Anyone have any experiences with a cat with FIP?

[TimO]

I think pre-owned adults cats are fine.  Unlike kittens, you know something of their character, and they're unlikely to be quite so disruptive (and damaging!) as kittens can be.

If Talisker was left at the Blue Cross because of a pregnancy, it was their loss, and our gain, because he was one of the most mild mannered cats I've ever met.  The only time I ever got scratched by him was when I gave him a bath to remove oil and grease from his fur, and that was relatively minor scratches.  I had to give him several hundred pills over his final few years (for Hyperthyroidism), and unlike Zev he tolerated that remarkably well.

I'd generally go for adult cats.  Zev has been fine, but keeping her indoors for a lot longer than Kai, made things a bit more complicated.

[marcusjb]

We have a new cat!  It's not the one pictured - it's this fellow here:



The cat we were hoping to get - it was increasingly clear that there were family tensions about the cat going - to the point where the cat 'disappeared'.  It was all very complex and whilst I want to do what is best for the cat, it was clear that we were being drawn into a family dispute.

Anyway - this boy (he is called Mars currently - he was called Venus, until they discovered she was a he at several months old!!!  ) is 2 and 1/2 years old and very lovely.  The family is moving back to Jamaica and can't take him with them, so we'll give him a good home.  He's hiding in the book shelves currently, but has had a few wanders around the front room (where he is going to be for a few days), he's eaten a portion of dry food, so doesn't seem overly stressed.  He's primarily been an indoor cat - so should be very happy with our setup (an enclosed courtyard garden where he can relax in the sun etc.).  He's very nice and we look forward to getting to know him more in the coming days.

[Feline]

Oh he looks lovely 
Has he lived with another cat before? I hope Chilli likes him!

[marcusjb]

He has lived with others before so hopefully will settle with chilli. His disposition so far is similar to scovie (very chilled neutered male), so we hope they will, at least, be ale to tolerate each other!

He's still being fairly shy, he's popped out from the bookshelves a couple of times and smelt our hands etc., allowed us to stroke him a little. He soon gets a bit worried and has a little hiss and growl though. He cried a bit in the night.

Chilli is of course very interested as to why she is to allowed into the front room. I am sure she can smell him on our hands etc. 

Not great timing as I am off to Scotland on Wednesday night for 5 days, but I am sure Cass will manage just fine with introductions over the coming days.

He's a big chap for sure, I don't think he's terribly obese or anything, but he might need to tone up a little!

[TimO]

It sounds like things are going as well as can be expected.  I do like the colouring on Tabbies, there's lots of interest!  (Mind you, I like the colouring of Gingers, and Blues, and obviously combinations of white and black. )

Cats mostly seem to sort out getting used to each other, not surprisingly.  You do rarely hear of cases where a multi-cat household doesn't work out, but in at least one of those (Rogerzilla I think), the two cats who had to be split into two households, were siblings!

Good luck, and keep us posted.