So don't tell Eva....

[conuly]

but I worry that her cat may be auditioning other families for the role of "Her People".

Which I'm fairly certain is what happened to the last cat she smuggled into this house. He used to jump into people's cars.

I don't even know what to do here. Obviously we flubbed intro-ing the cat to the other animals in the house. Can we get a do-over on that? Should we even try?

Comments

[wpadmirer]

ARGH.

I have no idea. I hope someone has suggestions.

[gale_storm]

Cats really do seem to be a 'one audition, no call-back' kind of decision-makers. I've flubbed a couple of those things in my past. How or whether to give it another go, is well beyond my ability to advise. Hope that all goes well for all concerned.

[the_siobhan]

Check out Jackson Galaxy's youtubes - he has some great tutorials on how to deal with cat behavioural issues. We used his techniques to introduce our two cats, and he says they can be used even if the cats already have had a rough start.

[conuly]

Thanks.

[movingfinger]

You're a pretty doggy family, aren't you?

[conuly]

I prefer to think that we're a cat family which accidentally picked up two dogs.

[movingfinger]

Some cats have very strong preferences to be not just dominant but the only cat or only pet. Female, even spayed, cats are more territorial than males (although males get that way too, but younger ones are often friendlier to others). Adult cats are less flexible about this than young ones. If this cat isn't bonded strongly with Eva and feels miffed, she may indeed decamp.

I have been on the receiving end of decamping cats (the fabulous Mr. Kibbles was only the most recent) and have also had to rehome.

[halfshellvenus]

Oh, no, poor Eva!

Though this description is hilarious. ;)

Do you maybe need a cat that has already been around dogs? Because I can see why entering a house with, what, 2 dogs and another cat?, could be frightening to your average cat.

Jumping in cars! Wow. :O

[conuly]

Two cats, and then we got Moonpie who's okay with all the cats, and then we accidentally got Finn who... well, he's struggling to learn the wonders of not being a total jerk.

So Sweetheart gets along pretty well with the most familiar outdoor cats, but recently we've had an influx of new outdoor cats from who-knows-where (no, I don't feed them, somebody else must be doing that) and she sorta tolerates Mama Cat, but she and Callie hate each other's guts. That, I think, is the crux of the issue - the dogs rarely go into the same space the cats are allowed except for the second floor kitchen.

[chanter1944]

Awwww. :(

I would, and I mean this seriously, offer to adopt Sweetheart Random Tortieness of Quirky, but I'm half a continent away and in a no-pets building. You and yours also don't know me from a hole in the ground.

[conuly]

You're mighty well-spoken for a hole in the ground, I must say :D

[chanter1944]

*giggles* Cheers. You know that Wisconsin ground... it has stories. :) I'm being sort of wistful/historical there, as well as both silly and proud.

[spikethemuffin]

Lifehacker suggested rubbing the scent glands on the cat's chin, then rubbing the animals one wishes the cat to consider "family" with that hand. It seems homeopathic at best, but worth a shot?

[cloudsinvenice]

In a similar vein, I wonder if Feliway could be helpful in improving the cat's mood while in the house.

If she's auditioning other homes, you might try a collar with a tag (we've used a large keyring before, the kind where you can interchange the picture) saying "we're getting her used to her new home, please don't feed her/let her into your house!", just to alert the neighbourhood to the fact she's owned and that you're trying to reinforce where "home" is.

[conuly]

She's a notorious collar dodger.

[conuly]

(Also, quite seriously, I'm perfectly happy for her to be rehomed. Eva is the only one who would be upset.)

[cloudsinvenice]

That's probably a wise stance to take. I've been on the other side of a very similar situation and basically, that cat did what he wanted. He still spent time at his original home, but he was at loggerheads with one of their other cats and that seemed to be a defining factor.

[conuly]

I have tried. It works on some cats, but these guys just look at me.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Well- do you know who these other families are, that she may be auditioning? Can you talk to them? If they're good people who'd take decent care of the cat, it would be best to let the cat go to them, especially if they don't have other pets. You have three, and none of them want any more animals 'introduced' into their territory - it's been difficult enough to just to get those three to live together in peace; your dogs are rather high-maintenance, and Callie has put up with quite enough as it is. Nor can your household really afford more than three pets, especially as those three grow older and require more expensive care, as they inevitably will.

So, short answer: no, you shouldn't even try; you should help the cat find a more suitable home, before it wanders off and finds a sad fate.

[conuly]

We have four, except that as Mama Cat gets older she more and more hangs out just in Ana's room.

And no, I don't know. If I did, I would've rehomed this cat ages ago, for pretty much the reasons you stated.

[conuly]

Well, know, I do know one, but that person is an Outdoor Cats Only person.