Newly Adopted Cats Wreaking Havoc

by Katya
(Alexandria, VA)

I hope you can help. We recently lost our 17 year old dog and our 5 year old female tortie/DLH Maizzie was heartbroken and depressed. We decided to adopt a 2 year old male Russian Blue, Gandalf, and brought him home, following all the rules for introducing a new cat to the household.

After some hissing and growling, they get along just fine, although never played together or got very close to one another. But it went well enough that we decided to go back to the shelter to adopt another (there were so many cats needing homes that we were heartbroken). We have a large home, so we decided we could be a 3 cat household.

Lulu is a 2 year old female tuxedo/DSH cat with tons of energy. She is very skittish, but does cuddle up to me and my husband and can be quite lovable. She fights with both cats, but has a love/hate relationship with Gandalf. He will cuddle with her at night and wash her, but they also fight (I'd think it was playing, but they're claws come out).

The real problem is between Lulu and Maizzie. Maizzie just wants to play and have some companionship, but she can't even walk by Lulu without Lulu growling at her like a dog (a low rumbling growl). If Maizzie tries to even sniff Lulu, Lulu slaps her.

Gandalf also slaps Maizzie if she tries to sniff or clean Gandalf.

We just feel so badly for Maizzie who lost her sister dog and wants to play and cuddle. She never hisses at the other cats, but she will try to play/fight with them from time to time. Gandalf mostly ignores Maizzie, but Lulu tries to attack her.

Is there anything we can do to bring peace in this house? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

RESPONSE:

Female cats tend to be more territorial than the males and because the cats you adopted are older, it is unlikely they will ever become close.
We would suggest confining Lulu in a separate room, using a Spirit Essence or Bach Flower essence (check the links on the left) to help calm her and help her adjust, then start the introduction process all over again.
Lulu is probably frightened. Perhaps she has had a bad experience with another cat in her past. Regardless of the reason, fearful cats or cats that lack self-confidence, will resort to the "fight or flight" response and, in Lulu's case, she has chosen fight.
Start the process over, give it time, and see how it goes. Good Luck!

Donna
House Full Cats Mom