HELP! introduced cats WAY too early!!

bengalslove

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I have a 7 month old bengal cat who is a unfixed male, he would hide or sleep whenever I wasnt home, mind you this was even when my family-who he is familiar with- was still home, he was not alone, he would finally come out when i came back home. i was worried he had separation anxiety and needed a companion, i also always wanted more cats in the future so i adopted his sister from the same litter who was unlike him, socialized to both cats and dogs. she is fixed. i didnt know where to to about the introduction because i keep him in my bedroom, as my family doesnt take care of the cat, he is mine so i feed him, bathe him, etc. and they dont want any feline odor in their bedrooms or in the house, therefore i was planning on keeping this new kitty, his sister, in my bedroom as well. when i first brought her in, in my arms, he looked fine so i assumed he didnt care or mind it, but when i got closer with her he smelled then hissed and swatted her and became aggressive with me. i did not expect this as i have taken him in his cat backpack carrier and we have been in close proximity with dogs and cats, but im guessing this is a territorial thing. i feel awful, they have been seperated 4 days now but whenever she would come up to my door he would hiss and growl. i tried feeding him when she came up to the door yesterday and he ate the food just fine, i didnt hear any aggressiveness. today they saw each other through a gate just to figure out if they have calmed down yet or not, and she was the first to hiss at him which is unfortunate because initially she was the calmer one used to cats already. he kept trying to move the gate and go out there to her which i had no idea what his intentions are or what he was trying to do. now they both hiss and growl at each other. i take a few times out of my day to leave the bedroom and go feed her/play with her in the kitchen, she seems to like me the most out of my family for some odd reason, even though i probably see her the least. she is super sweet and purrs whenever i pet her but when i leave her she follows me and meows, whereas if i dont go in the bedroom quickly enough after leaving, my male resident cat starts to meow for me as well. no one is willing to keep them in their bedrooms as i said, and i feel awful neglecting one or the other. i will be moving across the country 2,000 miles in a month and will be taking both on the plane. i am
hoping they at least tolerate each other by then but have no idea what to do, i am terrified of a fight occurring since there is so much furniture like couches they can go under where i lack control. i am thinking of neutering him this week, as it seems there are more pros than cons. he will have to wear a cone for 10 days which makes me question if that is the safest time to allow them to meet, when he has the cone and cant do as much damage. shes the same exact age, as she is from his litter, but much smaller in size. PLEASE help me out, whats the quickest or smartest way to go about this? doing the traditional slow method isnt working and it is very hard to care for both animals in a situation like this. i will be moving out alone with the cats into a studio, where they can no longer avoid each other.
 
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bengalslove

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Also, they have separate litter boxes and food bowls, she is in the kitchen momentarily.
 

rubysmama

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Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry though for the situation that brought you here. It's not uncommon, though, for cats, even litter mate kittens, to not get along once they've been separated, then re-united.

I think, getting the male neutered could help the situation. For one, it will (after a few weeks) get the hormones from his system that might be affecting his behaviour. Then once he's back from the vet, you can try the introductions again.

What about the female kitten? Is she spayed? If not, if you can, maybe get her spayed at the same time.

Then, if you can, try to keep them separated, and restart the introductions.

Here's a couple TCS articles with more info:
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction – TheCatSite Articles
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles
 

abyeb

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It’s common for cats to need to be re-introduced after they have been separated for a while- sometimes this even happens when one cat is returning from the vet’s (due to the different smells)! The articles Rubysmama posted are excellent resources, I would recommend looking over those. And I think getting him neutered will certainly help. Check out this article: Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats – TheCatSite Articles

Above all, patience is key during cat intros. It can take a while, but eventually it will work out.:hugs:
 
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bengalslove

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Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry though for the situation that brought you here. It's not uncommon, though, for cats, even litter mate kittens, to not get along once they've been separated, then re-united.

I think, getting the male neutered could help the situation. For one, it will (after a few weeks) get the hormones from his system that might be affecting his behaviour. Then once he's back from the vet, you can try the introductions again.

