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"I have a couple of videos and will post tomorrow." - Great, that should help.Hi C calicosrspecial and all! I have a couple of videos and will post tomorrow. One thing happened tonight though - I had swapped rooms for the cats and Hawthorne was in Florence's room. Sometimes when he gets annoyed being in there, he tips the water dish to express his displeasure. I realized I had forgotten to remove the water and so went back in quickly to grab it. The cats saw each other through the two pet gates and she hissed and got a big puffy tail and he tried to climb up the pet gate while snorting/huffing (you'll see an example of that in the video) to try to get to her. I moved past him to get out and he redirected his aggression and scratched my leg.
I don't mind the leg scratching but I wish it wouldn't be so aggressive between them - it was literally a ten second encounter. I felt a bit dejected. I know sometimes different moods affect things, and he was already annoyed at being in the room. But she got a big puffy tail and I didn't like that he was so worked up he attacked my leg instead.
Two hours before, he ate his supper in view of her no problem.
Anyways, maybe this is just a blip. She seemed to return to normal quite quickly (and I closed the door to the bedroom so I don't know how long it took Hawthorne but I'm guessing not super long as he was crying to get back out of the room in short order).
Is this a sign they still haven't accepted each other? Or just a bad mood moment?
"One thing happened tonight though - I had swapped rooms for the cats and Hawthorne was in Florence's room. Sometimes when he gets annoyed being in there, he tips the water dish to express his displeasure. I realized I had forgotten to remove the water and so went back in quickly to grab it." - Ok
"The cats saw each other through the two pet gates and she hissed and got a big puffy tail" - Ok, since she wasn't in "her territory" I am not surprised as she is less confident there. We want to try to keep them from seeing each other when site swapping.
" and he tried to climb up the pet gate while snorting/huffing (you'll see an example of that in the video) to try to get to her." - Yes, he responded to her.
" I moved past him to get out and he redirected his aggression and scratched my leg." - Did you come from behind him or from in front of him? I suspect he saw your leg and thought it was a threat. Tells me he is feeling insecure.
"I don't mind the leg scratching but I wish it wouldn't be so aggressive between them - it was literally a ten second encounter." - Yes, agreed.
So the big question is, how did each of them act after this? When they were not in view of each other? Any low walking, cautiousness, avoiding, acting abnormally?
"I felt a bit dejected." - We all do when that happens. All that tells me is we have some work to do. During site swapping we want to be careful as since they are not in "their territory" they tend to be more insecure, more cautious, defensive, etc. BUT if this was the extent of the issues it is not an issues.
" I know sometimes different moods affect things, and he was already annoyed at being in the room." - Why was he annoyed? If he is not feeling good in there let's not do any site swapping for now.
" But she got a big puffy tail and I didn't like that he was so worked up he attacked my leg instead." - I would like to understand if he really did attack you or if he attacked something moving that he perceived as a threat,
"Two hours before, he ate his supper in view of her no problem." - And that is why I am not too worried. I think it has to do with him being in an "unowned" territory.
"Anyways, maybe this is just a blip." - I suspect it was.
"She seemed to return to normal quite quickly" - That is great!!!
" (and I closed the door to the bedroom so I don't know how long it took Hawthorne but I'm guessing not super long as he was crying to get back out of the room in short order)." - Ok. When something like this happens we want to reassure the cat that is most disturbed when we can't attend to both. And since Hawthorne is the resident cat and therefore the one with the biggest acceptance hurdle to overcome we should focus a bit more on him.
"Is this a sign they still haven't accepted each other?" - Yes, BUT yet. Which is not surprising.
" Or just a bad mood moment?" - I think one of those bad circumstances. It happens. BUT if they rebounded quickly (and I would like to know how Hawthorne acted after he got back into "his" territory) then I am not worried. SO also, if they act together well this morning (or the next feeding after this) then it is not worrying. The good news is, these things happen and since it wasn't really that bad it is not something I am worried about (it is not an existential thing to the intro).
"I should just answer my own question. I think a bad mood moment." - Ok
" Hawthorne was worked up from being in the room and without treats to distract they only had each other to stare at." - Ok, that makes sense. When we do change (like site swapping) we want to make it as positive as possible. So treats, or a toy, or calm, confident words, etc. Anything to say "everything is just fine".
" I still would have liked it to be a little more chill but so it goes." - OH yes, we always do BUT it is cats.
" The rest of the time (with treats) has been fine, or at least, mostly fine. " - In her room/territory?
Hang in there, these things happen and it doesn't sound like anything that is a real issue. It is common in intros. How they act over the next few days will tell us a lot. But it doesn't change my mind that they will be intro'd.