cats not getting along

[skylybear]

so i have two cats

 Harry, who is 6 years old, Russian blue 14 pounds (not fat but he is a big cat) and is not declawed. we have had him since he is 8 weeks old. I won't say harry is a mean cat because he is not, but if he doesn't wanna be touched he will let you know, he is known to hiss bite and scratch.

 

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• skylybear
• Sep 10, 2014

 Galaxy, who is 2 years old, Calio 9 pounds, and is declawed (we got her that way) we got Galaxy July 18th, 2014, Galaxy is nothing like harry, sweet, lap cat, she doesn't hiss or bite

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• skylybear
• Sep 10, 2014

both strictly indoors.

Now, the problem is we have had Galaxy for almost 3 months, and they still are seperated, harry hisses and growls and tries to attack her if he even smells her, so we keep her in the guest room. we have tried EVERYTHING! feeding them when one on one side of the door, through our glass doors, baby gates, letting harry get used to her smell, even ask vets and animal behaviorist, and he is still hissing and growling. I don't know what to do, I love harry he was my first cat, but I've grown attached to galaxy,  I don't wanna have to give one of them up. i want to let her out of the room permantly but I don't wanna risk harry hurting her, please help.

 

[stephenq]

I don't wanna have to give one of them up. i want to let her out of the room permantly but I don't wanna risk harry hurting her, please help.

Sometimes despite the best and most patient introduction it doesn't work out and it won't work out, and you may be sadly in that situation.  At a certain point you may have to consider rehoming one of them, the new cat being the most obvious choice, or living with them both separated for life.  Harry deserves to stay, the new cat will easily do well in another home.  Hard as it may be to consider, in the end you have to do what's best for them.

 

[puggleperson]

Agreed. And I believe that giving up a cat you've had for 6 years would be incredibly cruel. Getting a pet is a LIFE LONG commitment as I'm sure you know.

Your new cat can't live in a bedroom either, it's just not fair to her.

You might want to ask the vet for a few sedatives for Harry and have him take one before introductions, that way he might learn that she is not so bad. I don't know if that is great advice but my vet offered that to me. You might want to ask yours

Sometimes we have to be selfless and make decisions that are best for pets. I wish you all the luck!

 

[shadowsrescue]

Getting cats to live with each other can be very taxing.  You must remember that your resident cat was an only cat for 6 years.  They need time to work out their differences and establish territory.  I do believe that most cats can learn to coexist with time and patience. 

I brought a feral/stray into my home last year.  He was 3 years old.  My resident cat was 5.  It was very difficult and there were days I would cry and feel so defeated.  Yet, for me I decided I had to put my all into it and give it my best shot and try for a year. 

The cat I brought inside the house lived in a room of his own for the first two month.  We did introductions very slowly at first, but I made the mistake of rushing the last steps.  When I rushed the steps, it was a nightmare.  The cats had full blown fur flying fights numerous times each day.  I had to step back and begin introductions over again.  This time, it took months, but it worked.  Here are some things I tried:

1.  Feliway diffusers everywhere.  They are expensive, but you need them in every room where the cats hang out.  I have an open floor plan house and needed 4 of them. 

2.  I used a large dog cage and placed one cat inside.  I then covered it on 3 sides with a sheet.  The cats could see each other, smell each other, but not hurt each other.  During these interactions I offered yummy delicious treats.  I usually used plain cooked chicken.  This allowed the cats to associate each other with something good.  I often did this 3-4x a day for short 5-10 minute sessions.  We moved toward playing with a string.  One part inside the cage and the other part outside.  The boys learned to play with it.

3.  I also used a large wooden screen door that I bought from Lowes for $20 and attached it to the door frame with tension rods ($4).  I put a baby gate in the door threshold for extra protection.  The cats could see, smell and be near each other safely.  I only did this with supervised visits or when I was home.  I have pictures of the setup if you'd like to see.

4.  Play with the cats together.  This works best if you have someone to help you, but it can be done alone.  Have the cats play with a great wand toy or da Bird.  Really get them moving.  You want to tire them out, especially the more aggressive cat.  Reward with chicken after a play session.

5.  Composure liquid Max.  This really helped my territorial aggressive cat.  I started using it in treat form, but the cats didn't always eat it.  In liquid I could mix it in wet food 2x a day.  For the aggressive cat, he received 1/2 t. in the morning and 1/4 t. in the evening.  My resident cat received it too since he was so stressed with from all of the attacks.  He received 1/4 t. 2x a day for a few weeks.  Marvin received the Composure liquid Max 2x a day for almost 4 months, then down to 1x a day for another couple months.  He is now completely off!!  You can find this on Amazon or Entirely Pet.  I have never seen it in a pet store.

6.  I used an Animal Communicator to help.  She helped me so much.

I wanted to mention that the cats took 9 months before I began leaving them out together for short periods when no one was home.  It took a full year for them to decide they could be in the same room with each other and do really well.  This summer we left them overnight a few times and all was well.  At the one year mark, the cats were actually enjoying each other.  Now at the 15 month mark, they are playing together!!!  It was not easy, but it can be done!

Here are a few links for cat to cat introductions in case anything new pops out to you.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/