Been One Week, New Cat Still Hiding/can't Touch

[calicosrspecial]

Well, I understand but I would take it slowly. If they will get along we should know fairly quickly anyway so an extra week or two in the room will not make his life terrible relative to a potential setback that may cause issues that could last months.

When you set up the gate maybe hang a sheet and slowly lift it higher every day. Again, try to make the experience as positive as possible. If they start focusing negatively on each other distract. We want them to feel as confident and comfortable as possible together.

I think it is fine to let him roam around the upstairs as long as the other cats can't get to him AND the other cats aren't bothered by losing the territory. Cats are territorial so they can react negatively if territory is taking away. Again, we always try to make things as positive an experience as possible. If the resident cats are downstairs being distracted or sleeping etc then it is fine that he is running around up there. Watch his behavior and see how confident he is while exploring.

Also, make sure you are playing with him and after play feeding. There are two benefits: You build his confidence and tire him out and have him expend some of his energy.

Please let me know how things go. We want to make any interactions as positive as possible and to build on the positive and not let any negative encounters grow. If negative feelings gain hold it can be difficult to rectify them.

 

[trizzo0309]

C calicosrspecial Yeah, I expect the new cat to walk around pretty cautious since he has never been in the roommate's bedroom before so he will probably smell the other cats and explore the area. We'll have him roam around for a little while then corral him back into the bedroom after a little while. Yeah, he likes to play with string and phone chargers and dives around the room to chase them, it's pretty cute.

I know, I agree with you in that it's moving a little faster than maybe it should but he's just showing a lot of signs of "please take me with you when you leave, I'm tired of this bedroom" and it's making us feel guilty. He meows a lot at the bedroom door as well in the night/morning and paws at it sometimes. He just wants to roam and not be so cooped up.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I understand but please do not feel guilty. You are doing what is best for him. What you are doing will make his life better and less stressful and increase the odds of a faster successful introduction. I have seen too many rushed introductions and the negativity from that is far greater than a few weeks more in a bedroom. Please trust me on that.

Really step up play as there are two benefits: You build his confidence and you tire him out (so he is less interested in roaming around or getting out). Don't forget to do it with the resident cats as well. We need to build their confidence. We will also do some scent swapping to associate the new cat's scent with good things like food and comfy bedding (especially with the cat that had the hissing incidence).

Hang in there, we will try to move faster when we see the positive signs we need to see. Don't worry about him, he will have a long life in your home with new friends so a few more weeks will mean nothing compared to the long term happiness he will have.

 

[trizzo0309]

C calicosrspecial Okay, so this weekend was interesting. On Friday morning the new cat and old one were chirping underneath the door to each other so I wanted to try something out. I opened the door and let the new one in. New cat retreated under the bed and old cat was just walking around smelling the floor/air. Then old cat walked underneath the bed with the new cat and was just chirping to him and and looking at him. Nothing happened then the old cat left and went on top of the dresser with new cat under the bed still. Then the new cat walked out chirping at the old one on the dresser and old cat hopping down and they just sat staring at each other. I did some play with the new cat while the old one just stared and looked. They hung for a bit then old cat left.

Over the weekend whenever the old cat pawed at the door we decided to let him in and we monitored the interaction. New cat would hang under the bed while old cat roamed and then went under the looked at each other. A sudden movement or noise and the old cat would get spooked, spooking the new cat and they ran, hid and needed to be separated.

They hung a few times over the weekend but the last couple sort of ended the same. New cat stayed under the bed, old cat would roam then walk under the bed, we'd hear a little commotion and remove old cat while new cat just stayed in corner under the bed.

Old cat isn't aggressive at all but does like to play swat our other cats so I assume that's what was happening and since the new cat wasn't aware of this, he got spooked.

 

[Safety Cat]

I would get a Feliway (Comfort Zone Brand Cheapest) diffuser ASAP to help calm him. The phermones mimic a cat nursing its mom. It calms them. Looks like a Glade Plug In. Ebay is reasonable.

