Anybody Else's Resident Cat Sulk And Pout When New Cat Was Introduced?

[cheeseburger]

We're five weeks into a cat introduction and you guys have been extremely helpful with helping us figure out various aggressive behaviors, so I thought I'd ask about this latest development.

Our resident cat has developed a new routine that has me worried. He spends the morning chasing the new cat around the house for an hour, and then he sort of opts out. Normally his mid-morning nap is on his cat tree and he spends the afternoon attacking birds through the window feeder. But the last two days, with the new cat in the living room, he's gone into the garage and hidden/slept under the car instead. He'll come out for treats, but he seems depressed and withdrawn.

I'm worried that he doesn't seem comfortable in his own home right now.

He's sort of an odd cat in that he doesn't like to be pet and will only play when he's in a very specific mood. What can I do to lift his spirits and make him feel like he isn't being replaced? New cat is doing a great job making herself comfortable, so I want to put my energy into helping him feel better about the situation.

 

[KarenKat]

This happened with our resident cat, Gohan, when we introduced Olive. Gohan was extremely territorial and would chase her all the time. When she started coming into the kitchen and other rooms on the main level, he sort of moved into the office upstairs and didn’t hang in his old places. We felt super bad, but we tried to dote on him and make him feel loved. Over time he started going back downstairs and going back to his old favorite spots.

I say hang in there and try and give him as much comfort as possible. Maybe the new cat can be shut away in another room for a few hours in case your resident feels comfortable going to his old spots. I wouldn’t force it though, since that would only stress him more. Hang in there, often it’s just as stressful for the humans as it is for the cats.

 

[FeebysOwner]

How old are both cats? And, when you say you this site helped you out with various aggressive behaviors, were you also given the TCS articles on cat introductions?

Your resident cat doesn't like his area being taken over by the new cat, and is now avoiding all of his hang out spots because the other cat is in them. He wasn't ready yet for you to let the new cat have free reign in his home.

You might want to consider separating the house into two zones if you can, and let each cat have a zone - with daily trade offs between the two areas. Your resident cat, once he realizes, he can have his old spaces back - at least some of the time - without the other cat there, might start to relax a little. And, either space that your resident cat is in, you need to spend extra time with him there. If he doesn't like petting, etc. just sit with him and talk to him - or read book out loud to him, just so he knows you want to spend time with him.

I am attaching links to some TCS articles in case you don't already have them.

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

Oh, and this one too:
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)

 

[susanm9006]

One of my cats totally withdrew from us when we introduced another cat. She did fine with the cat but no longer wanted nothing to do with us. This went on for a year or two and then one day when I was trying to pet her I bent down and rubbed my forehead with hers. She enthusiastically rubbed back and within days was back to her old affectionate self. I think she just needed to know that she was still important to us. It is definitely worth trying to give your resident cat some special one on one attention via petting, play or treats to see if this makes him feel better.

 

[cheeseburger]

FeebysOwner - the resident cat is 2, the new cat is 6 months. They are both fixed strays. We have been through a full formal introduction process. The cats will eat head to head and have no aggression through a gate. But we still separate them at night (they are not ready to be unsupervised yet) and have issues with fights/territorial disputes in the mornings and right before bed.

I spent Monday trying to give resident cat some extra TLC since he was hiding all day. We put new cat in her room for a while and let resident cat reclaim his space. We also let resident cat sleep with us. He woke up the next morning acting like his old self. Confident and happy.

So we let new cat out again. And confident happy resident cat tore into her. He was more aggressive than I have ever seen him. And that continued this morning as well. I have posted videos about "is this fighting or playing" before in the forum...well now there is no doubt. I fully understand what fighting looks and sounds like.

Right now I have new cat confined back to her safe room, gated. I guess it's time to go back to site swapping, but it's so disappointing that they seemed to be getting along for a few days and then the tide turned.

Afternoons seem to be better in terms of temperment for both of them (they typically just nap in the same room) so perhaps we'll try to just let them be out together in the afternoons. Mornings and night time are both disasters right now.

Any other advice is welcome. Setbacks are frustrating.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sorry you have to take a step or two back on the introductions, but it would seem that is necessary. It's just going to take your resident cat a lot of time to come to terms that he will be sharing you and his space with another cat.

See if feeding times have anything to do with the more aggressive behavior. Right before they eat, right after? Any pattern? Also, you may try feeding them a little later and train your resident cat to know bed time is shortly thereafter so he knows he gets to be with you in your bedroom overnight - at least for now?
Make sure you offer your new cat some comfy accommodations in her sleeping area too!!

And, while allowing some trading space time - where resident and new cat get to spend time in each other's space, so that new cat isn't always confined to one room - if there are two of you, one can spend time with resident cat while the other spends time with new cat - and then swap those roles as well.

Also, you might consider trying some calming products during the problem times. Things like one of the Feliway products, Bach Rescue Remedy drops (rubbed into cat's ear), or a host of others that you can find on the internet by searching "cat calming products".

Chamomile tea (standard grocery tea bags, German - NOT English, and no additives) also has calming properties. Brew a tea bag, cool it, and then add up to 3 teaspoons to some water to see if he, or both, will drink it.