First time introducing two cats... Questions

CityCatMom

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So I recently adopted a new cat.

My original cat (from this point called OG) I've had for 5 years now. She is 10 years old. Before I adopted her, she lived with one other cat who bullied her (hence being given up for adoption). She hasn't interacted with other cats in the 5 years I've had her. We got the new cat (NC) 2.5 weeks ago. She is 1 year old and had previously been with another cat without any problems, so we thought she would be a good fit.

We have kept them mostly separated all this time. Unfortunately early on, NC sneaked out of the room and surprised OC when she was eating, which freaked her out and she started hissing and chasing NC around the room aggressively. We were able to separate them and have been quite militant about keeping them separated and only letting them interact supervised through a barrier.

They've made tremendous progress. They are now able to eat peacefully on either side of the barrier. OC is no longer trying attack NC. NC did try to rush OC through the barrier a couple of times but lately, they just seem to hiss at each other through barrier if they get too close. Usually, the hissing happens after eating. NC sniffed OC's nose earlier today and then swatted her. In the evening, OC tried to approach NC this evening and NC hissed at her, and then OC hissed back.

I'm not sure how to proceed from here. How/when should I let them interact without the barrier? Also, we are going on vacation soon (they will be separated while we're gone), will being apart for a couple of weeks hinder all the progress they've made so far?
 

Twylasmom

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Your situation sounds somewhat similar to mine, though my new cat is a few months younger. You may want to look at my thread, "Introducing Cats- Logistics Questions" to see how my process has gone. It has been slow and not steady progress. I would suggest some scent swapping and time to explore each other's spaces before putting them together. If there are two of you to handle the interactions I think that will be easier than doing it alone as I have.

You may need to start over after your vacation, my guess is that it will slow down the process.
 
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CityCatMom

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Your situation sounds somewhat similar to mine, though my new cat is a few months younger. You may want to look at my thread, "Introducing Cats- Logistics Questions" to see how my process has gone. It has been slow and not steady progress. I would suggest some scent swapping and time to explore each other's spaces before putting them together. If there are two of you to handle the interactions I think that will be easier than doing it alone as I have.

You may need to start over after your vacation, my guess is that it will slow down the process.
Thanks for your reply. We've tried scent swapping. It's going ok. Neither of them are comfortable in each other's spaces yet so we only do it for short periods of time. There is two of us for the most part, so hopefully we'll be able to stop them if anything happens.
 

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Will they still be in your home, while you are on vacation....or will they be at a boarding facility?
 
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CityCatMom

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Will they still be in your home, while you are on vacation....or will they be at a boarding facility?
Older cat with be going to stay with our relatives like she usually does. New cat will be left in our home with a pet sitter coming daily.
 

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Alright, then....that sounds good.

Anyhow, I agree with Twylasmom Twylasmom above.
Here's a TCS Article that deals with cat introductions:
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – Cat Articles

Basically you do not want to rush any of the steps....mentioned in the Article, above.
Go slow, to lessen each cat's 'fight or flight' response.

Since you are going on holidays...I would concentrate on:
Scent Exchange (Smell)...meaning 'scent swapping'... using each cats' toys, blankets, towels, etc...where each cat only gets to smell the scent of the other cat. In this way, they both get accustomed to each others smells, so when they do meet, face to face, they will seem like a familiar friend, and not any threat.

(Watch closely how each cat reacts to the items, and see if their 'fight or flight' responses lessen.)
(Getting each cat to play near each other, and giving treats, after good interactions will reinforce positive experiences.)

Then, do the entire room swaps,..Putting each cat into the other’s territory(room).
If you notice that either cat is still irritated and not yet relaxed...just move back a step.

You might have to start over, like Twylasmom mentioned,...when you get back....but it should be easier, since you've already had practice. :) Also, NC will be familiar with your place...so that will be a bonus.
 
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CityCatMom

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Alright, then....that sounds good.

Anyhow, I agree with Twylasmom Twylasmom above.
Here's a TCS Article that deals with cat introductions:
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – Cat Articles

Basically you do not want to rush any of the steps....mentioned in the Article, above.
Go slow, to lessen each cat's 'fight or flight' response.

