Introducing a new kit into the bloc: How To Avoid the “Wham! Bam! Hissy-Fits” Syndrome

Getting a cat to settle down into your home isn't an exact science. There's a few things to consider, and these are mainly based on whether you're getting another cat or just starting out with your first kitty.

Some good pieces of advice:
– How to Introduce Your New Cat to the Rest of the Tribe "Slowly" and "Patiently" are the operative words
– Tips For Introducing A New Cat To Your Cat(s)
– LIVING TOGETHER – INTRODUCING A NEW CAT
(very good in-depth look at the Dos and Dont's)
– More Practical Tips and Considerations:
Welcoming A Cat Into Your Home, Making Room for A New Cat

Remember though, that you'll need to work with your cat(s), and consider their comfort level and tolerance threshold. For example, aTm, a cat rescued by vegancatsg, was adopted 3 times before he found his permanent home, and that was because his real family gave him the allowance to settle down on his schedule and terms.

In any case, please also think about you situation and consider: How Many Cats is Too Many?

c

Go to Pawprints: TLC for other cat minon requisite education

Rose Garden on Evans Road (Dawn’s Blog, 20060313)

There is no excuse for shirking your duty towards the cats you claim you love, whether they are tipped-ear clan members or your ‘pets’. This ‘person’ in the case is, frankly, horrible and incorrigible! Remember Rose Garden on Evans Road, my friends, and BOYCOTT it!

Scratching Below the Surface- Cat Scratching as Communication

Ok, fellow cat minions, no excuse for dismissing them itching furballs – better start getting familiar with morse-scratch. Quick, what's 1 long scratch on fabric mean??

I hate to think that apart from meows, I have to add Scratches – decoding claw charades, to my classes.

calsifer

PS how's your meow-accent coming along, eh? I just can't twist that "arw" in that "meow" if you agree bit.

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Scratching Below the Surface- Cat Scratching as Communication
Guest Writers' Forum Article
by C.H.U. (Clyde's Human Unit, Webmaster of ClydeSight2.0!)

C.H.U. has spent a lifetime in the company of cats. C.H.U. became Clyde's Human Unit when Clyde Big Paws, the tabby cat, came to live in 1990. Clyde crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 1997. C.H.U. has been the Web master and a member of the board of the Melrose Humane Society since 1998 as part of the Legacy of Clyde. C.H.U. holds a Master's degree in Communication from Emerson College in Massachusetts and has taught continuing education courses in the use of computers and computers for communication. C.H.U. is currently being trained by the Melrose Humane Society and Gertrude and Eddie Cats in the art of cat-human communicatioin techniques.

The Sound You HATE to Hear
You're sitting at your computer when you hear a sound all cat owners DREAD, the tearing of claws on fabric! You rush into the next room and grab the squirt bottle or can o' coins. Your cat takes off for under the bed. You return to your computer muttering.

Did you notice the cat toy in the center of the room, right where the cat was sitting before you charged in?

Maybe, your cat was trying to tell you something! –> MORE

(source: About Cats)

More on why fosters can’t help but seem like drill sergeants

Really, it's nothing personal, but as evinced by vegancatsg's experience, any concerned foster's rule of thumb is 'caution is the better part of valour', and at times, it's the caution that serves.

Deep? Not really, it's just commonsense and logic. We don't want to burn our bridges by pissing potential adopters off so bad the cat loses a chance at a decent home. But then, there are people with very weirded-out thinking.

Though there may be psychologists/criminal profilers doing fostering/rescue, by-and-large, fosters aren't psychologists, and we dont aspire to criminal profiling. Honest! We're just doing what we can, so adopters, please don't hold it against us if the questions seem a little, shall we say, pert?

Just a little bit of discomfort, and bliss ever after with your new cat. Small price to pay right?

Take it as a virtual session in the Dentist chair, if it helps. =)