Need cat help

In My Humble Opinion
1

And yes there arepictures.

Saturday night, I adopted a roaming neighborhood cat who followed me home. Took him to the vet, he is about a year old, intact (soon to be rectified), no microchip, but thankfully negative for FIV and Fel Leuk. I have contacted all the local animal agencies to notify them of the found beast, put up pictures, checked craigslist for lost pets, etc, but it doesn’t look like anyone is claiming him. According to the security guard in the building, he’s seen him around for quite some time and feeds him occasionally. He has made himself at home within 5 seconds of arriving here, and is very pleased with his new digs.

The problem is…my other two cats. He is the friendliest guy in the world, listens to me and follows me all around the house like a puppy, and desperately wants to befriend my two female cats. He had been doing very well, would approach quietly, head down, despite their growling and hissing. He has been getting a little braver, walking up to within a couple feet and trying to touch noses, etc. These two are having none of it, barely getting any more comfortable each day. He’s been roaming around the house for a whole day, all the doors open, and so far no problems. They stay a healthy distance away, he generally just follows me around, and they watch eachother and hiss at him and he’s mostly chill about the situation. I figure they’re just slowly getting used to him.

Last night he followed one of them into a bedroom, she got spooked and ran towards him. He must have taken this as a sign of aggression and ran towards her, they tussled for a few seconds and then broke up. Since then, he’s been more assertive/aggressive when he sees one of them, instead choosing to run at them full force. Each time I have grabbed him and physically separated them with a door and not let them meet to find out what happens at the end of the full force run.

Obviously I know getting him fixed should curb some of the aggression. He is physically bigger than both other cats, and this whole time he hasn’t shown a desire to be initially aggressive and dominate them, as I mentioned earlier. I’m thinking that now that he’s crossed that threshold where it’s easier to run at them and scare them than to sit there and be hissed and growled at, that is probably what he’ll do going forward.

Any advice?

2

Put him in a separate room for a week or two. Your old cats had a routine down and changes, like a newcomer in the house, can be stressful. This guide is actually pretty good and has a lot of tips. Since they’ve already met face to face, you might have to be even more patient than the guide suggests, they might need more time to get over their bad first impression.

3

Well, one of the females came out of the room and hung out with him for a bit. He came within 8 feet of her, plopped down on his side, and then worm crawled slowly over to her (I guess to maintain a non-threatening body language?). She hissed a few times, but let him get within a foot or two. Then went back into the bedroom.

Watching him crawl around on the floor to get closer to her without scaring her off was damn hilarious though.

4

I would keep them more separated for the time being, give him a good month after snippy snippy, perhaps meeting the other cats under controlled circumstances where you are supervising, and see how it goes at that point. He seems like a laid back cat from your description, who really just wants to be friends. Hissing and bluff charging and even tussling are totally normal for new cats meeting. Often over time they will become pals, or at least settle into detente, despite a rocky start.

PS - oo’s an 'andsome kitty? oo is?

5

What a gorgeous boy! It sounds like he’s starting to settle in, just give it time. And the chop chop will help too!

6

Terraplane nailed it, and the link is good. Never, ever, just throw a cat into another cat’s territory. Sometimes they only need a day, and sometimes a month or more. Start over, and be patient.

7

They had been separated for 3 days, him in an isolated room and the remaining two in the rest of the house. I only introduced them because the two females had been approaching the door more and not hissing, trying to peek under the door and such. They are never out without supervision, and the first meeting was much like the link described. Girls got a chance to explore the room without him in it, then him confined. I’m going to keep them separated for the time being and then try reintroductions later.

8

I knew it was only a matter of time before you began your journey as “crazy cat lady who collects strays”. Just thought it was still 5-10 years down the road for you. Let me know if you need an old shopping cart with one wheel that doesn’t work to haul your kittens around.

9

Only other thing I can add it to be sure your original girls get plenty of attention, so they don’t get the idea that this intruder is usurping all the scritches and treats as well.