Since you are going on holidays...I would concentrate on:
Scent Exchange (Smell)...meaning 'scent swapping'... using each cats' toys, blankets, towels, etc...where each cat only gets to smell the scent of the other cat. In this way, they both get accustomed to each others smells, so when they do meet, face to face, they will seem like a familiar friend, and not any threat.

(Watch closely how each cat reacts to the items, and see if their 'fight or flight' responses lessen.)
(Getting each cat to play near each other, and giving treats, after good interactions will reinforce positive experiences.)

Then, do the entire room swaps,..Putting each cat into the other’s territory(room).
If you notice that either cat is still irritated and not yet relaxed...just move back a step.

You might have to start over, like Twylasmom mentioned,...when you get back....but it should be easier, since you've already had practice. :) Also, NC will be familiar with your place...so that will be a bonus.
Thanks. We have done room swaps already and they went ok. I think the cats have come to think of each of our two bedrooms as their "own" so when they are in the other cat's bedroom, they're not super happy to hang around (not that they're freaking out, they'll just sniff and then ask to go out). They seem to be fine with each other's scent in the common areas. Last night, NC was begging to go out of her room while OC was sitting in the living room. We opened the door with the gate closed and neither of them seemed fazed so we let NC out into the other side of the room from where OC was sitting, making sure to keep them away from each other. It only lasted for about a min but it went well - NC walked around the living room a bit, sniffed and then went back into her bedroom. OC did not seem concerned. She was laying on the ground the whole time. They didn't interact this morning.

We just got them a new cat tree. I'm hoping to let them come out into the same room to explore the tree this weekend (if they are both calm like they were last night). Of course, I need to trim their nails before just in case... Which is going to be another battle! They both seem to hate getting nails trimmed!
 

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We just got them a new cat tree. I'm hoping to let them come out into the same room to explore the tree this weekend (if they are both calm like they were last night). Of course, I need to trim their nails before just in case... Which is going to be another battle! They both seem to hate getting nails trimmed!
Ahh, yes....the nail trim...excellent idea.

I remember reading on this Site, about a member using a 'cat restraint bag' ...or type of 'cat sack with zippers'....where each corner of the bag had zippers to allow access to the feet. (It seemed easier than using a towel, and wrapping the cat up like a burrito.)

Someone had said that she had sewn their own...using a pillowcase....with an opening for the cat's head...and zippers in the front and back corners....and along the top...to place the cat inside. (Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find that thread anymore...since it does not show up in the 'search' section.). It did seem like a good idea, to prevent cats from wiggling, and squirming.

Do you think that your cats would be okay to try and wear a 'cat harness'?
If they got used to a 'harness' ....then you would have more control, over either cat 'lunging' at the other one.
(I used a small blue harness, when I had to take a previous cat to the Vet...and it was easier to keep him on the exam table.)

Hoping your weekend goes well, ...with the new cat tree.:)....and both cats remain calm.
 
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CityCatMom

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Ahh, yes....the nail trim...excellent idea.

I remember reading on this Site, about a member using a 'cat restraint bag' ...or type of 'cat sack with zippers'....where each corner of the bag had zippers to allow access to the feet. (It seemed easier than using a towel, and wrapping the cat up like a burrito.)

Someone had said that she had sewn their own...using a pillowcase....with an opening for the cat's head...and zippers in the front and back corners....and along the top...to place the cat inside. (Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find that thread anymore...since it does not show up in the 'search' section.). It did seem like a good idea, to prevent cats from wiggling, and squirming.

Do you think that your cats would be okay to try and wear a 'cat harness'?
If they got used to a 'harness' ....then you would have more control, over either cat 'lunging' at the other one.
(I used a small blue harness, when I had to take a previous cat to the Vet...and it was easier to keep him on the exam table.)

Hoping your weekend goes well, ...with the new cat tree.:)....and both cats remain calm.
I have seen one of these contraptions on Amazon! However, I'm a little weary of using it on the girls. I don't want them to freak out and hurt me or themselves in the process but I guess we will see.

