I have three resident cats. A bonded pair of young females (The Kittens, even though they're 1.5yrs), and an adult male, roughly 4 years (Ori). A new young adult male (2ish years) cat showed up on Halloween. He's been dubbed Fruit Loop. He was neutered at the end of December. House is full of Feliway diffusers and both cats in question wear the purple pheromone collars.
Introductions have stalled. Fruit Loop okay with the kittens, though he doesn't understand the concept of "play fighting" yet - Coming from outside, all fighting was real fighting, and as such when one of the girls initiates play wrestling he tends to turn it into a real fight. Luckily, the kittens are submissive and will generally detangle and just avoid him (though they will come to groom or lay with him). Fruit Loop likes them. The kittens generally would rather hang out with each other anyways, so they're fine leaving Loop to his own devices and letting him adjust.
The problem is Ori. He's always been a more dominant cat but he's also a coward and that comes out as aggression. Loop also likes Ori, and wants to meet him. I will put Fruit Loop on a harness and bring him out in my lap for meetings. As long as it's Ori approaching Fruit Loop, it goes fine. Ori will approach, sniff noses. He will lay within paw's reach and sleep. However, as soon as Fruit Loop goes to approach Ori - Or even shift in his direction - Ori loses it, usually hisses pretty nastily and sometimes swats, and then bolts. (One time he laid in my lap and quite literally laid on Fruit Loop, so Loop went to groom him like a nice cat.... Boy did that make Ori angry). Ori is only okay with it if he is the one dictating the interaction. Which is what I was going for initially to let him get over his fear, but progress has more or less stopped.
Honestly, I would be fine with that and letting him warm up on his own and letting the cats free, but the hiss/swat/bolt kind of flips Fruit Loop's switch into tussle mode, and he will bolt after Ori and if he catches up it's a bit of a fight and that sets us WAY back. That's why Fruit Loop is on a harness and lead. I'm also a little worried that once off the harness, Fruit Loop will try to approach Ori because he wants to meet him and will trigger these situations.
He hates his harness and is a little bit cranky on it. Plus, after the initial sniff, Ori tends to just stay away and lurk from a bit of distance, which doesn't get us anywhere. I can't keep trying with the harness - I can't babysit them all day, Fruit Loop gets agitated after being in it for so long - It isn't sustainable. I'm not sure where to go from here though. We're so close to him being a free cat. A big kennel in the living room so he can be down here but firmly separated? A pack and play with a lid? Ori needs to get accustomed to him and ease his fear, but I need a better way to do it than the harness. Poor Fruit Loop is locked away in his own room all day and I feel terribly about it. I want them to be loose!
Other relevant info - There's plenty of resources (litter box, water). They are all fed separately in different rooms. No litter boxes are in an area that a cat can guard them or harass any other cats. This house is pretty big, and it's entirely catered to the cats. We even have wall mounted furniture. So there's plenty of space, resources, high and low spots for them.
Introductions have stalled. Fruit Loop okay with the kittens, though he doesn't understand the concept of "play fighting" yet - Coming from outside, all fighting was real fighting, and as such when one of the girls initiates play wrestling he tends to turn it into a real fight. Luckily, the kittens are submissive and will generally detangle and just avoid him (though they will come to groom or lay with him). Fruit Loop likes them. The kittens generally would rather hang out with each other anyways, so they're fine leaving Loop to his own devices and letting him adjust.
The problem is Ori. He's always been a more dominant cat but he's also a coward and that comes out as aggression. Loop also likes Ori, and wants to meet him. I will put Fruit Loop on a harness and bring him out in my lap for meetings. As long as it's Ori approaching Fruit Loop, it goes fine. Ori will approach, sniff noses. He will lay within paw's reach and sleep. However, as soon as Fruit Loop goes to approach Ori - Or even shift in his direction - Ori loses it, usually hisses pretty nastily and sometimes swats, and then bolts. (One time he laid in my lap and quite literally laid on Fruit Loop, so Loop went to groom him like a nice cat.... Boy did that make Ori angry). Ori is only okay with it if he is the one dictating the interaction. Which is what I was going for initially to let him get over his fear, but progress has more or less stopped.
Honestly, I would be fine with that and letting him warm up on his own and letting the cats free, but the hiss/swat/bolt kind of flips Fruit Loop's switch into tussle mode, and he will bolt after Ori and if he catches up it's a bit of a fight and that sets us WAY back. That's why Fruit Loop is on a harness and lead. I'm also a little worried that once off the harness, Fruit Loop will try to approach Ori because he wants to meet him and will trigger these situations.
He hates his harness and is a little bit cranky on it. Plus, after the initial sniff, Ori tends to just stay away and lurk from a bit of distance, which doesn't get us anywhere. I can't keep trying with the harness - I can't babysit them all day, Fruit Loop gets agitated after being in it for so long - It isn't sustainable. I'm not sure where to go from here though. We're so close to him being a free cat. A big kennel in the living room so he can be down here but firmly separated? A pack and play with a lid? Ori needs to get accustomed to him and ease his fear, but I need a better way to do it than the harness. Poor Fruit Loop is locked away in his own room all day and I feel terribly about it. I want them to be loose!
Other relevant info - There's plenty of resources (litter box, water). They are all fed separately in different rooms. No litter boxes are in an area that a cat can guard them or harass any other cats. This house is pretty big, and it's entirely catered to the cats. We even have wall mounted furniture. So there's plenty of space, resources, high and low spots for them.
