- Joined
- Jul 17, 2018
- Messages
- 6
- Purraise
- 1
I recently adopted a second cat, a sweet 3 month old Maine Coone male, in hopes of giving my resident cat, a 3 year old (almost 4) DSH female, a friend and playmate. I feel like I have been doing everything by the book... but I can’t tell if we’ve made good progress or not. I have had the new addition for almost 4 weeks now.
For the first two weeks, the new kitten stayed in his safe room, and no interaction was made between the two. They obviously could hear and smell each other but that is it. At first my resident cat would hiss at his sounds and scents, but I did scent swapping through petting my resident cat, then petting my new kitten, and going back and petting the resident kitty. I also took shirts with my smell and rubbed each cat with one, and then left the shirt with the opposite cats smell with the opposite cat. I have also put scent baited socks by each cats food. At this point the noise and smell does not seem to have any affect on my resident cat, and she does not hiss at his meowing or his smell.
I have also started swapping rooms, letting the little one explore more of his new home, while letting my resident kitty explore his safe room. At first she was very cautious but now seems way more at ease when she explores his room.
We tried to start doing short visual encounters through a baby gate with a towel draped over it, and at first my resident cat hissed and growled (but from my understanding that is to be expected?). Her ears were not back nor was her hair standing up. We’ve continued these short visual introductions and sometimes she hisses and sometimes she just looks at him curiously. I can tell she is not completely comfortable just yet but some days it’s good and some days it’s bad. She has been slowly getting closer to the gate each time. Little man is all for it and wants to be her friend SO BAD!
Yesterday I don’t know what happened but I feel like we backtracked a bit... I let them look at each other though the gate (without the towel, but the door closed except for a small crack. My resident cat got right up to the gate and they were both very close, and then proceeded to swat the gate twice and growl and hiss. I immediately closed the door and decided to let her relax. Later that evening while room swapping... they started looking at each other from under the door, getting fairly close. My resident cat seemed curious and a bit cautious but not upset. Then my new kitten stuck his paw under the door and my resident cat dove at the door throwing both her paws under... she did this twice before I decided to stop it by tossing a towel in between her and the door. My thing is, I can’t tell if she is being aggressive, territorial, or showing authority... or all 3! She didn’t hiss, her ears weren’t back or hair standing, but it didn’t seem especially playful either. After that encounter she gave me a good hiss and growl when I tried to touch her (my mistake I know).
So I decided to back up a bit and today I fed them by each other, on either side of the door with no visual contact. The door was cracked a bit, but completely covered with a sheet. So they could smell each other and hear each other but not see each other. No negative reactions. I just feel like I am at a bit of a standstill. Scent has no affect on each cat and they seem comfortable with one another’s smells... but when we have short visual introductions... I never know what I am going to get.
My new kitten is so ready to get out and meet his sister (I don’t blame him he has been in his safe room for almost 4 weeks!) but my resident cat doesn’t seem ready yet. Help!
For the first two weeks, the new kitten stayed in his safe room, and no interaction was made between the two. They obviously could hear and smell each other but that is it. At first my resident cat would hiss at his sounds and scents, but I did scent swapping through petting my resident cat, then petting my new kitten, and going back and petting the resident kitty. I also took shirts with my smell and rubbed each cat with one, and then left the shirt with the opposite cats smell with the opposite cat. I have also put scent baited socks by each cats food. At this point the noise and smell does not seem to have any affect on my resident cat, and she does not hiss at his meowing or his smell.
I have also started swapping rooms, letting the little one explore more of his new home, while letting my resident kitty explore his safe room. At first she was very cautious but now seems way more at ease when she explores his room.
We tried to start doing short visual encounters through a baby gate with a towel draped over it, and at first my resident cat hissed and growled (but from my understanding that is to be expected?). Her ears were not back nor was her hair standing up. We’ve continued these short visual introductions and sometimes she hisses and sometimes she just looks at him curiously. I can tell she is not completely comfortable just yet but some days it’s good and some days it’s bad. She has been slowly getting closer to the gate each time. Little man is all for it and wants to be her friend SO BAD!
Yesterday I don’t know what happened but I feel like we backtracked a bit... I let them look at each other though the gate (without the towel, but the door closed except for a small crack. My resident cat got right up to the gate and they were both very close, and then proceeded to swat the gate twice and growl and hiss. I immediately closed the door and decided to let her relax. Later that evening while room swapping... they started looking at each other from under the door, getting fairly close. My resident cat seemed curious and a bit cautious but not upset. Then my new kitten stuck his paw under the door and my resident cat dove at the door throwing both her paws under... she did this twice before I decided to stop it by tossing a towel in between her and the door. My thing is, I can’t tell if she is being aggressive, territorial, or showing authority... or all 3! She didn’t hiss, her ears weren’t back or hair standing, but it didn’t seem especially playful either. After that encounter she gave me a good hiss and growl when I tried to touch her (my mistake I know).
So I decided to back up a bit and today I fed them by each other, on either side of the door with no visual contact. The door was cracked a bit, but completely covered with a sheet. So they could smell each other and hear each other but not see each other. No negative reactions. I just feel like I am at a bit of a standstill. Scent has no affect on each cat and they seem comfortable with one another’s smells... but when we have short visual introductions... I never know what I am going to get.
My new kitten is so ready to get out and meet his sister (I don’t blame him he has been in his safe room for almost 4 weeks!) but my resident cat doesn’t seem ready yet. Help!