We did another, longer play session in the same room today - went ok until the end when OC started hissing at NC and following her (after voluntarily going to explore her room) and NC ran away. We blocked their view of each other with a blanket and guided NC back into her room with a treat. My husband then gave OC a treat and played with her on her cat tree, which seemed to calm her down because she was very upset. We then spent some time with NC in her room and calmed her down but when my husband picked her up to transport her to the office (OC's room) with him, she started hissing the moment she saw OC in the living room. I guess she was still a little upset herself. *sighs* it feels like we make such amazing progress but then the girls just go back to hissing at each other :(

We would've left NC in her room but she hates being alone so taking her between rooms keeps her at least halfway happy.

I'm not sure if we should continue these play sessions in the same room or go back to always having them separated by gate at all times until they stop all hissing by the gate? Is this behaviour normal?
 

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This cat behaviour is definitely normal.

I think you might just be 'rushing' the cat-introductions....a tad bit.
You mentioned that it's only been 2.5 weeks....and you're kind of ...already on the last step.
Each step usually takes about a week, and sometimes more,....depending on how relaxed the cats get.
Granted, you did say that they seemed quite calm...so I definitely understand the 'wanting to get them together' factor.

I would keep them separated behind the gate, and only allow the actual meeting to take place...once no hissing, growling, or signs of being upset happen.
 

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The intro ideally goes until they are calm and not reacting to anything short of actual face to face. However, you should understand that you don't get 100% to the finish line via an intro, not normally anyway. You get to pretty much where you are at, let them interact, make sure they are not going to fight, and if all they are going to do is hiss at each other, maybe a get away from me swat, thats fine, they can work that out. Hissing is saying some combination of "go away/stay away/I'm scared of you" and is a very different thing from actually fighting. They hiss. If there is no fighting, they see nothing bad is happening, and they gradually get over it. The intro is to calm them down enough to let this happen without fighting. At least that is how it has always been for me.

I don't know exactly how much time you have before you leave though. If that was covered, I missed it, sorry! And the amount of time left changes everything. If you have say two full weeks, you can probably get them to where you can leave both with the cat sitter and not lose your progress. If its more like a week, that is dicier.
 
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CityCatMom

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The intro ideally goes until they are calm and not reacting to anything short of actual face to face. However, you should understand that you don't get 100% to the finish line via an intro, not normally anyway. You get to pretty much where you are at, let them interact, make sure they are not going to fight, and if all they are going to do is hiss at each other, maybe a get away from me swat, thats fine, they can work that out. Hissing is saying some combination of "go away/stay away/I'm scared of you" and is a very different thing from actually fighting. They hiss. If there is no fighting, they see nothing bad is happening, and they gradually get over it. The intro is to calm them down enough to let this happen without fighting. At least that is how it has always been for me.

I don't know exactly how much time you have before you leave though. If that was covered, I missed it, sorry! And the amount of time left changes everything. If you have say two full weeks, you can probably get them to where you can leave both with the cat sitter and not lose your progress. If its more like a week, that is dicier.
We have one week before we have to drop off OC with relatives for vacation. I don't expect them to be fully getting along in a week, I'd just like them to be in the same room and ignore each other if possible.

In your experience, how should we handle it if they fight? And how much should we let them hiss/swat at each other before stepping in?
 
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CityCatMom

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This cat behaviour is definitely normal.

I think you might just be 'rushing' the cat-introductions....a tad bit.
You mentioned that it's only been 2.5 weeks....and you're kind of ...already on the last step.
Each step usually takes about a week, and sometimes more,....depending on how relaxed the cats get.
Granted, you did say that they seemed quite calm...so I definitely understand the 'wanting to get them together' factor.

I would keep them separated behind the gate, and only allow the actual meeting to take place...once no hissing, growling, or signs of being upset happen.
Maybe we are rushing it... Not sure. This Sunday will be 3 weeks she's been with us. The main reason we are trying to do face to face now is because they are not fighting (only occasionally hissing) through the gate and more importantly because NC has a lot of separation anxiety and is always begging to be in the living room, sometimes even when we are in the room with her. It seems unfair to keep her locked in the room all day when she's begging to go out and it seems unfair to put OC out of her territory for long periods of time just because NC wants to be in the living room. So, we're hoping to get them to a point where they can at least tolerate being in the same room for short periods of time. I don't know if this is going to happen before we leave on vacation, but I guess we'll see. I am just trying to be sensitive to both of their needs. Logistically it's a bit hard to keep them apart at all times because we live in a small two bed apartment.
 

