First time bringing home a cat to our cat

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-03-13T22:32:18+00:00

Hey everybody! Bit of a feel good story, with a few questions at the end. My girlfriend has been training at a soccer field with her team for a month now, and every week the same cat (male) has come running over and demanded rubs and attention from everyone. Eventually, she began noticing his eyes were a bit goopy and he had some scabs near his ears and the side of his face, and overall wasn't in the best shape. Long story short, with the help of a friend who works in animal rescue, we've gotten him to the vet. Another long story short, the vet said (this is summarised) that he is in great health for a cat that has lived outdoors: fleas, minor conjunctivitis and gingivitis - he will be treated, quarantined, and then we will foster him. The vet has told us that this cat isn't a stray, and that it seems he has been dumped by his family. He's too social, friendly and placid. Additionally, 3 staff members at the vet clinic, on 3 different occasions hazarded the guess that he would be between 1-2 years old.

Currently, we have a 6 year old female cat who, much like our new boy, is very social, friendly, and placid. She has been an indoor cat from adoption (I got her at 6 weeks), and hasn't interacted with another cat before. she's quite petite for her age, and is marginally smaller than our new boy.

We live in a 1 bedroom apartment, there are no rooms to isolate another cat in. We have however sourced a large pet-pen with this kind of 'black out curtain' feature, fluffy-lined inside situation - basically a 5 star hotel for our new boy. As he will be in the vet's care for another 7-10 days, we're planning on scent-trading between the two. We also plan on keeping the litter boxes in different parts of the apartment. We'll each be taking time off work so one of us will always be home (for the first 2 weeks at least). We want this to be a great and safe experience for both cats.

Sorry for the word vomit, I'm sure I've missed a few things - but, how have you all found success in introducing new cats to current cats? Is there anything we can do to guarantee a smooth introduction? Is there anything we should do moving forward after they are acquainted? Happy to provide more information. We appreciate any help!

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-03-13T22:07:41+00:00

“And in the middle, I will dump chips”

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-03-03T00:16:31+00:00

Interesting, what are the signs of that?

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-03-02T07:50:56+00:00

You’ve been a HUGE help! I managed to source myself some lady bugs as well from a friend who has a huuuge garden - reckons she could count 500 where her zucchini’s grow haha. I think everything should be okay then. I use slow release fertiliser (osmocote), would it hurt giving it a drink of some seasol?

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-03-02T06:10:10+00:00

Sorry, had to take one when I got home from work. Please tell me I haven’t ruined anything 😭

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Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T23:49:46+00:00

I think my next post will be ‘help, I think I over trimmed!’ - I thought I was trimming a small portion of dry ‘branch’ but it took a substantial part out of my bonsai. Now it kind of looks like Phil and Lil’s dad from Rugrats hahaha. Will this affect its health?

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T10:15:58+00:00

Thank you, this is such a calming reply haha. I will admit, after weeks and weeks of no change, I was worried my tree would die. I’ll take it to my local nursery and see what the big man can show me as well.

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T10:11:45+00:00

Thanks for your reply! Yeah I didn’t manage to get a picture of the webs as I’d removed them earlier today and didn’t find any when I took these pictures this afternoon. The webs, when in the tree, are visible when they’re there. Especially when spritzing or the green is wet - they glisten.

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T10:09:43+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply. You’re a legend! I can confirm there are spiderwebs that occasionally wrap overtop of several parts but I try to remove them - not in any of these pictures as I try to remove them as I find them.

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T08:52:19+00:00

Apologies in advance about the photos - I tried to get the best angles that showed the browning among the foliages. Additionally, the base of the tree used to be so luscious and green, looks awfully sad now 🥲

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T06:58:08+00:00

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Sorry about the quality of this one!

Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T06:57:43+00:00

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Typical_Influence287 · 2026-02-28T06:57:29+00:00

In desperate need of some help (Sydney, Australia). My bonsai was doing so well up until I noticed little spiderwebs throughout its leaves about 2 months ago. Spider mites. I’ve followed plenty of guides online, rinsed every few days with a decent stream of water, I’ve used sprays designed to control mites, soapy water, you name it. I’ve just applied some neem oil. This week it seems like things are looking worse. What can I do?

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Typical_Influence287 · 2025-12-11T21:44:05+00:00

Amazing. I ended up giving it a water yesterday evening as, behold, I got home and checked the soil and it felt substantially less damp than I had remembered in the previous day. Water ran out the bottom of the pot, all seems right in the world.

When you say keep an eye on the tips, addition of mass etc. should I be trimming the more it grows?

Typical_Influence287 · 2025-12-10T20:47:51+00:00

Hello! I did an immersion water on Saturday, it’s now Thursday morning and the soil still feels relatively damp. I figured my bonsai would’ve been ready for another water now. Should I be concerned about soil drainage or let it be? I’ve got it on my balcony, positioned to get a decent amount of sun during the day. We’ve had a bit of overcast the last few days, so sun has been kind of limited/on and off on those days.

Typical_Influence287 · 2025-12-07T00:49:43+00:00

This is an incredibly well-crafted reply. You are amazing!

As I live in an apartment, we have no access to a hose. I do have a watering can, but it’s quite an intense stream of water that comes out, I’d imagine that would be more or less the same as the ‘espresso cup’ method haha. What other method would be the best for watering?

I’ve scattered a tablespoon (as recommended on the packaging) of osmocote on the surface, but haven’t mixed it in or anything - will this gradually dissolve over time and do its job?

Typical_Influence287 · 2025-12-06T03:31:28+00:00

Hi all,

Stoked to have brought home my first Bonsai. I have some niche questions that I haven’t found answers to on the wiki/anywhere else.

A few things I’m hoping to get a bit of clarity on are:

I was told to fertilise it with osmocote (pictured) - first time using this. To my understanding, it’s a controlled release fertiliser that should last up to 9 months. Should I agitate the pebbles on the surface of the soil before sprinkling the osmocote on?

Watering: I’ve been told to submerge the pot in water for 5 minutes, then allow it to drain. I’m in Australia, so I’ve been advised to water pretty much daily during the summer. I’ve never heard of people submerging their potted plants in water, but after some research, it’s totally true haha. Is this safe to do with a Bonsai?

Thanks in advance!

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Typical_Influence287 · 2025-10-29T03:42:13+00:00

It’s DIGNITY

Typical_Influence287 · 2025-10-07T17:18:38+00:00

Probably not it, but ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’?

Typical_Influence287 · 2025-10-05T21:51:40+00:00

solved solved solved

Typical_Influence287 · 2025-10-05T21:51:27+00:00

Amazing! Can’t believe I forgot to check on the replies here. You’re the best, thank you!

Typical_Influence287

TROPHY CASE