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I need some assistance with cat introductions. I have had many cats in my lifetime and have for the most part successfully introduced cats and incorporated new cats/kittens into my home. I have a situation this time that I haven't faced before. The typical introduction guidelines are difficult to apply as both cats are under beds at opposite ends of the home.
When I came into my home on Saturday with the new cat, my cat took off to hide under the my bed. I couldn't even get him to look at the crate the new kitty was in. I took Miss Princess Victoria into the guest bedroom to get her set up. She played for a little bit then decided getting under the guest bed was what she wanted to do......2 days ago! I know she comes out because I can see food has been eaten and the litter box has been used. She even figured out how to open the wood blinds, so I opened them the rest of the way up for her. Prince George goes down the hall to sniff at the door of the guest bedroom and then he runs back to the opposite end of the house to hide under my bed.
So for now I have no introducing or familiarization happening here because I have scaredy cats in their own corners. Prince George will come out for food, treats, play and some petting but Miss Princess Pretty Kitty isn't being coaxed out with anything. I don't have alternate rooms without beds to put Prince and Princess in because I have a very open floor plan home with separate masters.
Some background on the two kitties. Miss Princess Pretty Kitty is a very beautiful Flame point Siamese, she is drop dead gorgeous. Some how this beautiful cat wound up on the streets in Dallas and gave birth to a litter of Siamese kittens. The rescue society that captured her assumed she was feral when they trapped her. However when she came home from the vet she hopped out of the crate and made herself right at home. She followed her Foster Mom everywhere, sat in her lap, slept in her bed, could be picked up to clip her nails. When I met her she allowed me to hold her and play with her and seemed well socialized. My Prince George is a sweet chocolate point Siamese kitty and a lap kitty too and is USUALLY glued to my side all day. Yes, I have a thing for Siamese.
I am open to suggestions, do I just give this lots of time?
I need some assistance with cat introductions. I have had many cats in my lifetime and have for the most part successfully introduced cats and incorporated new cats/kittens into my home. I have a situation this time that I haven't faced before. The typical introduction guidelines are difficult to apply as both cats are under beds at opposite ends of the home.
When I came into my home on Saturday with the new cat, my cat took off to hide under the my bed. I couldn't even get him to look at the crate the new kitty was in. I took Miss Princess Victoria into the guest bedroom to get her set up. She played for a little bit then decided getting under the guest bed was what she wanted to do......2 days ago! I know she comes out because I can see food has been eaten and the litter box has been used. She even figured out how to open the wood blinds, so I opened them the rest of the way up for her. Prince George goes down the hall to sniff at the door of the guest bedroom and then he runs back to the opposite end of the house to hide under my bed.
So for now I have no introducing or familiarization happening here because I have scaredy cats in their own corners. Prince George will come out for food, treats, play and some petting but Miss Princess Pretty Kitty isn't being coaxed out with anything. I don't have alternate rooms without beds to put Prince and Princess in because I have a very open floor plan home with separate masters.
Some background on the two kitties. Miss Princess Pretty Kitty is a very beautiful Flame point Siamese, she is drop dead gorgeous. Some how this beautiful cat wound up on the streets in Dallas and gave birth to a litter of Siamese kittens. The rescue society that captured her assumed she was feral when they trapped her. However when she came home from the vet she hopped out of the crate and made herself right at home. She followed her Foster Mom everywhere, sat in her lap, slept in her bed, could be picked up to clip her nails. When I met her she allowed me to hold her and play with her and seemed well socialized. My Prince George is a sweet chocolate point Siamese kitty and a lap kitty too and is USUALLY glued to my side all day. Yes, I have a thing for Siamese.
I am open to suggestions, do I just give this lots of time?
For the most part, that's what it's going to take, and they will probably work it out themselves eventually. But there are some things you can do to help it along. Since they have separate 'quarters', you could try site swapping.... putting George in Victoria's room, and her in his room, to let them get used to each others scent. You might also feed them at the same time (maybe separated by a baby gate, etc.) so they start associating each other with something positive. It's natural for the new cat to want to hide, and there's no way to tell how long it will take for her to be comfortable enough to venture out and explore her new home. Totally depends on her. I know your probably anxious to have her settle in, but give her & George time, and try not to push it too quickly. Good luck.
The other thing besides site swapping is scent swapping...if you can try putting a blanket under each bed, and then take it to the other room and put it under the bed of the other cat. Introducing a mix of strange cat smell, with safe human smell and safe "me-cat" smell, so that eventually each cat understands that the smell of the new cat is well within the realm of stuff that is OK and safe.
Perhaps bring a scent loaded blanket in and put it near the food at feeding time, so that the smell of the other cat gets associated with food (good things!)
The only danger with that is that sometimes cats respond to uncertain scents and situations by peeing on the offending smell to render it "safe." So you'd need to be on watch for any inappropriate elimination.
Otherwise yeah, it's all about giving them time...
I have just thrown all the doors open. Princess Vicki prowls the house and night and Prince Georgie during the day. At night Georgie sleeps in bed with me while Vicki explores. Right now if they wind up on the same space they both will dart to opposite ends of the house underneath beds. For some reason Vickie is intrigued by Georgie's low growling/hissing, she just watches him. It doesn't seem to upset or scare her but when Georgie skedaddles she does too.