What about the female kitten? Is she spayed? If not, if you can, maybe get her spayed at the same time.

Then, if you can, try to keep them separated, and restart the introductions.

Here's a couple TCS articles with more info:
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction – TheCatSite Articles
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles
yea! she is spayed. okay thanks ill neuter him this week.
 

rubysmama

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yea! she is spayed. okay thanks ill neuter him this week.
When you bring him home from the vet, that will be a good opportunity to re-start the introductions, and hopefully they'll eventually become best buds. :catlove:
 
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bengalslove

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When you bring him home from the vet, that will be a good opportunity to re-start the introductions, and hopefully they'll eventually become best buds. :catlove:
thanks so much (: do you have any advice for something i should do to ensure this or maybe something i should avoid?
 

rubysmama

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One thing cat parents sometimes do, when one cat has a vet appointment and the other doesn't is take both cats to the appointment, so that they both come home from the vet smelling the same. With Covid, I'm sure that is no longer possible, but maybe when you go to pick him up, you could put the female kitten in her carrier and bring her along for the ride. Then, at least, when you get home, both will be entering the house at the same time, and that *might* cause a bit of a bonding thing for them. No guarantee of it working, but it might be worth trying.

Another idea, to get them to smell the same, is to put a drop of vanilla extract on each of them. Here's a link with more info: Ode to vanilla extract | TheCatSite

Those are just a couple ideas, and neither may work. In that case, you will probably need to totally keep them separated, and start the introductions all over, as if they had never met before.

Good luck. Keep us posted.
 
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bengalslove

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One thing cat parents sometimes do, when one cat has a vet appointment and the other doesn't is take both cats to the appointment, so that they both come home from the vet smelling the same. With Covid, I'm sure that is no longer possible, but maybe when you go to pick him up, you could put the female kitten in her carrier and bring her along for the ride. Then, at least, when you get home, both will be entering the house at the same time, and that *might* cause a bit of a bonding thing for them. No guarantee of it working, but it might be worth trying.

Another idea, to get them to smell the same, is to put a drop of vanilla extract on each of them. Here's a link with more info: Ode to vanilla extract | TheCatSite

Those are just a couple ideas, and neither may work. In that case, you will probably need to totally keep them separated, and start the introductions all over, as if they had never met before.

Good luck. Keep us posted.
i have recently introduced them because i started slowly allowing them see each other through a gate and now they can be in the same room together they dont fight and are calm, now im worried neutering him will ruin the progress
 

cataholic07

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i have recently introduced them because i started slowly allowing them see each other through a gate and now they can be in the same room together they dont fight and are calm, now im worried neutering him will ruin the progress

No its important to get him neutered. Just when he gets neutered put him in a room immediately after coming home from the vet to let him destress. Get a fresh towel, rub all over the girl and then rub it over him :) It might be best to wait until he's fully aware before letting her in. When my boy Jethro went to the vet for a dental cleaning, I put him in a room and rubbed the other cat's scent on him. But Ceriah was freaked out because he was a bit unbalanced and he smelled really strange. So maybe get one of those pet wipes and really wipe him down and then use the scent towel :)
 
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bengalslove

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No its important to get him neutered. Just when he gets neutered put him in a room immediately after coming home from the vet to let him destress. Get a fresh towel, rub all over the girl and then rub it over him :) It might be best to wait until he's fully aware before letting her in. When my boy Jethro went to the vet for a dental cleaning, I put him in a room and rubbed the other cat's scent on him. But Ceriah was freaked out because he was a bit unbalanced and he smelled really strange. So maybe get one of those pet wipes and really wipe him down and then use the scent towel :)
okay ill try that thank you
 
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bengalslove

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my resident cat and new cat always play fight but he starts to get on her nerves after a while and it makes her aggressive, it seems he just enjoys annoying her instead of sleeping or looking out the window etc.
 
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