Expert: Ali - 11/19/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi there. Was wondering if you could help with our two cats. We (girlfriend and me) recently rescued (June this year) a 3 year old female cat - Lily. She was extremely nervous around people and had lived at the shelter with cats only for approx 2 years - possible feral before this too! Eventually she came to trust us and now loves our company - tho no other humans. As we both have to work we thought that we would take another cat in - so that if she stays in during some cold winter days she would have some company. We took another cat from a different shelter (around start of September) - 3 year old male who is very human friendly and not afraid of anything - Alfie. The only problem is that they don't seem to get on. We took time to gradually introduce them - over 1 to 2 weeks. However they do not spend any time together. They are very stand offish with the occassional hissing fit (usually Lily) which we have to seperate. It has got to the stage that if one comes into the room the other leaves or at least moves away. It seems that Lily is the main cause of trouble, forcing Alfie away, despite her being literaly half his size. He seems very wary of her tho we have seen him fight two other cats since moving in with us! I was wondering if you have any suggestions for building a better relationship between them.
If you need any more info just ask.
Thanks in advance
Neil

ANSWER: Neil,

I am wondering a few things....

- Did you try lengthening the gradual introduction period over say 2-3 weeks?

- Have you heard of or used Bach Flower Remedies such as Rescue Remedy?

- How did you initially introduce the cats- was Lily just allowed to be face to face with Alfie in her territory?

Hopefully with that information I can help you out some and get this situation under control and happier and more relaxed for everyone involved.

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QUESTION: Thanks for your reply.In answer:
We didn't let both cats see each other for about 4-5 days. Alfie was moved into one room and Lily given the rest of the house - she could smell and hear him through the door tho. After a few days we let Alfie out into the whole house - Lily was outside at these times. Then after 10 or so days we let them meet face to face but ony for short supervised periods. She initially would not move when he was in sight and be very tense. After 2 weeks we let them both have the run of the house whilst we were present. Lily constantly went outside at these times as she could avoid Alfie - who wasn't yet allowed out. Since then they are fine to be left alone but they just won't interact in any way.
In response to the remedy - Is that like a plug in scent for the house? We had used one of these before, to help Lily settle when she first moved in, but we found it only made her restless. It was called "Feliway". Is the rescue remedy different or do you think the effects would be different now?

Thanks for your help

Neil

ANSWER: Neil,

I normally recommend a period of 2-3 weeks of isolation for new cats entering a household. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly cats are extremely territorial animals and can react badly to intruders in their territory. When a cat is isolated within the household for 2-3 weeks (say in a spare room with all of the usual kitty amenities of course) their scent becomes part of the territory. Feeding the cats on opposite sides of a closed door for that 2-3 week period allows them to associate one another with positive things, namely food. Essentially I generally recommend that when the cats are playing with one another under the door it's time to try a controlled face to face meeting with spray bottles at the ready in case a fight breaks out.

NEVER attempt to break up a cat fight with any part of your body, cats have as much bacteria in their mouths as people do and a bite wound can result in a nasty infection. If you happen to end up between the cats when they are fighting, by accident, I would recommend that you use a nearby object to clear a path, a broom works well. Obviously you won't want to jab at the cats unnecessarily if a fight breaks out, however you do want to be sure not to be stuck in the middle.

Bach Remedies are homeopathic remedies. Homeopathy is based on the theory that like cures like. Flower essences have worked well in my experience with dealing with cases ranging from fostering an abused, drug addicted cat to fearful strays. Rescue Remedy is a very safe remedy used by some vets and pet parents worldwide to treat anxiety, trauma, fear, etc. This remedy can be found in some mainstream drug stores, however you are generally guaranteed to find it in naturopathic pharmacies or natural health stores for around $15 CAN funds. I would suggest that Alfie be re-isolated for a minimum of 2 weeks and that both cats have Rescue Remedy added to a bowl of fresh water each morning for that time. I would suggest a dose of around 5-7 drops daily. I have never seen a cat react badly or have allergies to this remedy so I think it's well worth the try. Feliway differs from Rescue Remedy- it's a synthetic pheromone and I haven't had much success with it although there are people who swear by it.

Also, are the cats spayed/neutered? Unsterilized cats are far more likely to develop territorial behaviors. Those that have been spayed or neutered later in life can sometimes hold onto them and become aggressive with other cats in their territory.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your help so far.
For info both cats are neutered. I also don't know if its a territorial thing as Lily was fine with another cat that she often played with in our back garden. When it was able to sneak into our kitchen she was with him/her and seemed happy enough.
I have ordered the rescue remedy so I'll be trying that when it comes. Slight problem there in that both cats usually drink from a large wheel barrow in the back garden. They have dishes inside but rarely use them. I was reading other questions and sometimes it was recommended to rub drops onto the cats gums/lips. Should I do this instead? How much/how often, etc? Should be easy with Alfie but a different story with Lily!
At the moment we don't really want to isolate Alfie again, he loves going out and the fact that both cats aren't actually fighting would make us feel bad doing this- we're too soft hearted. I may try it if the problem persists.
Again thanks for your time
Neil

Answer
Neil,

Rescue Remedy comes in a grape alcohol base and cats aren't fond of alcohol. I think that you would have quite the fight on your hands if you tried to rub anything in an alcohol base on their gums. You could try rubbing it onto the skin in the ear, but be very careful not to get the remedy into the ear canal as this might be quite painful if there happen to be any scratches in the ears. Hopefully this helps to settle things down somewhat.