I absolutely agree, but it was already posted there 6 days ago: https://reddthat.com/post/20943545

I could be completely wrong, but my life experience so far suggests that the best way to get better at something is to put yourself into situations where you have to actually practice the skill. I’ve been fostering cats and kittens for a few years, and I think it has really pushed me to learn how to manage my emotions better.

Glad to hear things have settled down a bit! Feel free to ping me or PM me if you need to bounce any plans off a real person, particularly when it comes to modifying things to work with your situation and/or gauge when to move on to the next steps. I’ll be keeping an eye out for your updates either way.

I foster and have 2 resident cats, so I do introductions a few times per year. I highly recommend Jackson Galaxy’s guide. I’ve linked part 1, but there’s 5 parts, the rest are linked within. It’s worth reading the entire thing, because he does a great job of explaining why he recommends each step, which is helpful if you need to modify things a bit.

You need to figure out a room in your house that can be The Boy’s basecamp. This is where The Boy is going to spend most of his time until Anya can tolerate him, and hopefully isn’t a “high value” space for Anya. Without knowing either cat, I’d say you should plan for a minimum of 2 weeks of very carefully managing the process of introducing them to each other, and probably at least a month before things really settle in.

Also, make sure The Boy gets neutered ASAP, if he isn’t already!

I have one of those perches that mounts on a window with suction cups, and sometimes I close the curtains over it. My cats absolutely love hanging out in the little “tent” it creates. They don’t ever cuddle with each other, but I’ve caught them peacefully hanging out in the “tent” together.

Maybe you’re thinking tabby? Brown tabbies are often referred to as the “standard issue cat”, and are commonly found as both XX and XY cats. Torties are black/brown and orange, and their coloring is the result of having one X chromosome for black/brown, and a second one for orange.

My apologies, I just find their genetics so fascinating!

If you want to be extra safe, stick with stuff specifically intended for cats. My local pet store carries these small, cooked fish fillets that have only 1 ingredient.

https://applaws.com/us/products/salmon-filet-treat/

FYI, the catnip that comes with scratching toys is often pretty shit quality. If you really want to treat him to the nip, get some high quality stuff. From the Field and Yeowww! are two brands that seem to usually be pretty high quality, and silvervine is a related plant that may be even more potent for some cats.

https://www.fromthefieldpet.com/ https://yeowww.com/our-products/catnip/

Sorry to go slightly off topic here, but do you have a male tortie?? Those are quite rare, because it requires 2 X chromosomes to produce the tortie coat.

The bird pictured is very likely male. Male birds tend to be brightly colored, while females and juveniles are often “dull-colored”, such as brown or grey.

I’m so sorry! It’s so tough when they just don’t have the strength to pull through, even with all the support you can give them. If they don’t make it, at least you know that you gave them their best chance at survival, and that they were able to experience love, instead of dying alone in the cold.

My team is currently hiring, and I got to listen in on the conversation with HR when they were developing the job posting. The job posting includes requirements that the team knows they are unlikely to find, especially finding all of them in a single candidate. The posting calls them requirements, but really it’s more of a wish list. If you come across listings where you meet half of their requirements (wish list), and think you can learn some of the others, you should apply.

Hahaha yes! Orange is definitely the trouble maker! He’s always been the first one to figure out how to climb/jump to new places, and he’s had scabs on his nose/whisker pads for the past few weeks because he just keeps getting scraped up.

Funny thing, I actually started fostering with the intention of “failing”. I had 1 cat that I had adopted as a kitten, and he used to play with my roommate’s cat, but then we moved and I wasn’t sure if my cat missed having a buddy around, so I decided to give fostering a shot as a way to test it out.

One of the things that helps me say goodbye is knowing that I can’t take in new fosters if the current ones stay with me. I also get to meet all of the potential adopters, and most of them send me updates on the kittens as they get settled in, so I feel good knowing they’re in good homes.

I’m so sorry for your losses, but glad I could brighten your day a little. I hope you’re both getting the support you need to process things.