Any Help Would Be Greatly Appreciated

[jessicatsxo]

Hello! I am hoping anyone here can help, we have recently brought in a new cat called Vinnie, he was my friends cat but my friends dog wouldn’t accept him so I offered to take him in, he’s 1 year and 3 months and is a gorgeous little playful boy. We already have one 5 years old male tabby called Harley and he is a total softy, we have a dog also and Harley and the dog are best of friends. We brought vinnie in 2 weeks ago and for the first week we kept it all very separate, let them get used to each other’s scents through blankets and also fed them with a board inbetween the doorway so they could see each other, everything seemed okay, some hissing from Harley but all normal behaviour. As they are now interacting vinnie is so desperate to play with Harley and has no fear, I think he’s realised Harley isn’t a threat and vinnie may actually become alpha cat over time but Harley is having a hard time, he is asking to be out a lot and we aren’t letting vinnie out yet so Harley goes out and things are great but as soon as he’s home vinnie is pouncing to play and it’s ending in scuffles, with lots of hissing and growling from our older cat but vinnie not getting these signals and Just chasing and jumping around wanting to play. Just not too sure where to go from here. By the way both boys are neutered. Thanks so much for any advice x

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

This sounds pretty typical of a high energy cat vs a lower energy one. Your best bet is to give Vinnie plenty of interactive playtime each day. Your aim is to drain Vinnie's energy so that he's less of a juvenile delinquent around Harley I have a pair of 9 month old juvenile delinquents and a three year old, lower energy girl (and a dog, come to that), so I know how hard it can be to help everybody get along peacefully.

Additionally, I'd suggest opening up as much vertical space as you can, and try to remove areas that Vinnie can corner or trap Harley. I know its all in fun on Vinnie's part, but that won't necessarily stop Harley feeling intimidated or even a little threatened. Giving Vinnie other fun things to focus on could help too. Beating Boredom - What Indoor Cat Owners Need To Know

The other thing I do is confine my boys to one room at night, giving my girl some peace, space, and time to move around without worrying about the boys. The boys' 'bedtime' is 10-10.30pm, and they don't get let out again until 8am or later (we feed them breakfast in their room, and let them out when they're done).
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Columbine 's advice has you on the right track. Just to ease your mind, a certain amount of scuffling is perfectly normal as they decide the pecking order in the house. Hissing and growling aren't an issue, either. So long as there is no fur in the air or blood on the floor, or outright shrieking, these guys are just discussing things.

 

[jessicatsxo]

This is so good to hear thank you so much for the advice, there has been no shrieking or anyone hurt at all it is all just noise and only from my older cat, when these scuffles happen and my older cat is growling and hissing and vinnie keeps on going am I right in breaking it up or just leave them to it? When vinnie keeps going and Harley is getting more and more frustrated I’ve been directing his attention else where, like his favourite toy and then Harley will run off and fall asleep upstairs but then vinnie will lose interest in the toy and run upstairs to find Harley and hides does the bum wiggle and pounces to play and Harley gets cross again and it’s constant!! But then Harley will play with the dog the same way vinnie wants to play him!! I’m hoping over time they’ll be able to play together but it is early days yet. Thanks so much for your replies it’s really put my mind at ease. I’ve never had more then one cat so was always nervous how the introduction process would go but as far as the temperaments go for both the boys they are pretty well suited for each other I feel. Jess x

 

[Columbine]

I think I'd observe the altercations at this stage, and intervene if it looks like things are spiralling beyond lots of 'swearing' and a few swipes. I'd intervene, too, if Vinnie is totally ignoring Harley's warnings. My boys are super-confident, and it took a few months and lots of help from us for them to actually listen to and respect Asha's 'scoldings' and space. Basically, Asha would tell them off, then we'd step in and remove the offending kitten, giving her space and the chance to get to wherever she wanted to be. It took a while, but the boys now listen to her, and back off when she tells them to. The naughtier boy still gets daily smacks from her though, and if she's seeming stressed we'll give her 'safe conduct' to wherever she's going, or remove whichever boy is blocking her path (we have a long, narrow corridor upstairs, which is the location of many 'stand offs' ).

Hope that makes sense

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Again, Columbine has beaten me to it! Observe a bit first. Largely, what is happening is that Harley is trying to teach Vinnie the House Rules, and Vinnie, being the equivalent of a 17 year old boy, doesn't want to hear it. Been there, done that, but with two feet rather than four. NONE of them, regardless of the number of feet, are fond of being told what to do at that age.