Introducing our new cats to each other.
by kate
We adopted two cats (living separately) from Siamese Cat Rescue Center. The foster mothers of each cat spoke on the phone about their behaviors so far, and they thought it sounded like a good match. They made sure I knew, however, that I needed to follow their guidelines of introducing new cats to each other (keeping them isolated for 10-14 days, then gradually introducing them, eventually using baby gates so they could safely observe each other.)Female is 2 and a half, male is 5 and a half. Both were spayed and neutered upon their arrival in Siamese Rescue (being not that long before I got them.) The foster of the female reported mild hissing but no actual aggression towards her other cats. The foster of the male said pretty much the same thing, but her 2 cats did gang up on him once, and I can still see the scratch on his nose from that encounter. Since getting them, we have seen them smelling each other under the door, it seemed they were aware of each other's presence. One day 2 weeks ago (this was 4-5 days after getting them-- we got her on Sat May 21 and him the next day on Sun May 22)she slipped out while I was bringing her food bowl out. She chased the male all around the apartment, howling/screeching the whole way. They ended up back in the bedroom, him under the bed, her slightly sticking out, still howling at him. I tried yelling and clapping, she was persistent. As far as I could see, the male had no interest in attacking her back. He simply ran until she had him cornered there under the bed. At the moment I felt I had no choice but to drag her away, as my floor is wood and slippery. I realize that I'm lucky, and that she could have struck at me and hurt me, but she did not. I put her out of the room and closed the door. After some coaxing, the male came out from under the bed and reluctantly let me examine him for injuries, of which I found none. The female lost a claw somewhere along the way and was bleeding a bit, but she did not seem phased by it and was back to her chirpy purry self after a minute or two.I am keeping my eye on it, taking her to the vet in a few days. By the way, I have yet to comment on their general behaviour, they are both love bugs. Seem to be very happy with us, love attention and being pet, purr a lot. Healthy, good with litter boxes, appetites seem fine. This was the first and so far only scary moment. I told both fosters about it, they recommended getting baby gates and spraying with Feliway. Also, feeding them by the gates (on opposite sides obviously) so that they can see that there is no threat to their resources in spite of there being another cat. Also so they associate something positive (food) with the other cat. We are doing the gates when we are both home for a while. While at work, they are completely closed off from one another. I know this process may take a long time. This is specifically what I'm having trouble figuring out: When the gates are up, they separate our bedroom from the rest of the house. One cat in the bedroom, the other in the rest of the apartment. Every morning, we switch. (As I said before, when we are not home, the bedroom door separates them.) Here's the problem. The male, no matter where he is, hides. If he's the one in the bedroom, and the gates are up, the female will go right up to the gates looking for him. If she sees him, she starts to howl. He immediately goes under the bed, even if his food is out and he's hungry. He will eventually come out if he sensed that she's gone, but they are not getting much face time. When the female's in the bedroom, the same thing happens. She'll hang out right by the gate looking for him. He might creep up to take a peek beyond the gate, but the minute they see each other, he runs, she howls. He'll hide out under the couch in the living room. He will eventually come out but will not go near his food if it's withing view of the gate. If I move it over a few inches so it's out of view, he'll eventually go eat, but again, they're not getting what I was hoping they would get out of the gates being up because he just won't stick around. I don't blame him, it's surely just because he doesn't feel safe (in spite of my reminding him that he is) We supervise the whole thing, but we don't crowd them. I praised the male just for peeking in the gate that day just for a second. Do you think there will be a day after doing this for a long time that the male will finally come and eat with her howling behind the gate? By the way, I have 2 Feliway diffusers plugged in, sprayed the gates with Feliway spray and am purchasing Spirit essence. RESPONSE: Sounds like you are doing all the right things and yes, it will take time. I would suggest adding more play time. The female needs to burn off her excess energy and the male needs to build his confidence. Play will help both of them. Play with each of them seperately at first. Then play with the male while the female can see but is seperated and hopefully he will learn to ignore her noisemaking and keep playing. And eventually, she will learn that play is more fun than picking on her roommate. Once thay seem to be doing better with playing in eachother's view, begin playing with them together. If they revert back to their old habits, start the process over. We have solved many agression issues with play. Hopefully it will work for your new babies too! Donna - House Full Cats Mom |
