Another cat introduction thread!

calicosrspecial

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It doesn't surprise me because he was the only one who has had a strong negative reaction to another cat before with the community cat I believe I mentioned a while back. It's few and far between but if he doesn't accept the new cat right away, it can take him some time to warm up to them.

Not many big updates. I *think* Caspian was playing with Bastian today under the door. The door with the gate was open but they were pawing under the door instead. Bastian had already moved away by the time I got there, you can see he has a purple ball in his paws already.

View attachment 397554

Bastian has had a couple minor bitey/scratchy instances but nothing painful or skin breaking. Mostly the "hey put me down" kind though occasionally the playful kind. This morning he ran up and wrapped my leg like he was about to bite and bunny kick it but he did not, he basically just hugged my leg for a second without claws and I told him NO, slowly moved my leg away, and gave him a kicker toy that he went for instead. He was particularly playful today!

View attachment 397555

I'd like to try with some together time again soon, today he was way too playful for that and my husband was at work late and will be all week so we'll have to see if I can find a day when he's calm enough to try it out with just me home. It would be much easier if I knew I could distract them with treats but since Bastian still can't have treats I can only do so much as far as keeping things positive.

Clicker training with his kibble is going well but only when it's before breakfast so he's hungry. Saturday my husband joined so we both got head bumps. This morning I switched between high fives (which he previously learned without the clicker) and headbumps for the first time and he did perfectly fine knowing which I was wanting. He's a SUPER smart cat.
"It doesn't surprise me because he was the only one who has had a strong negative reaction to another cat before with the community cat I believe I mentioned a while back. It's few and far between but if he doesn't accept the new cat right away, it can take him some time to warm up to them." - Yes, that is normal. Sometimes cats will seem like they accepted right away and then it turns. The key is jsut let the cat know the other cat is not a threat to their physical safety, food, water, litter box, territory, love, etc.

"Not many big updates. I *think* Caspian was playing with Bastian today under the door. " - Awwwwwwwwwww

"The door with the gate was open but they were pawing under the door instead. " - Awwwwwwwww

"Bastian had already moved away by the time I got there, you can see he has a purple ball in his paws already. " - Awwwwwwww. Caspian's body language looks great. I am guessing they were playing. Bastian looks good as well. Playful.

"Bastian has had a couple minor bitey/scratchy instances but nothing painful or skin breaking." - Ok, good it wasn't bad.

" Mostly the "hey put me down" kind though occasionally the playful kind." - Yes, though we would prefer it not to happen that isn't too bad.

" This morning he ran up and wrapped my leg like he was about to bite and bunny kick it but he did not, he basically just hugged my leg for a second " - Ok, that seems like play

"without claws" - GREAT

" and I told him NO, slowly moved my leg away, and gave him a kicker toy that he went for instead. " - FANTASTIC!!!!

"He was particularly playful today!" - Awwwwww, happy cat.

Picture - GREAT!! THAT is what I call playing!!!! :)

"I'd like to try with some together time again soon," - Ok, maybe have a few more positive days and then try when they are really hungry and do a feeding session.

" today he was way too playful for that and my husband was at work late and will be all week so we'll have to see if I can find a day when he's calm enough to try it out with just me home. " - Yes, we don't want too much energy as it can be misinterpreted.

"It would be much easier if I knew I could distract them with treats but since Bastian still can't have treats I can only do so much as far as keeping things positive." - Yes :/ But a meal or a toy could be an alternative.

"Clicker training with his kibble is going well " - Great

"but only when it's before breakfast so he's hungry. " - Ok.

"Saturday my husband joined so we both got head bumps. This morning I switched between high fives (which he previously learned without the clicker) and headbumps for the first time and he did perfectly fine knowing which I was wanting. He's a SUPER smart cat. " - Awwwwwwwwww. He really does seem smart!!! Great cat.

Well, that is a great update. Just keep it up and let's figure out when they are ready to do a face to face. Keep up the great work
 
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kakers

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It's going to be tricky with meals with both Bastian and Caspian on their special diets, both will try and eat each others food and Caspian is very determined and can start with some food aggression on occasion. So I'm not quite sure that meal time would necessarily be a positive experience. Playing is another one I'm not sure about, Bastian may be able to be entertained by a toy but Caspian doesn't play nearly as much as is not easily distracted by toys. If it was either of the other cats having an issue it would be much easier since they can eat the same food as Bastian if need be and are more likely to get distracted by a toy than Caspian. But it is what it is and will just have to keep going as slow as it needs to go.

The cats have been interacting more through the gate/door today. I put one of Caspian's boxes by Bastian's room which may or may not have been a good idea LOL. He has been enjoying it, but I'm not sure if it's adding tension. I got a few videos! Bastian is basically always playful. Orion pretty uninterested either way. Caspian in the first video I can't tell if he's playing or annoyed and in the second one he definitely has some non-playful body language going on. There's even a video of Splenda with her sassiness and Caspian mostly ignoring her. Pardon the language at the end of the first video my phone was shutting off from low battery and I assumed it wasn't even going to save the video at all. The second one when Caspian's body language was definitely not playful I did make sure I could distract him a couple times, and afterwards he walked up to me and was instantly purring when I started petting him so he wasn't riled up by their interaction at least.

I made an album for the videos.
Bastian Introduction
 

calicosrspecial

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It's going to be tricky with meals with both Bastian and Caspian on their special diets, both will try and eat each others food and Caspian is very determined and can start with some food aggression on occasion. So I'm not quite sure that meal time would necessarily be a positive experience. Playing is another one I'm not sure about, Bastian may be able to be entertained by a toy but Caspian doesn't play nearly as much as is not easily distracted by toys. If it was either of the other cats having an issue it would be much easier since they can eat the same food as Bastian if need be and are more likely to get distracted by a toy than Caspian. But it is what it is and will just have to keep going as slow as it needs to go.

The cats have been interacting more through the gate/door today. I put one of Caspian's boxes by Bastian's room which may or may not have been a good idea LOL. He has been enjoying it, but I'm not sure if it's adding tension. I got a few videos! Bastian is basically always playful. Orion pretty uninterested either way. Caspian in the first video I can't tell if he's playing or annoyed and in the second one he definitely has some non-playful body language going on. There's even a video of Splenda with her sassiness and Caspian mostly ignoring her. Pardon the language at the end of the first video my phone was shutting off from low battery and I assumed it wasn't even going to save the video at all. The second one when Caspian's body language was definitely not playful I did make sure I could distract him a couple times, and afterwards he walked up to me and was instantly purring when I started petting him so he wasn't riled up by their interaction at least.

I made an album for the videos.
Bastian Introduction
"It's going to be tricky with meals with both Bastian and Caspian on their special diets, both will try and eat each others food and Caspian is very determined and can start with some food aggression on occasion. So I'm not quite sure that meal time would necessarily be a positive experience." - Ok, yes, if it seems unlikely to work then don't do it, it isn't necessary.

" Playing is another one I'm not sure about, Bastian may be able to be entertained by a toy but Caspian doesn't play nearly as much as is not easily distracted by toys." - Ok, BUT if Bastian is playing and Caspian is watching that could be helpful. As ong as Bastian's energy doesn't turn on Caspian (or vice versa).

" If it was either of the other cats having an issue it would be much easier since they can eat the same food as Bastian if need be and are more likely to get distracted by a toy than Caspian. But it is what it is and will just have to keep going as slow as it needs to go." - Yes, agreed. We'll make it work, I am not worried.

"The cats have been interacting more through the gate/door today." - Ok, as long as it seems positive.

" I put one of Caspian's boxes by Bastian's room which may or may not have been a good idea LOL. He has been enjoying it, but I'm not sure if it's adding tension." - how do you think it might be adding tension?

" I got a few videos! " - Great

"Bastian is basically always playful." - Yes

" Orion pretty uninterested either way." - Ok

" Caspian in the first video I can't tell if he's playing or annoyed and in the second one he definitely has some non-playful body language going on. " - Ok, let's see

"There's even a video of Splenda with her sassiness and Caspian mostly ignoring her. " - Hahahahaha

"Pardon the language at the end of the first video my phone was shutting off from low battery and I assumed it wasn't even going to save the video at all." - Oh that is ok. :)

" The second one when Caspian's body language was definitely not playful I did make sure I could distract him a couple times, and afterwards he walked up to me and was instantly purring when I started petting him so he wasn't riled up by their interaction at least." - GREAT!!! The key is really to avoid more negativity if we get some then reassure that all is ok.

