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01-28-2020 11:40 AM
@brmmom wrote:Didn't ask for opinions, just advice on caring for cats, thanks but they already found a good home.
DD has 8 indoor cats that were formerly feral. She also has the cage set up around a window that you mentioned your brother having, they love it and fresh air and sunshine is great for them!
As for the introduction to your dogs, I agree with other's thoughts as far as noting how your dogs react to cats or other small animals when you walk them thru your neighborhood.
On a good note, DD recently adopted a 1 yr. old pit bull who has joined her 8 indoor cat family and aside from the cats swatting him on the nose when he tries to smell them too much, they put him in his place right away, LOL!
You're a very good sister and I'm sure your brother is looking down on you lovingly for saving what was most dear to him, you have a big, kind heart!
Let us know how it goes!
01-28-2020 11:51 AM
Thank you so much pembroke. They sometimes do gobble their food. Made me wonder if we were starving them, but now I know the opposite is true. I've learned a lot already!
I can only pray my brother knows they are being cared for. They really are sweet cats, they
were so scared of us at first but now they hop up on our laps and purr away. Unless there's food!
01-28-2020 12:00 PM
2blonde I think you just saved us some money! When we changed the litter we were both shaking our heads saying that maybe we didn't need to just yet because there's no odor.
But we did it anyway because we are stupid people! I haven't seen any signs of furballs but one cat is a Persian so I'll keep an eye on him. I didn't know if all cats have problems with furballs or not. Thank you for the info!
01-28-2020 12:07 PM
Wow IG you have given me hope! Thank you for being so nice, but without my dh it wouldn't have been possible. Once we get brave enough to introduce the animals to each other I'll let everyone know what happened. Don't hold your breath though cause we cowards!
01-28-2020 12:16 PM
On a good, positive note, goldens are very nurturing and loving, I wouldn't expect your golden to have a problem with the cats and would start introducing him to them first.
Many times the 2nd dog will follow the lead of the first dog's introduction and response.
01-28-2020 01:11 PM
@brmmom You are most welcome.Of course,they were scared.They just lost their daddy and home.But it sounds like they are settling in nicely.
I wanted to add that I scoop everyday and keep refilling. With the scoopable,the boxes never get as dirty as clay litter.Everything cleans up so I keep refilling I keep my boxes very full of litter too.I think my kitties are trying to dig to China! LOL
01-28-2020 01:43 PM
If it were me, I would start with the kitten, since it's so young, it may not have developed that natural cat instinct to be afraid and threatened by a dog and react by hissing and swatting at the dog.
I would cuddle the kitten in front of the golden and slowly get closer and let the golden smell the kitten, not face to face, face to face is antagonistic in most animals, just let the dog(s) sniff his body.
But do this several times a day, when it comes to animals repetition is important.
I've been owned by everything from horses to a monkey (and everything in between!) and I found that when introducing different animal species to each other, slow but steady works!
BTW, my monkey hung out outdoors during the daytime and loved nothing more than jumping on my palomino's back for a ride around the corral, LOL!
My palomino gladly obliged!
01-28-2020 02:35 PM
@brmmom wrote:2blonde I think you just saved us some money! When we changed the litter we were both shaking our heads saying that maybe we didn't need to just yet because there's no odor.
But we did it anyway because we are stupid people! I haven't seen any signs of furballs but one cat is a Persian so I'll keep an eye on him. I didn't know if all cats have problems with furballs or not. Thank you for the info!
@brmmom You are not stupid!! ou are just a newbie learning the ropes! Cats are a lot different than dogs (as you have found), but as a single person who's not home a lot, a litter box is more practical than having to take a dog for walks every few hours (I live in a condo).
I never had a problem with furballs until I had an older cat who became a nervous licker, and now with my first long haired guy. The more they lick, the more fur they swallow. The upchuck result is pretty gross, and he always does it when I'm in bed! I do feed him an anti-furball kibble, which many help a little.
What I hate the most is the litter tracking all over the house. Having all of them in the basement for now at least keeps that stuff out of your living areas!
01-28-2020 02:41 PM
@brmmom 2blonde mentioned litter tracking in your house. In case you don't have them already, you need litter mats for your litter boxes. I ordered the one that I have from Amazon. I read reviews for many litter mats and checked the sizes carefully before I ordered one. They don't keep all the litter from tracking, but if you get a good one they do help a lot.
01-28-2020 02:57 PM
First of all you are a wonderful sister and I'm sure your brother is smiling down at you. Your husband is a keeper too!
Many years ago we introduced 2 cats to our household which already had a golden retriever. Your dogs already know the cats are there, they definitely can smell them. It's been several weeks so it's probably time they met each other. Get some kind of a gate that you can put in front of the entrance of the basement, this way the dogs will be able to see them. When you decide to let the cats out of the basement there will probably be an initial 15 minutes of mayhem while the dogs try sniff or chase and get to know them. The cats won't be in danger, they can jump out of the way! Integrate them only while you are home. At this point the basement they know the basement as their "safe " area so if they get scared they will jump the gate and go back downstairs. After about a week or so of doing supervised visits, they should be fine. Both the dogs and cats WILL get into a routine and go their own ways.
Make sure the dogs cannot get access to the cat food. The amount of protein in cat food is much higher than dog food and isn't good for dogs. With 7 Cats, have you gottrn a couple of dry food dispensers? They should eat to live not live to eat and should have dry food and water always available. As far as the litter boxes go, keep up with the scooping and periodically dump the litter, clean the boxes and refill. This will be healthier for the cats. You do not need to keep a super deep layer of litter in each box.
I assure you once everyone gets used to each other things will calm down! Bless you for taking on such a big responsibility. If it's possible, see if your brothers and sisters will continue to contribute or set up a cat fund to help with the cost of food, litter, vets etc. Goldens adapt pretty easily to new people and furries.
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