Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
what should i do my one year old cat doesnt like my new cat='(
Give it time. How long has the new cat been there? What kind of introduction process did you use?
Cats are territorial animals for one thing, and most are resistant to change besides.
It is normal for cats to hiss and growl and get upset at a new cat. Doing a slow introduction, by keeping them separate and exchanging smells at first (rubbing a shirt you have worn on each cat in turn every day). Exhcange rooms too, keep new kitty in one room and let resident kitty run the house. Once a day, put resident kitty in the new kitty's room, and let new kitty have some time in the rest of the house.
After a few days of doing this, start letting them both out and about in the house, while you supervise. There may be some scrapping, but you have to let them work it out for themselves. Don't leave them together unsupervised until you are sure they won't seriously hurt each other.
Installing some feliway plug in diffusers may help. Make sure you have enough litter boxes (three) and each cat should have his or her own food dishes.
Many, many years ago I read a tip in the Heloise column.
It was for people with cats and a new baby. She said to buy a wooden screen door to put on the babies bedroom. You can still see and hear the newborn without the cats having access.
I used this tip to seperate a cat that I had adopted that was already declawed. I kept her in my bedroom when I wasn't home to supervise, yet all of the cats could interact through the screen to get used to one another.
I didn't remove the solid door, just added the screen door like you do a storm door. I had to replace the fiberglass screen with aluminum, of course.
I didn't use standard size door hinges either, I used cupboard sized hinges because I thought the door was only temporary. I used the real small hook and eyes to latch it closed.......one on the inside and one on the outside.
I have never removed the door, it has come in handy so many times over the years when I needed to keep a cat seperated for any reason.
I eventually painted it to match the room and the hallway. When it is closed people never even notice that it is there.
It is so much nicer for everyone when you have to keep cats seperated.........they aren't so isolated.
PS: Never use fiberglass screen in windows or doors when you have cats.
One of my cats ate a big hole out of a fiberglass window screen once. {I assume he swatted at a fly or something and then just started to nibble at the frayed ends.........like cats that will eat thread, etc.}
He almost died......in fact, my vet didn't think he would make it........the fiberglass blocked his intestines and he was at the vets for days. They had to give him some kind of fluids to try to move the fiberglass through his intestines without shredding them. Against all odds he survived and lived to a ripe old age.
All of the screens in the house were fiberglass..............I immediatley replaced all of them with the charcoal colored aluminum. They are sturdy, look good and are SAFE.
I have a wooden screen door installed in my bedroom doorway too! I put it up for cat integrations over 6 years ago, and like you I've kept it installed because it is so handy. I didn't read Heloise though, I thought it was my own original idea, LOL!
Thanks for the safety tip on fiberglass screens.
<I know this is an older post but it bears repeating >
The screen door is a great idea and the wooden ones are inexpensive! Wish I would have known or thought about that for introducing my cats to each other. I tried using baby gates but that did not work out very well. It would have helped so much in getting them acclimated to each other in the beginning. I may still do it because it's been 9 months and still have problems so I have started, once again, to put the newest cat in the bedroom when I'm not home so there will be peace in the house for the other 2. Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions!
My mother passed about a month and a half ago and she had a Himalayan female cat, about 5 years old. I have a male (4 years old) and a newer female (1 year old), which got along okay and did not take long for the male to accept the female. We have decided to take my moms cat and we have had her about 6 weeks. Our two cats do not like the new cat and she does not like them. I have tried everything and nothing works. I have to keep the newer cat in a bedroom downstairs with food, water, and litter pan. If I keep the door open our cats go after her and fight and she hides under the bed all day long until I close the door. I wonder if I should get rid of the new cat or not. What else should I try. They are all fixed.
Desperate
I had cats that did not get along, hissing, marking, but no one got into a fight. They settle down eventually. I stay out of it, and let them work it out. Have separate cat boxes, and separate food dishes.
Sometimes, they never really like each other, but live in toleration.
Sometimes, they never really like each other, but live in toleration.
This is what happened when we had two cats.
Keep it slow. How long have you had the additional cat? It may be too soon to be too worried about it yet. Keep them separated by a real door for a few weeks, at least. An additional thing to try after a while is allow your two cats into that room, but take the new cat out of that room and allow her into the rest of the house. Still keep the door closed. Let them check out the others' space and smells and such. Then switch back to normal. Try that a few times. Then you can work up to maybe a baby gate or similar on the doorway, where they can see each other without actually getting at each other. Do that for a while. Then go for short times together. Cats are territorial so it's going to take some time.
