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HELP!!! Play drive? Prey Drive?? Any hope???

Rugers-Kris

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
Well, Colt was dropped off and so far Ruger is a wound up mess!!! He is super excited and is focused in on the kitten so intently that I am not sure if it is excited "I think that is a new toy and I want to play with it!" or "Give me that kitten to chomp!!"...It has only been about 30 minutes since he got here and I attempted to let him smell him but he tried to grab his tail so I ended the smell test. He can't hear me at the moment....He is 100% focused on the kitten. I know it is early but should I back out now? Or is there hope that he will still calm down? I just wish I could tell if what I was saying was prey drive or not. He gets all stiff and stares at him and all nervous excitement but he gets the same way when I bring him a new toy.........Anybody have any words for me? :pray:
 
bluebutterfly

bluebutterfly

Well-Known Member
my words for you... be careful... he will pick up on your feelings of ansiety when you have him around the kitten, and you need to feel perfectly calm..not nervous at all. and act like the kitten is no big deal... i would be very very careful... and NEVER leave them alone together eve for a second. Thats all i have to say... I still have to keep my dogs and cat seperated... cat lives downstairs dogs live upstairs... Brodie actually moved our mattress and Boxspring off the frame and across the floor of our bedroom to get the cat one day when the cat made the mistake of coming upstairs... I have no doubt in my mind brodie would kill him if he got the chance. so much so that we are actually thinking of finding a home for the cat before that happens.
 
Smokeycat

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Is there any way for you to create a see thru barrier between them? A crate would work. As for play vs prey what is Ruger's body language saying? Fast wagging tail vs a stuff or slow wag, fluid body motions or is he stiff and deliberate.
 
Rugers-Kris

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
I don't have a crate for Ruger. :-/ But that is what I need...a way for him to see the cat and not get to him. He was so excited that I can't be sure whether there is any agression in there but he didn't try to stalk him or anything. His tail was wagging like crazy but I think he is at a loss as to what the kitten is........I can't let him get close enough to really know what his intent is. Part of me thinks Ruger is looking at him like a strange new toy that is freaking him out because it moves and makes noise. I am being very careful and have not even put the kitten down and certainly won't leave them alone together. I have the kitten in another room right now and he is sleeping in his little box happily.
 
Smokeycat

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
What you are describing sounds a lot like Jiggers who does have a very high play drive. Chances are Colt is likely close to the size of Ruger's toys as well, which doesn't help him realize that it isn't a toy. One thing that I still work on and probably always will is making sure that Jiggers knows that the cats are MINE and not his. I wouldn't give up yet and it may make sense to get a small crate that you can put Colt in so that you can focus on Ruger alone when you next try the introduction. It will help calm you down and as a result might help calm Ruger down too.
 
swalls21

swalls21

Well-Known Member
Smokeycat said:
Is there any way for you to create a see thru barrier between them? A crate would work. As for play vs prey what is Ruger's body language saying? Fast wagging tail vs a stuff or slow wag, fluid body motions or is he stiff and deliberate.
Click to expand...

That was going to be my suggestion, put the kitty in a crate. That way Ruger could sniff away without you having to worry that Colt will end up as a snack (not that Ruger would do that, but you get my point). Good luck!
 
Rugers-Kris

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
Thanks. I will try that. I was completely calm until he got so incredibly excited and then I admit I got a little nervous........I mean this kitten is so tiny! Yes, I think I will be much calmer if I know that if Ruger does try to "get" him....he can't. He didn't growl or bark like he does at anybody OR anything that he wants to "get".....When he mad or upset towards anything (people or garbage can) he lets me know in a hurry. I really do think he might be seeing the kitten as a toy and a really weird toy at that since it makes noise and moves weird. I am going to keep them separated and see if I can get my hands on a crate of some sort for the kitten and try introducing them again. I appreciate you talking to me about this. :)

---------- Post added at 03:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 PM ----------

Although, Ruger doesn't appear to have a desire to eat poor little colt, I am afraid that I am wrong and he WILL end up as a snack so I will take the advice of putting Colt in a crate of some sort and go from there.
swalls21 said:
That was going to be my suggestion, put the kitty in a crate. That way Ruger could sniff away without you having to worry that Colt will end up as a snack (not that Ruger would do that, but you get my point). Good luck!
Click to expand...
 
Rugers-Kris

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
Although, Ruger doesn't appear to have a desire to eat poor little colt, I am afraid that I am wrong and he WILL end up as a snack so I will take the advice of putting Colt in a crate of some sort and go from there.
swalls21 said:
That was going to be my suggestion, put the kitty in a crate. That way Ruger could sniff away without you having to worry that Colt will end up as a snack (not that Ruger would do that, but you get my point). Good luck!
Click to expand...
 
Smokeycat

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Your welcome and your not alone. I was terrified that Kryten would hurt Monkey since he had never seen such a small cat.
 
Rugers-Kris

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
I will report back later after I get a little crate for Colt and try to introduce them again. Once the kitten is in a crate and I can let Ruger "check it out" without issue, I think I will know exactly what I am dealing with (Play or Prey) and go from there. You already had other cats, though, right? Ruger has seen cats and really never cared one way or the other but has never actually been inside a house with them.
 
Duetsche_Doggen

Duetsche_Doggen

Well-Known Member
Colt is cute! Like the name BTW.

Thor has a dull prey drive but Stone is pretty active. When I brought my kitten home the first thing I did was set his living area in Thor's old crate. I placed a litterbox, food, water, toys, bed, etc. and a "hidebox". The crate was placed in the dogs sleeping area. It took about a month and a half before the kitten "came around." But in the mean time for short sessions I would open the crate and let the kitten roam. With the dogs locked up of course.I allowed the dogs to sniff the crate or bedding with the cat scent but they were not able to "engage." If either dogs displayed body language stalking predator mode was corrected verbally or physically. The cat will sense it too. My kitty is "calm" with Thor but a bit more "alert" with Stone, for obvious reasons.

Stay on top of Ruger and let him know that the kitten is not a toy but another member of the family.
 
C

cuz

Active Member
just use an upside down laundry basket over the kitten in the middle of the living room. then you can watch them interact and stop him from knocking it off the kitten. When i did it with previous dogs and even introducing cats to each other i put the basket in front of my chair and used it for a foot stool for a couple hours..
 
Rugers-Kris

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
Thanks, DD....His name seems to fit him so far. :) I will try that with my brood. Yes, I am going to work with Ruger to make sure he understands that the cat is mine and that he is a part of the family.....I believe it will be interesting for awhile but I have faith that I can make this work. :)
 
Rugers-Kris

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
I appreciate the advice, DD. I really wasn't at all nervous about this whole thing prior to getting him but I had no idea how crazy Ruger was going to go!!! He is so caught up in the kitten. I guess we will just see what happens next.
 
Smokeycat

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Rugers-Kris said:
I will report back later after I get a little crate for Colt and try to introduce them again. Once the kitten is in a crate and I can let Ruger "check it out" without issue, I think I will know exactly what I am dealing with (Play or Prey) and go from there. You already had other cats, though, right? Ruger has seen cats and really never cared one way or the other but has never actually been inside a house with them.
Click to expand...

I seem to alternate, cat-dog-cat-dog-cat. So yes Kryten had grown up around adult cats. Just remember that this is stressful for both of them too. Colt is a cutie. I used to have a tabby.
 
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