topic Re: Cat sitting question in Community Chat

Cat sitting question

petepetey — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:44:43 GMT

I watch my sisters rag doll cat a few times a year. She is gorgeous and expensive(claws never going away). I have a 14 year old tabby cat(rescue cat, declawed). The 2 will never meet. I have a big enough house that they can have their own zones while the young one is here.

Yesterday my DH told me his sister, who has 2 cats, watches her daughters cat. This week she is watching the cat and didn't want to bother keeping them all separate so she just let them fight it out and now they are ok.

So, DH thought we could do that. I say no way that is cruel and I wouldn't want to be responsible for injury or even the mess they might make while fighting.

Does anyone else do that,,,,just let them fight?

Re: Cat sitting question

Madisson — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:49:39 GMT

No way. Other than fighting it out, they could pick up some sort of disease too. I'm sure your sister would not appreciate her ragdoll fighting for turf. She trusts you to take good care of her little furbaby. Please do not do this.

Re: Cat sitting question

betteb — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:49:56 GMT

No, not for just sitting a cat. Maybe, if I was trying to bring in another cat permanently, but only if all else failed.

Since you have the space to keep them separated, I would do that. Just make sure both cats get plenty of love and attention.

Re: Cat sitting question

SydneyH — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:51:30 GMT

Letting the cats fight is a bad idea all the way around.

Re: Cat sitting question

croemer — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:57:08 GMT

No way I would do this. You DH sounds like a man...they think fight it out and get over it. I think this would be cruel for the cat with no claws...like one going to a knife fight when you have no knife....yet the other guy does.

Re: Cat sitting question

tansy — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:06:24 GMT

Definitely not. A ragdoll cat usually is not much of a fighter but your cat has no claws to protect itself.

Re: Cat sitting question

petepetey — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:33:29 GMT

I would NEVER do this and I said that in the posted question up on top. I am responsible for these cats and that to me is so wrong and mean.

I just had to ask since my SIL thought it was a quick way out of her working to take care of the cats. I think it's a lazy way of not working to keep them apart. I was just curious of others actually do this.

Re: Cat sitting question

hennypenny — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:41:16 GMT

My twenty five pound ragdoll, Moosey will go to the ends of the earth to avoid a fight even if tormented by our youngest cat. But you can't say that another of the same breed would act in a similar manner.

Re: Cat sitting question

pegsue — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 22:28:31 GMT

I've had cats since I was a little girl and I know when I would introduce a new cat to the ones that were already there sometimes there would be some noise and hissing but I never let it go beyond that-I just thought it was mean and cruel. I would work to get them to know each other in small amounts of time-yes it took work and perseverance but I can't let them fight it out-I think that just makes them mad as soon as they see each other-end everything on a good note so the next time they remember something good. Since you are only having the cat temporarily it would be much easier just to keep them separate. That would also help eliminate the risk of either one getting any type of illness.

Re: Cat sitting question

LilacTree — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 22:45:05 GMT

That wouldn't be fair to the ragdoll cat. They are very submissive and she would probably get injured, claws or not. Please don't do that.

Re: Cat sitting question

chrystaltree — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 22:45:50 GMT

Cruel? They are cats not children. Of course you could let them sort their differences out and nothing horrible will happen. They'll be so hissing and spitting and humped backs but most likely no fighting. One will be the "winner", the dominant one and either they will become friends or they will stay as far away from each other as possible. I wouldn't bother since you are just cat sitting. I'd stick with your plan and keep them in their own spaces.

Re: Cat sitting question

LilacTree — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 22:51:20 GMT

On 3/3/2014 croemer said:
No way I would do this. You DH sounds like a man...they think fight it out and get over it. I think this would be cruel for the cat with no claws...like one going to a knife fight when you have no knife....yet the other guy does.

That is not necessarily true. We had a declawed cat for 18 years who insisted upon being an outside cat . . . he was born in the wild and there was no way to keep him in. He killed probably hundreds of furry little ones, and he climbed trees and fences, and had many run-ins with other cats which he often was the victor. It's what is in a cat's DNA that makes them fight, the lack of claws didn't seem to matter with him. He still had back claws and teeth.

