Cat question

[resonant]

Those of you who have male cats -- have any of you ever had any problems with a neutered male cat spraying?

Context: We're going to get a kitten soon! and the one we have our eye on is male. But I'm a little nervous about this, because one of my childhood cats got banished to the yard because he developed a spraying problem despite having been neutered.

What's the Wisdom of Fandom on this?

Comments

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

Of course, it will help both the cats if you do careful introductions. We held the four kittens in a room of their own for two weeks, where Target couldn't get at them -- and they couldn't get at him. We'd have done it for longer but we had vacation scheduled, so we just crossed our fingers that things would be okay.

http://www.googobits.com/articles/2386-how-to-introduce-a-new-cat-to-your-home.html

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

That looks useful but rather alarming! I don't know if I want to commit to being home 24/7 for "several days" to referee. But I guess I will if I have to.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

Yipes! Even we didn't do that, and I was very concerned that our then-18-yo cat (ill with kidney disease) might attack the kittens if provoked. I know that old, sick cats are sometimes short-tempered.

We did leave them essentially locked in a room for two weeks. Jim made a "screen door" insert out of 2x2s and screen so we could see them. We left it there for nearly six months, though; after the first two weeks we cut a hole in the bottom so the kittens could get in and out while Target could not access their food.

Surely that wouldn't be necessary for introducing one kitten! I would think a few days of being in his 'safe room' would be helpful, though.

In the end, they all got along fine. Target loves his "Targie's Angels" and sleeps with the girls all the time.