Adding a new furry family member

[furryfuriend]

I thought I'd post on here, and get some feedback about something. I'm single, and currently have one dog, and one cat. They get along great, but they don't play together. The cat tries to play with the dog, but it doesn't work out. He outweighs her by 75 pounds, and he knows that she is smaller, and he doesn't want to hurt her. He's the same way around children, very cautious. So when she tries to play with him, and he won't play back, she moves on to me. And by that I mean stalking me, sneak attacks everytime I move, flying around the house all over the furniture in a blur of furry energy. If I just ignore her, the crying for attention starts, but she's not content with just being petted and rubbed, she wants to play!

So I've been contemplating adding another cat to the household, so she has a play buddy. I had a couple questions about this.

1. Does anyone else think this is a good idea?

2. She is a spayed female, if I were to do this, is it better to get a male or another female?

3. When introducing a new kitten into the household, any tips to ease it in?

[special]

I always think another cat is a good idea. Once you make a choice at the shelter,(or rather, once a cat chooses you) you can bring a towel back and forth rubbed first on your two resident pets, then on new kitty, so all smells, letting them sniff in between, of course, so all smells are intermingled and familiar.

(be sure, of course to choose a cat who gets along with other cats and dogs)

Make an appointment at your vet and have the new family member checked over before you bring her or him home.

If possible have one room set aside for new kitty to live in for a few days, with a screen door between her and the other animals so they can all get accquainted safely. (I installed a cheap screen door in my bedroom doorway for this purpose)

A felwiay plug in or two may help keep them feeling calm and content.

Sometimes cats will take to eahother right away, other times it takes a while.

After saying all that, even with another cat, your cats are still going to want you to interact and play with them yourself.

If you would like ideas on Games to play with your cat to keep her active and happy, I will be happy to give you some. Some require your full involvement but many games you can play with your cat, you can actually be doing something else at the same time.

[That_girl]

My philosophy is always the more the merrier! My sister has a cocker spaniel and a cat and they will play all night long, it's awesome. They are a little more matched in size than your cat and dog though.

I think adding another cat is a great idea. Special as always has hit the nail on the head and I second everything she suggested.

As far as getting a male or female - it really shouldn't matter, as long as you'd be spaying or neutering the new addition. I'd say check out the humane society or wherever you are planning on going to get your new kitty and pick one that matches your personality and that of your current animals.

let us know what you decide. :)

[furryfuriend]

Ok, she's home! I went with this tiny calico female that had been beaten up by her brother and sister from the same litter. The ride home was a blast, like having an air raid siren in a cat carrier. I've attempted the seperate room thing, but gave that up within 30 minutes so the neighbors don't complain about the noise (and I live next door to a band). How can something that small make so much noise! She's now nested in my end table under the shelf, plotting her next move. I'll post pictures of her as soon as she comes out. Meanwhile, I'll start thinking up a name............

[That_girl]

Awesome! I can't wait to see pictures.

[furryfuriend]

A felwiay plug in or two may help keep them feeling calm and content.

This is a new one to me, what exactly is this?

[That_girl]

Here's a link:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8906

[furryfuriend]

Day three - new kitten introduction to the household. The dog is severely annoyed that the kitten will not allow him to lick her and show her lovings, and I'm not sure who's louder growling, Chinga, or Kali. I think the new kitten is half calico, half air horn, as loud as she is. I die laughing when she gets a drink of water, and then shakes her head so violently getting the water droplets off her whiskers that she almost falls over. I'd swear her ears are smacking the sides of her face with the noise it makes.

[special]

One thing for sure, there will be no dull moments at your house for a long time! So how's the resident cat (Kali?) handling the newbie? How old is the kitten?

[furryfuriend]

One thing for sure, there will be no dull moments at your house for a long time! So how's the resident cat (Kali?) handling the newbie? How old is the kitten?

Killian, the dog, is 2, Chinga, which is the resident cat, is one and a half. The newest one, Kali, is 8 weeks old. I should have pictures by tomorrow that aren't all blurry (hard to get her to hold still lol).

[loverofcats]

The kitten sounds adorable!

Great idea Special - Feliway has worked wonders with my cats. I took care of my mom's cat over the summer (who has a history of not being nice to other animals), and once I installed the Feliway, things got a lot better in my house!

The Comfort Zone site has a lot of good information on it:
http://www.petcomfortzone.com/

[lindsayanng]

I have to tell you, the comfortzone things are AMAZING. i got two for my house when we moved from an apartment to a house AND got a new dog all within 2 months. Well, once i added those, the kittens adjusted VERY quickly, and chili cat actually chilled out a lot.

Its not like an instant reaction, and theres nothing NOTICABLE that changes. Its more like things go away> For instance, when a cat might take off and run when there is a loud noise, with the plug in - they might ignore it and not get freaked out. Or the lack of stress.. not really something you would notice instantly, it just evens them out.

Inside of teh thing is a plant based amino protein with emulates the phermone that is found in a cat's face and mouth area. The reason cats mash their face into everything is to release "happy" phermones which calms them and makes them feel content. A similar feeling to when they were kittens and were nursing. So this puts this into the air and makes the cats always have that "happy" feeling. It calms them like the mother cat would calm her kittens.

[furryfuriend]

Ok, after sorting through 58 pictures, I found 3 that weren't blurry, lol. She just wont hold still for the camera.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c258/tpagestuff/Kali/100_0998.jpg