 

[duncanmac]

Sounds like they are getting along pretty well. The growling and hissing are mostly just posturing, same with the swatting (my guys used to box). If you have any control over the resident cat, try to keep her out from under the bed with food or treats and try to coax the new cat out with food and treats. You might be able to get them to eat within view of each other, but be ready to abort the whole mission and shoo the resident cat out if things go badly.

It may (probably will) at times progress to a wrestling match. As long my cats were relatively quiet, I would let this go for a little bit before breaking it up if they didn't break it off before, but you have to know your cats to know what may or may not work. And you really want to keep it from going to full-on fight.

Keep up with the supervised visits and let them get a little longer each time as long as the cats don't get agitated. You should at least get those two together as soon as they are ready.

 

[trizzo0309]

D duncanmac Thank you for that, I agree. We are thinking of not sticking them in the same room together but doing the feeding through the gate technique. We are going to try having them eat with a gate in the way so they can't get too close to each other but associate the positive thing of eating with one another.

 

[calicosrspecial]

We always want to try to make every encounter between cats as positive as possible. Even if it is for a short time, maximizing the positives is key. Then we build on those positives.

We don't really want to have the new guy feeling cornered or at risk (whether the resident cat's intention is that or not). Being under the bed could be cornered and he could develop negative feelings toward the resident.

So I am with the other poster, we want to distract the resident cat and not have him go under the bed where the meeting could be subject to misinterpretation by the new guy. We want the new guy to say "hey, that guy is cool, he's no threat".

We just never want to start and build upon negative feelings towards each other. Everything we do should be to associate with positive things.

The best thing is if they are near each other but pretty much ignore each other. So they let the other one know that they are not a threat. They don't really know each other yet so the default is to be cautious. Once they realize the other one is not a threat then they start to accept. We always want to try to associate with positive things especially food. If they eat near each other and focus on the food and not each other GREAT.

The key is really how well they act after the encounters. If they are resilient then it is good.

It is great you played with the new cat after the resident was in there. That helps build his confidence.

 

[trizzo0309]

C calicosrspecial Appreciate the info. It has been one week since my last post and not much has happened that was meaningful.

We did some more feeding through the screen and the new cat doesn't really care but old cat A will eat normally through the screen and always wants to come in new cats room but it just doesn't end too well when they meet in the room.

Old cat B doesn't want anything to do with it. He'll sit downstairs and just not eat.

Old cat C is a scaredy cat in general. Doesn't want to go up and eat through the screen and will just wait downstairs until we move the bowl back down there with him.

Me and the girlfriend were gone for a four day weekend so roommate decided to sit with the new cat and feed him/hang out. He hissed at her the majority of the time she went in but she sat on the ground with him and he came out a couple times hesitant and ate. It was more about them just feeling one another out and going about their business. New cat was a little pissed me and the gf were gone as this was the first time we weren't with him for more than a few hours, but he got over it.

So, what we really are learning is that:

1) the new cat doesn't mind the old ones but isn't super friendly with them
2) Old cat A likes the new cat but just goes a little too rough
3) Old cat B isn't a fan of the new cat and doesn't wanna eat through the screen
4) Old cat C is just a wussy who is naturally scared and always will be
5) Roommate met him and it wasn't the worst thing ever

New cat doesn't have much interest in leaving the room though. Sometimes he does but he just feels comfortable underneath our bed and chilling there.

Not really sure what the next steps are since I KNOW old cats B and C will not eat through the screen if the new cat is there. Just the smell and they're off-put and yes we did try a little scent swapping.

 

[calicosrspecial]

EXCELLENT that the new cats doesn't mind eating near other cats by the screen. Terrific.

Good that old cat A eats by the screen and wants to come in. We don't want old cat A coming in yet. We want to make their interactions as positive as possible. We don't want nay negative feelings towards one another to become ingrained.

You mention when old cat A goes in the room it "doesn't end well". What exactly happens?

Old cat B - let's get an old shirt with New Cat's scent and have it near where old cat B eats. We want to let old cat B know that the scent is not a threat and for old cat B to associate the scent with something good. I also want to step up play with old cat B if possible. Good play session and after play feed. We want to build their confidence.

Please do the same with old cat C as with old cat B. We need to build old cat C's confidence through play. A confident cat is more likely to accept other cats and not fight or act like prey and be chased.

