AboutNorman Auspitz Expertise I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.
Experience I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.
Organizations Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.
Publications Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook
Education/Credentials I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.
Awards and Honors We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.
I adopted a British blue female who is 14 weeks old. I confined her to a room
for a whole week while I was away at work during the day and at night and
now she's allowed to explore the rest of the house and is well adjusted and
litter trained etc. She's very affectionate and playful. My problem is that I am
overcome with guilt about being away at work all day and am contemplating
getting her a companion. I just found a beautiful 4 month old British
shorthair tabby female that is ready for adoption. However, I have some
questions:
1) As long as I follow the separate room isolation protocol, can I allow them
to meet in ~4 days? My current 14 week old has her own room right now and
I assume the new kitten will be a in a separate room to start with.
2) Once they've met, will I be able to consolidate litter boxes/litter box
location? Or is it better to have separate litter boxes in separate rooms?
3) I am thinking about early spay for both. The tabby I'm about get get is 4
months old and probably ready. My current blue will be ready in a couple of
weeks. SHould I get them spayed at the same time so I can take a few days
off from work and care for them? Will they need to be separated and denied
their climbing equipment during recovery?
Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
---Dana
Answer Dana,
Here is a fairly good protocol for introducing kittens. For the most part you are heading in the right direction.
Start out your new kitten in one room with a litter pan and water dish. Ideally, the one room should be a bedroom with yourself or another human resident. This accomplishes a couple of things. Your new kitten will not be overwhelmed by its new surroundings and get "lost", and thusly will have no problem finding the litter pan (often kittens have been confined and are somewhat daunted by wide open spaces!). You will feed the new kitten in this room and keep the established kitten out. It allows the new kitten to bond with you or another human being and also build up some self assurance in its new surroundings since it will not have to compete for food or
attention right away. Finally, it allows the new kitten and the established kitten to sniff each other under the door and get familiar with each others' scents.
After 3-5 days of being in its one room, it is time to let them meet each other. Be prepared for some posturing, some spitting and hissing, and the like. IGNORE IT! After a while, they should begin chasing each other about and still have the occasional hiss or spit as they get accustomed to each other. Cats tend to make a whole lot of noise and even loosen up some fur. Rarely will two cats, especially kittens, hurt each other.
Once they are introduced, there are a couple of things you must remember. Do not separate them again, they will get along! Do not interfere in their "discussions" as they need to sort it out amongst themselves!
It does not hurt to give the established kitten treats and extra attention after the new kitten is introduced (yes, cats do get jealous!).
A couple of things you may have to do are to feed them on separate dishes. Provide more than one litter pan in different areas of the household (as cats can be very territorial about litter pans).
All, in all, this method seems to have had great success in the past and makes for a fairly smooth introduction. Please remember that they may make up immediately, or it may take a few weeks.
As to spaying, j=having both done at the same time is good. When they return from the vet's office, they will smell differently to each other, so there may be some hissing and spitting. Cats recognize each other by scent, and, since they will smell differently after being at the vets, they will not necessarily recognize each other and have to go through a bit more of the "getting to know you" ritual. Do not wo=rry about this as it will usually pass in a couple of days.
It is a good idea to keep them somewhere where they cannot climb their way into trouble for about a week. Inspect the incision every day to make sure the stitches are OK and that the incision still looks good. Normally, you go back to the vet about 10 days after the spaying to get the sutures removed. The vet will inspect the incision and let you know if all is well. Waiting until about 4-5 months for spaying for the younger one is a good idea. So in a couple of weeks, they can both be spayed.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
