I know it's very soon, but I have a new cat and wanted to share.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

You were so lovely when my beloved Millie died last week.
I decided to go and see a cat today as the owner was moving and couldn't take him with her. I went with an open mind, prepared to say no if it didn't feel right. (Thanks to Mignonette for sharing her story about this - I kept it in mind.)
So, I got there, sat down and this beautiful dainty pure white cat sniffed at me, then leapt onto my knees, climbed up my chest and went in for full kiss on the lips! He head butted me, licked my nose and face and quite simply I knew he was perfect.
He didn't make a peep the whole way home (a novelty for me!) and is happily in my spare room under bed. I'm on the floor tapping away on iPad and he keeps popping out for a stroke then retreating.
He's beautiful. I will take a better pic when he's more settled...

[cozietoesie]

Jon

I was wondering if he might just be a little deaf. As I understand it, there is a distinct correlation between congenital hearing problems and having a white cat with blue eyes - the eye colour is significant.

\link{http://www.icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/inherited-deafness-white-cats\Here's} some ICC guidance on it.

There's no certainty about it of course (although once he's settled you can attempt to test for it) because a proportion of white cats with blue eyes have normal hearing - and if you don't know his breeding, he might also have eg Siamese blue eyes in his bloodline and those are a whole different ball game. I was just thoughtful when you described how tactile he is and wondered if that was a result of his personality or whether he could be substituting touch for a sense which is impaired. It could be either - or indeed both!

Anyway, something for you to think about. I don't think it would make much difference to how he enjoys his life although if he turned out to be indeed deaf, there might be some changes your own behaviour would need - just that the introduction might be a little affected if he wasn't fully on top of his situation. A bit more sensitive if you like.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

That's really interesting and I had read that about pure white cats before. I think it's the same in some breeds of dogs, like English Bull Terriers.
I'm fairly certain he's not deaf - he's responded to farm noises outside and if I lightly click my tongue he pricks his ears up...I will keep a close eye on that though.
He's having a nice explore at the moment though so all is well. I'm going to freshen up his food bowls in case he changes his mind.

[CoffeeBucks]

He's lovely! :)

[cozietoesie]

I suspect that he's your challenge with regard to introductions. It sounds as if Scabbers is pretty relaxed about it - as I'd think would be more likely if he's been brought up in a multi-cat household.

Good luck to all and let us know how things go.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Thanks Cozie, I will do!

[mycatlikestwiglets]

Congratulations on your lovely new boy. Just saw your previous thread about poor Millie. We're in a similar situation as twigletcat was killed a few weeks ago but I'm hoping to go to meet some rescue cats next week. Good to see that you feel you've done the right thing in taking on another purrbox!

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Thanks twig lets, sorry to hear you've been through it as well. Truly horrible isn't it? I hope you find one who's perfect for you.

We've had unexpected face to face meeting between Scabbers and Snowy - in fact I'm sitting between them now acting as ref! Scabby popped in to find snowy sitting on the hearth rug. No scraps yet but the howls are awful.

[GerundTheBehemoth]

Gorgeous cat! Good luck with the integration. Once he is going outside, it's a good plan to put sunblock (one marketed for babies should be OK) on the tips of his ears - white cats are v vulnerable to sunburn there.

[cozietoesie]

I'd be tempted to separate them now to relieve the tension. It's only been - what - a day? since Snowy arrived so it may be too much for them as yet. I know there's this terrible temptation to put them together and see how they do but I think it's probably a case of 'gradually does it'.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Thanks for the tip, Gerund! Never would have known that.
Cozie, I've moved Scabbers into my room where his bed is, and Snowy is roaming the house. I'm heartened there was no violence but they're definitely not ready to be mates yet. I know scabs wanted to go back outside but I'm scared he won't come back in if he knows Snowy is here
Might keep him in today then let him out as normal tomorrow morning.
Ugh! Stress!

[RubbishMantra]

What a beautiful boy! It's always a bit tricky introducing adult cats, but the fact they're both males should make it easier. I've always found males to be less territorial than females. My cat will happily invite cat friends into the house, even share his food with them.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Thanks Rubbish everyone's been telling me how awful it'll be as they're both males! Both neutered, however.

[timtam23]

Jon Snow my female cat was definitely the one who was most affronted when I brought new cats into the household (2 male cats arrived during her lifetime and she tolerated them grudgingly & was definitely the boss!)
My adult male cat I think was always desperate to be friends with her - he has recently struck up a fairly close companionship with the male kitten who turned up (kitten now 9 months old, old boy nearly 18 years!) so age-wise it's not the same as your situation but the older cat has been surprisingly tolerant of the interloper!