Did you try to feed on each side of a closed door with old cat b and c? Before going to a screen?

It is not surprising that new cat reacted in such a way but it sounds like your roommate did a good job and that it ended well.

At some point (not yet) we will want to block off under the bed. We want him to be confident and out and up in the world. We want him to feel secure in the room but not to view it as life. We'll want at some point to expand his territory out of that room. So things like blankets, scratching posts, beds, etc with his scent on them and ownership. Then we'll move those out of the room and use them to expand his territory but not yet.

So I would feed B and C with new cat A's scent on an old shirt close by the food. See how they do. If they don't eat move the food a little further away from the shirt. Also, we don't want to have old cat A get access to new cat just yet. We want to get them comfortable together so when they are together they expect positive things and no negatives (chasing, swatting, hissing etc).

Everything we want to do is to associate the other cat(s) with something good and maximize the positives and minimize any negative encounters. Using food is the best way combined with scent at first then at some point sight.

Now I have bad news, I have to leave on Friday and will be gone for 2 weeks without access to the internet. But I will be back then. PLEASE let me know about any question you have ahead of time and hopefully i can help you navigate those 2 weeks.

 

[trizzo0309]

C calicosrspecial Okay, I'll try the scent swapping with B and C. We did try the through closed door and B and C didn't bother coming to eat since they could smell and knew something was up since it breaks their routine.

When Old cat A would go in to see the new cat he would walk around just fine and everything would be cool for a few minutes. They'd both just chill in the room and not care. Then the Old Cat would try playing with the new cat and swat at him and it just turns into a little argument underneath the bed that we have to separate. Always starts with the Old Cat instigating.

Sounds good! Enjoy your trip as that will be a lot of fun I assume. I'll do what I can as it pertains to getting this cat out of our room. It's been too damn long and our room is just not big enough for him. We want him to explore!

When we open up the door for him with all the cats downstairs he just doesn't bother coming out. Sits under the bed and will play with us under there but doesn't really wanna come out.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Okay, then do the scent swapping with B and C near the food. If they are still having trouble move the food away until they eat. Then slowing move the food closer to the scent every day (as much as possible).

Yes, that is very common. When you do get them back together you'll want to distract old cat A so that it is not perceived by new cat as negative. The best thing is to get a positive encounter (even if it is very short) then removed. Then try to expand the time. And on and on. Always trying to make it as positive as possible. But I would like to keep them apart for a while still. Our goal is always to have them know the other is not a threat (or perceived as a threat).

Yes, I understand. Use things he "owns" to expand his territory. Scent is ownership so something that has his scent on it will help in expanding his territory. Place it outside the door, then something a little further out. Etc. Play with him outside of the room, give him treats outside of the room. And keep the other cats away so there is no threat or no perceived threat. We want him to have a positive experience outside of the room.

We also will want to consider blocking off under the bed. If you do do that make sure no other cat goes in the room we want him out and about in the room, a little more confident. We don't want him finding security and confidence under the bed. But watch how he reacts and again make it as positive for him as possible.

Do you sense he fears the other cats at all? If so we need to build his confidence more, play and food, getting him up the the world and be as calm and confident as possible around him and let him know he is safe in the room. We want him to "own" that room and feel secure (and not go under the bed to feel safe).

I will be checking the site until tomorrow evening and will be back on June 18. Thank you for the good wishes. I will make sure to check the site before I leave and when I am back. Keep up the good work and keep building confidence and making things as positive as possible and helping him feel as secure as possible.

 

[trizzo0309]

C calicosrspecial Alright we'll do the scent swap. Yeah when we try distracting Old Cat B when he is in the room with the new cat he just goes and eats the new cats food, which isn't really all that good. I assume new cat doesn't like that.

Tonight all of the old cats were downstairs and screened off down there so we tried getting new cat to explore the upstairs. Gf tried playing with him to lure him out into the hallway and explore more. He was playing around in the room but would get near the doorway, smell the hallway then walk back into the bedroom. Clearly the smell scares him.

