Vets Advice:

Click Here to return to the Vets Advice search page.

	Blind & Pregnant Stray Cat Q: Hello, I've just taken in a 4/5 year old stray cat which is blind and pregnant. I am already an owner of a 6 year old female cat who is very timid and understand that it will take a while for her to get used to her new companion. How long should I give my cat to get acquainted before I think about giving the stray cat to a new home? Is it normal for my cat to go off its food? Is there anything I can do to help them get acquainted? Thanks. Jackie Butler

A: Dear Jackie Most new cats take 3 to 4 weeks to get acquainted and either become friends or mark out their personal spaces. Introducing new cats is never easy, you can think it will never improve, then suddenly find them curled up together and best of friends. However there will always be some which will never accept a newcomer in the house. Three to four weeks is a reasonable amount of time to give before giving up on them altogether. In the end you may get just a grudging acceptance with both keeping well apart. Don't force them on one another, move the new cat around to get her scent in different places, but avoid direct confrontations and supervise them when they are in he same room to start with. Perhaps use a kitten pen for the blind cat for her protection initially, and handy for the kittens too when they arrive. Sometimes a cat rescue group or your vet has one which you can borrow or they can be bought through ads in cat magazines or larger internet pet stores. It will be tempting to make more fuss of the blind cat, but try not to make your first cat feel jealous. Some handling of the new cat will let your old cat see that she's meant to be part of the household and keep her scent on you. It could just be the stress and general upset that has put your cat off her food, but if she shows other signs of illness or it's gone on more than a couple of days, get her checked over. The homoeopathic remedy Aconite may help with the stress of accepting the newcomer. The Bach Flower Remedy, Rescue Remedy is good for calming upset animals (and humans), also Walnut to help adjust to new circumstances and Mimulus for nervousness. Both could benefit from these mixtures. Holly is the remedy for jealousy. The Bach remedies can be blended in a separate bottle with some spring water, about 2 drops to 30ml water in a bottle or other clean container, then give one drop, four times daily for five days. The rules are not 'writ in stone' and you can use them straight from the stock bottles as well. Most of these should be available from either health food stores or even Boots chemists. You can also obtain them by e-mailing Helios pharmacy at pharmacy@helios.co.uk All the best and I hope everyone gets on OK. June Third-Carter B.V.M.S., M.R.C.V.S., Vet.M.F.Hom. (Owner of 7 cats)

Similar Questions