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Old 06-11-2018, 10:32 AM
 
4 posts, read 2,220 times
Reputation: 37

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Hi there!

So, this is probably waaaaaaaaayy too early to be worried about this but figured I might as well be an overly concerned cat mom, so please excuse me.

I recently (as in Saturday) brought home a new cat. The problem is I have two cats already; a female, unsprayed, named Izzy and a male, fixed, named Grouch. The new cat is ALSO an unsprayed female. Now, my concerns aren't with my Izzy, because honestly she's a very mellow, very shy cat. Grouch is kind of a grouch which is how he got his name, so I already expect him to have problems with the new cat..

Problem is, new cat doesn't seem to mind him but hisses and growls at Izzy. Do you think this is something that will go away with time as it's only been like two, three days since she's been here or do you think this is something that might never go away, as they're both unsprayed females? New cat and Izzy are around the same age, which is 3 if that helps.

Is there anything I can do besides separating them, letting them sniff each other through a door, rubbing a towel on my cats and then on the new cat daily, etc? Any suggestions or feedback anyone has would be appreciated!

Thanks everyone!

PS... I do firmly believe you should spay/neuter your animals! Izzy has not been fixed due to issues such as inopportune hours and just not really feeling 100% comfortable with my vet. I've finally found the right vet and as soon as New cat gets comfortable, Izzy and she will both be spayed!

Last edited by LittleMissTea; 06-11-2018 at 11:12 AM..
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Old 06-11-2018, 10:37 AM
 
2,211 posts, read 1,548,114 times
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My girl cat hisses and swats at any newcomers. I didn't keep my attempted rescue around long enough to see.. but he was starting to feel uncomfortable around her.

Maybe the separate rooms until they "get used to" each other? Supervised 5 minute visits?
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Old 06-11-2018, 10:39 AM
 
4,286 posts, read 4,708,805 times
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They may be friends but it will take time or they may never be friends. Go to Jackson Galaxy's website. Has a good article on how to introduce cats.

Please spay your cats. It's healthier for them and there are way too many cats out there without homes. If you can't afford it, in many cities there are programs for free spay neuter.
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Old 06-11-2018, 11:08 AM
 
4 posts, read 2,220 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowan123 View Post
They may be friends but it will take time or they may never be friends. Go to Jackson Galaxy's website. Has a good article on how to introduce cats.

Please spay your cats. It's healthier for them and there are way too many cats out there without homes. If you can't afford it, in many cities there are programs for free spay neuter.

Thank you, I'll be sure to do that! I would like to note - I'll even update my posting to show this as well - that I'm a firm believer in spaying your cats. Obviously new cats owner was not, but the reason I haven't spayed Izzy yet is simply because the vet clinics here have the worst hours possible and they aren't the greatest, honestly. Probably just me being picky, but I want a vet that actually CARES about the amount of care AND the pet, not just the money. Long road, but I finally found one and will be making an appointment to spay both cats soon.
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Old 06-11-2018, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Wisconsin
2,974 posts, read 3,868,588 times
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You may indeed have territory issues until both females are spayed. We have four (two male, two female, all spayed). We brought in the newest female (abandoned by a former neighbor) and she wasn't spayed, which we had done immediately, but it took at least a month before her hormones leveled out and she stopped chasing everyone.

For the time being, until both are spayed, I'd suggest keeping them separate. It is better to have them separate than to start territory wars (spraying etc.)!

PS They may or may not become friends. Our female likes everyone *except* the other female, but they co-exist.
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Old 06-11-2018, 01:16 PM
 
Location: southern kansas
9,127 posts, read 9,238,856 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rene S View Post
You may indeed have territory issues until both females are spayed. We have four (two male, two female, all spayed). We brought in the newest female (abandoned by a former neighbor) and she wasn't spayed, which we had done immediately, but it took at least a month before her hormones leveled out and she stopped chasing everyone.

For the time being, until both are spayed, I'd suggest keeping them separate. It is better to have them separate than to start territory wars (spraying etc.)!

PS They may or may not become friends. Our female likes everyone *except* the other female, but they co-exist.
^^Yep^^
Totally depends on the cats involved, of course, but don't be surprised if they don't become BFF's. At one time I had 2 males and 5 females. Most of the females loved/liked the 2 boys, but none of them got along with the other females. They tolerated each other for the most part, with an occasional disagreement about personal space. All of them came to us at 8 to 12 weeks old, about a year apart, and grew up here. They were spayed at 6 months of age. So just from my experience, the females were more territorial and possessive of their humans, and the males more easy going & accepting.
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Old 06-11-2018, 01:18 PM
 
11,183 posts, read 19,336,877 times
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Spay both cats, and I'm sure in time all will be well. The longer a cat remains unspayed the higher the risk of breast cancer and pyometra. The risk increases with every heat cycle. Spaying removes the risk of pyometra permanently, but does not change the breast cancer risk already there. Get them spayed, now.


All my female cats, 3 of them, live in peaceful harmony together and love one another.


The important thing is to ensure enough territorial space/resources for each cat. Enough elevated space, beds, litter boxes, meal spots (each cat should have his or her own place to eat, no sharing)
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Old 06-12-2018, 12:05 AM
 
Location: In a cat house! ;)
1,758 posts, read 5,459,442 times
Reputation: 2307
It has only been 3 days. Go with your original plan of "separating them, letting them sniff each other through a door, rubbing a towel on my cats and then on the new cat daily, etc?"
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