Why the Water Pistol is My New Best Friend

It’s been nearly 3 weeks now since I decided to adopt Tiger, a lovely brown tabby. He is 8 months old and intact. He has had his shots and gets his booster this Wednesday. Then there is a 2 week wait before they will do the neuter. In the meantime, all is loud and stinky at my house. Max (the 5 year old neutered male) has not welcomed Tiger. He wails when Tiger comes near and Tiger is always coming near to him. I think he enjoys upsetting Max. There have been a few fur flying episodes, with Max the aggressor and the one who got the scratch across his nose. I have a water pistol handy at all times, one in every room in fact. At the end of a really bad day I don’t even have to use it, just show it to them and they both run.
Tiger is a friendly cat who wants to play. Unfortunately, neither Max nor Luna (7 year old female) wants to be around him. He keeps approaching Luna and gets hissed at for his trouble. He runs towards her hoping she will chase him and play, but she backs off, growls or hisses, and then turns her back on him.
We finally got a Feliway Plug-in for the living room. It hasn’t really kicked in yet, though Max does seem a little less tense when Tiger is in the same room. A couple of times he has even let Tiger walk past without yowling and smacking him. I’m hoping that’s not as good as it gets.
The worst of course is the smell, the constant cleaning, and the crawling around trying to find the source. Max started spraying as soon as Tiger was let in the house. The first week was the worst. Max has let up, but now Tiger has started. Not everyday, but enough to make you despair.
Anyway, Tiger has made himself at home, despite the other cats. I’m hoping that once he’s fixed, Max will accept him; or at least be able to ignore him.
The only quiet time is overnight. Tiger is shut in the sun room to sleep at night. It’s very comfortable in there, bit cushy chair to sleep in, water, food and litter box. But he hates being segregated; whines the whole time I’m carrying him out there. I’ve learned not to say “bedtime” because he runs and hides. That’s after he learned that running to my bed, curling up and pretending to be asleep wasn’t going to work.

Adopting Tiger - My Newest Cat

I live in an area where there are many street cats. Some of them have homes but are allowed to roam outside during the day. Most are abandoned – kicked out or left behind when their owners moved away. Twice a day we put out food for them.
Four months ago we took in a very friendly and beautiful 5 year old orange neutered tabby. He was badly wounded, with a big festering cut on his chest. It was expensive getting him treated, plus the vaccinations and worming. Max is lovely, lovable, and gets along well with the other cat and dogs.
About a month ago a small, skinny, unaltered male cat started coming regularly to eat. He had scars on his nose and at one point a big puffy eye. He always wanted to be held and cuddled.
I found out from some kids on my street that he had been their cat, that he was 8 months old, and that he had been kicked out of the house. They now had a dog instead.
I called the Humane Society – this cat needed to be taken care of, vaccinated, neutered and found a good home. If left out too much longer he would become afraid of people and other animals, and would no longer be very adoptable. That’s if he survived at all.
They wouldn’t take him. First because they were full up – they are a No Kill shelter, and very small. Secondly, because I know who the owners are (or had been), I can not be the one to bring him in. His owners would have to surrender him themselves. This was not going to happen. They had put him out and washed their hands of him.
The next evening he came to eat there was a big storm brewing and I brought him in and put him in the sunroom of the house with some food, water and a litter box. For the next 2 days, when he wasn’t eating, he was sleeping. Probably the first time in a month that he felt safe enough to have a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, we started emailing cat rescue groups telling them his story and trying to get help. I made it clear that I could not afford the cost of neutering, shots, worming etc., which would add up to about $600.00. It was sad; because he is a sweet, loving, beautiful cat that I would be glad to keep.
After a few days he was let into the main part of the house. The other 2 cats aren’t very happy about him. He follows them around. My female cat just tries to ignore him but Max is having major difficulties. He has started spraying, something he never did before, and whenever the young one (named Tiger) comes close to him he just wails.
One rescue group, ARK, offered to have all the necessary done for a very low cost, if I was willing to adopt him. He went for his shots today. In 3 weeks he gets the booster. By the end of September he should be fixed. I’m hoping (praying), that some of the problems with Max will go away once Tiger is neutered and less of a perceived threat.
I have read that Feliway Plug-ins do a good job of diffusing cat anxieties. No one in my small town carries it so I haven’t had a chance to try it. Until I can get the Feliway and Tiger gets fixed, I have started putting Rescue Remedy in their water and some behind Max’s ears, cleaning and deodorizing a lot, and keeping the windows wide open. Thank God its summer.
Anyway, that’s how I’ve acquired my latest cat. He’s a brat, and he’s adorable.