Does Ruby need a paly??

Hi to everyone from Ruby Tuesday and myself!!

I haven't posted for a while, but I make sure to check in every now and then to see pictures of everyone's fur babies.......and was nicely suprized to put some faces to the names of some of the Auspet participants.

My question is this: I live alone in a small house, and I work 2 jobs. One is Monday - Friday from 7:30am - 5pm, the other is partime weekend evening work (usually just Sat. nites bartending). I go out at least 2 - 3 nites a week (movies, dinner). Does Ruby need a kitty buddy to poop around with??? When I come home from work, my whole evening is Ruby, we play hide and seek, she loves tinfoil balls, I brush her and carry her around with me whenever I move from room to room, but is this enough? I feel like I'm gone an awful long time and she's all alone. Plus I haven't gone to my mum's for months 'cause I would have to leave Ruby at home alone for the weekend (mum WILL NOT have the cat in the house!!). She likes Ruby 'cause she's been to my house and she thinks Ruby is just beautiful :m8: This is a perfect picture of Ruby's eyes! She's pure black and gorgeous!!

Anyway, I realize cats are just fine by themselve.....but I have the guilts, and I was wondering what everyone else thinks?!?

PS Ruby STILL hasn't grown in her top two fangs!!! She's 1 year and 4 months old and no top fangs!! Any thoughts??

 

I think Ruby would like a bud...a boy cat about her age.

Can't tell you about the fangs - that's Chess' dept.

 

Well..............

Believe me when I tell ya that Ruby'd ol mum here would like a boy around her age around the house too!!!

 

I think it would be a good idea. My cats love hanging out with each other. They play with each other quite a bit, too.

I think if you got Ruby a sibling, it would cure up some boredom.

Just make sure you make proper introductions for them!

 

Go for it, get her a buddy!

 

Well..............

Believe me when I tell ya that Ruby's ol mum here would like a boy around her age around the house too!!!

 

I say go for it. My cats really seem to enjoy each others company.

 

That's 4 "yeses"!!! It looks like I'm getting Ruby a baby sister!!! Actually this is quiet exciting!!!! I'll probably go to our Cat Rescue location we have here in the city because I just can't bring myself to ever go back to the SPCA. Oh my gosh...........I just cannot handle it. People should go there to see what the reality of not getting your cat (or any animal) spayed or neutered is........but it just breaks my heart. I cry and cry and cry. I just can't do it again!

How do you properly introduce them to eachother lucidity03??

Thanks!

 

i'd like to point out that cats- unlike dogs which are pack animals and need a pack, be it human or otherwise- dont need 'pals' as we might think. Cats have been found to be solitary creatures and do fine when alone. Some prefer it.

however there is nothing to say Ruby wouldnt enjoy some company... (she just doesnt NEED it).

before i got Razberry i thought Lex was just great by himself.. was even worried about getting another, but now i have u, i just think whether they need a pal or not, cats are best in pairs. :y_the_best: always making ya smile twice as much!!

 

EF, that's so true. I used to work with a vet's wife (a nurse) and she said cats are solitary creatures and do fine just by themselves. Everyonce in a while, a cat may be very social and prefer companionship, but that's rare. You know what, after looking and reading up on all the posts here, it seems our kitties do well with other kitty companionship especially if you have to work long hours or be away lots.

 

There are literally TONS of articles online that can help you (if you do a search on 'introducing a cat' - or things like that).

My summary:

Take it slow and be patient. I do know that some cats get along right off the bat, and some take work. But, I successfully introduced a 3 month old kitten to four other cats. Three of the cats were fine by the second day! But, the third cat took almost two weeks to be tolerant of the kitten.

-Keep the kitten in a seperate room at first and let them get comfortable (remember - give them their own food, water, litter, toys, and somewhere comfy to sleep)

-Some people suggest that once the kitten is comfortable with the new surroundings, switch spots and let the resident cat in the kitten room and let the kitten check out the house (without fear that the cat will come after it)

-Your cat may get interested in the kitten. They may smell each other under the door, or even paw at each other. At one point, I actually put up a baby gate to let them see and smell each other without possible harm. It worked for me (my cats were interested in meeting the new one at that point)

-You can try and swap scents to get the cats used to each other's smell. Take a washcloth and rub one cat and then the other. Keep doing it every day.

-If they seem interested in each other, let the meet in a controlled environment. If they act aggressive, seperate them. (It is acceptable if they hiss and growl a little bit) Give the cats space so they are not forced together and they can flee if they feel threatened.

-Slowly let them have more and more time together. Reward them when they are not aggressive toward one another.

-Give your original cat LOTS of love and attention. Reassure them that they are not being replaced.

WHEW, I don't know if that covered it or not. I was just summing up everything I learned when doing myself (now for the third time).

Good luck!

ACTUAL ARTICLES that may help you:

http://www.cuhumane.org/topics/catcat.html

http://www.catsociety.com/catintroduction.htm
[url=http://www.petplace.com/Arti...w.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=514[/url]

http://www.basicso.com/wildgold/CattoCat.html

 

I agree that some kitties prefer to being alone and have a hard time adjusting to a new kitty friend. If you do get one, a kitten would be better than a grown cat since cats seem to adjust to kittens easier.

I say, go for it, though! Good luck.

 

Hi. Some cats don't develop all of their teeth (an adult cat should have 30 teeth). If this is the case for your kitty it will not pose any health problems. However, there is always the possibility that she did have all her teeth grow in, but something happened along the way (i.e., they never fully erupted beyond the gum tissue, they broke off at the gumline and tissue grew over it and so on). The next time you go to the vet, I would definitely mention the fact that she is missing a few teeth.

As for getting another kitty, I also think it would be a very good idea. I also agree that a kitten would be best.

 

On behalf of Ruby and myself, I want to thank you all for your warm responses! In Saskatchewan, it gets very very very cold in the winter, so I wouldn't mind having 2 nice fur coats around to keep me toasty!!

Next time I take Ruby to the vet for her yearly shots, I'll tell her about Ruby's missing teeth. Although going there is an adventure in itself! When I take Ruby, it turns into a 1 vet, 3 asst., and me endeavour! She's pretty darn feisty, even without top fangs she's dangerous!! They always say "Let's let Ruby's mum put her on the table, or take her out of the cage......she doesn't seem to like any of us very much!"

One more question if I may..........when I click on the Animal Rescue Site to feed the animals, can I click away all day, or does just one click per day per person count??

Thanks again for your time!

 

Only one click per day from your computer wwill be registerd, Unfortunately
They actually request that everybody only click once a day, so that they can avoid possible overloading of their system.