Separating cats

crazyfeline • 25 January 2017 at 9:38 AM

Okay, so, I'm going to be moving out soon.
I have two cats, Toulouse and Baxter.
Toulouse will be coming with me definitely.

Both cats are 3 this year. We got Toulouse first, then about 6 months later got Baxter. So they've lived together since they were kittens.

They don't really get along.

Toulouse is slightly timid and really only likes me. If I leave her, she'll probably get depressed or something.

Baxter, our male cat, Doesn't seem to really care too much about anything. He'll sit on anyone when he chooses to, which is rare.

The two cats will share food and living space fine, but they don't have a bond.

I want to take both with me when I move, but I think it'll be too hard for me to find a place that will allow both cats.

I'm wondering, how do you all think they would go living apart? I don't think they'd miss one another, but I'm worried they might...

just to clarify, neither of my cats are going to the pound 😊 If one wasn;t to come with me, it would be staying with my family 😊

flowerlynx • 25 January 2017 at 9:48 AM

I think that you should keep Toulouse. She is friendly, loves you, etc, while Baxter is unsocial and doesn't like other cats or people very much. Although, if Baxter continually acts like this, people might not specifically want to adopt an unsocial cat at the pound. So... 😋
That's my best advice.
Do you think Baxter would miss you?

rowyn • 25 January 2017 at 10:01 AM

@crazyfeline

I'd only separate if it's a last resort. Even though they don't get along, they more or less grew up together, so they're a normal part of the other's life and separating them could possibly do more harm than good. My advice, especially since you'd like to keep them both, is to consult your vet on what to do, maybe see about ways to help them get along better. I also recommend giving My Cat From Hell, a show on Animal Planet featuring a cat behaviorist that helps "problem" cats, a view 😊 I've actually used a few techniques with my own cats and they've helped, so perhaps it'll be a help to you 😊

If it ultimately does come down to separating them, i do say keep Toulouse. Of the two, she's the one that would be harmed more if you rehomed her because of her bond with you.

EDIT: I also don't recommend the pound. For any animal, especially one like Baxter, the pound would be traumatizing and would make him worse ☹️

silverserpent • 25 January 2017 at 10:06 AM

@crazyfeline

Owner of 4 cats here, hello! *waves* 😊

If they haven't bonded and aren't siblings then there's a good and rather big chance that they will actually love to live apart instead. Kittens that aren't from the same litter don't always bond.

Baxter sounds like the type of carefree cat that is happy as long as he has a nice home and someone to feed and take care of him.
He'll probably get over both you and Toulouse pretty quickly. (Some cats just are like that.) I wouldn't worry about it. 😊

Actually... If Baxter doesn't like Toulouse then that might actually be the reason why he's not very social. If Toulouse has claimed you as her special person Baxter has reason to stay away from you. Cats seldom share the same special person.

However, what @flowerlynx said about people not wanting to adopt a cat that seems unsocial is sort of true. But a 3-year-old is still a young cat.

Some of my four boys didn't start to become affectionate until they were somewhere between 3 and 5 years old. It's not uncommon in male cats and the people at the pound will probably know this.

So as long as you tell them Baxter is a nice cat they'll probably be able to find a home for him. No need to call him unsocial. He might just still be a teenage boy at heart who hasn't learned to like cuddles yet... 😉

/sorry for wall of text xD

Edit: Might have to point out that "the pound" where I live is quite a nice place with great people. If yours is not then I'd try to find another option. <.<

crazyfeline • 25 January 2017 at 10:08 AM

@flowerlynx Baxter would stay with my family 😊
I couldn't ever give a pet to the pound ☹️
I think he might miss me for all of two days and then not care.
When my sister moved out he didn't even seem to notice. However I'm more of an animal person than her so have a slightly better bond with Baxter than what she had

@rowyn Definitely if it was only a last resort 😊
Just really worried on the outcome of it. Since they have been a part of each other's lives :/
Thank you for the advice 😊
I'd have to keep Toulouse since she has bonded with me. Otherwise she'd be staying living with my family, who she does like but yeah..she'd definitely look for me

@silverserpent 4?! GOALS 😱

If I have to separate them I'd be hopeful they'd love that :/

Sounds just like how Baxter is 😊

Neither would go to the pound 😊 I currently live at home with my parents, so if I had to leave Baxter he'd stay with them and still have a family forever 😊

We used to have another pair of cats, both male. Both from different litters and had been together since they were kittens. Same sort of situation with one being friendlier. When the friendlier one died of old age, it aged the unfriendly one and he went into depression and died slightly after. Although, they had lived their WHOLE lives together. So Im hoping since my cats are still young if they have to be separated they won't really mind :/

silverserpent • 25 January 2017 at 10:38 AM

@crazyfeline

Aww, I'm so happy Baxter will have a home forever. That's great for him! ❤️

One never really knows with cats. Sometimes they like each other, sometimes they just about tolerate living in the same space and sometimes they straight out hate each other. 8/
Some cats just love to live alone with their human(s) and other cats make them stressed or unhappy, even if you can't really tell at first. It's a bit difficult.

Maybe Baxter will be a bit sad in the beginning - but it usually wears off in a week or two. Otherwise, perhaps your parents can adopt a second kitty? 😸

I got mostly lucky with my 4 cats. (Yup, goals!) 😉
The oldest will soon turn 7, the two in the middle will turn 6 and "the kitten" will become 5 years old this spring. 😊 ❤️

They all bonded very well even if I got them years apart. But I got them during my summer vacation and tried to socialise them and play with them together as much as possible.
I was a stay-at-home-cat-mom for weeks three years in a row! xD

But it paid off. 😃
Sometimes they quarrel a little and sometimes one of them gets super jealous at the others and acts like a big diva, hissing at the others simply because he can and feels like it. (He's so silly he's funny.) But never for long. 😋 ❤️

flowerlynx • 25 January 2017 at 12:03 PM

My cat's special person is definetly me. He loves to sit on my lap a ton, he lays on my bed, and he in general seems to love me. I can't see us with another cat.

sony • 25 January 2017 at 6:35 PM

@crazyfeline

Oh so this is where it all happens. xD

crazyfeline • 26 January 2017 at 4:34 AM

@silverserpent of course ❤️
I'd personally just never give a cat to the pound unless I really had to 😊

My mum said if I take both they'll get new kittens. So they'd probably get another one if I only took Toulouse. That'd drive Baxter crazy xD

Awh 😸

@sony
Yes, welcome xD

Update: I think I've found a couple of places that would let me take both 😃

silverserpent • 26 January 2017 at 6:38 AM

@crazyfeline

So Baxter is not neutered then? If not, you should really consider that. The world sorely do not need more kittens in need of new homes. ^^;
Plus, he'll probably grow a lot more affectionate without his balls. True fact. 😋

crazyfeline • 26 January 2017 at 6:49 AM

@silverserpent oh no no he is already haha

silverserpent • 26 January 2017 at 6:52 AM

@crazyfeline

Haha, oh. Then no kittens. That's really good. 😉
Aaaaaaaaaand I now realise you meant that you parents would get more kittens, not Baxter and Toulouse together. Bahaha, sorry for that. My reading was sloppy. *lol* xD

crazyfeline • 26 January 2017 at 8:17 AM

@silverserpent
Hahaha! That's okay, so easy to do xD

Deleted • 26 January 2017 at 11:17 AM

😸 I love cats