# Bella's got a new brother and his name is Dexter!!!!!!



## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Everyone meet Dexter!! 

I had been on the fence the past few weeks about adopting another kitten. Bella gets tons of playtime and love from me but I always felt bad while I was at work knowing she was at home alone. Since Bella is only 3 1/2 months old I figured if I was ever going to add another to our family this would be the best time to do it. With the advice and support of the members here I decided to take a trip to the shelter yesterday. After a few minutes of scoping out the kitties this adorable 2 month old orange/white tabby started rubbing up against my hand through the cage so I asked to hold him and he started purring immediately. Soon after he was officially part of the family and we were on the way home.

I haven't introduced the two of them yet. Since Bella sleeps in her playroom at night I set up Dexter in my bedroom with food/water/litter (same as I did when I first got Bella). Opened the crate and he immediately hid under the bed. I left him alone and went on with my nightly routine with Bella and she noticed the new scent on my hands but didn't hiss she just rubbed up on them as usual and gave kisses. After dinner when she went to sleep I went back to my bedroom and waited for Dexter to come out. Within 20 minutes he was on my bed curled up next to me purring. I've been feeding him Wellness Core Kitten wet food (Bella is on all wet food diet) and he's been eating it up with no diarrhea so far. One funny thing that I noticed he does that Bella has never done is that after he's done eating he scratches at the floor around the bowl as if he trying to cover up the food lol. This morning during Bella's morning play session she heard him meowing in my room and ran up the door and started sniffing under it. She didn't hiss or growl she just looked over at me confused then went back to playing with me.

Even though they are both kittens I am still going to be patient and do the proper introduction. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping everything will go smoothly and they'll be best friends!



+++++++ Videos:

Dexter kneading my shirt and then dozing off: Dexter Falls Asleep Video by _ant_1 | Photobucket

Bella climbing the pole I built and hunting: Bella The Huntress Video by _ant_1 | Photobucket




+++++++ Pictures:



























:catsm And here are some new pics of Bella, her playroom, and her new custom climbing pole I built in the living room. Now she has a playmate to share everything with!!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Those are some awesome pics! Very, very cute! Forget the cat trees, I'm so jealous of your wall unit, you have it so neat and tidy! :crazy


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

Wow! Those are some REALLY good photos! Nice job! Of course you have some very cute subjects to work with!!
Beautiful! I have a feeling they are going to get along famously!

Oh and I just adore that last picture of Bella, that look!! It is priceless!! .. "look Mom, we've had enough of the picture stuff, I wanna play, k?"


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

Awwww Dexter is soooo adorable! And my my, what a beautiful home you have. Bella and Dexter are such lucky kittens to have an awesome playground to themselves.

I have a feeling they will hit it off. From what you said, it sounds like they are curious about each other but not upset. I am warning you. They will be running around like tornados together hahaha.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Awwwww!!!!!!!!! Dexter is soooooo adorable, and Bella is like her name, beautiful  It looks like your two kitties have hit the kitty lotto, they are so lucky to have found you. They have a lovely home to run around and be kittens in and run up and down those cat trees......you have thought of everything. I can just see Dexter dashing up and down those trees with Bella soon. 

Ok, your story is like a really good book now......or a tv show that you have to wait to see what is going to happen next, LOL!!! And hoping that it goes really well


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## Catmamma (Apr 18, 2011)

Your cats are so beautiful. Dexter looks so cuddly and Bella is going to be the ruler of the house, I bet. Your climbing pole to window ledge is fantastic.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

And he's chasing a mouse!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Marcia said:


> Those are some awesome pics! Very, very cute! Forget the cat trees, I'm so jealous of your wall unit, you have it so neat and tidy! :crazy


Hahaha thanks Marcia!


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I want to make one of those climbing poles, although I wonder if my older, lazier cats would even bother with it. I know my kitten would....but for how long before he turns into a lazy cat, LOL!!!


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Oh, I meant to tell you, and I have heard other people on here talk about this, my 19 year old daughter, her cat does the thing where he looks like he is trying to bury his food after he eats. It is hysterical! We couldn't figure out what he was doing, it was so cute though. I guess it is an instinct thing, cats in the wild trying to cover up the scent of their food to keep other animals from finding it. How cute is that when they do that! My daughter's cat still does it when he eats, it's so cute.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

They're both so cute!