Ragdolls won't fight. She(he) will just roll over and be vanquished. As I already posted, please don't do this.

Re: Cat sitting question

MikafromTopeka — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:12:40 GMT

It sounds like these two cats have never been introduced? I would try to introduce them in a controlled manner. They may get along.

Re: Cat sitting question

NoelSeven — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:28:58 GMT

NO, PLEASE NO!

Cat fighting wounds can end up costing a lot of money and you would be liable for it.

Just imagine one cat scratching the eye of the other kitty. It could cause blindness and massive bills.

The suggestion to let them fight it out is terrible, horrible. Would you really consider letting your own cat get hurt?

My God, that's awful.

Re: Cat sitting question

hyacinth003 — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:33:20 GMT

If you can keep them separate, I would. They and you don't need the stress.

Only if they were going to be together all the time would I have them work it out.

Hyacinth

Re: Cat sitting question

NoelSeven — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:35:11 GMT

On 3/3/2014 chrystaltree said:
Cruel? They are cats not children. Of course you could let them sort their differences out and nothing horrible will happen. They'll be so hissing and spitting and humped backs but most likely no fighting. One will be the "winner", the dominant one and either they will become friends or they will stay as far away from each other as possible. I wouldn't bother since you are just cat sitting. I'd stick with your plan and keep them in their own spaces.

You are so wrong. Did you read the entire line where several people said ragdolls won't fight or fight back?

I have a cat like that also, a silver tipped Persian and she won't fight back, and I know that for sure.

Cats are like children in that most of us love our cats and would never want to see them hurt.

Re: Cat sitting question

Lipstickdiva — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:41:55 GMT

On 3/3/2014 chrystaltree said:
Cruel? They are cats not children. Of course you could let them sort their differences out and nothing horrible will happen. They'll be so hissing and spitting and humped backs but most likely no fighting. One will be the "winner", the dominant one and either they will become friends or they will stay as far away from each other as possible. I wouldn't bother since you are just cat sitting. I'd stick with your plan and keep them in their own spaces.

Are you kidding? I hope you don't have cats or any animals!

My best friend just had an incident at her house involving 2 cats that were always kept apart. One lived outside and isn't really her's but because of the extreme cold, she brought it in. She already has a cat inside her house.

They ended up crossing paths and all you know what broke loose. Her cat got tore up, ended up costing $100.00's of dollars at the vet, she got mauled up trying to separate the cats and now, her own cat absolutely will not come out of an upstairs bedroom and this incident happened over a month ago.

It boggles my mind that people have such disregard for animals.

Re: Cat sitting question

SydneyH — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:47:50 GMT

On 3/3/2014 chrystaltree said:
Cruel? They are cats not children. Of course you could let them sort their differences out and nothing horrible will happen. They'll be so hissing and spitting and humped backs but most likely no fighting. One will be the "winner", the dominant one and either they will become friends or they will stay as far away from each other as possible. I wouldn't bother since you are just cat sitting. I'd stick with your plan and keep them in their own spaces.

Even with no fighting, a seriously stressed cat can hibernate and forego food and water for days. Or stop using it's litter box.

Re: Cat sitting question

NoelSeven — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:50:00 GMT

On 3/3/2014 SydneyH said:
On 3/3/2014 chrystaltree said:
Cruel? They are cats not children. Of course you could let them sort their differences out and nothing horrible will happen. They'll be so hissing and spitting and humped backs but most likely no fighting. One will be the "winner", the dominant one and either they will become friends or they will stay as far away from each other as possible. I wouldn't bother since you are just cat sitting. I'd stick with your plan and keep them in their own spaces.

Even with no fighting, a seriously stressed cat can hibernate and forego food and water for days. Or stop using it's litter box.

You're right, Sydney. And why would anyone even consider traumatizing an animal they loved? They wouldn't.

Re: Cat sitting question

SydneyH — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:53:54 GMT

On 3/3/2014 NoelSeven said:
You're right, Sydney. And why would anyone even consider traumatizing an animal they loved? They wouldn't.

Agreed, I hope OP takes all the feedback here to make her point.