I have her on 10 day approval from the rescue organization. As much as I want a second cat I won't mess my Prince's life to get one. You see Prince George was quite mean to a roommate's cat when she lived with me. Georgie chased that cat from one end of a 2500 square foot house to another and would launch a full scale attack. Quite honestly I was glad when she and her cat moved out a year ago, she was just here temporarily through a life change event. I wasn't sure of PG could handle a cat companion.
We will see, I sure hope so because Vicki is a sweet delicate beauty, a very loving cat.
I have just thrown all the doors open. Princess Vicki prowls the house and night and Prince Georgie during the day. At night Georgie sleeps in bed with me while Vicki explores. Right now if they wind up on the same space they both will dart to opposite ends of the house underneath beds. For some reason Vickie is intrigued by Georgie's low growling/hissing, she just watches him. It doesn't seem to upset or scare her but when Georgie skedaddles she does too.
I have her on 10 day approval from the rescue organization. As much as I want a second cat I won't mess my Prince's life to get one. You see Prince George was quite mean to a roommate's cat when she lived with me. Georgie chased that cat from one end of a 2500 square foot house to another and would launch a full scale attack. Quite honestly I was glad when she and her cat moved out a year ago, she was just here temporarily through a life change event. I wasn't sure of PG could handle a cat companion.
We will see, I sure hope so because Vicki is a sweet delicate beauty, a very loving cat.
The fact that Georgie isn't attacking her at first sight may be a good sign that he will eventually accept her. I wouldn't put too much weight on the previous experience with the roommate's cat. Sometimes a cat will intensely dislike a particular cat, yet be fine with the next one that comes along, so that may not repeat itself here. Glad to hear you're giving priority to Georgie if it doesn't work out, and I hope it doesn't come to that. Just let them work on it & keep a close eye on them.
btw- I love the names you have given them. Truthfully, we could all put Prince & Princess in front of the names of all of our furkids, and it would be appropriate and accurate.
We have had some set backs but mostly the news is positive. After a couple of days of being chased around the Princess finally realized that the Prince is not as nice as the 8 foster cats she lived with previously. I think her survival instincts came out from when she lived outside and Vicki started swatting Georgie and chasing him. He didn't know what to think about that. Now if they come to a doorway or close space at the same time she swats him for good measure.
Now they are co-existing in the same room and miracle of miracles they both sleep in bed with me at night. Georgie is right up against my back and Vicki is sleeping at my feet. Honestly I thought the bed would be a war zone and George is the only cat to sleep on my bed ever. She has taken over the top spot of the tallest cat condo and George is not happy about it. I may have to get another one which is no big deal
I am giving it time, I may ask for a few extra days on the trial/grace period. I really want this to work and to be able to keep her. However I want the Prince to be happy too.
We have had some set backs but mostly the news is positive. After a couple of days of being chased around the Princess finally realized that the Prince is not as nice as the 8 foster cats she lived with previously. I think her survival instincts came out from when she lived outside and Vicki started swatting Georgie and chasing him. He didn't know what to think about that. Now if they come to a doorway or close space at the same time she swats him for good measure.
Now they are co-existing in the same room and miracle of miracles they both sleep in bed with me at night. Georgie is right up against my back and Vicki is sleeping at my feet. Honestly I thought the bed would be a war zone and George is the only cat to sleep on my bed ever. She has taken over the top spot of the tallest cat condo and George is not happy about it. I may have to get another one which is no big deal
I am giving it time, I may ask for a few extra days on the trial/grace period. I really want this to work and to be able to keep her. However I want the Prince to be happy too.
If you can manage another condo, then it definitely would be the thing to do. The whole acceptance process will go much better if there are plenty of personal spaces available to them. It really sounds like things are actually going better than you think they are. Sleeping on the bed in close proximity is a good sign they're working it out. They may never be best buds, but hopefully they will peacefully tolerate each other.
FWIW I currently live with 4 senior female cats, each of which would be perfectly happy if the other 3 would disappear from the planet (only a slight exaggeration). For the most part they peacefully coexist, and have learned to tolerate each other. There are occasional disagreements about personal space, and conflicts caused by traffic congestion at doorways, but overall they get along pretty well. So it is doable.
If you can manage another condo, then it definitely would be the thing to do. The whole acceptance process will go much better if there are plenty of personal spaces available to them. It really sounds like things are actually going better than you think they are. Sleeping on the bed in close proximity is a good sign they're working it out. They may never be best buds, but hopefully they will peacefully tolerate each other.
FWIW I currently live with 4 senior female cats, each of which would be perfectly happy if the other 3 would disappear from the planet (only a slight exaggeration). For the most part they peacefully coexist, and have learned to tolerate each other. There are occasional disagreements about personal space, and conflicts caused by traffic congestion at doorways, but overall they get along pretty well. So it is doable.
I can afford another cat condo, that is not an issue. My problem is I don't like those carpeted cat condos. The kitties have The Refined Feline Lotus cat condo and everyone loves it, people and cats included. It is pretty pricey, I don't want a second one Lotus cat condo because I don't want them to be identical. Does anyone have any suggestions for cat condos that look more like furniture like this one does?
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