- Joined
- Feb 14, 2017
- Messages
- 19
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A member of my family recently lost their home as a result of negligence on their part. We were the only ones who could take in their cats on short notice. I have two cats of my own, and so we have been keeping the cats separated. Our cats also used to live with their cats 5 years ago. We're currently housing & feeding our family member so the cat's have no other home for the time being. The cats have been under the same roof now for about 2 weeks and I've seen no signs of improvement with regards to the behavior of my family member's cats. Both cats attack my cats if they're ever left alone together. We've been trying to keep the cats separated as much as we feel necessary but sometimes they manage to find each other.
Current System:
I have 8 litter boxes in my house for 4 cats (4 on each floor). Each cat has their own food bowl & water bowl, there are two communal food bowls and a communal water bowl. The pairs of cats only have access to the communal bowls when it is their turn to leave home base. Each cat has a favorite toy as well, and we have been playing with all four cats.
My cat's home base is our bedroom. We have been feeding them in the bedroom & they have access to a water bowl while in the bedroom. My family member's cats home base is our basement. They have access to water while in the basement but we don't feed them in the basement. They also have access to the four litter boxes when in the basement.
At meal time, we've been feeding them between a gate (which is just me acting as a gate keeper while all four cats eat). We haven't had any incidents during meal times so far, though my cats still occasionally hiss at the other cats. We take turns allowing both set's of cats to have access to the communal areas. While one set is in the communal area, the other set is at their home base.
Over time, my cats have become more courageous and will sometimes make a bolt from home base to the communal area while the other cats are out. My cats haven't attacked the other cats, they generally run and hide. In cases where they feel cornered, they will take a defensive stance and yowl loudly. One of my cats jumped through the railing at one point from the 2nd floor and landed half way down the stairs. I haven't seen my cats instigate an attack against my family member's cats but mine are the first to growl/hiss and act defensive.
How Things Are Going:
We attempted a feeding in the communal area tonight as their had been very little hissing and feeding between the doorway & gatekeeper seemed to be going well. We had three of us supervising, toys and treats at the ready and things were going good until one of my family member's cats attacked my cat. Then the other cat joined in, and next thing we know it's a full on brawl. All cats drew blood & we had to wrangle everyone up and bring them back to their home base.
I don't know what to do; I feel like my family member's cats need to find a new home while they're getting themselves back on their feet. I'm worried about the health and safety of my cats. They're extremely stressed & I don't want any cats to get hurt. In addition, my wife and I are leaving the country for three weeks at the end of the month. I worry that managing the four cats during this time will be very difficult for one person living at the house.
At what point should I consider rehoming my family member's cats? Does anyone have any suggestions on what else I could be doing with the cats? Our plans now are to reset by feeding between doorway and slowly reintroduce using the gatekeeper but this time take more time. I just don't know what else I can do to get the cats used to each other. It will be months before my family member will be able to find a place of their own and we don't know anyone else who can take the cats in.
Current System:
I have 8 litter boxes in my house for 4 cats (4 on each floor). Each cat has their own food bowl & water bowl, there are two communal food bowls and a communal water bowl. The pairs of cats only have access to the communal bowls when it is their turn to leave home base. Each cat has a favorite toy as well, and we have been playing with all four cats.
My cat's home base is our bedroom. We have been feeding them in the bedroom & they have access to a water bowl while in the bedroom. My family member's cats home base is our basement. They have access to water while in the basement but we don't feed them in the basement. They also have access to the four litter boxes when in the basement.
At meal time, we've been feeding them between a gate (which is just me acting as a gate keeper while all four cats eat). We haven't had any incidents during meal times so far, though my cats still occasionally hiss at the other cats. We take turns allowing both set's of cats to have access to the communal areas. While one set is in the communal area, the other set is at their home base.
Over time, my cats have become more courageous and will sometimes make a bolt from home base to the communal area while the other cats are out. My cats haven't attacked the other cats, they generally run and hide. In cases where they feel cornered, they will take a defensive stance and yowl loudly. One of my cats jumped through the railing at one point from the 2nd floor and landed half way down the stairs. I haven't seen my cats instigate an attack against my family member's cats but mine are the first to growl/hiss and act defensive.
How Things Are Going:
We attempted a feeding in the communal area tonight as their had been very little hissing and feeding between the doorway & gatekeeper seemed to be going well. We had three of us supervising, toys and treats at the ready and things were going good until one of my family member's cats attacked my cat. Then the other cat joined in, and next thing we know it's a full on brawl. All cats drew blood & we had to wrangle everyone up and bring them back to their home base.
I don't know what to do; I feel like my family member's cats need to find a new home while they're getting themselves back on their feet. I'm worried about the health and safety of my cats. They're extremely stressed & I don't want any cats to get hurt. In addition, my wife and I are leaving the country for three weeks at the end of the month. I worry that managing the four cats during this time will be very difficult for one person living at the house.
At what point should I consider rehoming my family member's cats? Does anyone have any suggestions on what else I could be doing with the cats? Our plans now are to reset by feeding between doorway and slowly reintroduce using the gatekeeper but this time take more time. I just don't know what else I can do to get the cats used to each other. It will be months before my family member will be able to find a place of their own and we don't know anyone else who can take the cats in.