Hey /an/, I need some help making a decision.
A former co-worker found this little guy in a Wal-Mart parking lot last week, and although she loves him, he doesn't seem to get along with her dog and so she's trying to find a new home for him.
I already have one cat who I adopted a few years ago from an acquaintance who was moving into a new apartment where they didn't allow pets. My wife and I don't make a ton of money, but we make enough to live comfortably in our three-room apartment and care for our existing pet properly.
Having said that, my wife has wanted to get a second cat for a while, and I don't exactly disagree with her - both of us love cats, and my wife thinks it would be nice for our current kitty to have a companion. Our cat is around seven or eight years old and very affectionate. She likes to play, but can be pretty high-strung. According to the co-worker, the stray is about a year old, and other than growling at her dog he's very mellow and people-friendly.
I've made plans with the former co-worker to have her bring the little guy to our apartment tomorrow in order to introduce him to our existing cat and find out how they seem to get along with one another. My wife was initially fairly anxious about this, as she's worried about messing up our "family dynamic" with our current cat. Nevertheless, she seems to have decided that if they do get along during this first meeting, we're going to just adopt the stray right then and there.
I had initially intended to spend a couple more days thinking about it, as I only found out about the situation on Saturday. I don't think the financial aspect of keeping a second cat will really weigh us down, even considering the initial expense of taking him to the vet to get him fixed and have his vaccinations updated. Do you think that I should go along with my wife's idea of just keeping the cat if he's friendly around our current cat tomorrow, or should I insist on taking some more time to think about it first?
For one thing make sure the cats have something between them when they meet. Like the new cat in a carrier of some sort or let them smell each other through a door. Having the new cat all of a sudden be in your cat's territory is a fight waiting to happen.
Is your cat up to date on all their vaccines? If not, do not bring that other cat around your cat until one or both of them are. You don't need this new cat giving your feline herpies
>>2108539
Our cat is an exclusively indoor cat, so she doesn't have any vaccines to prevent against risks associated with being outdoors.
The new cat doesn't have a carrier, but is apparently fine with car rides, so the co-worker was planning on getting him here that way. Do you think that we should put him in our cat's carrier while he's still in the hallway before bringing him into our apartment, or would that be weird?
>>2108544
DO NOT LET A STRAY UNVACCINATED CAT INTERACT WITH YOUR UNVACCINATED CAT. If the other cat was outside it has a great chance of carrying something that it will transmit to your cat. Some diseases can transmit with as little as being in the same breathing space
Also yes, if you are going to introduce them you need to have the other cat in the carrier first. It might be weird but it will put you cat at ease and lessen the chance of your cat being defense. Look up techniques on introducing cats gradually. You will need them if you keep the cat
>>2108705
Holy shit this OP. Don't let an unvaccinated cat around unvaccinated outdoor cats. That's a terrible idea for a million reasons. There's herpes, there's rabies, there's worms and other undentifiable things that your cat can get from this other one. When the second cat gets up to date with it's shots THEN you can introduce them.
This involves sticking the new cat in a bathroom and letting your new cat sniff around to get used to the smell of another cat, etc.
>>2108705
Hey, I know I'm way late in responding, but OP here and I wanted to thank you. You've impressed upon me that we really are trying to take this too fast. I'll get in touch with the current keeper tomorrow and ask if we can just come visit the cat at their place instead so that we can get to know him before we bother finding out how he reacts to our girl.
>>2108994
Not a problem. Thanks for listening and taking your pet's best interest to heart
>>2108994
If you do want to go through with it, make sure the vet check rules out the major health concerns
>ringworm - this can transmit just from skin contact and be given to all mammals, but is treatable and non-lethal
>FeLV/FIV - Feline leukemia/feline aids, highly contagious through saliva/mucus, no cure
>URI - Very common and highly contagious, but easily treatable. Can be caused simply by stress also
>conjunctivitis - basically kitty pink eye. Contagious and kind of a bitch to really get rid of. If untreated, they can lose the infected eye
>get 1 year Rabies and 3 week Distemper vaccine (in 3 weeks you will go back for your 1 year distemper vaccine)
>check for fleas/ticks/worms/mites, and treat for them even if the cat doesn't have them (excluding mites)
>scan for a microchip, just in case
And of course, the overall exam; check heart, lungs, teeth, gums, claws, pads, ears, eyes, fur etc. If he is unfixed, the smell of hormones may make your cat feel uncomfortable and possibly make the meeting go poorly.
Don't be surprised if their first meeting doesn't go great, it usually takes weeks with the new cat behind a door and scent swapping. Cats are finicky bastards.
http://www.hshv.org/documents/cat-IntroNewCatOtherPets.pdf
