Expert: Jessica - 7/5/2009

Question
My Siamese cat Shaggy is 4 months old female and i have had her since she was 5 weeks old.Both me and Shaggy are very close to each other.recently I got a 8 weeks old female Persian cat Smokey.Unfortunatley they came into contact the instant smokey was brought home and Shaggy went insane,hissing spitting and growling.After that i kept them in separate rooms.After two three days i let them both see each other through a glass door.Smokeys reaction was encouraging however there was some hissing from Shaggy.Slightly encouraged I put both the cats in each others rooms the next day.Smokey settled in right away but Shaggy went insane when she sniffed the kittens plates,toys and litter box.Please help make me make shaggy accept Smokey.I have become to both of them very much and I don't want either one to have to go away.

Answer
Hi Pernia.  Sorry you are having problem.  Siamese are dramatic, aren’t they?  There are a couple things to consider.  One of my friends who bred both Siamese and Persians explained that Siamese were more difficult to introduce to Persians than to other breeds because of body language.  A cat who is in attack mode will have widened eyes with his ears held back and his fur puffed up.  A Siamese could mistake the Persian, with its big, round eyes, comparatively small ears, and fluffy fur, for a cat who is displaying aggressive behavior.  Even as the two get used to each other, the Siamese is so domineering and so high energy, and the Persian is so submissive and relaxed, that you may find some Siamese cats to be a bit of a bully from time to time.

However, I think in this case, Shaggy’s reaction probably sounds a lot worse than it is.  She is still young, and two kittens usually will get along wonderfully after the introduction period.  Hissing and growling is always to be expected when introducing two cats.  This is a normal part of a cat’s vocabulary when she is feeling uncomfortable.  You should continue switching their areas and allowing them to sniff each other out this way until she no longer hisses at Smokey’s scent.  I also agree with allowing them to see each other through the glass, as long as Shaggy only hisses and does not try to attack Smokey through the glass.  If she displays any of this behavior, it will scare Smokey and make things worse, so you should wait until Shaggy calms down even more.  If the two are somewhat peaceful on opposite sides of the glass, try feeding them a special meal, each on their own side, each time they “visit” with each other.  This will give them a positive experience to associate with one another.  All in all, it takes most cats about two weeks of this slow introduction before they will accept each other face to face, but some cats can take longer.  Patience is the key.

I’m not sure if it’s available to you in Pakistan, but there is a product called Feliway that is excellent to use during introductions.  It helps to reduce the anxiety that causes a lot of the behavior you’re seeing from Shaggy.  You can learn more about how it works at www.feliway.com  In most countries, it’s available at pet stores and online.

I hope you see some progress soon!

Jessica