[ThistledownAndCobweb]

My tiny female cat is horrible when we get new cats but my current boy is quite chilled (won't mention the late great part siamese who hated every other cat in the world)

We've had two new cat-additions in six months and it does take time for them to establish a pecking order and settle down.

Today I watched old girl cat and new girl cat ignore each other in the garden - for six months they've been enemies so that was a huge step forward.

Given time I'm sure they'll settle, even if it is a truce rather than peace.


Your new boy is lovely, beautiful face.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Thanks Timtam and Thistledown - good to know females can be vile to newcomers too! I think you're right about the ignoring, Thistledown, I don't need them to be lifelong buddies, but it would be nice for them to get on without the awful yowling!

Due to a cockup while doing laundry yesterday, Scabbers got into Snowy's room and did a huge shit in his litter try! I assume this is his way of asserting authority?! It was not fun.

Anyhow this morning I briefly let them meet while eating and thankfully no growling or hissing whatsoever. After five mins I just let Scabbers outside as he was in most of yesterday. A good start though! Oh and hope nobody minds but I took this pic yesterday and love it!

[cozietoesie]

Do you know, he does have a Siamese/oriental look to his build. (I think you said he was quite dainty?) Is anything known about his breeding?

[cozietoesie]

PS - if they had a usefully quiet meeting while eating, i might invest in a packet or three of Dreamies or something similar and be liberal with their use for the duration. (I'm a great believer in the power of bribery if you have cats with a hankering for taste treats and doling out nosh at least persuades them that having another cat around might have its good points.)

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

I know absolutely nothing about his breeding - yes he is very dainty and has an interesting Meow like I've never heard. Kind of a yowl rather than a squeak!
I shall invest in some dreamies today for sure. I'm off work until Tuesday so I reckon wecan build significant bridges in that time.
He does not eat much though - a few Go Cat Crunchies the owner provided and some Claude pouch meat - but he only licks the gravy off nd doesn't eat the meat.

[cozietoesie]

Forgive me if I've overlooked it - but how old is he? He's got a lot on his plate with adjusting and all but I'm wondering how his teeth are?

Do you know when he was last vetted - because if not recently, I'd be getting him down there for an MOT/boosters if needed/parasite control/chip etc. All those good things - and including a dental check. (The Lodger needed a full dental when he arrived here at only about 3 years old - and my vet is not one to intervene unnecessarily.)

[cozietoesie]

A yowl? Hmmmm. I'm ever more inclined to thinking that he might have some oriental or Siamese in him. Funnily enough, I had that thought when you posted the very first picture of him in your OP. His ears are not oriental but the rest of him pretty well is.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

He's one year exactly and from what I can see, his teeth look ok - he's actually eaten a lot more since my previous post, a mix of meat and crunches, which is a relief. Previous owner took him to the vet for a once over in February I think, although I must text her and ask about boosters...

Yes, the yowl's a funny one. It almost sounds like he's talking. Earlier I called his name and he immediately responded with "whaaaaat?" It really sounded like he was talking! I know what you mean about his earls not being oriental, but his face is quite narrow and "boxy." Hmmm, I wonder!

[cozietoesie]

Only a year? That's practically a baby. That, together with him having been taken for his once over and eating some, improves the situation a whole lot.

Sounds fairly positive this morning. How is Scabbers doing?

[cozietoesie]

Yes - check on dates with his previous owner. I'm assuming he had the initial jab series but you'll need to know. If possible, get the name and address of the vet from her because then your own vet can contact them and get any records faxed/emailed over.

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Thanks, I will do just that.
Scabbers was fine this morning - he went out and hasn't been back but he'll be back when he gets hungry. Snowy is busily eating everything in sight now and exploring the kitchen. He'sdefinitely intrigued by outside but he's got a fairly long wait before that happens!

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Sorry for the running commentary - I'm off work and skint this week, so not much else to do with my time!

Scabbers came home about half an hour ago and approached Snowy straight away. There was nose bumping! Still some wariness on both sides but the balance of power is definitely in Scabby's favour - Snowy backs down first when they approach each other. This is good as Scabbers is an unaggressive cat and he definitely wants to be friends.
They're chasing each other around the house a bit now, but this has definitely got more of a play element even though there's a bit of hissing!

In a few minutes I'll shut Scabs up for his nap...but I'm really pleased!