Juju, now Thunder
Tri-County Humane Society staff members encourage slow and proper introductions between recently adopted animals and their new roommates (pets and people alike). Today’s Feel Good Fur-Day is about a kitten who got a much more senior playmate, and the extra care and time the adopters put into their introductions has made for a very happy household.
The kitten we called Juju came to TCHS in late July after being found as a stray. He was quickly adopted, and his new name is Thunder. The now 4-month-old little man is making his presence known in his new home after an intentionally slow debut.
“We have a 12-year-old resident cat (Rudiger) already in the house, so, the first few days we kept Thunder in one room with lots of attention from us and neighbor friends.” His new humans got Thunder checked out at the vet, then it was time to let Thunder out of the room to explore the house and scents from the other cat (and leave his own scent).
The two cats’ first actual meeting happened between a screen put up between Thunder’s room and the hallway. “The introduction went better than we expected! No hissing or growling, no puffy tails, and no claws – just smelling, small meows, and lots of eye contact.”
The family has continued working to nurture Thunder and Rudiger’s new friendship. There have been a few bumps – Thunder wants to play more than Rudiger – but they’re adjusting well. Recently, “Thunder rubbed his head on Rudiger in an act of affection. Rudiger was admittedly surprised but handled it well.”
We hope there are more happy surprises ahead for this senior cat/kitten duo!