Cat Chat 2

[Ziggy Stardust]

hey there cat chat! i know this place isn't as active as it once was,
but i'm hoping someone still might decide to pop in here and give me a bit of advice!

my name's eli (e-lie), i've posted in here previously, however i do believe the last time was way back in october of last year. anyways, long story short, i have this cat named malcolm who has a severe case of stomatitis. it's bad, like, i genuinely don't know if this poor cat has ever known a world without pain. before someone dumped him in our neighborhood, life was simpler. now? i'm drowning in vet bills. i literally wouldn't have it any other way though, i love this freaking cat so much. anyways! i set him up a gofundme, because he needs dental surgery to remove all of his teeth because of the stomatitis, but it's not gained any traction. i can't share it on here, because it has my full legal name connected to it and sharing personal information on here isn't allowed, so i was wondering if you guys had any suggestions as to where i could share it? i didn't want to have to resort to practically begging strangers on the internet for money, but this surgery is going to cost around $1,500 dollars, and i don't have that sort of money just laying around. that's like, a months worth of bills i'd have to neglect, and i'm already behind on a few bills, so i physically cannot afford to do that =' )

I would reach out to local shelters, facebook groups, tiktok accounts, etc. that have some sort of social media following and see if they will advertise your gofundme. I am not sure how receptive they will be if you haven't interacted with them before, but if the situation is very desperate, it would be worth it to give it a try, even if it feels like begging.

[puppers]

hello cat mothers/fathers/parental units! 2 years ago, I started with my one cat, then got another cat (because my ex really wanted to bond with one "his own") one year later with my ex-boyfriend. we broke up and he took the cat we had recently adopted, and I kept my little dude from 2 years ago. The strangest (greatest) thing has happened, since their separation, my cat has been a lot more affectionate and still gets his occasional zoomies. I was so worried that he was going to get depressed and lonely without his buddy, but I guess it didn't even bother him? Has anyone else experienced this?

[hillary764]

hello cat mothers/fathers/parental units! 2 years ago, I started with my one cat, then got another cat (because my ex really wanted to bond with one "his own") one year later with my ex-boyfriend. we broke up and he took the cat we had recently adopted, and I kept my little dude from 2 years ago. The strangest (greatest) thing has happened, since their separation, my cat has been a lot more affectionate and still gets his occasional zoomies. I was so worried that he was going to get depressed and lonely without his buddy, but I guess it didn't even bother him? Has anyone else experienced this?

I used to live with my sibling who also has a cat. my cat never really got along with her cat, but they didn't like totally hate each other. When we stopped living together my cat got so happy, I think some cats don't care that much if they have their people. When I adopted my cat I asked the shelter if I should also adopt another so she wouldn't be lonely, and the shelter said that a lot of cats do fine just by themselves.

I guess I would just be happy your cat is happy

[Anglia]

My lovely girl is a white cat with a black-grey spot on her head, she is pure white except that spot.
(I think this photo isn't particularly obvious since daylight and the spot faded as she adult)
Interestingly, I found no just CS, there is no petsite that can customize/adopt cats like that. Just wonder why are there so many white cats with black/grey/silver spot on their heads in reality, but there is no website where you can adopt such cats?

[swift;]

My baby Roo.

[Brynmala]

hello cat mothers/fathers/parental units! 2 years ago, I started with my one cat, then got another cat (because my ex really wanted to bond with one "his own") one year later with my ex-boyfriend. we broke up and he took the cat we had recently adopted, and I kept my little dude from 2 years ago. The strangest (greatest) thing has happened, since their separation, my cat has been a lot more affectionate and still gets his occasional zoomies. I was so worried that he was going to get depressed and lonely without his buddy, but I guess it didn't even bother him? Has anyone else experienced this?

Cats often aren't particularly bothered whether they live with their own kind - if they aren't related or bonded at a young age they can be just as happy without feline company. If a cat has an established territory within a house it is likely to lead to issues if you bring another cat in. Sadly I've seen plenty of cats' lives ruined by well meaning humans getting a second cat so they could "have company".

More relevant to your comment though - my partner had two cats, adopted as a pair from a shelter. These were Siamese that had come from a hoarding situation and were in no way socialised. We referred to them as 'indoor ferals'. For over two years it was an uphill struggle to get them to interact at all, they were silent (and that's *really* unusual for Siamese!), not even a purr and could only be coaxed out with treats. Touching was not allowed! Unfortunately we discovered that the more timid of the two, Jai, had cancer and she was pts at the age of only 4 as the handling involved in treatment would have been virtually impossible - it really wouldn't have been in her best interest.

We worried about the effect on the remaining cat, Chi, but like your cat she has come on in leaps and bounds in only a few months. She demands strokes; purrs and wipes with the best of them and has definitely found her voice! We are working on picking her up now. We think that Jai's fear was holding them both back but now that she does not have that bond she has had to become reliant on humans for company, and her real character is coming out.

