Hi, we took a stray cat off the streets about eight weeks ago, who had been getting into fights outside with my original cat. We already had two cats at this point, an adult male that I had gotten as a kitten from someone giving him away, and an adult female that we took in as a stray. They are both neutered, and they tolerate each other well enough. They don't go far outside, usually sitting in my garden or underneath my window.
Anyway, I thought that by taking in the outside stray cat he who causing trouble, I could acclimate him into being one of our cats after we got him neutered (the first day we took him in, I also brought him to a shelter just to check if he had a microchip, and posted his information online to make sure he didn't belong to anyone.) I set him up in his own room, with his own vertical climbing spaces, litter box, food area, hiding spaces, etc. Unfortunately, during his quarantine, my youngest son accidentally let my other cat in to see him, and there was a really vicious battle that was truly horrifying, my original cat was screaming as he was being mauled and tons of his fur was being ripped out, and my children were screaming and sobbing. I decided to give the new cat another chance since I knew they can be aggressive when they are intact, and his neutering appointment was later that week. That was four weeks ago.
I have carefully read all the articles about how to slowly introduce cats. I have let them use different rooms at different times so that they can get used to each other scents. I bought the Feliway multicat pheromone plug-ins. I put the new cat in a crate (for a brief part of each day) so the other cats could see him without being in fear of being attacked, and I gave them all treats when looking at each other to try to create positive associations. The articles said I should switch off which cat is in the crate, so last night, for the first time, I put my original male cat in the crate and let the new cat out of his room to see him. The new cat immediately lunged for the crate and viciously began clawing into it, and my original cat began the horrible screaming again, writhing to try to get away. And my kids also screamed and sobbed again.
I am debating calling the vet and asking if they think giving the new cat calming medication would help, but I'm torn as to whether or not I should go that route or just throw in the towel. I have read that introducing cats takes patience, but if these two are not meant to get along, I don't know if I am delaying the inevitable by keeping the new stray cat. My original two cats had their squabbles initially, but never anything near this level of violence. The new cat is now neutered and up to date on his shots, so hopefully he would have a good shot at a good home if I were to bring him to a no-kill shelter. What does everyone think?
Anyway, I thought that by taking in the outside stray cat he who causing trouble, I could acclimate him into being one of our cats after we got him neutered (the first day we took him in, I also brought him to a shelter just to check if he had a microchip, and posted his information online to make sure he didn't belong to anyone.) I set him up in his own room, with his own vertical climbing spaces, litter box, food area, hiding spaces, etc. Unfortunately, during his quarantine, my youngest son accidentally let my other cat in to see him, and there was a really vicious battle that was truly horrifying, my original cat was screaming as he was being mauled and tons of his fur was being ripped out, and my children were screaming and sobbing. I decided to give the new cat another chance since I knew they can be aggressive when they are intact, and his neutering appointment was later that week. That was four weeks ago.
I have carefully read all the articles about how to slowly introduce cats. I have let them use different rooms at different times so that they can get used to each other scents. I bought the Feliway multicat pheromone plug-ins. I put the new cat in a crate (for a brief part of each day) so the other cats could see him without being in fear of being attacked, and I gave them all treats when looking at each other to try to create positive associations. The articles said I should switch off which cat is in the crate, so last night, for the first time, I put my original male cat in the crate and let the new cat out of his room to see him. The new cat immediately lunged for the crate and viciously began clawing into it, and my original cat began the horrible screaming again, writhing to try to get away. And my kids also screamed and sobbed again.
I am debating calling the vet and asking if they think giving the new cat calming medication would help, but I'm torn as to whether or not I should go that route or just throw in the towel. I have read that introducing cats takes patience, but if these two are not meant to get along, I don't know if I am delaying the inevitable by keeping the new stray cat. My original two cats had their squabbles initially, but never anything near this level of violence. The new cat is now neutered and up to date on his shots, so hopefully he would have a good shot at a good home if I were to bring him to a no-kill shelter. What does everyone think?
