How do I get my two cats to stop hating my new cat?
Isabel J asked:
My family is adopting a new stray cat. We took him to the vets and gave him a bath and he is ready to live in our house, but my other two cats absolutely hate him, and when I tried to introduce him my cats hissed and growled like crazy. The stray cat just watched and was very well behaved. This is breaking my heart! I love this stray, but I can’t keep him if my other cats keep acting like this!! Can somebody tell me what I can do to let all my cats be friends?
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My family is adopting a new stray cat. We took him to the vets and gave him a bath and he is ready to live in our house, but my other two cats absolutely hate him, and when I tried to introduce him my cats hissed and growled like crazy. The stray cat just watched and was very well behaved. This is breaking my heart! I love this stray, but I can’t keep him if my other cats keep acting like this!! Can somebody tell me what I can do to let all my cats be friends?
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:22 am
try showing them the equal amount of attention or try putting them in seperate cat carrier cases and sit them in front of eachother maybe that will help them get used to eachother
January 24th, 2009 at 3:20 am
It takes time.
We recently adopted two shelter kittens. They were just 5 months old. We already had 2 adult cats and we introduced them all the right way. We brought the new additions into the house in a cage and kept them in there for a little bit so they could adjust and so the pets could all smell each other and do their greeting thing. Then we let them out. One of our cats (the oldest at 2.5 yrs old) snarled and hissed constantly and I honestly thought we were going to have to take the kittens back which would have crushed me. They had been in the shelter for 3 months and had grown really close to each other. I doubt anyone else would have given both siblings a home together.
My husband told me to bear with it and sure enough within a week they were getting on okay and within 2 -3 weeks they were all laying down taking naps together. The hissing and growling was simply the older cat making it known that he was top cat I think but there have been no problems since.
I would say play it safe for a couple of days and watch them to make sure there is no attacking going on but I think you will find it’s just the regular adjustment period. If it really makes you uneasy, you can also keep them seperate at night or when you can’t supervise but I didn’t do that since they weren’t actively fighting.
I hope it works out for you and congratulations on your new addition.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
You need to keep your older cats well away from the new cat for about a week. Put the new cat in a room of its own along with everything that it needs - plenty of litter trays, food/water/scratching post/toys and a cosy bed with some of your old clothing in it so that the smell comforts him. You should let your other cats sniff around the door of the room but should not let them see the new cat. After a few days you can start scent exchanging. Take a clean cloth and wipe it around the face of your new cat (where its scent glands are) and then wipe the same cloth around the faces of your other cats and vice versa. They should then start to recognise his smell and will begin to accept it as normal. After doing this for a couple of days you can start to carry the new cat around so that the others can see it but not come into direct contact with it. See what their reactions are. If they appear to be calm then you can put the new cat down. If there is still hissing then return the new cat to its room and try again after a day or two. When they are all together in a room without any hissing, throw down some treats so that they associate being together as a good thing.
You should also try Feliway Artificial Pheromone Diffusers which you plug in around your house and they calm and reassure cats.
Just take your time and dont rush things. Please dont listen to people who tell you to stick them together and let them get on with it. These people usually end up asking Yahoo Answers why their cats are peeing/pooing/spraying everywhere!
Please make sure that all your cats have their own litter facilities to avoid toileting problems. The ideal solution is one litter tray per cat plus one extra.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
A cat’s usual reaction to unwelcome changes in its living situation is to distance itself from the newcomer. Your existing cat will usually exhibit one of two kinds of behavior with the newcomer - he will hide out, even if it is for a few days refusing to acknowledge the newcomer’s presence, or he may act aggressively towards the newcomer in an attempt to persuade it to retreat. It would be advisable not to try and force a relationship on either cat at the onset of an introduction.
You should allow the cats to adapt at their own speed and keep in mind that cats are extremely territorial and become strongly attached to their familiar living area. Some cats will take days to adapt and others may take weeks, and in some cases months. The newcomer needs to be given an area where he can retreat if he becomes threatened or frightened, leaving him in a spare room with the door closed for the first few days so the resident cat can adjust to the scent of the newcomer is usually a good idea. This way they can smell each other but they cannot hurt each other.
Make sure your newcomer has a litter box in his area along with food and water. By providing the newcomer with a place of his own, you are giving him familiar territory and allowing him to have security so he can rebuild his confidence to venture forth once you leave the door to his room ajar.
January 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am
This takes more then one day.. It could takes weeks or months. If anything when you introduced, don’t force them , put the new cat in a separate room, with food and litter.. Keep the door closed let the cats smell under the door if they have to, to get used to scents, even take blankets or anything the cats have slept on and let the other cats smell it.
They will get used to each other , but its not going to be over night.