TBH I'd skip the intro business. At their ages they're so adaptable that if you let them out in your living room and use a wand toy to play with them they'll be buds in half an hour.

The reason you need to do a huge intro process with cats is because ADULT cats are naturally territorial, at 3 1/2 months and 2 months kittens aren't all that territorial. I've done tons of kitten intros, back when I was still fostering, and if everyone was under 5 months I'd just open the door, bring out toys and treats, and we'd all be having a blast within 5 minutes. No stress required, lol. 
(*Disclaimer* All the kittens I had in my home - Doran, Muffin, and the other litters - came from the same feral colony, so there was no issue of diseases being transferred since they all had the same stuff. If you don't know where the kittens come from/have healthy adult cats in your home/and they haven't seen a vet fosters should always be quarantined!)

I would still feed them from separate bowls though, at least give them the option. Dinner time is when you'd be most likely to see a tussle, but even then kitten scraps aren't a big deal like fights between adult cats are. They can't really hurt each other and they get over it super fast.


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

WOW. These kitties are gorgeous. They look calendar-worthy!!! So trim, sleek, eyes bright, ears at attention...can't take my eyes off of them!!
(Also loved the pots/pans on the exhaust...your home is drool-worthy as well!)


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> Awwwww!!!!!!!!! Dexter is soooooo adorable, and Bella is like her name, beautiful  It looks like your two kitties have hit the kitty lotto, they are so lucky to have found you. They have a lovely home to run around and be kittens in and run up and down those cat trees......you have thought of everything. I can just see Dexter dashing up and down those trees with Bella soon.
> 
> Ok, your story is like a really good book now......or a tv show that you have to wait to see what is going to happen next, LOL!!! And hoping that it goes really well


Thank you so much Lee Ann. You've been a huge help and I will definitely keep you updated as the story unfolds haha :razz:




howsefrau32 said:


> I want to make one of those climbing poles, although I wonder if my older, lazier cats would even bother with it. I know my kitten would....but for how long before he turns into a lazy cat, LOL!!!


Do it!! The materials were rather inexpensive and the whole process of planning, measuring, and building it were fun. Your kitten will love you for it and maybe it will charge up your lazier cats to join in on the fun.


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> Oh, I meant to tell you, and I have heard other people on here talk about this, my 19 year old daughter, her cat does the thing where he looks like he is trying to bury his food after he eats. It is hysterical! We couldn't figure out what he was doing, it was so cute though. I guess it is an instinct thing, cats in the wild trying to cover up the scent of their food to keep other animals from finding it. How cute is that when they do that! My daughter's cat still does it when he eats, it's so cute.


Every time he does it I imagine him thinking there is imaginary dirt being scooped on top of the food. He'll do a couple scoops, then smell the bowl and see that he can still pick up the scent, then do a couple more scoops. I'll get it on video it's completely adorable!


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Your kitties are absolutely gorgeous and the pictures look professional! Congrats on adding a second kitty. I'm very partial to the orange and white boys. He may become a big boy!


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

Ok I almost couldn't take it they are so cute! I want to see the videos when they start playing


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

JungliBillis said:


> Awwww Dexter is soooo adorable! And my my, what a beautiful home you have. Bella and Dexter are such lucky kittens to have an awesome playground to themselves.
> 
> I have a feeling they will hit it off. From what you said, it sounds like they are curious about each other but not upset. I am warning you. They will be running around like tornados together hahaha.


Thanks! I really hope they do. Lol little cat-nado's are a fair trade for them bonding


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I was thinking the same thing that librarychick said, they are so young that I bet they will get along fine. I probably would not be able to wait for two long, and with them both being little, I am sure any nastiness they might have towards each other will work itself out. I can't wait to see how they do together


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

librarychick said:


> They're both so cute!
> 
> TBH I'd skip the intro business. At their ages they're so adaptable that if you let them out in your living room and use a wand toy to play with them they'll be buds in half an hour.
> 
> ...



Thank you I appreciate all the advice! Since i'm a first time kitty owner I love hearing from other member's experiences to help prepare me for things i'm going to inevitably encounter. Aside from introduction purposes the main reason I have him quarantined in my room is because his Vet check up isn't until tomorrow morning. 


