AboutKaren Craft Expertise I can give advice on cat behavior. I can help about newborn kitten care. I can help with senior cat care. I can answer questions about cat proofing a home or making it cat friendly. I can answer diet questions. I can answer home treatments questions for cats. At present I have 13 cats in home and two ferals outside. And there's always room for one more!
Experience I have over 40 year's experience with cats. Father was a veterinarian and I assisted him in his work. I have 14 cats at present. Most are shelter or feral rescues. Two are purebred cats. I have done cat rescues and foster care.
Question I am moving in with my boyfriend and he has a 6 yr old female very aggressive only child cat. i have a 2 yr old male who is declawed and very passive and is easily scarred. and i have a sweet troublesome 7 mo. old female kitten. we are worried that all of there personalitys will clash and his female will end up hurting my male. we don't want to get rid of any of them but we will if we have to. Do you think it will have to come to that or is there any advice you can give to make this any easier?
Answer Hi Samantha,
You need to follow a cat intro protocol. I'm attaching a pretty good one for you to read. These work pretty good. The other thing that you have going for you is that you have two cats who are used to each other. They just may ignore the other cat. You can also use a product called Feliway Comfort Zone. This helps calm all the cats down. Good luck.
Ciao, Karen
From the San Francisco SPCA Cat Behavior Department
PROTOCOL FOR
CAT TO CAT
INTRODUCTIONS
· Help settle the new cats in a small room with litterbox, food, water, toys, and a safe
place to hide (such as a cat carrier with a towel inside).
· Let the new kitties become comfortable there for 3 or 4 days. Do not allow the cats
to interact during this time. It is fine for the resident cat to be sniffing under the
door and investigating.
· Switch bedding and other items that have the scent of each of the cats on them.
This way each cat can become used to the scent of the other without meeting
face to face.
· Spend quality time with each cat on either side of the door - petting, playing,
relaxing. Again, they will be aware of each other, in a non-stressful situation. This is
often reassuring to both of them.
· If at any point the hissing is intense, or either cat is growling, continue to keep
them separate for as long as it takes the upset cat(s) to settle down. Other signs of
stress are: not eating, not using the litterbox appropriately, overgrooming, etc. (If
these symptoms are apparent in your resident cat, please call your veterinarian.) This may mean that
the separation needs to last a week or more·
If there is no intense hissing from either cat (i.e. loud hissing with wide open mouth
and teeth showing, or multiple hisses), prop the door open just about an inch to
allow the cats to view each other without being able to make contact. Leave
the door like this for a few days. Watch their interactions; if no serious hissing or
aggression is noted, then it’s time for the next step. EXTRA STEPS FOR A SHY KITTY: If
the new cat is shy, the introduction must be taken more slowly. He will need extra
time to “settle” into his new environment, and to feel comfortable in his “safe”
room. It may be necessary to repeat the introduction and separation program
several times. This separation time is also an excellent time for you to spend time
bonding with each cat, one at a time, so that they do not over-bond to each
other.
Open the door and allow the cats to interact on their own time. Do not force
either cat to go from one space to another.
· Supervise their interactions. Only let them interact for short sessions: 10 to 15
minutes at a time. Then separate them again. Do this several times a day until you
are sure they are tolerating the presence of the other cat, and not fighting,
chasing, or watching the other cat intensely. Do not leave them alone together
until you are reasonably certain that they will not hurt one another.
· Sometimes it helps to distract the cats with several toys but keep the toys four or
more feet apart when playing. Sometimes cats play so hard, that they forget to be
upset about the other cat and start to become accustomed to the other cat’s
presence. There may be rivalry for toys, so this may not always work. Treats may
help alleviate this situation-give them treats in the presence of the other cats, to
distract and reward them—when they are not hissing.
· Some cat to cat introductions go very smoothly, while others may take weeks or
months before the cats learn to tolerate each other. The best thing to do is to go
as slowly as necessary - don’t rush the introduction. We all want our cats to get
along well, and quickly. But, please remember that you are hoping and working
for a very long term relationship; being patient at first will pay off! Rushing the
introduction will often cause serious problems which may take longer to solve – or
in some cases, may never be solved.
· Finally: most cats will adjust to living within a multi cat household. Like people,
some will enjoy it more than others. Patience on the part of all concerned w ill be
more likely to produce an enduring peace than anything else. Enjoy your kitties!