Let's take a look at the videos.

1st Video - Caspian and Bastian playing under door. Body language looks good. Definitely play. Just feel free to reassure that "all is ok". But overall, that was fine. It could have gotten a bit wild but didn't.

2nd Video - Bastian hopes to play towards Orion. Orion doesn't care, Bastian body language looks good, all about play. SO far so good. Caspian comes over, talks a bit to Bastian (here I would reassure that everything is ok). Really good they diffused the tension. Now they are doing the hiding around the wall. A bit of hunting mode maybe, but Bastian goes on his side to look under. Awwwwww, Caspian does the same. LOVE that they now want to play a bit. Well, some fast movements (here I would reassure all is ok). Then Bastian looks t see it is Caspian, Caspian doesn't really respond) then back to footsies. Maybe a bit more aggressive than I would like. Then Bastian gets visual and Caspian makes his noise. Some tension here. Bastian does a good job of diffusing it. Back to footsies GREAT job then using words to distract. And then Caspian looks towards you. GREAT. Reassure during this that all is ok. Splenda shows up. Helps distract and lessen the tension. Body language looks really good right here. Ends on a great note so overall, even with some tension it was resolved and it ended positive.

3rd video - Caspian in the box. Splenda might have had a touch of redirected aggression to start. Caspian looks good, Bastian wants to play. OH MY GOODNESS HOW ADORABLE IS SPLENDA!!!! That face!!! Bastian looks away, relaxes. GREAT Caspian is rubbing the box (owning it) and looks away from Bastian. SO far so good. Bastian wants to play as Orion stops by. Caspian looks away. Overall, I call that really positive. Body language looks great. Overall, really positive.

4th video - Caspian and Bastian at the gate. Caspian looks away, grooms. Bastian body language looks great. Caspian walks away and looks away. Bastian's body language is great. Overall, REALLY positive!!!

SO overall, I think those are great. Some tension but was diffused. I would use words to reassure and distract a bit more. But overall, I think these are fantastic!!

GREAT JOB!! :clap2:
 
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kakers

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Let's take a look at the videos.

1st Video - Caspian and Bastian playing under door. Body language looks good. Definitely play. Just feel free to reassure that "all is ok". But overall, that was fine. It could have gotten a bit wild but didn't.
Very reassuring to hear it looks like play!

2nd Video - Bastian hopes to play towards Orion. Orion doesn't care, Bastian body language looks good, all about play. SO far so good. Caspian comes over, talks a bit to Bastian (here I would reassure that everything is ok). Really good they diffused the tension. Now they are doing the hiding around the wall. A bit of hunting mode maybe, but Bastian goes on his side to look under. Awwwwww, Caspian does the same. LOVE that they now want to play a bit. Well, some fast movements (here I would reassure all is ok). Then Bastian looks t see it is Caspian, Caspian doesn't really respond) then back to footsies. Maybe a bit more aggressive than I would like. Then Bastian gets visual and Caspian makes his noise. Some tension here. Bastian does a good job of diffusing it. Back to footsies GREAT job then using words to distract. And then Caspian looks towards you. GREAT. Reassure during this that all is ok. Splenda shows up. Helps distract and lessen the tension. Body language looks really good right here. Ends on a great note so overall, even with some tension it was resolved and it ended positive.
Definitely glad it ended positively! It's hard for me to figure out sometimes when I need to distract or even redirect entirely. I lean more in the direction of let them work it out since they can't easily hurt each other through the gate.

3rd video - Caspian in the box. Splenda might have had a touch of redirected aggression to start. Caspian looks good, Bastian wants to play. OH MY GOODNESS HOW ADORABLE IS SPLENDA!!!! That face!!! Bastian looks away, relaxes. GREAT Caspian is rubbing the box (owning it) and looks away from Bastian. SO far so good. Bastian wants to play as Orion stops by. Caspian looks away. Overall, I call that really positive. Body language looks great. Overall, really positive.
I can see how Splenda's swatting may come across as redirected aggression but that's how Splenda is with both of the boys even before Bastian was in the picture. Later in the day after Orion decided to chase her (which she did NOT want but ended without a real fight) they ended up sleeping butt to butt on the couch (which never happens) she woke up at one point, hissed at him, and went back to sleep. Her attitude and little spots of color make me think she may be part tortie ;)

4th video - Caspian and Bastian at the gate. Caspian looks away, grooms. Bastian body language looks great. Caspian walks away and looks away. Bastian's body language is great. Overall, REALLY positive!!!

SO overall, I think those are great. Some tension but was diffused. I would use words to reassure and distract a bit more. But overall, I think these are fantastic!!

GREAT JOB!! :clap2:
YAY! That's very reassuring. I wasn't sure about putting Casian's box there at first because of the instance where Bastian's tail got puffed when Caspian was lounging in his box. Caspian's lounging innocently I think may have made Bastian feel he was being hunted, since Bastian's go-to is to hide and pounce which is of course a natural cat thing, but Caspian is very much a "this box is my favorite bed" kind of cat. It has definitely led to Caspian being by the door even more again, now mostly in the box, but so far the increased interaction hasn't been bad. Mostly playing (yay!) and some Caspian being grouchy but no crazy aggression. I got a couple more videos last night. They were playing again under the door/through the gate and definitely going harder than I liked. It looked like Caspian nipped at Bastian's paw at one point which I didn't like. When they didn't calm it down on their own I distracted Caspian just a little at first but then there's another video where I went and called him to me, and he walked over but was a bit too wound up to enjoy his face scratchies that he normally loves. They did go their separate ways after that though and Caspian was back to his normal self quickly. I added the videos to the same album, so they should be accessible from the same link above.

It's probably a bad habit but my husband and I have both started playing under the door with Bastian especially when the other cats are ignoring him. We'll swat at his paws and I'll put a couple fingers under the door for a second or move my hand back and forth on the ground on my side of the door. He's very good about not using his claws though. It definitely reassures me that his play is usually gentler, even though I know the vast majority of his interactions with the other cats are playful THEY won't take it that way if he's not being gentle so knowing he's not using his claws is good. I think my husband and I have both gotten a bit better about "if it hurts we are leaving and you don't get to play with us anymore, if you're gentle we'll redirect you and keep playing." I have definitely noticed he is much more gentle with his "asks" to play. We do need to work on him recognizing my feet in socks are not toys. But he is at least mostly gentle when he does test them to see if they're fun. He is also much more likely to do a half-swat like "see I'm trying to play" which makes it easy to find a toy he can play with appropriately. I think I am mostly out of "oh no is this cat going to bite me again" territory and much more into "I'm obsessed with this awesome cat" territory.

He didn't get his time out in the house yesterday, they were all more sleepy than playful and he wasn't running into the bathroom or meowing at the gate much and didn't have excessive pent up energy. Maybe the play time with Caspian helped when they weren't napping. I will have to get another video, I can't figure out if one of the meows Caspian does is an annoyed meow or a "play time" meow. Hopefully I'll get it on video soon so I can get another opinion so I know if I need to distract or let them be. It can be so hard to tell, our oldest cat had the CRANKIEST sounding meow and almost always just sounded pissed off even when it was very clearly a happy meow, clearly cat meows don't follow the tone of voice rules we would expect.
 

calicosrspecial

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Very reassuring to hear it looks like play!



Definitely glad it ended positively! It's hard for me to figure out sometimes when I need to distract or even redirect entirely. I lean more in the direction of let them work it out since they can't easily hurt each other through the gate.



