Expert: Dear Tabbi - 10/24/2009

Question
We have a very affectionate cat, Evey, that we adopted as a kitten when it came to our back door one very cold New Years eve.  She is now about 10 years old.  She has been neutered and declawed (front), and is completely a house cat.  Recently, over the last 3 months or so a black cat adopted us.  He is a mature cat that has been spayed (by someone else), but not declawed (we have had him to our vet to check him out regarding health).  He is an outdoor cat and is very affectionate and laid back (likes to be picked up and held), but also very aggressive in hunting (brings us dead animals a lot).  We let him in the house to eat and he will stay the night on occasion, but has no problem at all staying out side (and, in fact, prefers it).  Out problem is that Evey is scared of him and hisses immediately upon seeing him.  She got out and ran away twice and was out the last time for two weeks before coming back.  Monroe (the black cat) immediately chases her down upon seeing her and does not fail in catching her at which point Evey will let out a horrible sounding scream while in Monroe's clutches.  My wife thinks that this is just a dominance adjustment, but I am concerned for her safety.  I should point out that Evey has lived with other cats in our household before (we just had an 18 or 19 year old cat pass away last year that we had from being a kitten).

Answer
Jim,

My personal opinion? Leave the black cat out and Evey in!! You are courting a multitude of problems by letting the black cat in the house with Evey. The next time Evey runs away she may NOT come back. Your first priority is Evey!

At 10 years old Evey is approximately 56 years old in humans years. That is HER home and HER territory, and the stress of the black cat inside and being aggressive towards her can cause her to start having health and emotional problems. An older cat can not take changes like a younger cat can.

Every cat has a different personality and temperament, and because Evey lived with other cats in the household, does not mean she will automatically get along with this cat, especially if he is a bully. She was also younger then.

I don't want to take sides between you and your wife, but in this case it is much more serious an issue than just an 'adjustment'....your cat's physical and mental health is at stake!

Also, for future reference I am including some very good links to learn more about older cats and what to expect in the future as far as age-related conditions, etc. Being knowledgeable about the subject will make things easier for you and for your cat.
#Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar#

http://www.sniksnak.com/resources/geriatric.html

http://www.messybeast.com/towards-end.htm

http://www.2ndchance.info/oldcat.htm

I hope this helps.

Tabbi