10

Yeah, unfortunately it looks like that time is upon us. If it makes you feel any better, I’m actively trying to find him a home this time instead of half-assedly mentioning to people that I found a cat.

BTW, do you need a cat?

11

** glances at OP’s location **

** thinks about the two cats already on my couch **

I’m under strict “no more pets” orders courtesy of Mr. Horseshoe (and reality, really - he’s not being a meanie) but I’m gonna show him those pictures anyway. He luuuurvs tabbies and this is a particularly gorgeous specimen. :slight_smile:

12

Cat very fresh?[/Pepitoz]

13

My sister dealt with this when she took in a very dominant unfixed orange male with her 2 existing females. The first thing is to get it neutered ASAP to reduce the aggression, of course. Another tip she used a lot was to put the new cat in a room and close the door. Then, she’d bring over the existing cats to play with him *through *the bottom of the door (she used a catnip mouse on a stick that they would pull back and forth over the threshold). They can’t really hurt each other much with their front paws under the door, but it allows them to get used to the smells and idea of having a new brother.

14

I don’t have any advice that others haven’t already posted, but I just wanted to say that’s a gorgeous boy you’ve got there. For a minute I thought you sneaked into my house and took my NabbyTabby (your boy looks just like him!) until I saw the eyes (my boy’s eyes are green, and yours are a lovely gold).

Good for you for taking him in, and I wish all the best of luck and happiness to you and your feline crew. :smiley:

15

Thanks guys, and yes he certainly knows he’s pretty. He’s always sprawled out like Burt Reynolds on a bear skin rug when anybody is watching him.

16

Integrating a new cat into your household… steps that have worked for me.

Step you already followed excellently…

New cat gets a clean bill of health before ever entering the household.

Steps you’ve already gotten advice on…

New cat is isolated in one room, or if possible a couple rooms so bathroom and food can be separated, should have 1 door in common with the other cats so under door sniffing and pawing can begin.

Supervised interaction… preferably one cat into the new cat’s turf at a time, separate if things get rowdy. If that seems to be going well, supervised visits the other direction, letting the new guy out into the mix.
One helpful step nobody’s mentioned yet…

If step 2 continues to get really unhappy hissy reactions for more than 24 hours…

Take a warm damp wash cloth, rub down the new kid, go rub it on the existing family. Make sure you include rubbing on the bottom of the new kids paws and along the scent glands in the corner of his mouth for maximum scent transfer.

It’s just one more step toward everyone getting used to the smell of the new kid.

Also, there b-calm stress lowering liquid that you can feed all felines involved (using a dropper) a spray version that disperses calming scent/chemicals like a glade plug in, and there are now break away collars impregnated with the stuff.

The collars are new and apparently very effective as they are recommended to people who provide foster homes for a local no-kill shelter.

17

I always read that you should keep new cat in a cat carrier and let the other cats hang around outside. Then a day later reverse the situation, with old cats in carrier and new cat hanging outside, till everything is OK.

All else fails get a dog that will either unite the cats or at least join in the fighting. That’s a handsome cat, it sure doesn’t look like it was ever a stray.

18

Just wanted to echo what everyone else has said and add that it can take a while. Our new boy joined our older boy in August. The first month or so was pretty tense, with lots of growling and hissing whenever the interloper got too close. They’re not quite best buds now, but they do groom one another and will both sit on my lap at the same time. I think if the tussling is taking place without obvious displays of fear/aggression (ears laid back, hackles up), that’s a pretty good sign.

19

Well, my philosophy has been a bit different.

I throw the new kid into the mix and tell all the cats, “This is your new brother/sister. Get over it.”

They hiss and snarl and tussel, and before long, I find them entwined, snoozing together. I say, “Awwwwww…” and they wake up, look flustered and say, “Oh, this…we’re not…no…”
~VOW

20

Or, they hiss and tussle… and continue to hate each other for the next 15 years, until one of them gets too old to fight anymore for realsies, but will still smack the other across the mouth if she gets in his grill.