Question:
well, as many of you know, i've been fostering a cat named charlie. well, i kinda went and fell in with him! however, my friend is moving in rather soon (may) and she is extremely allergic to cats. so charlie can't be here. so my only solution to this problem is to have someone keep him for me until i can take him back (not soon). and the only people that can do this are my parents. the problem is, they have layla (my first cat that refused to move). she is THE devil. she hates all living things. so how in the world will i introduce these two? here's some info on both cats and the situation:
layla
*we got her at a shelter when she was 8 weeks old.
*she is super mean.
*when i was keeping her up here with me (while parents were moving), she accidentely got out of the bedroom and attacked penny. not just a swipe...a brawl.
*is spayed.
charlie
*i rescued him from the streets here in denton this past winter.
*he's about 2-3 years old (we're guessing).
*only play bites or swipes. he is not attacking to hurt you or cause he's mad.
*is neutered
*sprays sometimes because of the dogs.
situation
my parents live about 11 hrs away. so i can't just bring him over for short periods to introduce them. once i drive him down there, he's down there. my friend is moving in mid-may and then we go to london. we will be back may 31st and she will be living here from then on. so i need to do something quickly.
so this is my dillema. it sucks. i don't know what else to do, though. i tried to get him adopted out, but it never happened.
so my questions are - what should i do? should i bring him down there? and if do bring him down there, how in the world do i introduce them? i would be able to be down there for about 3 days. keep in mind i will be buying Felliway and giving it to my parents if he moves in with them.
so help me guys!!!
thanks in advance.


Answer:
Hmmm...that's a tough one. Usually you need a while for cats to even be able to be together 24/7. I would put the new cat in a carrier and take it over there. See how the old cat responds. If they respond good then next I would have a door slightly open (to the point where they can touch paws but not bite each other's face) and see how they react. The actual meeting would be next. Have a squirt bottle ready or a pillow (I used the squirt bottle with mine). If they start to fight squirt water on them or throw the pillow. IME it's better when the water is extremely cold and if the squirt bottle is on stream rather than mist. I squirt them by their tail area because its the most sensitive. Just don't get them in the face (eyes, ears, nose). If you just cannot get them to get along then I would advice you not to leave the new cat there. Cats can be very mean animals to each other and they can get extremely hurt. Also be sure to check for any cuts and scratches on them.
If you just have to take the cat back to your place you should try to tell your friend to take some allergy medicine.


Answer:
That is a really tough call. Cats should be quarantined for at least 2 weeks (4 weeks is better) before coming in contact with a new cat. If you are only there for 3 days, are your parents willing to keep the quarantine up? That issue aside, I would be very skeptical that they will get along after 3 days. I have a similar cat, Max, who tormented our new cat for weeks. Almost everyday, I was contemplating taking her back and letting Max be a single cat. It took a good month before we could leave them together without direct supervision (ie. let them go into another room while we were still home). And it took even longer before we could leave them completely unsupervised (ie. leave the house without locking them up in separate rooms).

Personally, I would find a friend or family member without other pets to adopt him. I think it is a bit unfair to Charlie and to the potential caretaker for you to take him back when it is more convenient for you. If it were only going to be for a month or so, it wouldn't be so bad. But it doesn't sound like there are any definite plans for you to take him back. Who was going to take care of him when you went to London? Would they be interested in adoption?


Answer:
Is there a spare room he could stay in? I know it would be kind of weird for him to be in a smaller part of the house, but if he stays in a spare room, she doesn't have to go in it. Just a thought though.

Good Luck with your cat!


Answer:
I agree. It took me a month to even introduce my cats (just letting them smell their scent). It took me another month to let them be together. And it took a few weeks before they stopped fighting. They still play fight but not try to tear each other up.


Answer:
Place Laya in one room of your parents house with water, food, litter box and let Charlie have free run of the house. Make sure each cats gets attention from your parents but have them watch for signs that cats are bonding. They'll usually sniff under door or put their paws out to each other maybe sit by the door, looking cute and lonely. After a few days see how things are and let your parents use their judgement on the situation.


Answer:
One more thing, how will your parents react if Charlie starts spraying in their house?


Answer:
I don't think that Jane's parents are expecting her to have them bonded in the three days that she is there. I think she was just asking the best ways to go about it, so that neither cat gets hurt.
I don't know Jane's parents but I know they've put up with Layla for all these years even though she is satan So I'm pretty sure they'd just deal with charlies spraying and work on getting him to stop.
I just wanted to say that cause she doesn't seem to be around much so I thought I'd give you a guys a heads up first
I hope that's ok Jane!
And I'm not helping, cause I only own one cat and he's my first so I have no idea


Answer:
however, my friend is moving in rather soon (may) and she is extremely allergic to cats. so charlie can't be here. so my only solution to this problem is to have someone keep him for me until i can take him back (not soon).
When I mentioned bonding, I was speaking of the bond between Charlie and her parents after he started living there. If her friend is moving in, I'm guessing that Charlie will be there for months. I don't think it's fair to move him in, let him get settled and bonded (to her parents and another cat), and then take him back. It's unfortunate that your friend is allergic, but I'd be more inclined to re-home him permanently than to have him going back and forth, especially since you aren't sure when you are going to be able to have cats again.


Answer:
I don't 100% agree with the bonding with the parents thing. I mean yes they'll form a bond, but that doesn't always mean that the animal (cause it could be any pet) isn't happy elsewhere. I could say that my parents looked after cindy for me for four years. She was my dog when I lived at home and only didn't come with me cause I moved to a no pet apartment.She hasn't fretted, or even seem upset by her permanent move here.
I know that Milko is totally in love with my best friend's fiance. When he is around he wants nothing to do with us. I know I could re-home (not going to happen by the way) Milko to their house and he would be happy. He is bonded with us, but we're not the only ones he bonded with.
One last thing on the bonding thing...Alex and I plan to go on a world trip one day. We'll be gone for at least 6 months, I'm taking all my pets back when we get back, I'm not permanently re-homing any of them.
So yeah, I'd be a hypocrit if I said that I thought it was unfair to Charlie for Jane to take him back when her friend moves out again.