I can see how Splenda's swatting may come across as redirected aggression but that's how Splenda is with both of the boys even before Bastian was in the picture. Later in the day after Orion decided to chase her (which she did NOT want but ended without a real fight) they ended up sleeping butt to butt on the couch (which never happens) she woke up at one point, hissed at him, and went back to sleep. Her attitude and little spots of color make me think she may be part tortie ;)



YAY! That's very reassuring. I wasn't sure about putting Casian's box there at first because of the instance where Bastian's tail got puffed when Caspian was lounging in his box. Caspian's lounging innocently I think may have made Bastian feel he was being hunted, since Bastian's go-to is to hide and pounce which is of course a natural cat thing, but Caspian is very much a "this box is my favorite bed" kind of cat. It has definitely led to Caspian being by the door even more again, now mostly in the box, but so far the increased interaction hasn't been bad. Mostly playing (yay!) and some Caspian being grouchy but no crazy aggression. I got a couple more videos last night. They were playing again under the door/through the gate and definitely going harder than I liked. It looked like Caspian nipped at Bastian's paw at one point which I didn't like. When they didn't calm it down on their own I distracted Caspian just a little at first but then there's another video where I went and called him to me, and he walked over but was a bit too wound up to enjoy his face scratchies that he normally loves. They did go their separate ways after that though and Caspian was back to his normal self quickly. I added the videos to the same album, so they should be accessible from the same link above.

It's probably a bad habit but my husband and I have both started playing under the door with Bastian especially when the other cats are ignoring him. We'll swat at his paws and I'll put a couple fingers under the door for a second or move my hand back and forth on the ground on my side of the door. He's very good about not using his claws though. It definitely reassures me that his play is usually gentler, even though I know the vast majority of his interactions with the other cats are playful THEY won't take it that way if he's not being gentle so knowing he's not using his claws is good. I think my husband and I have both gotten a bit better about "if it hurts we are leaving and you don't get to play with us anymore, if you're gentle we'll redirect you and keep playing." I have definitely noticed he is much more gentle with his "asks" to play. We do need to work on him recognizing my feet in socks are not toys. But he is at least mostly gentle when he does test them to see if they're fun. He is also much more likely to do a half-swat like "see I'm trying to play" which makes it easy to find a toy he can play with appropriately. I think I am mostly out of "oh no is this cat going to bite me again" territory and much more into "I'm obsessed with this awesome cat" territory.

He didn't get his time out in the house yesterday, they were all more sleepy than playful and he wasn't running into the bathroom or meowing at the gate much and didn't have excessive pent up energy. Maybe the play time with Caspian helped when they weren't napping. I will have to get another video, I can't figure out if one of the meows Caspian does is an annoyed meow or a "play time" meow. Hopefully I'll get it on video soon so I can get another opinion so I know if I need to distract or let them be. It can be so hard to tell, our oldest cat had the CRANKIEST sounding meow and almost always just sounded pissed off even when it was very clearly a happy meow, clearly cat meows don't follow the tone of voice rules we would expect.
"Very reassuring to hear it looks like play!" - Great. Watch the body language and then how they act after as "tells". Watch for pauses, lookaways, etc.

"Definitely glad it ended positively!" - Agreed!!!

" It's hard for me to figure out sometimes when I need to distract or even redirect entirely. " - My theory is "when in doubt -distract/redirect/reassure". It is an art, to avoid negativity BUT also to let them work it out. But I tend to believe avoiding negatives is a lesser risk than having a negative that needs to be fixed.

"I lean more in the direction of let them work it out since they can't easily hurt each other through the gate." - Understood. And you and many others have had great success. There is no right way other than the one that works.

"I can see how Splenda's swatting may come across as redirected aggression but that's how Splenda is with both of the boys even before Bastian was in the picture. " - Awwwwwwwww, she really is ADORABLE!!

"Later in the day after Orion decided to chase her (which she did NOT want but ended without a real fight) they ended up sleeping butt to butt on the couch (which never happens) she woke up at one point, hissed at him, and went back to sleep. " - Yep, cats. BUT I LOVE that they can do that and their trust allows them to get over it (or there was never a negative in the chase to begin with that Splenda knew).

"Her attitude and little spots of color make me think she may be part tortie ;) " - Hahahahaha ;)

"YAY! That's very reassuring." - Yes, I was really happy to see those videos. We have some work to do BUT they are doing great.

" I wasn't sure about putting Casian's box there at first because of the instance where Bastian's tail got puffed when Caspian was lounging in his box." - Understandable

" Caspian's lounging innocently I think may have made Bastian feel he was being hunted, since Bastian's go-to is to hide and pounce which is of course a natural cat thing," - Good point

" but Caspian is very much a "this box is my favorite bed" kind of cat. It has definitely led to Caspian being by the door even more again, now mostly in the box," That is the beauty. Once Bastian realized it wasn't negative it was fine. I am guessing they are fine with it.

" but so far the increased interaction hasn't been bad." - Great

"Mostly playing (yay!)" - YES!!!

" and some Caspian being grouchy but no crazy aggression." - Grouchy is fine, LOVE no crazy aggression!!

"I got a couple more videos last night." - Ok

" They were playing again under the door/through the gate and definitely going harder than I liked. " - Yes. That can happen. It can kinda build and escalate. :/

"It looked like Caspian nipped at Bastian's paw at one point which I didn't like. " - Yes, agreed. :/

"When they didn't calm it down on their own I distracted Caspian just a little at first" - Great, great job!!!

"but then there's another video where I went and called him to me, and he walked over" - LOVE IT!!!! Tells me that Caspian isn't that focused on Bastian. GREAT!!!

" but was a bit too wound up to enjoy his face scratchies that he normally loves. " - Understandable, that is fine.

"They did go their separate ways after that though" - YES!! :yess: :hyper: :clap2: LOVE that. SO it is a disagreement rather than an existential thing.

"and Caspian was back to his normal self quickly. " _ FANTASTIC!!! Caspian is the key.

"I added the videos to the same album, so they should be accessible from the same link above." - Great, I will take a look after reading this.

"It's probably a bad habit but my husband and I have both started playing under the door with Bastian especially when the other cats are ignoring him. We'll swat at his paws and I'll put a couple fingers under the door for a second or move my hand back and forth on the ground on my side of the door. " - Yes, I would not encourage that. We don't want to associate fingers/hands with toys and we don't want him to do too much with cat paws under the door.

"He's very good about not using his claws though." - That is great.

" It definitely reassures me that his play is usually gentler, even though I know the vast majority of his interactions with the other cats are playful THEY won't take it that way if he's not being gentle so knowing he's not using his claws is good." - Agreed. He is not a mean cat, they just need to trust him.

" I think my husband and I have both gotten a bit better about "if it hurts we are leaving and you don't get to play with us anymore, if you're gentle we'll redirect you and keep playing." I have definitely noticed he is much more gentle with his "asks" to play. " - GREAT!!!

"We do need to work on him recognizing my feet in socks are not toys." - Yes. A good "ouch" or words of sorrow will teach him he is hurting you and I don't believe he wants to do that.

" But he is at least mostly gentle when he does test them to see if they're fun." - Yes, he just wants to play.

" He is also much more likely to do a half-swat like "see I'm trying to play" which makes it easy to find a toy he can play with appropriately. " - Awwwww, yes, keep playing with him as much as possible.

"I think I am mostly out of "oh no is this cat going to bite me again" territory and much more into "I'm obsessed with this awesome cat" territory." - GREAT!!!! BUT we don't want to be obsessed either. ;)

"He didn't get his time out in the house yesterday, they were all more sleepy than playful and he wasn't running into the bathroom or meowing at the gate much and didn't have excessive pent up energy." - Ok, that is fine.

" Maybe the play time with Caspian helped when they weren't napping. " - Could be. Something was positive.

"I will have to get another video, I can't figure out if one of the meows Caspian does is an annoyed meow or a "play time" meow." - Ok. Watch the body language as well. Just use reassuring words, his name and see if he looks way. Looking away is a great sign.

" Hopefully I'll get it on video soon so I can get another opinion so I know if I need to distract or let them be." - Great. I do beleive when in doubt ditract/ressure/etc.

" It can be so hard to tell, our oldest cat had the CRANKIEST sounding meow and almost always just sounded pissed off even when it was very clearly a happy meow, clearly cat meows don't follow the tone of voice rules we would expect. " - EXACTLY!!! That is why body language, if they look away, how they act after tells us all about how it really was (what the intent was).

Really great update.

