Hi all,
I have two cats, one a black male I've had for about 3 years, the other a gray female I've had for about 2 years. When I first got the gray female I put her in a separate room and introduced them slowly (Though not without a few small scraps at first) and ever since then they've been good friends (Sleeping together, playing together etc). The black male is a good bit bigger than the gray female, but the gray female is quite fierce and not one to back down.
Then, this passed Saturday, my girlfriend let the black male out into the fenced backyard, where the gray female was already hanging out. My girlfriend thinks she may have slightly shut the door on the black cats tail, although their appears to be no swelling or pain on its tail. Regardless of that, the two cats suddenly got into a huge scrap, but we are able to separate them quickly. About a minute later I reintroduced them (Stupidly) and the gray female went after the black male and chased him under a bed where they got into an even bigger scrap, with the black male getting punched in the eye and the gray female getting a cut on her shoulder. I took the black cat to the vet (Mistakenly thinking he had been the one to get cut) but the vet didn't find any cuts and even did a stain of his eye to make sure. Sure enough when we got home we found a small cut on the gray cat, but no cuts on the black cat.
Anyways (Apologies for the long story) we put the gray cat in a separate room, but it's been a few days and they still aren't getting along. I tried to reintroduce them once but it didn't go well, with the gray cat again charging the black cat. I bought a collapsible gate and put it between the door frame of the room the gray cat is in thinking it would be a safe way for them to re-familiarize themselves, but the black cat avoids the area entirely and will hiss if he sees the gray cat through the gate.
1. How should I go about re-introducing them, and how long should I wait before I try to allow for physical contact between them again AKA letting them co-exist in the same space. I bought some Feliway pheromone dispensers (Probably snake oil but I'm willing to try anything) that should be arriving soon.
2. Am I trying to rush re-introducing them? I figured since they have co-existed peacefully for 2 years now that I'd be able to do it quicker than when I first got the gray female, but is this wishful thinking?
3. I have always had them use a single litter box. Is it time to go to 2 boxes?
4. Any advice or help from someone who has been in a similar situation would be appreciated.
TOO LONG DIDN'T READ: Why are my cats (Who have been friends for two years) suddenly fighting viciously, and what do I do to stop it.
I have two cats, one a black male I've had for about 3 years, the other a gray female I've had for about 2 years. When I first got the gray female I put her in a separate room and introduced them slowly (Though not without a few small scraps at first) and ever since then they've been good friends (Sleeping together, playing together etc). The black male is a good bit bigger than the gray female, but the gray female is quite fierce and not one to back down.
Then, this passed Saturday, my girlfriend let the black male out into the fenced backyard, where the gray female was already hanging out. My girlfriend thinks she may have slightly shut the door on the black cats tail, although their appears to be no swelling or pain on its tail. Regardless of that, the two cats suddenly got into a huge scrap, but we are able to separate them quickly. About a minute later I reintroduced them (Stupidly) and the gray female went after the black male and chased him under a bed where they got into an even bigger scrap, with the black male getting punched in the eye and the gray female getting a cut on her shoulder. I took the black cat to the vet (Mistakenly thinking he had been the one to get cut) but the vet didn't find any cuts and even did a stain of his eye to make sure. Sure enough when we got home we found a small cut on the gray cat, but no cuts on the black cat.
Anyways (Apologies for the long story) we put the gray cat in a separate room, but it's been a few days and they still aren't getting along. I tried to reintroduce them once but it didn't go well, with the gray cat again charging the black cat. I bought a collapsible gate and put it between the door frame of the room the gray cat is in thinking it would be a safe way for them to re-familiarize themselves, but the black cat avoids the area entirely and will hiss if he sees the gray cat through the gate.
1. How should I go about re-introducing them, and how long should I wait before I try to allow for physical contact between them again AKA letting them co-exist in the same space. I bought some Feliway pheromone dispensers (Probably snake oil but I'm willing to try anything) that should be arriving soon.
2. Am I trying to rush re-introducing them? I figured since they have co-existed peacefully for 2 years now that I'd be able to do it quicker than when I first got the gray female, but is this wishful thinking?
3. I have always had them use a single litter box. Is it time to go to 2 boxes?
4. Any advice or help from someone who has been in a similar situation would be appreciated.
TOO LONG DIDN'T READ: Why are my cats (Who have been friends for two years) suddenly fighting viciously, and what do I do to stop it.
