Expert: Ali - 4/25/2009

Question
Hello,
My question concerns a pair of two newly adopted felines. One being a 5 month old female, and the other a 1.5 year old male. Initially, the male presumed dominance of the house and was immediately comfortable and affectionate. The female took longer to come out of her carrier and would hide. When the male became aware of the female, he hissed and intimidated her, causing her to hide and become very nervous. We put them in separate areas, and when alone, the female is very friendly but still prefers to be under the bed. The male acts no differently, but tries to approach her. What can we do to help these two newbies integrate better? Is the age difference a contributing factor in their behavior? Both the animals are spayed and neutered.

Answer
Kate,

It's important to understand that cats are very territorial animals by nature. If the two cats that you adopted from the shelter weren't housed together in the same cage or side by side in adjoining cages where they were free to see and smell one another it's quite normal to see intial bouts of mild to moderate aggression between them. At this early stage I think that seeking the advice of a holistic vet and checking out my previous answers on new cat/kitten introductions would be good places to start. A holistic vet is trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies which may include acupuncture, Reiki, homeopathy and massage to name a few of the options. My family vet is a holistic vet and she uses homeopathy in her practice, she's fantastic with my cats and I've seen some incredible results when homeopathy has been used either alone or in combination with conventional treatments. Questions about new cat/kitten introductions are quite common and I've answered many in great detail so checking through my previous answers will help you to find the appropriate information to help these cats become more comfortable with one another.

In the meantime you can try a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure. This remedy has been a standard part of my kitty first aid kit for years, it's safe and very effective. I would suggest that you try adding 7-9 drops of Rescue Remedy to each fresh bowl of water every morning. This remedy is safe for other pets, children and adults so there's no need to worry about problems related to anyone else ingesting this remedy or overdosing on it provided of course that you use common sense - a few extra drops in the water bowls won't hurt anyone, but the flower essences are preserved in a grape alcohol solution so the remedy shouldn't be kept within reach of small children. For a more immediate response when the more timid kitty is extremely anxious you can gently rub one drop of Rescue Remedy onto the fairly fur free patch of skin in front of her ears, do be careful not to get this remedy in the ears because it can sting due to the grape alcohol. You can usually find this remedy in health food stores, naturopathic pharmacies, some mainstream pharmacies carry Rescue Remedy in the aisle with vitamins and other nutritional supplements and to my knowledge this remedy can be purchased online as well.