We doesn't have much that has his scent on it in all honesty. All his wand toys he drags under the bed with him and he just lays underneath the bed during the day so we actually don't have anything with scent on it that he likes/uses.

We walks about the room when we are in the room with him and he likes to explore it but whenever he gets scared he retreats under the bed. What does blocking off accomplish? When he gets scared he needs a safe place and if not under the bed then he'll use the closet or behind a dresser or something. That seems reasonable as he doesn't wanna feel cornered.

I don't think he fears the other cats, if anything, it's the other way around. New cat stays under the bed and observes them if they ever come in the room but doesn't like hiss or lash out. Yeah, not sure how to make him own it then. He plays a lot but under the bed is his safe place.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I don't think it is so bad that old cat A eats his food. As long as he doesn't go after him it is a positive.

Yes, the smell will to begin with. But try to get his scent out in the hall a bit. To help him own the space more. Shirts, bedding, scratching post, stuff like that.

Well, we want him to know that no harm will come to him so he doesn't need to hide. So if he goes on the bed and nothing happens then he associates the bed with something good (no harm). Can the closet be closed? aAnd if he gets scared just don't look at him and act normal, calm and confident. He'll soon realize that just because he is scared nothing bad happens.

Well being still in a place (under a bed) is a defensive move potentially. We would like him to walk around and take his eyes off the other cats as a sign he is not afraid. It takes time and positive association and no threats/attacks.

I'll be around all day tomorrow then gone for 2 weeks and will check back when I am back.

 

[trizzo0309]

C calicosrspecial Okay, that's helpful. The aggressive cat came in a little today and just walked around the room for a good 10 minutes minding his own business then I removed him before anything happened so I guess it went pretty well.

Old Cat C who is the complete scaredy cat came in today also, walked around the room, explored a bit then just sat on the ground looking at the new cat underneath the bed. Went really well. New cat laid under the bed pretty much asleep and looked VERY relaxed and the Old Cat came in and just squatted and stared. Went well.

 

[calicosrspecial]

Anytime they are together without an incident even for a short time is a positive. If you see a cat staring try to distract in order to diffuse any potential tension. When a cat looks away from another cat that shows trust (who would look away from a predator?). So looking away can build trust between them. If you have them near see if you can feed them treats (both the old cats and the new cat). Positive associations and minimizing any negative interactions (no staring etc).

 

[trizzo0309]

C calicosrspecial We found out some very concerning information about our new cat. I'll fill you in when you return.

 

[calicosrspecial]

I am so sorry for the delay, I had to stay for an additional week.

Oh no, what is the information?

 

[trizzo0309]

I am so sorry for the delay, I had to stay for an additional week.

Oh no, what is the information?

C calicosrspecial Welcome back, hopefully you had a good time.

I don't even remember what the post above was referring to as he's doing pretty well overall. Sorry to scare you.

The new cat is doing really well. He comes out to hang with us whenever we are in the bedroom with him and we even got him a new cat tree that he loves to climb and sleep in! We tried blocking off under the bed once with pillows and towels and he sort of freaked out and rammed through them until he got under the bed so that didn't go well.

Further, one of our cats got real aggressive with him and now the new cat is scared really badly by one of our old cats and now when he sees the old cat he just runs and hides, so that stinks.

We've been trying to build his confidence a bit by getting him to play on our bed and the cat tree and he's doing better and becoming a real vocal cat. Still, he has no interest of leaving the bedroom and we HAVE to find a way to try making the old cat like this new cat. At the beginning it was fine but now he's become aggressive and tries to come in the room and start trouble.

New cat also loves to fling his litter around onto the floor and wakes us up real early in the morning (around 4AM) to play since he gets bored I assume. We really want him comfortable and to leave the bedroom but we still have a ways to go.

Any ideas?

 

[maggie101]

I brought in my cat CoCo 9 months ago. She still hides in my bedroom. My cat Maggie still does not like her. At first Maggie was very aggressive. Now she just chases CoCo behind the blinds. Whenever CoCo sees Maggie she hides. No one else, though used to. When Peaches was 5 weeks old she would fling her poo up to the handle bars. At first Josie did not like her. Now they are best buds. Josie just turned 16, Peaches 5