Videos -

Looking down view - Good to start, Bastian makes a move (play?). Caspian looks fine. I would reassure, talk lovingly, confidently, etc here. Bastian does a charge an Caspian doesn't really react. Awesome. :yess: THEN Bastian wants to play. AWESOME!!! Goes on his side, paw under. Caspian gently puts his paw under. So far so good. Gets a bit more aggressive BUT still looks like play. I like to reassure, distract with loving, confident words, names, etc. Caspian doing really well here. It got a bit forceful but then got better. Then Bastian keeps trying and Caspian is hunting a touch. Bastian so wants to play with Caspian. :/ I think I saw Caspian try to bite then BUT Bastian is taking all this as play so far. I think Caspian is rubbing on the door now. Bastian is so wanting to play, Caspian gets bit aggressive (for us humans I guess maybe not so much for Bastian). Ok, now Bastian got more aggressive and GREAT JOB distracting!!! Caspian looked away GREAT!!! That tells me Caspian might be a bit more than play BUT not that serious. And that diffused it for the moment (at least). Went back to a bit more aggressive and you distract again. And again he looks away. GREAT!!! At the end Caspian looked a bit more gentle and the video ends.

So overall, I would say very good. I would like to diffuse the situation a bit more at times but I am not seeing anything that worrying. If we can lessen the faster movements using reassurement, distraction, etc that might help. Bastian views it mostly as play BUT I do think there was a time he maybe didn't. So if we can diffuse it a touch I think that might be helpful. But really good video.

Caspian distraction video (short) - LOVE IT!!!! He responds immediately, more interested in you, and walks over with tail straight up!!! Can't get any better!!!! That tells me that Bastian is not that big a deal. More an annoyance at worst. THAT is GREAT!!!

Great update. Keep up the great work!!!
 
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kakers

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So overall, I would say very good. I would like to diffuse the situation a bit more at times but I am not seeing anything that worrying. If we can lessen the faster movements using reassurement, distraction, etc that might help. Bastian views it mostly as play BUT I do think there was a time he maybe didn't. So if we can diffuse it a touch I think that might be helpful. But really good video.
See this is where I wonder the best approach. I definitely want mostly positive interactions, but at the same time since Bastian seems to just want to play and not get into fighting. Which makes me feel like letting Caspian get his point across (with body language, vocalizing, etc, not actual hurting) is a good thing. If I'm always distracting when it goes a bit far, then where does Bastian have the opportunity to learn on his own "oh hey Caspian isn't ok with that." And since with the gate at least, the video from above is about as far as it gets and they typically will go their separate ways on their own without escalating further so it doesn't seem entirely necessary to take control of a situation they ultimately have under control. Now, if they don't start to go their own way I will distract and if they seem too on edge I will close the door. I think it's also for my own reassurance, if I can see them diffuse the situation on their own I can be more confident when they do get together again that they'll understand each others signals better.
 

calicosrspecial

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See this is where I wonder the best approach. I definitely want mostly positive interactions, but at the same time since Bastian seems to just want to play and not get into fighting. Which makes me feel like letting Caspian get his point across (with body language, vocalizing, etc, not actual hurting) is a good thing. If I'm always distracting when it goes a bit far, then where does Bastian have the opportunity to learn on his own "oh hey Caspian isn't ok with that." And since with the gate at least, the video from above is about as far as it gets and they typically will go their separate ways on their own without escalating further so it doesn't seem entirely necessary to take control of a situation they ultimately have under control. Now, if they don't start to go their own way I will distract and if they seem too on edge I will close the door. I think it's also for my own reassurance, if I can see them diffuse the situation on their own I can be more confident when they do get together again that they'll understand each others signals better.
"See this is where I wonder the best approach." - Totally, this is the conundrum typically. It is more art than science. Whatever works is the right way and there can be many paths to success.

" I definitely want mostly positive interactions," - Agreed

" but at the same time since Bastian seems to just want to play and not get into fighting." - Yes, agreed. I don't view Bastian as aggressive. BUT Caspian is the key as he is the resident cat.

" Which makes me feel like letting Caspian get his point across (with body language, vocalizing, etc, not actual hurting) is a good thing. " - It could be. As long as Bastian does not feel more defensive, etc.

"If I'm always distracting when it goes a bit far, then where does Bastian have the opportunity to learn on his own "oh hey Caspian isn't ok with that."" - Agreed. This is the art of it. If I was in house I would adjust as needed. With that said, you have excellent cat instincts which I trust so I feel like you should do what you feel best, most confident in as your emotions will matter in how they interact as well.

" And since with the gate at least, the video from above is about as far as it gets" - That is good. BUT we will need to see if it gets better, stays the same or escalates (which we only know until we know). I would like to see less of that in the next week or two (improvement).

" and they typically will go their separate ways on their own without escalating further" - Terrific

" so it doesn't seem entirely necessary to take control of a situation they ultimately have under control." - Understandable.

" Now, if they don't start to go their own way I will distract and if they seem too on edge I will close the door." - Great. Again, I trust your instincts so that is really helpful.

" I think it's also for my own reassurance, if I can see them diffuse the situation on their own I can be more confident when they do get together again that they'll understand each others signals better." - Understandable. Makes sense.

I am not the end all be all, only answer, etc so just do what you feel is best. I trust your instincts and skills. My way is not the only way to success, there are many ways so just keep up the great work and let's see how they do. So far they are doing really well.

Keep trying to play as much as possible with Caspian, I really want him to feel even more secure so he can accept a new friend.

Keep up the great work!!!
 
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kakers

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Pretty uneventful weekend! Bastian and Caspian haven't been playing through the door quite as much as they were during the week. Bastian had some longer stretches out in the house a couple of the days and snuggled a bit. Still a little bit of biting and a little more of lunging for us even with toys available but but breaking skin. He's also been chewing a bunch and I'm trying to find more appropriate things for him to chew on which will hopefully help that.

Hopefully later in the week or next weekend we can try some interactions without the gate. We're thinking of doing that during dry food only meals so there's fewer food bowls to have to police, and we're switching Caspian (and the other kitties other than Bastian) to another food they like better soon which will at least make Caspian less likely to try and go for Bastians dry food. We will see.
 

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Pretty uneventful weekend! Bastian and Caspian haven't been playing through the door quite as much as they were during the week. Bastian had some longer stretches out in the house a couple of the days and snuggled a bit. Still a little bit of biting and a little more of lunging for us even with toys available but but breaking skin. He's also been chewing a bunch and I'm trying to find more appropriate things for him to chew on which will hopefully help that.

Hopefully later in the week or next weekend we can try some interactions without the gate. We're thinking of doing that during dry food only meals so there's fewer food bowls to have to police, and we're switching Caspian (and the other kitties other than Bastian) to another food they like better soon which will at least make Caspian less likely to try and go for Bastians dry food. We will see.
"Pretty uneventful weekend! " - Uneventful is what we want. Great!! :)

"Bastian and Caspian haven't been playing through the door quite as much as they were during the week. " - Great, I actually like that as long as they are acting normally otherwise. I am hoping/thinking it is that they are getting more accepting of each other. (More Caspian accepting Bastian since Bastian seems to like Caspian).

"Bastian had some longer stretches out in the house a couple of the days and snuggled a bit." - Awwwww, great

" Still a little bit of biting and a little more of lunging for us even with toys available but but breaking skin. " - Hmmmmmmm, ok. Pent up energy not redirected aggression?

"He's also been chewing a bunch and I'm trying to find more appropriate things for him to chew on which will hopefully help that." - Hmmmmmmm.

"Hopefully later in the week or next weekend we can try some interactions without the gate. " - Ok

"We're thinking of doing that during dry food only meals so there's fewer food bowls to have to police, and we're switching Caspian (and the other kitties other than Bastian) to another food they like better soon which will at least make Caspian less likely to try and go for Bastians dry food. " - Great. Anything to keep them focused on something good (food) rather than another cat.

