Prospective Cat Adopter Inquires About Bringing Current Pet for Meet-and-Greet at Shelter: Seeks Advice on Ensuring Compatibility for a Smooth Transition

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Eleonora Bader
Jan 3, 2024 11:00 PM EST

When getting a new pet, you have a lot of things to consider. Which shelter will you adopt your new pet at? Do you want a dog, a cat, or another animal entirely? And the most important question of all… Will this new pet get along with my cute critter at home?

Tsk, tsk, so many dilemmas… Luckily, there is no shortage of experts to ask these important questions! Where can you find them? Well, other than the obvious answer, Reddit, of course! This cat owner, u//Dapper-Mention-8396, turned to r/cats for advice. They already had a very cute (and extremely friendly) cat at home but wanted to get another pet. Naturally, they wanted to test out the potential relationship between their cat and a newbie.

So they began a discussion on Reddit, and got some pretty awesome advice. Next up, fluffy feline memes to put a smile on your face.

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    Cheezburger Image 9859799552
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    Shelter workers: Is it typically acceptable for adopters to bring pets in(with permission) potential new pets? to meet
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    We've been thinking about getting another cat. Our boy is 3 years old, fixed, up to date on his shots/vet visits, pretty mellow(aside from the after zoomies), SUPER friendly(he runs towards the door for pets when someone knocks rather than away) and has yet to meet an animal he doesn't like(when we had to go outside due to someone setting their apartment on fire he
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
  • 04
    was introducing himself to all the other pets that didn't growl or hiss at him). He's our baby and it's absolutely necessary that whatever cat we bring home can get along with him/didn't cause him any undue stress. We'd hate to bring in a new cat just to have to return it because it couldn't get along with him so we were hoping that it was acceptable to bring him with us to meet cats.
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    Obviously we know no 2 shelters are run exactly the same and we'd have to contact the shelters in our area with this question. We're just wondering if it's a good idea(from a shelter workers POV) to take him to a "meet and greet" or not.
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    HoneyxVinegar · 10 hr. ago Lykoi Not cats. This is way too stressful for a cat. Cats need to be very slowly and properly introduced, you definitely would not get a good picture of how they would get along if you did this.
    via u/HoneyxVinegar
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    edit to add: I worked at a humane society as an adoption agent for about a year :) We facilitated dog-dog meet and greets but never introduced cats / dog-cat in a shelter setting. 512 Reply Share
    via u/HoneyxVinegar
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    Dapper-Mention-8396 OP 10 hr. ago I've gotten used to my cat, who enjoys going for walks(leashed), always wants to introduce himself to any new animal he sees, doesn't know a stranger and has never hissed/used his claws on a living creature in his life. I forget that he's a weirdo and I can't expect other cats to be as chill as he is when they're introduced
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    Successful-Doubt5478 4 hr. ago Ask the shelter. At the rescue I volunteer for we can see if cats are unfriendly to every cat or to a few abd friendly to a few. For instance, we have a cat that is getting along with ONE cat only and pne who hates every other cat. We have cats who
    via u/Successful-Doubt5478
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    greets every other cat and cats who bond during their time in the rescue. Ask the shelter sounds like your cat might be avle to visit a new environment and be introduced to a few new cats. 49 Reply Share
    via u/Successful-Doubt5478
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    innermongoose69 · 10 hr. ago Dogs yes, cats no. Cats are territorial and do not behave as their normal selves outside of home base. You would not get useful information from bringing your cat to the shelter to meet other cats. You would likely conclude that your cat hates other cats based on his fearful (hissing, growling) reaction and this may not be true.
    via u/innermongoose69
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    Cats need time to get to know each other and sort out the pecking order. Ask about a foster-to- adopt situation instead. Watch Jackson Galaxy on YouTube and the way he introduces cats to each other. 129 Reply Share
    via u/innermongoose69
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    Dapper-Mention-8396 OP · 10 hr. ago I'm more concerned with other cats than my own. He hasn't hissed/growled/swatted/etc EVER in over 3 years. He's regularly out of the house (never unaccompanied and always leashed) and is always very chill and relaxed while out and about. He's consistently around other animals(both dogs and cats, known and
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    unknown) and has yet to have an issue with any of them (those that hiss/growl/swat at him, he jerks away from and gives airplane ears/stank eye before continuing on his way) I forget that my cats not typical though, he my own personal little weirdo
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    I wanted to get an adult cat from the shelter but I don't want to bring them into my home just to have to return them later(even as a foster). A kitten is probably a better option for me since it will be less likely to have developed the bad habits of the typical adult cat. ↑ 30 30 Reply Share
    via u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    fun-wine-aunt · 6 hr. ago . Here to comment fostering is always an option! That way you have ample time to decide if a kitty's a good fit before committing to an adoption. 30 Reply Share
    via u/fun-wine-aunt
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    catladyforever100.5 hr. ago Definitely agree with this! Look at foster to adopt. So you can see how they get along and after a few weeks or so, if it's not working you don't have the commitment of already having adopted. It does take time to integrate cats too, the first few days to a week generally just letting the new cat acclimate to the house, in
    via u/catladyforever100
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    a separate room until they get comfortable and then the slow introduction to the other cat, generally supervised slow meetings through glass doors or baby gate etc. while feeding them both on each side separately then allowing them to see each other and get the others scents etc. there's plenty of info on how to introduce 2 cats, rushing it means possibly a failure so definitely allow for this time when introducing them. Good luck!
    via u/catladyforever100
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    Bmat709 hr. ago I would be concerned about disease spreading to my cat. Every shelter cat I have gotten has kennel cough or whatever it is called. 54 Reply Share . Dapper-Mention-8396 OP 8 hr. ago VERY good point 22 Reply Share
    via u/Bmat70, u/Dapper-Mention-8396
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    Laney20 · 6 hr. ago To be fair, many many years ago, I did this with my cat Duncan. He was just a kitten and I wanted to introduce him to the other kittens and let him choose a friend. I didn't know anything about introducing cats and the people at the shelter didn't either, I guess... They let me do it. And Duncan picked out his buddy Parker, who went on to be my soul cat for the next 12 years.
    via u/Laney20

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