just her one single shoelace I have to pull across the carpet and she will chase it for about five minutes then wander away from bordom. The only time she gets really playful is when I get out the lazer pointer and cat nip. Raven has serious drug problems and is very addicted to cat nip. She ripped open my one pound bag of catnip I had gotten as a means to share with my friends and there was Raven laying on her back, my carpet litteraly carpeted with catnip and Raven was covered in it too. Her pupils were so big and she was drooling/foaming at the mouth so i rushed her to the vets thinking she had over dosed or something but once we got there she was fine. Since then I have to keep the catnip locked up in a safe box. Other than that her only enjoyed pastimes are creeping on people.

Hopefully a kitten could make her more playful as well, I'm sure she is bored when she is home alone and has nothing to do but plot the destruction of the world with my rats. Raven actually enjoyed the rats company for some time until my alpha female Fili attacked and tried to kill her. Now she's a bit terrified of them but before she and Bella use to have little play fights and jump on each other. I'm thinking Fili took it as Raven attacking Bella and attacked Raven though so yeah...that never worked out T.T

[teeneythebetta]

My cat was an only cat for many years then we got a kitten.
He had met my friends cats before getting the kitten and hated them. Cats are usually not very good with change so it takes awhile for them to adjust.
The day we brought home the kitten he was hissing, a week later they were sleeping together.

[LadyVictorian]

Awww that gives me hope this can work out them. I can't wait to look at kittens at the shelter but we have to move first. Nt sure if i want another black cat or something else. I have a soft spot for black kitties since most people don't really adopt them. I personally think they look like tiny black leopards, my favorite animal.