[catplushie]

i don't know how active this thread is anymore, but if anyone's still lurking, i'd love some advice!

i currently live with 2 cats, one is mine (Shrimp) and one is my roommate's (Freddy). we've had them both since they were babies, they're two of the happiest most spoiled little boys on earth. in about a month we are moving in with my partner, who also has a cat, his name is Egg. my partner's cat was hardly socialized with other cats as a kitten, he was really sickly so he spent most of his time alone at the shelter/vet. because my partner has lived alone since getting Egg, he hasn't really met very many other people either. he's weird but he's a sweet boy, just really skittish and very very attached to my partner. he doesn't know how to play carefully, and will often bite or scratch my partner hard enough to leave scars. since he's never met another cat face to face, i'm nervous about him meeting Shrimp and Freddy. the two of them get along great, though Shrimp gets sort of aggressive whenever our neighbor's outdoor cats are in our yard, and one time one of the outdoor cats literally pulled Shrimp outside through the window screen and kicked his butt (he was okay, just shaken up!), so he's even weirder about the neighbor cats since then.

i'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to introduce them, or if it's even possible to socialize Egg at this point. he's about 4 or 5, and this is going to be a really stressful change for him. going from being the only cat living with just one person, to living with three new people and two new cats. i'm worried about them all fighting, or that they'll be miserable. the place we are moving is very large, so i'm hoping that there will be enough space for the cats to exist separately and stress free away from each other. our plan for now is to keep the cats shut in our respective rooms for at least the first few weeks/months, and let them take turns exploring the house. so one day, Shrimp and Freddy will get to leave our rooms and walk around, and the next day will be Egg's turn. this way they can smell each other through the doors and get used to each other's scents. we're also going to feed them at the same time, but with a door separating them. so Egg will eat inside my partner's room, while Shrimp and Freddy will eat just on the other side of the closed door, and we'll take turns doing that as well. but other than doing those things, i'm not sure how else to get them used to each other. if anyone has any tips or experience with a similar situation, i'd love to hear!

tldr: i'm moving soon and have to introduce my two adult cats to my partner's poorly socialized adult cat, and i'm wondering if anyone has advice on how to safely introduce them and so they can coexist as stress free as possible.

[Thalassic]

i don't know how active this thread is anymore, but if anyone's still lurking, i'd love some advice!

i currently live with 2 cats, one is mine (Shrimp) and one is my roommate's (Freddy). we've had them both since they were babies, they're two of the happiest most spoiled little boys on earth. in about a month we are moving in with my partner, who also has a cat, his name is Egg. my partner's cat was hardly socialized with other cats as a kitten, he was really sickly so he spent most of his time alone at the shelter/vet. because my partner has lived alone since getting Egg, he hasn't really met very many other people either. he's weird but he's a sweet boy, just really skittish and very very attached to my partner. he doesn't know how to play carefully, and will often bite or scratch my partner hard enough to leave scars. since he's never met another cat face to face, i'm nervous about him meeting Shrimp and Freddy. the two of them get along great, though Shrimp gets sort of aggressive whenever our neighbor's outdoor cats are in our yard, and one time one of the outdoor cats literally pulled Shrimp outside through the window screen and kicked his butt (he was okay, just shaken up!), so he's even weirder about the neighbor cats since then.

i'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to introduce them, or if it's even possible to socialize Egg at this point. he's about 4 or 5, and this is going to be a really stressful change for him. going from being the only cat living with just one person, to living with three new people and two new cats. i'm worried about them all fighting, or that they'll be miserable. the place we are moving is very large, so i'm hoping that there will be enough space for the cats to exist separately and stress free away from each other. our plan for now is to keep the cats shut in our respective rooms for at least the first few weeks/months, and let them take turns exploring the house. so one day, Shrimp and Freddy will get to leave our rooms and walk around, and the next day will be Egg's turn. this way they can smell each other through the doors and get used to each other's scents. we're also going to feed them at the same time, but with a door separating them. so Egg will eat inside my partner's room, while Shrimp and Freddy will eat just on the other side of the closed door, and we'll take turns doing that as well. but other than doing those things, i'm not sure how else to get them used to each other. if anyone has any tips or experience with a similar situation, i'd love to hear!

tldr: i'm moving soon and have to introduce my two adult cats to my partner's poorly socialized adult cat, and i'm wondering if anyone has advice on how to safely introduce them and so they can coexist as stress free as possible.

There are a lot of resources online on how to introduce new cats, and the key will definitely be a lot of time and patience and gradual introductions.
But with cats that have lived their entire lives alone (or only with their person), there is no guarantee they will ever enjoy having other cats and humans around. Treats and positive reinforcement helps of course, but cats, just like humans, develop their own personalities and likes and dislikes, so don't go into the process expecting them to become besties or anything. When the introductions do happen, maybe look into getting something that helps cats with anxiety (I know theres sprays for that, ask a vet maybe), and make sure they have enough vertical space (safe shelves, cat trees, etc) and quiet rooms/hiding spots so they can be able to get away if they get too stressed. And of course make sure to give all of them a lot of love and attention and one-on-one time so no one feels left out or forgotten. Personally I feel like it has to do more with their personality and how they've grown up, than their age, but I don't think youll know for sure until you try.

There are a lot of things you can do to help introductions go smoothly, but keep in mind that some cats just don't like to hang out with other cats, and thats totally fine, and they should have the option to feel safe and loved regardless if that happens or not.

[Chiyana]

This is Hestia, a demanding and insistent little snot of a princess, but she's also my snuggly baby girl and I love her so much.

We lost her brother, Hades a few weeks ago very suddenly.



He was so dumb and loving and affectionate and such a mama's boy, and I loved him so much and miss him.

[Icey29]

Has anyone read the studies about chicken egg proteins reducing production of the Fel d 1 allergen in cats? Alternatively, does anyone have any experience with the (expensive) Purina chow that includes it?

Has always been a dream of mine to adopt a cat from a shelter but there are some allergies in my family that make that prospect difficult. Aside from limiting exposure, this and air filtration seem promising, but haven't seen many firsthand accounts.