Female dominance

Question
QUESTION: Heyy-o. I had two female cats: one that is very dominant (my sisters cat), and one that was quite mellow (my cat), and that was pushed around a lot. Well, the mellow one started peeing in the air vents all around the house, and none of us really understood why. My parents really didnt like the house smelling like cat urine, so she stayed outside a lot. I let her inside once, and she peed in the vent again, so my mom threw her outside, and she ran away. Shes been gone for 24 days now, so i dont expect her to return. I had this cat for five years, and i liked her a lot, and i really miss her, so im trying to convince my parents to let me get a new cat. They will not let me because they think that if i get another cat, it will get intimidated by our mean cat and pee in the vents again. So, if I got a male cat, would it be intimidated by our agressive female cat?

ANSWER: Stephianie,

It sounds as if your cat was very upset about your sister's cat and that is how she tried to tell you.

You didn't say if the cats were spayed or not or if the cats always lived together.

Another cat may not react like that is you get one about the same age and temperment (that's important) of your sister's cat. Cats need a kitty friend to play with, cuddle with, and be comfort to when they are left alone. Most female cats don't spray so you shouldn't have that problem again unless the cat is not spayed.

You also need to do the introductions slowly. It takes about 2 weeks to a month for things to settle down.

I am including a good link to an article for you to read on introductions. Copy and paste or type the whole link into your address bar:

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

I hope this helps.
Tabbi







---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok, i assumed she urinated in vents in intimidation.
They always did live together. They got along great for a while, but then she started peeing in the vents after like 3-4 years.
As for getting a new cat, am I limited to getting only a cat the same age?

ANSWER: Stephanie,

No, not at all. It is just that alot of grown cats do NOT like kittens (at least until they are grown). That can be miserable for the kitten and for the older cat who can stress out over it. Then again your sister's cat may surprise you. But if she is territorial she can be mean to a kitten where an older cat can defend itself better and maybe give back what she gives.

If the other cat you had started spraying (if she had always lived with your sister's cat) it could have been because of a urinary tract infection or urinary crystals. That is a common condition. They don't use the litterbox because the UTIs are painful and they associate the litterbox with the pain so they go elsewhere. If that kind of behavior ever happens again, go to the vet! Your cat may have been thrown outside because she had a medical issue and not because she misbehaved. Urinary crystals are usually caused by feeding cats too much fish or fish flavored products  (too high in magnesium) or 'bargain brand' cat food (too high in ash).

Tabbi


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok, thanks :]
One last question. Where do you recommend getting a cat from? I have researched it any many (if not all) say that its best to get a kitten at the humane society, so i was wondering if that were true.

Answer
Stephanie,

The reason most suggest the humane society is because there is a large selection plus you would be saving a life and giving a kitty a chance at having a home and love instead of being put to sleep.

You would be doing something nice for a kitty that may have to die only because no one wants it or because of over-crowding due to too many unwanted cats and kittens.

Tabbi