Hows this introduction going? Need reassurance

[onirin]

My husband and I are going through our first cat introduction.  He thinks everything is going fine but I’m a little worried.  It might help if I get some other opinion to calm me down.

So first a little info about the cats.  The resident cat is Gypsy about 4 years old fixed female.  The New cat is Marble a 1 year old fixed female.  I do not know if they did well with cats before we adopted them but at the time for each adoption they were in rooms with other cats at the local shelter.

Week 1 we put Marble in the office, Gypsy never even saw her come in.

Week 2 we opened the door a crack with door stops.  Some hissing from Gypsy, but mostly she just sat and watched as Marble really wanted out.  At this point feeding was going fine, they were both close to the door.

Week 3 we set up and old dog fence so she could see each other but not reach one another.  Sometimes there is sniffing, sometimes there is hissing.  No growling yet.

Week 4 we opened the door to let them meet. The very first meeting went well with nose touches and walking away with no hissing.

Sounds great right? But here are the things that worry me.  Gypsy the resident cat is hissing at Marble almost 50% of the time she walks by, often there is a little swat.  Marble for the most part just dashes by, rarely does she go up to Gypsy.  Sometimes Gypsy chases after a hiss.  Sometimes she goes over just to hiss at Marble she is laying there minding her own business. There has not been any actual fighting or yowling. 

The strange part is they can play with the same wand toy near one another and they are fine.  They can eat next to each other and are fine.  Whenever there is no “distraction” though Gypsy tends to hiss.

Is this normal and will she eventually gets over it?  Maybe we are intervening too much when hissing happens and we need to let them figure it out?

I don’t mind slow progress, but every day feels like a step forward then a step back.

 

[losna]

Sounds great to me. I'm at over a year and my two still are blocked off from each other by gates. Others might have more insights though, I have the impression my situation is pretty unusual.

 I do think you rushed it a bit, but other than that it sounds like it's going well.

 

[Columbine]

I don't think you have any real worries here. Like losna , I think you may have rushed things a little, but it's sounds like you've got away with it in this case.

I think Gypsy's hissing etc is just her way of reminding Marble who's boss. As Marbles more settled and gains more confidence you should see matters between them level out. However, because things are still a little tentative between them, I would consider keeping them separated when you're not around, and maybe overnight. It's simply a precaution - just in case the hiss-swat-chase escalates into a fight. I'm a worrier, but I'd rather be available to diffuse tensions if necessary so early in their relationship.

I'm sure that in time they'll end up buddies. Their interactions remind me of my two when Asha (new girl) was getting to know Shadow (old boy). Asha's wariness has blossomed into full blown hero worship now - Shadow still reminds her who the senior cat is, and they don't snuggle together or groom each other, but they have great fun playing together too. We're 9 months in now, and they were fully comfortable and confident together by about month 5-6. Asha took a while to gain confidence around Shadow's assertiveness, and it sounds like Marble will be very similar.

 

[onirin]

I didn't realize i was going too fast. . I hope i didn't ruin things.

But yeah i never leave them alone. If they run off i go to see what's up.

Today Marble growled for the first time and Gypsy backed off. Not sure if that's a good thing.

 

[catlover73]

I currently have 4 cats.  It sounds like Gypsy may be trying to set boundaries with Marbles.  The fact that she backed off when Marbles reacted is a good sign.  I agree that it may still be a good idea to keep them separated when you are not home.

When you are home keep an eye on their interactions.  If nothing is going on besides hissing then I would let them sort it out.  However be prepared with a toy you can use to distract them if things change.

I took in a 6 week old kitten when I had two seniors. She was the one hissing in the beginning and would walk right up to my boys and smack them with her paw playfully. They did not react to her hissing and though.  When she got a little older she suddenly decided that the proper way to ask one of the boys to play was to chomp on his head. At first he just walked away and went up higher where she could not go.  When the behavior continued he decided to set some boundaries if she chomped on him he would pin her to the ground.  The first time he did this she acted like she was being murdered.  He was not doing anything to hurt her so we let them sort it out.  After a few seconds he got up and walked away and Starbuck learned that biting her brother was not an acceptable form of play.

