Expert: Karen Craft - 2/4/2011

Question
I am in desperate need of advice and don't know where to go or who to ask. I have 2 Bengal queen entires Duchess was my first she is 11mths old and Iesha is 3yrs and pregnant. Iesha came to us less than a week ago, she is Duchesses mother. Both girls are beautiful but Iesha has started in the last 2 days showing violent aggression towards Duchess. I know it takes time for any new addition to settle in more so being pregnant but Duchess is to afraid to leave the lounge room so I have had to put a litter box, food and water in with her because Iesha will hunt he down and attack her to the point where she is getting injured. I would like to find a way where they both have free run of the house is this possible? I have begun giving Iesha time out in another room everytime she begins to show aggression and also using a squirt bottle. Will this help or make the problem worse? I did have reservations before agreeing to take on Iesha (she had a dislike to 2 other cats) and the breeder thought because they were mother and daughter they would be fine. They re-homed Iesha and other cats and kittens because they were caught up in the Queensland floods. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Sharon,
You are doing a great service here. There is a protocol to follow when introducing strange cats together. And the two are strangers to each other. Cats don't have the same recognition factor that we do. Once mother and daughter were separated all bets were off on them recognizing each other familiarly. You are on the right track of what to do. Here are a few articles of protocols.

http://www.sdhumane.org/site/DocServer/Introducing_a_Cat_to_a_New_Territory.pdf?...

http://www.sdhumane.org/site/DocServer/BT_Cat-Cat_Intros.pdf?docID=621

http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/26/Introducing-Your-Cat-to-a-New-Cat.aspx

Also here's a good forum to look through for other stuff.

http://www.bengalcatforums.com/forums/index.php?sid=cfc314e8128247c06162706c16bc...


Follow their suggestions. The situation should get better in your home. You can also try some Feliway Comfort Zone. It is a synthetic "happy cat" pheromone. It may help.

You need to realize though that sometimes, no matter what, some cats don't settle in. These cats need to be in a one cat household. Or they need their own separate environment in your home. I have one that has been separate for about 4 years now. My cats are just now beginning to tolerate her and she is now coming out of her room slowly. It could take that long. You need patience. Good luck and take care.

Ciao, Karen