"We will see. " - Yes. Sounds great so far. Keep it up!!! :)
 
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kakers

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Nothing major but I feel like we made some small progress today. Bastian didn't get his free reign of the house today (Orion had me trapped on the couch a few hours and I couldn't bare disturb him even though it meant their lunch was late.) While we were watching our show after human dinner time we grabbed Bastian and brought him to snuggle on the couch for a bit. He only lasted maybe 10 or 15 minutes cause he doesn't like being stuck in one spot long but there were no issues with the other cats at all. He and Caspian looked at each other for a short time with Caspian on the floor like 5ish feet away then they went right to ignoring each other with Caspian grooming himself and Bastian looking the other direction. Caspian came up closer after then and almost jumped in my lap. My husband shook a treat bag to try and entice Caspian up but I told him I wasn't going to give Caspian treats without Bastian being able to have them and then Bastian got antsy so he went back to his room. Overall positive though and nobody acting scared or aggressive.

After their dinner Caspian was feeling super playful and sprinted up the stairs then back down and started meowing right in at Bastian. I was kinda sad cause Bastian just looked at him from behind his tunnel and didn't come play with him but I definitely got the impression Caspian was being friendly!

I still don't really see any of Bastians biting us as aggressive. The closest he gets to aggressive is when he already nicely indicated that he wants to be left alone, which my husband doesn't always respect right away. My husband gets what he deserves in those instances. The rest of the times I still think he's asking to play or asking for attention but with all the chewing lately I wonder if it's wanting something to chew.

And as I'm writing this I started to play with the cats cause it's easiest when Caspian is already feeling playful and Bastian asked to join through the door (his door is closed for the night and meowed at us through it) so I have the mouse on a wand he's batting at under the door that the other cats had been chasing. Orion then Splenda came to watch and they're playing very nicely IMO.

At first Orion was just watching Bastian bat at the mouse under the door. He once or twice batted at the mouse himself and eventually started to bat at Bastian under the door. Bastian did not instigate at all, he was always batting at the mouse not Orion unless Orion started it even though Orion was right there. 2 or 3 times Orion hissed at him after some batting back and forth and Bastian would stop for a moment and go back to batting at the mouse. Pretty relaxed body language from Orion the whole time too. After Orion walked away Splenda came and started batting paws with Bastian and batting the mouse a little. Nor for long cause Orion came and batted her head 🙄 just once and she just wandered away. Orion also walked away and Bastian got bored and stopped playing with the mouse. This whole time Caspian was watching from his box. So overall a nice interaction all around I'd say. Made me very happy that Bastian would choose to go right back to the toy with any sign that Orion wasn't feeling it. I mean we already know Bastian is just trying to be playful but knowing that he is also paying attention to how the other cats are responding to that is good!
PXL_20211013_050845058.jpg
 

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Nothing major but I feel like we made some small progress today. Bastian didn't get his free reign of the house today (Orion had me trapped on the couch a few hours and I couldn't bare disturb him even though it meant their lunch was late.) While we were watching our show after human dinner time we grabbed Bastian and brought him to snuggle on the couch for a bit. He only lasted maybe 10 or 15 minutes cause he doesn't like being stuck in one spot long but there were no issues with the other cats at all. He and Caspian looked at each other for a short time with Caspian on the floor like 5ish feet away then they went right to ignoring each other with Caspian grooming himself and Bastian looking the other direction. Caspian came up closer after then and almost jumped in my lap. My husband shook a treat bag to try and entice Caspian up but I told him I wasn't going to give Caspian treats without Bastian being able to have them and then Bastian got antsy so he went back to his room. Overall positive though and nobody acting scared or aggressive.

After their dinner Caspian was feeling super playful and sprinted up the stairs then back down and started meowing right in at Bastian. I was kinda sad cause Bastian just looked at him from behind his tunnel and didn't come play with him but I definitely got the impression Caspian was being friendly!

I still don't really see any of Bastians biting us as aggressive. The closest he gets to aggressive is when he already nicely indicated that he wants to be left alone, which my husband doesn't always respect right away. My husband gets what he deserves in those instances. The rest of the times I still think he's asking to play or asking for attention but with all the chewing lately I wonder if it's wanting something to chew.

And as I'm writing this I started to play with the cats cause it's easiest when Caspian is already feeling playful and Bastian asked to join through the door (his door is closed for the night and meowed at us through it) so I have the mouse on a wand he's batting at under the door that the other cats had been chasing. Orion then Splenda came to watch and they're playing very nicely IMO.

At first Orion was just watching Bastian bat at the mouse under the door. He once or twice batted at the mouse himself and eventually started to bat at Bastian under the door. Bastian did not instigate at all, he was always batting at the mouse not Orion unless Orion started it even though Orion was right there. 2 or 3 times Orion hissed at him after some batting back and forth and Bastian would stop for a moment and go back to batting at the mouse. Pretty relaxed body language from Orion the whole time too. After Orion walked away Splenda came and started batting paws with Bastian and batting the mouse a little. Nor for long cause Orion came and batted her head 🙄 just once and she just wandered away. Orion also walked away and Bastian got bored and stopped playing with the mouse. This whole time Caspian was watching from his box. So overall a nice interaction all around I'd say. Made me very happy that Bastian would choose to go right back to the toy with any sign that Orion wasn't feeling it. I mean we already know Bastian is just trying to be playful but knowing that he is also paying attention to how the other cats are responding to that is good!
View attachment 398332
"Nothing major but I feel like we made some small progress today." - Great

" Bastian didn't get his free reign of the house today" - Ok, not an issue

"(Orion had me trapped on the couch a few hours and I couldn't bare disturb him even though it meant their lunch was late.) " - Awwwwww, AGREED!!!

"While we were watching our show after human dinner time we grabbed Bastian and brought him to snuggle on the couch for a bit. He only lasted maybe 10 or 15 minutes cause he doesn't like being stuck in one spot long but there were no issues with the other cats at all." - GREAT!!!

" He and Caspian looked at each other for a short time with Caspian on the floor like 5ish feet away then they went right to ignoring each other with Caspian grooming himself and Bastian looking the other direction." - PERFECT!!!! EXACTLY what we want to see. :)

" Caspian came up closer after then and almost jumped in my lap." - Awwwwww, how was his body language?

" My husband shook a treat bag to try and entice Caspian up but I told him I wasn't going to give Caspian treats without Bastian being able to have them" - Ok.

" and then Bastian got antsy so he went back to his room." - OK, that is fine.

" Overall positive though and nobody acting scared or aggressive." - AMAZINGLY POSITIVE!!! THAT was GREAT!!!

"After their dinner Caspian was feeling super playful and sprinted up the stairs then back down and started meowing right in at Bastian." - Awwwww, he wanted to play with Bastian.

" I was kinda sad cause Bastian just looked at him from behind his tunnel and didn't come play with him" - :/ Well, that isn't that bad

" but I definitely got the impression Caspian was being friendly!" Great to hear because that was my initial reaction.

"I still don't really see any of Bastians biting us as aggressive." - Yes. If it was it would be very noticeable. :/

" The closest he gets to aggressive is when he already nicely indicated that he wants to be left alone," - Yes, cats will do that. Knowing when they are like that is important to leave them alone

" which my husband doesn't always respect right away. " - :( Ok, yep, that is not good.

"My husband gets what he deserves in those instances." Well...................... I think it is important to let the human know that it is ok and not a sign of not loving them for a cat to not always want attention, etc.

" The rest of the times I still think he's asking to play or asking for attention " - Yes, agreed

"but with all the chewing lately I wonder if it's wanting something to chew." - I am a bit puzzled by that.

"And as I'm writing this I started to play with the cats cause it's easiest when Caspian is already feeling playful and Bastian asked to join through the door (his door is closed for the night and meowed at us through it) so I have the mouse on a wand he's batting at under the door that the other cats had been chasing. Orion then Splenda came to watch and they're playing very nicely IMO." - Fantastic!!!

"At first Orion was just watching Bastian bat at the mouse under the door. He once or twice batted at the mouse himself and eventually started to bat at Bastian under the door." - Yep, that is normal.

" Bastian did not instigate at all, he was always batting at the mouse not Orion unless Orion started it even though Orion was right there. " - Yes, not an issue

"2 or 3 times Orion hissed at him after some batting back and forth" - Yes, normal and understandable.

" and Bastian would stop for a moment and go back to batting at the mouse." - THAT is REALLY GOOD!!! He knows it is not a threatening hiss.

