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- Nov 30, 2020
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Hi all - I'm having trouble introducing my two cats and don't know how to progress (or if I should?)
I've had my 3 year old cat Ella since she was a kitten. She is kind of anxious, prefers the floor to the shelves/top of the cat tree, and likes to be in her carrier when she's stressed. I adopted 1 year old Esty two months ago, and she is almost opposite - outgoing, likes the tops of tables, and constantly wants to be involved in everything. Both are spayed.
I started the introduction with keeping Esty in the living room with her own setup, Ella with all of her stuff in my room and bedroom (this isn't a change from her normal setup), and leaving both cats' bowls by the door. Hissing and growling by the door stopped by day three. They seemed to want to see each other (no growling, hissing, or puffing up) and put their paws under the door. I allowed them to have treats with the door cracked, and once that was going well I allowed them supervised time with play, increasing it each day. By two weeks, I basically just let them roam throughout the house together. They seemed to play rough (chasing, rolling, swatting with claws in, and pinning), but neither of them made vocalizations other than to let the other cat know to let up. I noticed that Esty was really in Ella's personal space. Esty would come up to Ella when she was sleeping, try to lick Ella on her head, or cuddle up to her. Which was really cute, but it bothered Ella a lot. Ella also seems to get tired of putting Esty in her place she would do this, and would eventually try to run to another corner or her carrier to sleep in. I've tried playing with Esty multiple times per day to the point of her panting, but within 30 minutes she's up and after Ella again.
At that point, Ella started vomiting daily. The vet ruled out other medical causes and chalked it up to stress/excitement of the new cat and suggested I completely separate them and try gradually reintroducing them again. Esty is now in my bathroom almost full time and Ella has the rest of the house. A few days ago Ella would get nauseous at just the smell or sight at Esty, but now I have them eating treats by the door and in the room supervised for half an hour to an hour at a time. Ella now gets nauseous and vomits after too long with Esty. Recently Ella also vomits if I leave the house for too long too.
I'm afraid that Ella will continue to be sick and that Esty living in the bathroom will be unsustainable. I don't know if I should dial it back even further or what. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I've had my 3 year old cat Ella since she was a kitten. She is kind of anxious, prefers the floor to the shelves/top of the cat tree, and likes to be in her carrier when she's stressed. I adopted 1 year old Esty two months ago, and she is almost opposite - outgoing, likes the tops of tables, and constantly wants to be involved in everything. Both are spayed.
I started the introduction with keeping Esty in the living room with her own setup, Ella with all of her stuff in my room and bedroom (this isn't a change from her normal setup), and leaving both cats' bowls by the door. Hissing and growling by the door stopped by day three. They seemed to want to see each other (no growling, hissing, or puffing up) and put their paws under the door. I allowed them to have treats with the door cracked, and once that was going well I allowed them supervised time with play, increasing it each day. By two weeks, I basically just let them roam throughout the house together. They seemed to play rough (chasing, rolling, swatting with claws in, and pinning), but neither of them made vocalizations other than to let the other cat know to let up. I noticed that Esty was really in Ella's personal space. Esty would come up to Ella when she was sleeping, try to lick Ella on her head, or cuddle up to her. Which was really cute, but it bothered Ella a lot. Ella also seems to get tired of putting Esty in her place she would do this, and would eventually try to run to another corner or her carrier to sleep in. I've tried playing with Esty multiple times per day to the point of her panting, but within 30 minutes she's up and after Ella again.
At that point, Ella started vomiting daily. The vet ruled out other medical causes and chalked it up to stress/excitement of the new cat and suggested I completely separate them and try gradually reintroducing them again. Esty is now in my bathroom almost full time and Ella has the rest of the house. A few days ago Ella would get nauseous at just the smell or sight at Esty, but now I have them eating treats by the door and in the room supervised for half an hour to an hour at a time. Ella now gets nauseous and vomits after too long with Esty. Recently Ella also vomits if I leave the house for too long too.
I'm afraid that Ella will continue to be sick and that Esty living in the bathroom will be unsustainable. I don't know if I should dial it back even further or what. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!