Expert: Dear Tabbi - 9/2/2008

Question
My girlfriend moved in last weekend with her two cats. She luckily has two of the sweetest cats in the whole world, however, they are now adjusting to my cat Gordon. I love Gordon, but he has always been an aggressive cat. He will get really close to visitors and bat at them. He definitely wants to dominate his territory.

We are entering week 2 with the 3 cats living together, and the 3 cats still do not get along. Gordon is consistently restless, and will continue to follow the other cats around the apartment until a fight breaks. We will break up the fight, and the cats will separate, but when another cat wants to explore, Gordon goes into attack mode.

It is clear that Gordon doesn't want them there, but I'm nervous Gordon will not adjust, hurt or even kill one of my girlfriend's cats. Do you have a recommendation for him, besides using Feliway (we already use it for Gordon)? How do we get Gordon to accept this is just how it will be?

Another note: They have been in two separate rooms for the entire week. Now my girlfriend's cats think the bedroom is their territory, while Gordon is afraid to go in there.

They are all under the age of 3.

Answer
Justin,

It's never easy to combine cat-households. You cannot rush the process or you will end up with behavior problems. It can take a month or more for things to smooth out if they are going to.

There is also a calming product that you can add to their food or water that reduces anxiety and stress called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available on-line and in health food stores (people use it too). Here is a link about it:
(copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)
http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Feed all the cats yummy cat treats (like tuna, sardines in oil, or pieces of raw steak) TOGETHER. That is so the cats will associate each other with something pleasant.

Also getting a pet laser light (at PetSmart, etc.) is great for interaction between the cats. They can chase the 'little red bug' on the floor, ceilings, and walls, and they tend to forget about the other cat as they focus on the 'bug' which helps them get used to each other.

Here are a couple of good links on how to go about the introduction process. All may not pertain to your situation, but you should get some helpful information:

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro...

I hope this helps,

Tabbi