" Pretty relaxed body language from Orion the whole time too." - Great, even better

" After Orion walked away Splenda came and started batting paws with Bastian and batting the mouse a little." - Awwwww, how sweet

" Nor for long cause Orion came and batted her head 🙄 just once and she just wandered away." - Hahahaha, cats.................

" Orion also walked away and Bastian got bored and stopped playing with the mouse." - Great!!!

"This whole time Caspian was watching from his box." - Perfect!!!

" So overall a nice interaction all around I'd say." - TOTALLY AGREE!!!

" Made me very happy that Bastian would choose to go right back to the toy with any sign that Orion wasn't feeling it." - EXACTLY!!!

"I mean we already know Bastian is just trying to be playful but knowing that he is also paying attention to how the other cats are responding to that is good! " - TOTALLY AGREE!!! Bastian is doing great, not the issue. We just need the resident cats (which is normal) to accept him in "their" territory which every indication is they are (YOU and your husband are doing an AMAZING job!!!).

Great update again!!! Keep up the great work!!! :)
 
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kakers

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"My husband gets what he deserves in those instances." Well...................... I think it is important to let the human know that it is ok and not a sign of not loving them for a cat to not always want attention, etc.
Oh he knows. He just wants to love up on the cats when he wants to love up on them and now has one that is more firm with his boundaries. It doesn't make my husband love him any less, though I do remind him if he doesn't want the cats to like me more maybe he should respect their signals more.

Today we have an EVEN BETTER update! I swapped them at their lunch time today. After lunch time was done Orion wanted to come back out and after last night's interaction I felt comfortable enough with having him and Bastian together. They did GREAT!! Barely paid each other any attention. Orion just wanted to relax on the couch and Bastian wanted to look out the windows. Once Bastian approached the couch and they looked at each other but that was it, I distracted Bastian with a toy very easily. He played a bit. Later I went upstairs with Bastian following me to open a window by a cat tree. He just hung out on the cat tree looking out the window and Orion came up to see where I was. They were in the same room but completely ignored each other. Then Orion came downstairs with me and settled back on the couch. I was even able to start preparing dinner!

Bastian only came back down after I started closing windows (like... Mom WTF why you doing that? Lol) and I played with him in another room for a while. Eventually Orion came to check things out. They very calmly looked at each other and I picked up Bastian, then put him back down and grabbed Orion to put him in Bastians room with the other two until their dinner time. I needed to finish making dinner and wanted to end things on a positive.

They were out together for over an hour and a half!

After they swapped back and before they had their dinner Bastian was calling through the gate and Caspian went over and I think they were playing. I still can't quite get a read on Caspians meow he makes but the body language was ok from what I could see.

Anyway here's a picture from when Orion and Bastian were out.
PXL_20211014_003747233~2.jpg
 

calicosrspecial

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Oh he knows. He just wants to love up on the cats when he wants to love up on them and now has one that is more firm with his boundaries. It doesn't make my husband love him any less, though I do remind him if he doesn't want the cats to like me more maybe he should respect their signals more.

Today we have an EVEN BETTER update! I swapped them at their lunch time today. After lunch time was done Orion wanted to come back out and after last night's interaction I felt comfortable enough with having him and Bastian together. They did GREAT!! Barely paid each other any attention. Orion just wanted to relax on the couch and Bastian wanted to look out the windows. Once Bastian approached the couch and they looked at each other but that was it, I distracted Bastian with a toy very easily. He played a bit. Later I went upstairs with Bastian following me to open a window by a cat tree. He just hung out on the cat tree looking out the window and Orion came up to see where I was. They were in the same room but completely ignored each other. Then Orion came downstairs with me and settled back on the couch. I was even able to start preparing dinner!

Bastian only came back down after I started closing windows (like... Mom *** why you doing that? Lol) and I played with him in another room for a while. Eventually Orion came to check things out. They very calmly looked at each other and I picked up Bastian, then put him back down and grabbed Orion to put him in Bastians room with the other two until their dinner time. I needed to finish making dinner and wanted to end things on a positive.

They were out together for over an hour and a half!

After they swapped back and before they had their dinner Bastian was calling through the gate and Caspian went over and I think they were playing. I still can't quite get a read on Caspians meow he makes but the body language was ok from what I could see.

Anyway here's a picture from when Orion and Bastian were out.
View attachment 398461
"Oh he knows." - Great. I figured he did. He is actually really good with cats it seems.

" He just wants to love up on the cats when he wants to love up on them and now has one that is more firm with his boundaries. " - Hahahahaha, yep. Don't we all????? :)

"It doesn't make my husband love him any less," - Exactly, I didn't think so. He understands which is great.

" though I do remind him if he doesn't want the cats to like me more maybe he should respect their signals more." - Hahahahahaha

"Today we have an EVEN BETTER update!" - Great, let's see

" I swapped them at their lunch time today." - Great

" After lunch time was done Orion wanted to come back out and after last night's interaction I felt comfortable enough with having him and Bastian together. " - WOW!! Brave!!

"They did GREAT!! Barely paid each other any attention." - FANTASTIC!!!

" Orion just wanted to relax on the couch and Bastian wanted to look out the windows." - PERFECT!!!

"Once Bastian approached the couch and they looked at each other but that was it, I distracted Bastian with a toy very easily." - GREAT JOB!!! I LOVE your cat instincts!!!

" He played a bit." - Perfect. That is so good for his confidence and to show Orion that he is not a threat to him.

" Later I went upstairs with Bastian following me to open a window by a cat tree. He just hung out on the cat tree looking out the window and Orion came up to see where I was. They were in the same room but completely ignored each other. Then Orion came downstairs with me and settled back on the couch. I was even able to start preparing dinner!" - Wow!!! GREAT!!! Just take it slow, keep it positive. Sometimes we get an immediate positive but as they get more comfortable they can get a bit more territorial, etc.

But GREAT JOB!!!

"Bastian only came back down after I started closing windows (like... Mom *** why you doing that? Lol)" - Hahahahahaha, he is doing great.

" and I played with him in another room for a while." - PERFECT!! GREAT job!!

" Eventually Orion came to check things out. They very calmly looked at each other" - Great. Did you sense any tension/aggravation in Orion at all?

" and I picked up Bastian, then put him back down and grabbed Orion to put him in Bastians room with the other two until their dinner time. " - Ok

"I needed to finish making dinner and wanted to end things on a positive." - Perfect, GREAT job, exactly the right thing to do.

"They were out together for over an hour and a half!" - WOW!!!! I did not expect that length. Amazing. Orion was SO GOOD!!!! :)

"After they swapped back and before they had their dinner Bastian was calling through the gate" - Awwwwwwwwww

" and Caspian went over and I think they were playing. I still can't quite get a read on Caspians meow he makes but the body language was ok from what I could see." - Ok. If it was negative you would know.. I trust your instincts.

"Anyway here's a picture from when Orion and Bastian were out. " - How cute it that pic?????? Orion is GORGEOUS!!! And Bastian looks so good looking outside. You have gorgeous cats!!!! :)
 
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kakers

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More small progress today! We actually had the smallest bit of all together time!
PXL_20211014_211123691.jpg

I wanted to snuggle Bastian so I brought him out. Splenda ignored him (even right by her like that) Orion sniffed him (they sniffed noses very nicely.) Caspian stared at him lol and he mostly just wanted to wander so after this I opened up a window next to me for him to look out. He looked like he wanted to go to the kitchen windows and I was feeling a bit cautious with Caspian watching so I carried him over and opened the windows in there for him. He was happy as a clam! After a couple minutes though both the other boys were watching him and it looked like Caspian was thinking about jumping up on the window sill and harassing him so I put him back in his room and opened his window for him in there.

A little while later after my husband got home I brought Bastian out again so they could snuggle a little. When he was like "I'd rather be put down" my husband put him in the window. Again he stayed for a couple minutes but the other boys were watching and he started looking at Orion which sometimes him looking from above leads to him pouncing so I blocked his sight of Orion for a second and my husband ended up putting him back in his room (with a bite on the way, probably wanted to be put down.) But overall good! When Caspian is able to stop following him around everywhere things will start going even better. Where Bastian likes spending his time out in the house isn't often where the other cats spend most of their time so hopefully before long Caspian will realize he's OK.

