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- Sep 12, 2021
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Hi all,
I am looking for some thoughts on my situation between my two spayed, female cats. I’ll try to sum up the last 16 weeks as best I can!
I have had my resident cat, May, since last fall. She is 3 years 4 months old and was found as a timid, pregnant stray. She is gentle (with humans), playful, energetic, cuddly…I thought she’d do well with another cat.
I got Elle at the end of May. She is extremely sweet and an extremely sociable cat. She came from a hoarder situation. She had kittens in February and was spayed about three weeks prior to me taking her home.
Tried to do a slow introduction, Jackson Galaxy style. May was highly territorial (yowling, swatting under the door, etc.). After a couple of days, I started the process of food bowls on either side of the door and scent swapping. There were three times when one of them escaped over the course of two and a half months- and May would chase, claw, yowl, until Elle could escape or I could safely intervene on the fight. Over all of this time; we got to the cats eating right next to each other separated by a gate about four weeks ago. When we finally put them in the same room, I had someone play with one cat in the corner and I played with the other in the opposite corner. We made two days in a row for five minutes. On the third day, Elle wandered a bit out of the corner and May attacked.
At that point, I contacted a cat behaviorist. She wasn’t able to come out last week. Her advice was restarting the introduction process- adding more play time, clicker training for May. She suggested that eating that close together was actually increasing the tension between them.
This whole process has taken a large impact on my mental health and stress levels. When I think of going forward with multiple more months of work, alone, I feel like I can’t do it. My good friend wants to take her, and I feel like this is the best alternative if it doesn’t work out, but I’m heartbroken over this. At what point is rehoming the best option? Has anyone had a similar experience that has worked out?
I am looking for some thoughts on my situation between my two spayed, female cats. I’ll try to sum up the last 16 weeks as best I can!
I have had my resident cat, May, since last fall. She is 3 years 4 months old and was found as a timid, pregnant stray. She is gentle (with humans), playful, energetic, cuddly…I thought she’d do well with another cat.
I got Elle at the end of May. She is extremely sweet and an extremely sociable cat. She came from a hoarder situation. She had kittens in February and was spayed about three weeks prior to me taking her home.
Tried to do a slow introduction, Jackson Galaxy style. May was highly territorial (yowling, swatting under the door, etc.). After a couple of days, I started the process of food bowls on either side of the door and scent swapping. There were three times when one of them escaped over the course of two and a half months- and May would chase, claw, yowl, until Elle could escape or I could safely intervene on the fight. Over all of this time; we got to the cats eating right next to each other separated by a gate about four weeks ago. When we finally put them in the same room, I had someone play with one cat in the corner and I played with the other in the opposite corner. We made two days in a row for five minutes. On the third day, Elle wandered a bit out of the corner and May attacked.
At that point, I contacted a cat behaviorist. She wasn’t able to come out last week. Her advice was restarting the introduction process- adding more play time, clicker training for May. She suggested that eating that close together was actually increasing the tension between them.
This whole process has taken a large impact on my mental health and stress levels. When I think of going forward with multiple more months of work, alone, I feel like I can’t do it. My good friend wants to take her, and I feel like this is the best alternative if it doesn’t work out, but I’m heartbroken over this. At what point is rehoming the best option? Has anyone had a similar experience that has worked out?