My cats cats have their issues once in a while.  The only time I intervene is when Sonny gets a bug up his but and decides to chase Starbuck around like she is prey.  He does not try to hurt her if he gets close all he does is try to groom her.  For some reason she does not enjoy playing with him so we usually just pick her up so she is away from him.  If we tell Sonny to stop he usually does. Sonny can play with the other cats just fine. Sometimes Starbuck will decide she wants to play and pounce on Apollo while he is sleeping.  She gets mad when he walks away or ignores her and hisses at him.  

 

[cat nap]

@Onirin   I think you are doing really well.  The 'introduction' part is over, and now the cats are trying to establish their own 'order and placement in the house'.

It is really good that Marble growled, and Gypsy backed off, because both cats are learning from each other.  They are picking up on each other's cues, and communicating what they want, and don't want. 

I agree with 'catlover73'...if they are only hissing and growling, then I would let them work it out.  Still have a towel, or t-shirt, toy,  handy...if you need to for distraction...but for the most part it is sometimes difficult for us humans to know when and if to intervene.  If we intervene too quickly, then it scares the cats,...and they think that they did something wrong.  If we allow a fight to really happen, then we feel awful, but sometimes little fights are necessary to establish a mutual way to play with each other.  Usually, the fights are not real 'fur flying' and 'blood drawing', but sound so awful.

When the vocalizations escalate in pitch, and ears are laid back, crouched position, posturing, then yes, I do intervene...but if it's just hiss, some quick swats, tumble and roll...and the cats manage to come back into the same area again, then it's them play-fighting and establishing rules of the 'play-fight game'. 

I'm also wondering if your Gypsy, is using the hiss...as a way to get Marble to play.  Sometimes I wonder if some cats use the 'hiss'...instead of a friendly tap, to get more of a reaction from the other cat.  The 'meow' might be too soft, so the 'hiss' is a direct challenge.  I don't really know.  But I do also think like the other members mentioned, that as confidence builds in the cats, so will their trust, and you may see one cat take the lead, and then switch, and the other cat will take the lead.

 

[onirin]

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to update everyone on our two cats.

Thanks to everyone’s advice I calmed down a lot and decided to just let them paw at each other instead of jumping in to separate them.  I think they are working it out.  There was still hissing from the resident cat Gypsy, but as soon as shes moves away she turns around and does a but wiggle ready to run after Marble. When Gypsy does swat it’s so half hearted I don’t take it seriously.

Marble actually really wants to be around Gypsy.  Shes more like the annoying little sister, running back and forth.  Sometimes she will charge Gypsy and then quickly run away before ever pouncing her.  It’s like a silly game of catch me if you can.

 The other day Gypsy was up on the couch and Marble came up to sleep right next to her that they were slightly touching. We arnt ready to leave them alone in the house but we don’t follow them around anymore, instead we just keep an ear out for trouble.

I feel like I was more stressed and worried than the cats.  Once I calmed down they did too.  Thank you everyone!

 

[cat nap]

Thanks so much for your update!  I always find it helpful to know how the cats are getting on, and how they are doing at each stage of the introduction process. (I think I was a little confusing in my last post, because I meant the 'meet and greet' was over, but the 'introduction process' is a longer, continuous series of steps...which you are doing, anyhow, by still keeping an 'ear' out for trouble, and supervising and observing both your cats' interactions.)

The whole goal is to get them so relaxed, that neither cat sees the other one as a threat, and then they can share the Territory together.

You can try some extra 'scent swapping' by exchanging the blankets or cat beds that they use, and just observe Gypsy and Marble, to see if they react to the smells. If they don't like this, then begin with something small, like a small towel, or blanket with the opposite cat's smell on it. Usually, this is done before the initial meeting, but it might help lessen Gypsy's hissing.

Extra play sessions, like you mentioned with wand toys, would help them to relax more, too.

It really does sound like they are playing to me, from what you describe...and especially if Gypsy did not growl, or hiss while Marble came up to sleep right next to her. 

That is kind of impressive.