Non introduction related Splenda is definitely gaining more confidence. Not as much as I'd like but it's getting better. Orion had her cornered under the couch and she was grumbling at him. I tried to distract him with a toy and he just looked at it uninterested. Next thing I know SHE shoots out from under the couch to play with it! She's almost as playful as Bastian some days which is pretty good for her being 4 times his age.
 

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More small progress today! We actually had the smallest bit of all together time!
View attachment 398576
I wanted to snuggle Bastian so I brought him out. Splenda ignored him (even right by her like that) Orion sniffed him (they sniffed noses very nicely.) Caspian stared at him lol and he mostly just wanted to wander so after this I opened up a window next to me for him to look out. He looked like he wanted to go to the kitchen windows and I was feeling a bit cautious with Caspian watching so I carried him over and opened the windows in there for him. He was happy as a clam! After a couple minutes though both the other boys were watching him and it looked like Caspian was thinking about jumping up on the window sill and harassing him so I put him back in his room and opened his window for him in there.

A little while later after my husband got home I brought Bastian out again so they could snuggle a little. When he was like "I'd rather be put down" my husband put him in the window. Again he stayed for a couple minutes but the other boys were watching and he started looking at Orion which sometimes him looking from above leads to him pouncing so I blocked his sight of Orion for a second and my husband ended up putting him back in his room (with a bite on the way, probably wanted to be put down.) But overall good! When Caspian is able to stop following him around everywhere things will start going even better. Where Bastian likes spending his time out in the house isn't often where the other cats spend most of their time so hopefully before long Caspian will realize he's OK.

Non introduction related Splenda is definitely gaining more confidence. Not as much as I'd like but it's getting better. Orion had her cornered under the couch and she was grumbling at him. I tried to distract him with a toy and he just looked at it uninterested. Next thing I know SHE shoots out from under the couch to play with it! She's almost as playful as Bastian some days which is pretty good for her being 4 times his age.
"More small progress today! We actually had the smallest bit of all together time!" - MY GOODNESS How ADORABLE!!!! Look at Splenda!!!! Caspian and Orion seem like they want to join in. Your cats are just gorgeous!!!

I actually do that all the time with my intros but I never really suggest it to others since it can be a bit dangerous.

"I wanted to snuggle Bastian so I brought him out." - Exactly!!! :)

" Splenda ignored him (even right by her like that)" - I LOVE how she looks!!! Totally comfortable.

" Orion sniffed him (they sniffed noses very nicely.) " - Awwwwwwwwwww

"Caspian stared at him lol " - Yes, that is Caspian!!! :) But he looks really good in the picture.

"and he mostly just wanted to wander" - well THAT is great!!! Exactly what we want to see (hope to see).

" so after this I opened up a window next to me for him to look out." - Great

" He looked like he wanted to go to the kitchen windows and I was feeling a bit cautious with Caspian watching so I carried him over and opened the windows in there for him. He was happy as a clam! " - Awwwwww, great

"After a couple minutes though both the other boys were watching him and it looked like Caspian was thinking about jumping up on the window sill and harassing him so I put him back in his room and opened his window for him in there." - how was Caspian's body language? Good job keeping it positive.

"A little while later after my husband got home I brought Bastian out again so they could snuggle a little." - Awwwwwwwwww

" When he was like "I'd rather be put down" my husband put him in the window. " - PERFECT!!!

"Again he stayed for a couple minutes but the other boys were watching and he started looking at Orion which sometimes him looking from above leads to him pouncing" - Ok, yep. How was the body language of Caspian and Orion watching?

" so I blocked his sight of Orion for a second" - Great job!!!

" and my husband ended up putting him back in his room" - Good

" (with a bite on the way, probably wanted to be put down.)" - Yep, he didn't want to leave. Guess he doesn't really fear Caspian or Orion which is great.

"But overall good! " - Totally agree, actually better than good!!!

"When Caspian is able to stop following him around everywhere things will start going even better." - Yes, Caspian just needs to get to the trust point. It is normal and he is doing great. Resident cats pretty much always have the most difficult time adjusting as it is "their" territory.

" Where Bastian likes spending his time out in the house isn't often where the other cats spend most of their time so hopefully before long Caspian will realize he's OK." - Great and agreed. It is really just Caspian realizing that Bastian is not a threat and is something positive/good. He will get there.

"Non introduction related Splenda is definitely gaining more confidence. Not as much as I'd like but it's getting better." - That is great!!! It is pretty awesome to see Splenda basically next to you and Bastian on the pic.

" Orion had her cornered under the couch and she was grumbling at him." - Really? A little redirected aggression?

"I tried to distract him with a toy and he just looked at it uninterested." - :/ Ok

" Next thing I know SHE shoots out from under the couch to play with it!" - Whoa!!!! :yess: :hyper: :clap2: THAT is AMAZING!!! That is a big deal!!! Both for Splenda AND Orion!!!

"She's almost as playful as Bastian some days which is pretty good for her being 4 times his age." - That is great and a great thing to build confidence.

What a fantastic update!!! Keep up the great work!!! :clap2:
 
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kakers

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" Orion had her cornered under the couch and she was grumbling at him." - Really? A little redirected aggression?
Not redirected. They have had this dynamic for years unfortunately.

Not much is new. A couple times this weekend we brought Bastian out on the couch with us but it's only lasted a couple minutes since he or the other cats act like they may have some drama. He was about to run at Splenda one day and wasn't allowed to and earlier today he and Caspian were paying a little too much attention to each other. He was on my lap and Orion was on my husband's next to me, they weren't close enough to reach each other and more or less did ok. I suspect Bastian more wanted to not be held than to harass Orion but didn't like how he was looking at Splenda and Caspian on the floor so he went back to his room.

Tonight for the first time he was out after their dinner time while my husband went to bed. We've been a bit nervous since once or twice he has woken my husband up from naps in his room if he wants to play. With claws/teeth. But he was super relaxed and just curled up between us/halfway on my husband for a while. It was adorable. I think maybe he likes us ;)

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Oh! I also got a couple new toys for them this weekend. Got a chew toy for Bastian so he has something appropriate to gnaw on, an electronic ball with a fish toy that rolls around all crazy that they enjoy, and a ground prey wand toy that Splenda and Caspian can't seem to get enough of. It may be exactly what we need to grab Caspians attention away from Bastian! Will have to try it soon.
 

calicosrspecial

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Not redirected. They have had this dynamic for years unfortunately.

Not much is new. A couple times this weekend we brought Bastian out on the couch with us but it's only lasted a couple minutes since he or the other cats act like they may have some drama. He was about to run at Splenda one day and wasn't allowed to and earlier today he and Caspian were paying a little too much attention to each other. He was on my lap and Orion was on my husband's next to me, they weren't close enough to reach each other and more or less did ok. I suspect Bastian more wanted to not be held than to harass Orion but didn't like how he was looking at Splenda and Caspian on the floor so he went back to his room.

Tonight for the first time he was out after their dinner time while my husband went to bed. We've been a bit nervous since once or twice he has woken my husband up from naps in his room if he wants to play. With claws/teeth. But he was super relaxed and just curled up between us/halfway on my husband for a while. It was adorable. I think maybe he likes us ;)

View attachment 398968 View attachment 398969

Oh! I also got a couple new toys for them this weekend. Got a chew toy for Bastian so he has something appropriate to gnaw on, an electronic ball with a fish toy that rolls around all crazy that they enjoy, and a ground prey wand toy that Splenda and Caspian can't seem to get enough of. It may be exactly what we need to grab Caspians attention away from Bastian! Will have to try it soon.
"Not redirected. They have had this dynamic for years unfortunately." - Ok, good for this situation.

"Not much is new." - Ok. That is fine

" A couple times this weekend we brought Bastian out on the couch with us but it's only lasted a couple minutes since he or the other cats act like they may have some drama." - Ok BUT as long as there isn't negativity it is positive. It is just part of the process. Getting them to trust and accept each other.

"He was about to run at Splenda one day and wasn't allowed to" - Ok, was it play?