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I guess you have to base it on how upset each of your cats...looks to you.
Look at their ears, fur, tail...and eyes....while they are looking at each other.

If you have a cat carrier, then maybe placing one cat inside of it, ...while you are all in the living room....could help to protect each cat, and also get the cats more used to each other.
But only do this method....if you think that it won't upset the cats further.
(If you have 2 cat carriers....even better. Place them in each one....and observe how they react. Of course, some cats hate carriers...so this may not work at all.)

Perhaps the last interaction...play session....just came down to timing.
It's hard when you want both cats to get along, ...but the one gets upset....sets the other one off....and they take a long while to calm down.
 

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We have one week before we have to drop off OC with relatives for vacation. I don't expect them to be fully getting along in a week, I'd just like them to be in the same room and ignore each other if possible.

In your experience, how should we handle it if they fight? And how much should we let them hiss/swat at each other before stepping in?
If you decided to "go for it" you would let them interact with supervision this weekend. For at least the first hour or two, you would be constantly there, and ready to divert/end it if it looks like they are going to fight. For the rest of the weekend, you have to be nearby listening; if you go out or to sleep, they are separated. If they fight, its failure and a setback, you have to extend the intro process. They can hiss to their hearts content, but if they look like they want to rush at the other cat, you end it and continue the intro. Rush, not amble while hissing. Posture is a big clue. Puffy tail, arched back, those mean at least fear/readiness. Not necessarily imminent attack, but a clear warning sign beyond hissing. Ears back, crouching, can be a signal. Sounds other than hissing or growling are usually a real problem sign. A defensive or mostly defensive swat doesn't count more than hissing -- both say "get away!" You are more worried about "Leave or die!" or "I want you dead!"

If you can get them to mostly ignoring each other and only hissing when the other is close, with no sign they want to fight, they can probably stay together with the cat sitter. But you'd have to start now, as suggested above, and have the weekend for supervised visitation as noted. And then you'd make decisions based on how it goes.
 
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So I wanted to give you guys an update.

For the most part, the weekend went well. There was some missing on part of NC and she also tried to charge OC through the gate (I don't think it was playful because she was hissing and charging her). But there was also good progress! We built a new cat condo for the girls. OC got to go on it first and quickly settled into one of the caves/houses. While she was napping in there we let NC into the room. She walked around a bit and then went on to the condo second level to discover the treats we had left there. OC, who was on the third level became aware of her at this point and bent down to look at her calmly. They sniffed noses but I think NC got scared so she hissed and backed away. We gave them both treats because this was their first face to face meeting and we were so proud they didn't attack each other! For the rest of the weekend, they mostly spent time either separated or on opposite sides of the same room. Nothing major happened, which is good. They have both been good girls for the most part. We did notice a couple of times NC trying to sneak up on OC while she was on the cat condo. Since she had charged OC through the gate earlier in the weekend, we redirected her whenever we saw this. Not sure if this is the right thing to do but we just didn't want her to attack and freak out OC who has just recently started relaxing in her presence.

Yesterday, however, OC was napping in a box on the ground and we let NC into the room to explore. She was walking around and I looked away. Five mins later, I look back and she's right beside OC's box, sneaking up on her! I admit, I might have gotten startled for nothing because neither of them were hissing and OC was still napping but I jumped, grabbed a toy and tried to move NC away. This caused OC to wake up and they batted at each other a little bit (without hissing) and then NC went away because the toy I was waving was annoying her. Later on, it seemed like OC was bein followed by NC. We put a blanket between them but OC walked to the other side of the room and NC followed her and then OC kind of ran into the dining room under the table and NC ran after her, at which point I think we got a little freaked out and my husband sprayed them both with a water spray. They weren't hissing or anything so we might have gotten freaked out for no reason but we are still learning. We just didn't want them to fight under the table and hurt each other where we couldn't break it up with a blanket.

Now I'm thinking... Do you guys think they were playing? We did feed them both treats side by side near the gate afterwards. NC hissed at OC once but was mollified by treats afterwards and stopped.

