Introducing 2 new "pee-er" cats to a multi-cat household

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white cat lover

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Hi Pam! :wavey: I'd love any suggestions you may have to make this work.

I have a very large cat family - and recently ended up with 2 more cats due to a family situation. All are S/N.

My feline family includes:
Lola - 3 y/o seizure kitty
Gumby - 3 y/o former feral, very skittish & sometimes an aggressor towards other cats
Dorian Grey - 8 y/o lovebug known as "Uncle Dory", a doting type
Fafeena - 18 y/o former farm cat
Cow - 9 y/o w/ heart issues
Lucy - 13? y/o w/ somewhat "feral" tendencies - doesn't want to be touched, runs from me - has only been w/ me since Jan
Sophie - 9 y/o pure Himi (declawed)
Sheaba - 13-14 y/o foster kitty, growls when she sees other cats & avoids them, but non-aggressive (declawed)

Believe it or not, other than two of the cats they all get along very well. Sheaba growls when other cats approach her, which causes Gumby to run her down & "attack". So the two are closely supervised, with plenty of 'escape' places for Sheaba. I keep hoping I can find a rescue to take Sheaba in or an adoptive home soon.

The two newbies are Hugo & Holden, a pair of 4 y/o (declawed) brothers. They've had issues in the past with inappropriate urination. They have had dozens of urinalysis done, and were briefly on Amitriptyline (they were taken off after negative side effects). They've never lived with other cats besides each other. They pretty much always peed on soft things. They've peed on a couch, blankets, rugs, a bed (and the bedding on it). They had automatic litterboxes, which I dislike. They have been allowed to keep one of their automatic boxes, however have 2 additional litterboxes. One of which has Cat Attract litter in it.

I have had them for about a month now, perhaps a little more. They started off in a large bedroom with cat trees, toys, etc. They now have access to both bedrooms upstairs, with a screen door between them & the rest of my kitties. They are becoming accustomed to seeing the other cats & my small dog. They do still hiss some should another cat slip upstairs. They have had access to my bed & bedroom for 2 weeks. They have yet to pee anywhere but a cat box in my house. :) For the first two weeks I kept all blankets picked up in the bedroom they were in, so as to not have any problems. They have a Feliway diffuser going for them, too.

Can you offer any suggestions on how to integrate them into the house hold, without hopefully causing any 'out of the box' moments? I'm in no hurry to introduce them to the rest of their new feline family. They, however, run down the stairs sometimes if they get a chance. They are becoming more & more "door darters" as time goes by.
 

johnson-bennett

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I'm glad to hear that you're not in a rush because this intro will take time. You have two newcomers in the home who already come with a history of inappropriate elimination so you need to get that taken care of before attempting the actual introduction to your other cat family.

I would recommend getting rid of the automatic litter box. Just set up a couple of open, large litter boxes for the cats. Make getting to and using the box as convenient and appealing as possible. I would also suggest putting Cat Attract litter in at least one of the boxes. This is a litter created by a veterinarian and it contains herbs that are known to entice cats. Make sure the litter boxes are in open areas where one cat wouldn't feel confined or trapped.

When you the start the actual introduction, because you have a large cat family, I would suggest doing it one or two cats at a time. Don't overwhelm the newcomers. Pick a couple of your resident cats who you feel will be most receptive and friendly. Then, here's my cat introduction technique. I also use a special sock technique where I rub one cat around the mouth with a sock and leave it in another cat's area so they can become familiar with the pheromones.

One thing to keep in mind as you go through this is that when you add the two cats to your cat family it can change the current relationships they already have. You mentioned Sheaba who doesn't like other cats and tends to growl. She's up there in age so you have to watch the degree of stress you put her through (and all the cats, really). Pay very close attention to how the dynamics change with the integration of two more cats because it may end up not being a good thing.

Good luck!

Pam Johnson-Bennett, CCBC

www.catbehaviorassociates.com
 
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