"and earlier today he and Caspian were paying a little too much attention to each other." - Ok

" He was on my lap and Orion was on my husband's next to me, they weren't close enough to reach each other and more or less did ok. I suspect Bastian more wanted to not be held than to harass Orion but didn't like how he was looking at Splenda and Caspian on the floor so he went back to his room." - Ok, that sounds fine

"Tonight for the first time he was out after their dinner time while my husband went to bed. We've been a bit nervous since once or twice he has woken my husband up from naps in his room if he wants to play. With claws/teeth. But he was super relaxed and just curled up between us/halfway on my husband for a while. It was adorable. " - Awwwwwwww

"I think maybe he likes us ;) " - Hahahahaha, I think you might be on to something ;)

MY GOODNESS is he ADORABLE!!!! :)

"Oh! I also got a couple new toys for them this weekend." - Great

"Got a chew toy for Bastian so he has something appropriate to gnaw on, " - Perfect

"an electronic ball with a fish toy that rolls around all crazy that they enjoy, " - That is great!!!

"and a ground prey wand toy that Splenda and Caspian can't seem to get enough of. It may be exactly what we need to grab Caspians attention away from Bastian! " - Perfect. SO great to find something like that to distract and more importantly build confidence!!!

"Will have to try it soon." - Yes!!!!

Another great update!!! Keep it up!!!
 
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kakers

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Another good update this afternoon! Well... With a bit of a hiccup. After their breakfast I was playing with Bastian having him catch his toys as he loves to do and he caught one, sprinted to his cat tree, grabbed onto the side and pulled it right over... Not the first time it has happened but this time it crashed his poor head right into the portable AC. I was very worried about him at first because he was squinting one eye. It definitely hurt the poor guy. Thankfully after a few minutes he was back to his normal self but I'm still keeping a close eye on him.

But other than that so far a good day! I had him out for just a few minutes. Wanted to snuggle him on the couch a bit but he wasn't interesting in staying still. At first I sat down, right between Splenda and Orion both of whom basically ignored him. He wanted to run off though so I picked him up and we found where Caspian was so nobody would be surprised and then I put Bastian on the windowsill. Caspian was over checking him out a little and I was staying close just in case. We ended up in the living room with Bastian looking out another window and Caspian following to watch him so I started to pet Caspian and he just started purring and plopped right down on the floor!

Here's Bastian walking past me on one side and Caspian relaxing on the other
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Caspian laying down like that made me super happy! He may be supervising Bastian but at least he's not feeling too threatened!

I then went and followed Bastian. Lost sight of where Caspian had gone until Bastian was walking back towards the stairs and saw Cas was in the litter box there. Since Bastian likes to pounce at the gate when they're in that box when he's in his room I picked him up so he couldn't try anything and brought him into the next room and put him down only to turn around and find Caspian had followed us LOL they sniffed noses very briefly and then I was like enough for now! And put Bastian back. Overall positive! Orion and Splenda literally didn't get off the couch or move more than to look at him when I first sat down between them. They're completely unbothered.
 
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Well tonight wasn't as great. I guess they are OK during the day but not so much at night. We tried letting Bastian out with just Orion who was just relaxing on the couch. He came up and sniffed Orion then there was a bit of a dust up. Very short lived but definitely got some of Orion's fur :( normally he's fine when Orion is just relaxing so idk where this came from other than having extra energy this time of day. Neither of them acted particularly scared or agitated and they were broken up very quickly and separated. So not horrible but not ideal.
 

calicosrspecial

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Another good update this afternoon! Well... With a bit of a hiccup. After their breakfast I was playing with Bastian having him catch his toys as he loves to do and he caught one, sprinted to his cat tree, grabbed onto the side and pulled it right over... Not the first time it has happened but this time it crashed his poor head right into the portable AC. I was very worried about him at first because he was squinting one eye. It definitely hurt the poor guy. Thankfully after a few minutes he was back to his normal self but I'm still keeping a close eye on him.

But other than that so far a good day! I had him out for just a few minutes. Wanted to snuggle him on the couch a bit but he wasn't interesting in staying still. At first I sat down, right between Splenda and Orion both of whom basically ignored him. He wanted to run off though so I picked him up and we found where Caspian was so nobody would be surprised and then I put Bastian on the windowsill. Caspian was over checking him out a little and I was staying close just in case. We ended up in the living room with Bastian looking out another window and Caspian following to watch him so I started to pet Caspian and he just started purring and plopped right down on the floor!

Here's Bastian walking past me on one side and Caspian relaxing on the other
View attachment 399075 View attachment 399076

Caspian laying down like that made me super happy! He may be supervising Bastian but at least he's not feeling too threatened!

I then went and followed Bastian. Lost sight of where Caspian had gone until Bastian was walking back towards the stairs and saw Cas was in the litter box there. Since Bastian likes to pounce at the gate when they're in that box when he's in his room I picked him up so he couldn't try anything and brought him into the next room and put him down only to turn around and find Caspian had followed us LOL they sniffed noses very briefly and then I was like enough for now! And put Bastian back. Overall positive! Orion and Splenda literally didn't get off the couch or move more than to look at him when I first sat down between them. They're completely unbothered.
"Another good update this afternoon! " - Great, let's see

"Well... With a bit of a hiccup. After their breakfast I was playing with Bastian having him catch his toys as he loves to do and he caught one, sprinted to his cat tree, grabbed onto the side and pulled it right over... Not the first time it has happened but this time it crashed his poor head right into the portable AC. I was very worried about him at first because he was squinting one eye. It definitely hurt the poor guy. Thankfully after a few minutes he was back to his normal self but I'm still keeping a close eye on him." - Oh my, yeas that can and does happen. :( Keep an eye on him but I hope he is fine.

"But other than that so far a good day!" - Great

" I had him out for just a few minutes. Wanted to snuggle him on the couch a bit but he wasn't interesting in staying still. " - Yep, he is feeling more confident in the territory.

"At first I sat down, right between Splenda and Orion both of whom basically ignored him." - Terrific!!!

" He wanted to run off though so I picked him up and we found where Caspian was so nobody would be surprised and then I put Bastian on the windowsill. " - Perfect

"Caspian was over checking him out a little" - Expected

" and I was staying close just in case." - Great job

" We ended up in the living room with Bastian looking out another window and Caspian following to watch him so I started to pet Caspian and he just started purring and plopped right down on the floor!" - Awwww, terrific!! GREAT job again and making it positive.

"Here's Bastian walking past me on one side and Caspian relaxing on the other " - Perfect!!! They look so relaxed and happy and confident.

"Caspian laying down like that made me super happy! He may be supervising Bastian but at least he's not feeling too threatened!" _ EXACTLY!! Fantastic!!

"I then went and followed Bastian. Lost sight of where Caspian had gone until Bastian was walking back towards the stairs and saw Cas was in the litter box there. Since Bastian likes to pounce at the gate when they're in that box when he's in his room I picked him up so he couldn't try anything and brought him into the next room and put him down only to turn around and find Caspian had followed us LOL" - Awwwwwww, Perfect and great job with them!!!

" they sniffed noses very briefly" - Awwwwwwwww

"and then I was like enough for now! And put Bastian back." - Great job

" Overall positive! Orion and Splenda literally didn't get off the couch or move more than to look at him when I first sat down between them. They're completely unbothered. " - Perfect!!!

Sounds like an amazing day!!!

"Well tonight wasn't as great. " - Ok, let's see. There are always ups and downs so............................

"I guess they are OK during the day but not so much at night." - Ok

" We tried letting Bastian out with just Orion who was just relaxing on the couch. He came up and sniffed Orion then there was a bit of a dust up." - Ok, did Orion respond to the sniffing?

" Very short lived but definitely got some of Orion's fur :( " - Ok, doesn't sound that bad.

"normally he's fine when Orion is just relaxing so idk where this came from other than having extra energy this time of day. " - Probably.

"Neither of them acted particularly scared or agitated and they were broken up very quickly and separated. So not horrible but not ideal." - Doesn't sound like a big issue.

How did they act after? How did they rebound?

I would not worry about that encounter much at all. It happens in intro's, it happens in cats that love each other, etc. It is one of those things. The key to how meaningful it is is how they act after and how they act over the next few days.

Just keep up the great work. They all are doing great.
 
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