This morning, they were ok. OC was a little scared when we opened the gate between them during feeding, so we closed the gate and focused on getting them to play near each other by the gate and feeding them treats together.

I think things are going well but I worry that by spraying them with water yesterday, we might have discouraged them from playing? How should we proceed here? I would eventually like to get to a point where they can be comfortable in the same room together.

Also, I feel like NC thinks our bedroom is her territory and outside is OC's territory. We want to break this boundary. We want them both to think of the whole house as a shared territory not divy up the house amongst themselves!
 
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Hissing* not "missing"! Not sure how to edit my post...
 

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You most likely had what I guess I'll call the investigatory walk (maybe there is a better name) and not a stalk, because cats dont usually stalk cats they hate or are afraid of -- I mostly see stalking for play or dominance. Anyway, the investigatory walk is slow and focused, head straight ahead, but there is no tensing or wiggling of the butt, and they dont stop and get into the coiled spring position when they get close. Its more cautious than sneaky, although it can look a little sneaky. If a cat wants to attack another cat with hostility, its usually a straight charge as far as I've seen.

The investigatory walk is super common. My 4 year old, for example, was super curious about the new kitten even when he was hissing. He had to know what she was doing in his house, so he would do the walk up to her and hiss. I could tell he was never truly hostile about it, and they were friends within 1-2 weeks.

If one is coming up to the other in the investigatory walk pose, you can afford to wait and see what happens. Is he going to try and sniff? Play? Or just get close, pause and hiss. All are possible, and we also need to know how he will react to getting hissed at by the cat he is approaching.

Since you've been at the intro for 3 weeks and need to make a decision on leaving them both with the cat sitter or splitting them as you are currently planning, I'd let them do their thing tonight while you are in the room. I don't think they will fight, but even if they do, you have a built in reset planned. I still think there is a decent chance you can leave them both with the cat sitter, but I wouldn't do that without say three days fully together and no problems worse than hissing going on.
 
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You most likely had what I guess I'll call the investigatory walk (maybe there is a better name) and not a stalk, because cats dont usually stalk cats they hate or are afraid of -- I mostly see stalking for play or dominance. Anyway, the investigatory walk is slow and focused, head straight ahead, but there is no tensing or wiggling of the butt, and they dont stop and get into the coiled spring position when they get close. Its more cautious than sneaky, although it can look a little sneaky. If a cat wants to attack another cat with hostility, its usually a straight charge as far as I've seen.

The investigatory walk is super common. My 4 year old, for example, was super curious about the new kitten even when he was hissing. He had to know what she was doing in his house, so he would do the walk up to her and hiss. I could tell he was never truly hostile about it, and they were friends within 1-2 weeks.

If one is coming up to the other in the investigatory walk pose, you can afford to wait and see what happens. Is he going to try and sniff? Play? Or just get close, pause and hiss. All are possible, and we also need to know how he will react to getting hissed at by the cat he is approaching.

Since you've been at the intro for 3 weeks and need to make a decision on leaving them both with the cat sitter or splitting them as you are currently planning, I'd let them do their thing tonight while you are in the room. I don't think they will fight, but even if they do, you have a built in reset planned. I still think there is a decent chance you can leave them both with the cat sitter, but I wouldn't do that without say three days fully together and no problems worse than hissing going on.
Yes, NC (new cat) was very much focused as she stalled OC (old cat)! Which is I think what freaked me out because to me it felt like she was hunting her. She did spring straight and attack her at the gate over the weekend and there was a lot of hissing then, which wasn't present yesterday so maybe it wasn't the same thing as before.

OC usually stays away from NC when they're in the same room but she does get curious and sit by the gate to watch her from time to time. She doesn't even move lately when NC hisses at her through the gate, which I think is a good sign?

I'm still not comfortable leaving them alone together for one whole week, to be honest, so unless they get really attached over the next week, I think I'm going to separate them while I'm away anyway.
 

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Yeah, I agree with you that the behavior at the gate wasn't great. Sometimes cats will do a little charge/swat that is a backoff signal rather than true hostility, but probably its overly optimistic to count on it being that. Well, maybe going slow here is for the best. Just too bad you'll lose progress when you go, but at least you have experience with how they act and can better put everything in context when you come back and resume.
 
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