I'll give a little update on how things are going: 

After the past couple days it's clear to me that there is no tension or hostility just curiosity and playfulness from both sides. I did the scent swapping thing last night and that went perfectly fine plus both kittens have smelled the other on me multiple times and still rubbed/groomed me like normal. This morning during Bella's play session Dexter started meowing in the bedroom and Bella ran straight over to the door and just sat there listening then started meowing back. I did breakfast feeding on both sides of the door and that went perfectly fine as well. Then after they ate they started playing with each other under the door with their paws. I wanted so bad to open the door to let them see one another but I didn't want to take any chances before Dexter's vet visit tomorrow.

Hopefully Dexter gets a clean bill of health tomorrow morning and then i'm going to let them meet!!!!



BTW some things I noticed about the two of them: 

- They are both super playful and affectionate so they're alike in that regard. But they are opposite in other areas. 

- Bella is really affectionate with kisses and follows me everywhere but she won't stay on your lap for more than 5 seconds lol. Dexter on the other hand is just as affectionate but he LOVES to curl up on my lap and be petted forever.

- Bella doesn't particularly like to be groomed i.e brushing/nail clipping but Dexter is all about it. And she doesn't like to be washed with water while he doesn't mind it at all.

- Bella is a horizontal scratch pad kinda girl and Dexter is a vertical scratch post kinda guy. 

- Bella drinks from her water bowl all the time while with Dexter I have to mix warm water with his wet food to make soup so he drinks water. 

Lmao just little tidbits i've noticed over the past couple days.



:kittyball


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## Cara (Jul 5, 2013)

Both of your babies are absolutely gorgeous and I'm sure they'll love each other. I second what other said about just introducing them with a toy! That's what I did with my boys and they adore each other. Kittens aren't as territorial as adult cats!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## pkbshrew (Feb 13, 2013)

Lucky wee kittens to have you as their Mum! Sounds like they are going to get along famously :luv


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

That is so good that each of them know there is another cat behind the door and I bet they can't wait to play together. Good thinking on the vet visit, I assumed he was all checked out from the shelter, but maybe they don't do all those tests? All three of my cats came from my yard or not far from my yard, out in the great outdoors. I hope Dexter checks out OK, he looks very healthy so I'm hoping to hear good news from the vet. 

We'll be waiting to hear how it all goes!


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

My girl had Conjunctivitis when I adopted them both, (they sent us home with meds), and gave it to Billi and then back to Aloo. I ended up medicating both of them for a good few weeks to make sure it was gone from both of them. So I think it's really smart that you are making sure Dexter doesn't have any bugs that can be passed on to Bella. (cold, parasite, etc)

I really cannot wait to hear about their first meeting. Please take lots of pictures


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> That is so good that each of them know there is another cat behind the door and I bet they can't wait to play together. Good thinking on the vet visit, I assumed he was all checked out from the shelter, but maybe they don't do all those tests? All three of my cats came from my yard or not far from my yard, out in the great outdoors. I hope Dexter checks out OK, he looks very healthy so I'm hoping to hear good news from the vet.
> 
> We'll be waiting to hear how it all goes!


I read through his file from the shelter and he was negative for all the tests and was de-wormed. My vet though has been a family friend for many years and has always cared for our pets so I always like to get the "all clear" from him just for peace of mind.

Well we're off to the vet with fresh fecal sample in hand lol! :grin:


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

Ok Dexter's first vet visit completed! 

No worms and vet said Dexter looked to be in overall great health. One exception was that he did find ear mites. He gave me some Epi-otic cleaning solution and some Tresaderm drops to apply in his ears every morning for the next 30 days. Vet said it would still be ok to introduce them since Bella is on Revolution.

Can't wait to let them meet after work today, figers crossed!

:boxing


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Yeah!!! Can't can't wait to see them together, playing and chasing each other up the cat trees and through the house! You will never walk the same way again......you will always be looking to make sure you are not about to be tripped up by, or stepping on a cat


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Yay! It'll go great  You should take a video of their first meeting, it'll be a great memory to have!


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## _ANT_ (Jul 1, 2013)

*Update:*

:2kitties

Their introduction went PERFECT!!!!!!

From the minute I opened the door they started playing together.

I took tons of photos and videos and ill post them up later!


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Yay!!!!! I was wondering about how things went last night!!!! Soooo happy to hear this and can't wait to see pictures!!! So happy for you!!


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## wallycat (Nov 10, 2012)

So glad to hear the vet, the intro and play went well. Can't wait to see more pix!


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

OMG! Can't wait!!!


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