My roommate bought me a kitty for Hanukkah (let me pick her out), and we’ve now brought her into our apartment. My roomie already HAD a kitty (about an 8-month-old female named Emma) who has the run of the house. My kitty (six-year-old female named Cadence) is currently confined to my bedroom because, although Emma wants to play, Cadence won’t let her within 3 feet before she begins hissing.
What’s the best way to acclimate the two? I know they’ll get along fine once Cadence stops being such a bitch (or pussy, as the case may be), but how do I make this happen? I’ve heard tell of everything from “let them get used to each other from opposite sides of the door” (not working thus far) to put them in a room for a couple of days and they’ll sort it all out.
I would LOVE suggestions, and from the number of cat threads on this board, I’m sure someone has some ideas!!!
I have 5 cats and have found that there is always an adjustment period that involves hissing, batting, and growling. Rarely is actual serious violence done to anyone’s person. I try to stay out of it until the racket gets to me, or if it looks like someone might get hurt (like I said, rarely).
Some tips:
–Pay a lot of attention to the kitty that was originally in the house. That cat will feel threatened and needs to be reassured.
–Try to get them near each other in a non-combative way by offering treats to both at the same time, or catnip (sometimes this will backfire though, as some cats get more violent under the influence; depends on how your cats are).
New kitty intros in my home also have taken time & patience. The latest New Cat came in May; she and Incumbent Cat went thru a few months of Scary Hissing, a few months of Ignoring the Other, and now have graduated to peaceful coexistence and occasionally even play together.
I assume both your girls are spayed? That should help with any hormone-induced insanity issues…
It is available from vets. It’s a pheromone which makes cats happy (an analogue of the feline facial pheromone, the one they put everywhere when they rub their cheeks on things).
It comes as a plug-in diffuser. Veterinary behaviourists have had good success with these.
Leans forward eagerly Is there a link to a site that sells this product? How much does it cost? We could use that stuff right now, we rescued a waif this fall, and one of the three established cats (our town ordinance allows 4, and there is more than one pet owner in the house) still is borderline violent with her.
One of the cats hit it off with her right away, he’s rather maternal, and is happy as a clam with a kitten to groom. Plus we think he must resemble her mother, because of her reaction when she first saw him. They resemble each other closely. He’s nuetered.
My cat, Hazel is slowly beginning to at least be able to be in the same room with her without loud hissing, and getting attacked by her. It’s just the one cat that REALLY hates her, and she reciprocates the feelings. They are all nuetered, and she soon will be too.