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I always knew that if we were to get a second cat that I would want to adopt from a shelter. (There are sooooo many wonderful animals that have been "dumped" by their owners and are in need of good loving homes.) So I wanted to rescue a deserving kitty. Our vet highly recommended getting a kitten to help our resident cat adjust to the new addition. (It was the hope that she would take it on as her own and mother the new kitten.)
Well after much searching and disappointment we realized that a kitten just wasn't in the cards for us and started looking at young adult cats. The coach has a friend who works at the Animal Rescue League of Boston. If you haven't heard of them, check them out!!! They are an amazing group of people who dedicate their lives to rescuing animals of all kinds.
He ventured in to the city and all on his own picked out what would become our newest addition to our family. She came home several days later after she had been spayed and cleared for adoption.
She weighed barely 6 pounds and you could see her ribs and spine through her fur. (She had been abandoned on the streets of Boston after just having a litter of kittens, which took a toll on her body and why she was so skinny.)
We realized right off the bat why cat experts say that introducing a new cat into a home with a cat already can present a challenge. We kept the two cats separated in different rooms but they could smell and see each other and spent the next several days totally freaked out and "pissy", for lack of a better word. (We didn't realize that by separated, it meant no visual contact. Whoops!!)
We had several accidental escapes leading to several loud, fast paced, and scary cat chases. The coach and I ran wildly after them screaming loud nonsensical sounds and clapping our hands while we chased after them. (We must have looked insanely ridiculous, but this is what we were told to do by the vet if they went after each other to get them to break it up!)
After about a week and a half of cat isolation and gradual introductions the two "girls" finally decided that each other was here to stay and they better just get used to the idea.
Now they are the best of friends and play and frolic around each morning and night! Our resident kitty is still the boss, don't get me wrong, but I think if they suddenly got separated now, they wouldn't know what to do without the other. (Kinda like siblings!)
I wonder how they would take to a dog!
Our newest edition: Shusha
You can see she adjusted quite nicely here!
She has also put on a few pounds since last spring. Check out the tongue sticking out!!
Our resident kitty, Charlotte, named by the athlete, who was reading Charlotte's Web at the time.
Don't let this serious face fool you! This little kitty has got some spunk!