Don't expect them to be all lovey dovey and share, ever. But they should at least get to the level of not attacking. You do have a two against one situation there but if the one accepted an additional cat before they should be able to adjust eventually. Takes patience though, and availability of that closed room for an extended time. Think in terms of months.
Pierre was 10 when he got a "little bother", he hated him. Never liked him. But never bit him. Frequently hissed at him. He even started marking the house, to show his displeasure.
Mickey was 13 when he got his "kitten", he pretty much tolerated him.
Sysco had claws, and was moved in with Beau, no claws. Sysco frequently hissed at Beau, but never hurt him.
I never had a separate room, just threw them together and told them to make it work.
My mother passed about a month and a half ago and she had a Himalayan female cat, about 5 years old. I have a male (4 years old) and a newer female (1 year old), which got along okay and did not take long for the male to accept the female. We have decided to take my moms cat and we have had her about 6 weeks. Our two cats do not like the new cat and she does not like them. I have tried everything and nothing works. I have to keep the newer cat in a bedroom downstairs with food, water, and litter pan. If I keep the door open our cats go after her and fight and she hides under the bed all day long until I close the door. I wonder if I should get rid of the new cat or not. What else should I try. They are all fixed.
Desperate
Your mother's cat has suffered a severe trauma. She has lost her mother and her home (and I am sorry for your loss of your mother) and now finds herself in a strange house with other, hostile, cats.
Let her live in the one room for now, give her time to adjust. Go in and give her some attention several times a day.
Also, scent is everything to a cat. Once a day, put the other two cats in the room, shut the door and let her come out and explore the rest of the house and enjoy an hour or two curled up on your lap or whatever. This will help the other two get used to her scent, while they are in her room and also it will make them feel better to rub their scents all over things that smell like her. Which will help her to smell more like them, when she goes back in there. And they will get her scent on themselves without realizing it.
Gradually the scents of all the cats will become so blended, she won't smell strange to them any more.
Install feliway plug in diffusers, one in her room, and a couple more (depending on how big your home is) in other areas, to help with stress and territorial feelings.
Add rescue remedy to the water, or rub a little on each cat's face every day.
Please don't give up on her. It was good of you to take her in, they all just need more time to adjust.
Welcome to the forum, please let us know how things are going.
My mother passed about a month and a half ago and she had a Himalayan female cat, about 5 years old. I have a male (4 years old) and a newer female (1 year old), which got along okay and did not take long for the male to accept the female. We have decided to take my moms cat and we have had her about 6 weeks. Our two cats do not like the new cat and she does not like them. I have tried everything and nothing works. I have to keep the newer cat in a bedroom downstairs with food, water, and litter pan. If I keep the door open our cats go after her and fight and she hides under the bed all day long until I close the door. I wonder if I should get rid of the new cat or not. What else should I try. They are all fixed.
Desperate
Quote:
Originally Posted by catsmom21
Your mother's cat has suffered a severe trauma. She has lost her mother and her home (and I am sorry for your loss of your mother) and now finds herself in a strange house with other, hostile, cats.
Let her live in the one room for now, give her time to adjust. Go in and give her some attention several times a day.
Also, scent is everything to a cat. Once a day, put the other two cats in the room, shut the door and let her come out and explore the rest of the house and enjoy an hour or two curled up on your lap or whatever. This will help the other two get used to her scent, while they are in her room and also it will make them feel better to rub their scents all over things that smell like her. Which will help her to smell more like them, when she goes back in there. And they will get her scent on themselves without realizing it.
Gradually the scents of all the cats will become so blended, she won't smell strange to them any more.
Install feliway plug in diffusers, one in her room, and a couple more (depending on how big your home is) in other areas, to help with stress and territorial feelings.
Add rescue remedy to the water, or rub a little on each cat's face every day.
Please don't give up on her. It was good of you to take her in, they all just need more time to adjust.
Welcome to the forum, please let us know how things are going.
After thinking about this some, I have one more thing to add to my advice. If it does appear that your mother's cat really needs to be an only cat, and a good loving single cat home presents itself, then of course do what would be best for her. But please, don't take her to a shelter, or give her away to "just anyone". She's better off living in one room with someone she knows that either of those scenarios.
Just give it time. It may be years, and that cat may just stay there. Our Siamese, hated his brother for years...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
>
Screen door is a great idea!
old and new cats
