How do I stop Ziti from focusing on the new Feral cat? and an Update on bringing Romeo inside

[crazeaboutcats]

So all those that helped, thank you. To briefly recap, we already have 4 (yes 4) indoor only kitties, one is very old (18) two brothers who are 3 and another one who is 2. Romeo showed up in September in our back yard by our screen porch yelling very loudly that he was hungry and me being a cat lover I began to feed him. I fed him every morning and evening and he never missed a meal. As the weather changed I started leaving the screened porch (which our cats LOVE to go out into) door open a crack so he could get out of the rain and gradually started moving his food bowl inside the screened porch. In the evenings he would look in on all us by the fire and scratch to come in. I began to give him treats and he just turned into this fuzzy little beast of love.

Long story short (you all know where this was going) December 2nd was the big day and I captured him and brought him to the vet for a clean bill (not with a bit of drama). As a TNR kitty he was already neutered so we had him tested, dewormed, nails trimmed, vaccinated and the works and I brought him home into our extra bedroom.

It's been a very long process and with the other cats we haven't had any mishaps yet. Romeo is quite a soul and very good using the kitty litter boxes and all. We have had many days one step forward and then weeks of one step backward but we are making a whole lot of progress.

I have followed all your suggestions and am now at an impasse.

He has free range of the house when one of the brothers, Ziti is locked up and is quite bold wandering the house. Our youngest one and him wrestle and race around like new found friends without one hiss or growl. Grandpa kitty just hisses and goes back to sleep and Gemeli is aloof, but insists on sleeping in his room every opportunity he gets.

So, the two final problems are that he is terrified of my husband who has been around cats forever, sometimes he will allow my husband to feed him, most the time he will go in his tube and not come out. He sleeps with us when I lock the other cats out, but only on my side. And he won't take snacks from him. And he really won't venture out of his room if my husband is home unless he is sitting quietly in the living room. My husband used to be able to give him snacks on the screened porch where he could sneak a pet. Any thoughts and suggestions?

Lastly and my BIGGEST concern is Ziti, who sits outside his door to ambush him (I don't let that happen) and if Romeo is in the hallway, Ziti is all claws and chases after him. He focuses all his cat attention on him. We all have had the play sessions with the wand and fuzzy thing and everyone engages but him. They have had a couple of nose to nose sniffs before he starts hissing and I have to be there every moment or have them separated or Ziti will try to chase Romeo. Romeo is not aggressive and is afraid of Ziti, running away if Ziti even looks at him. I have never left those two together for fear of what Ziti will do. I have tried a screen, playing, snacks etc and I need to figure out how to break Ziti of his almost pshycotic  concentration and focus on Romeo.

Romeo has come soooooo far, sitting in my lap, loving to be brushed, watching me get ready for work in the morning in the bathroom and playing the dental floss game and playing with Ronzoni.

Please tell me what I can do to get past these last two obstacles! I am not as worried about him being afraid of my husband as I am of him being hurt or attacked by Ziti.

Romeo says thanks again for all your help!

 

[shadowsrescue]

What type of introductions did you do?  The usual process involves feeding the cats on either side of a door, then either side of a covered gate, then uncovering the gate and moving forward.  Food is often a great motivator.  Do you have any Feliway diffusers?  Also composure calming treats or composure liquid max help.

It may take a long time for Ziti and Romeo.  When I brought a feral/stray cat into my home almost 3 years ago, it took one solid year for my resident cat to accept him.  Then the tables turned and the feral/stray was aggressive.  It took a long time with lots of work and lots of patience.  One trick that helped me was to put my resident cat in a large dog cage.  I then covered it on 3 sides with a sheet.  I gave plain cooked chicken to them both.  There was lots of sniffing.  I kept the interactions very very short.  At first just a minute or two working up to over 5minutes.  I did this at least 3x a day.  It really helped.  I made sure to end each session on a positive note.  Thus keeping the sessions very short.  Lots of rewards and cuddles for both after. 

So what happens if Ziti chases Romeo?  Is is possible it is just a chase and not going to end up in a fight?  Being cautious is good, but sometimes you need to know what will happen.  If Ziti is chasing to start an all out battle, you do not want that to happen, but if Ziti is just chasing to let Romeo know he is top kitty then that is ok. 

As for your husband, my former feral is still spooked by my husbands loud foot steps.  We started with having my DH sit on the floor and feed him special yummy treats.  He loved chicken or canned tuna.  Food is a great motivator. 

You never know if Romeo had a bad scene with a man.  In time I bet he will be better, but for now I would focus on him adjusting to his new home and the other cats.

This is all a slow process.  It can be frustrating and cause tears of anger and tears of joy.  I thought my two would never ever learn to live in harmony.  Now they are buddies and it was so worth the effort.  I also learned that my emotions play a huge role.  I was so uptight and always wondering where the cats were.  The cats picked up on my angst and also felt on edge.  Once I calmed myself, things began to change.

 

[crazeaboutcats]

Yes to all those things, Felaway, snacks by the door, play distracted by the wand toy....one huge problem is Ziti is not food motivate...doesn't care for snacks, treats, tuna or chicken, just kibble. So the feeding introduction has panned out. I have tried the 10 second sniffs at the door, playing with the wand as a distraction, sitting on the floor as a barrier, playing under the door, a screen seperating them...

Good point though about what are Ziti's intentions, I think he wants war, and of course Romeo runs to save his skin which further fuels Ziti's pursuit.

Like I said, everybody is great with him, playing and romping, no hissing and joint snacks, Ziti is just being the bear!

They are all part Siamese and him particularily so, hence the sniffing and snorting really loud, a howling meow and an intense stare.

I will keep at, we are sooooo close. Any more suggestions are only appreciated.

Thanks for your wisdom and good words!