An addition to the family!

An addition to the family!

My previous cat, Tabitha, spent a lot of time alone as an only kitty. I didn’t want the same lonely life for my newest adoptee, Sasha. When I got Sasha from the Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) in December 2009, she was in a condo room with other cats, so I was assured that she would be far more sociable than Tabitha had been. The EHS was constantly overwhelmed with new cat admissions, so I wanted to help them out by adopting another cat as a companion for Sasha.

Friskie

On July 24, 2010, I spent a few hours at the EHS during their “Indy Cat 500” promotion, going from room to room, sitting with the cats, watching behaviour and interaction with other cats, cuddling them, talking to them. It was a tough choice. Friskie jumped into my lap with very little encouragement, threw himself down and enjoyed being scratched. He purred very quickly.

Like Sasha, Friskie was in one of the multi-cat rooms, so I expected that he would be well-socialized. Outside of a brief disagreement with another cat over the food dish, he seemed to get along well.

Normally the EHS wants a new adoptive parent to bring the existing pets in to meet the potential new adoptee. During my interview I explained that Sasha was an EHS adoptee, from a condo room, so they were okay with foregoing the expected meet and greet. So that same day, I welcomed Friskie to my household. He was a stray, and estimated to be around two years old.

Friskie spent a week in isolation while he waited for the complimentary vet visit. He was found to be in good health, and could meet Sasha.

The past few weeks have been … interesting … to say the least. The cats are not getting along and have to be kept separated most of the time. I am busy reading up on multi-cat households and how to deal with behavioural issues. My vet is recommending drugs for the kitties, which I am not keen on, but may have to try.

Wish me luck! I’d hate to send Friskie back to the Edmonton Humane Society, even if they’d take him.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.