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Cats/my cat Lily

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Expert: - 11/16/2010


Question
i have five cats. baby kitty 8yrs pumpkin 2yrs boo and mocha 8months (brothers) there mama kitty Lily 5yrs. i got the kittens when they were almost 4months old. all my cats are fixed. then i got lily less then a month ago from the same people. found out she never had shots or vet care so i took her right away to get tested and shots and shes healthy , she getting spayed next wk. my problem is she is in the spare bedroom and the door is shut its her room now cause she hiss's and growls and gets very scared and attacks or backs down when my cats go near her. she really freaks out i don't no what to do, i was hopeing she would calm down after she is spayed but i need to keep her calm while healing. my question is what should i do for her to get use to my cats? i am very worried about having to give her away to someone with out pets she came from a home with lots of cats. can you help?

Answer
Heather,

Keeping her in a safe room  until after she is spayed and the stitches are out is probably the best thing to do.  Cats have a very complicated, noisy "getting to know you" ritual they go through.  Once Lily is let out of the room, you will need to ignore any and all noise.  Any human intervention will just prolong the "getting to know you" ritual and will be counter productive.  So, they just will need to be allowed to settle their inter-relationships however they will.

Given their ages, it may take a number of weeks or even months for for things to settle down.  It is possible, but unlikely, that Lily may not fit in at all, you will just have to wait and see.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman 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.

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