introducing cats

[akoya]

I’m not sure if i’m in the right forum but i desperately need help with introducing my new cat and my old cat. i have a 7 year old female black cat named pepper that i’ve had for a quite awhile now. she is the calmest cat i have ever met and has shown no signs of aggression at all. i recently decided to get a new cat because i felt like she got bored often and i wanted her to have some other form of companionship. i decided to get a 13 year old male cat named zack who can be very independent and nonchalant at times and who also likes his personal space. i’ve had him now for about 2 weeks. i definitely feel like i’ve done everything wrong when it came to introducing them and that’s mainly because i was on somewhat of a time limit with the family i adopted him from. they were open to having a trial period but needed an answer on whether i would keep him or not days after i got him. due to that the introduction process was definitely rushed. it first started off with me not separating them quick enough and causing zack to hiss at pepper when she became curious and tried to sniff him. i think from then on pepper just associated everything involving him to be negative. i did separate them and gave pepper time to get used to her new room because she takes some time to get used to change. i also tried to give the zack time as well. i went through the whole process of introducing them to each others scents and helping them switch rooms. i even attempted to get them to eat behind closed doors together which did not work because again, pepper takes time to get used to change and could tell that he was on the other side. when they finally met each other there was of course some hissing and growling but i expected that. i did try to comfort and restrain pepper because she seemed to be the aggressor in the situation and the one who would most likely attack. which genuinely surprised me because as i previously stated, she has shown no signs of aggression at all. i think that is what aided zack in trusting her because as the days went by he was no longer hissing at her but she was still hissing at him. he paid it no mind and was always able to confidently walk past her even if she was hissing. it was difficult for me to show pepper that he meant no harm because he hadn’t gotten used to me as yet and would often run away when i tried to pet him. just for clarification all of this was within 4 or 5 days because again, i was on somewhat of a time limit. it has now been about almost 2 weeks since i’ve had him and there interactions haven’t really gotten better in my opinion. there is still some hissing from pepper and they’ve gotten into a couple of fights that i’ve had to separate. however, it has gotten to the point where they both can be in the same room for some time alone but that’s only if they’re not looking or interacting with each other. zack has also started making bird like noises towards my old cat which i’ve never heard before. i researched it and there were results saying that cats normally do it when they’re excited or when they want to say hello but he always does it after pepper hisses at him so i’m not sure how true that is. i definitely understand that they started off on the wrong foot and i didn’t go about it in the right way. i also understand that it sometimes takes cats months to get used to each other and a lot of time hasn’t passed by. but i am getting a bit discouraged and don’t really know where to go from here.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, you're beating yourself up way too much, because actually you, and the cats, are doing a whole lot more that's correct, I promise .

I honestly don't think I'd do much differently that what you have been. Time is your friend here, and also you may want to find a way to become more calm and relaxed about things because cats can detect our emotions to a very strong degree.

 

[catdad61]

I will give you the same advice I've given others while doing cat introductions. Throw away your clock and calendar, cats can't read either. . People will usually run out of patience before cats will. It will take as long as it takes. I know that sounds obvious, but it's easier said than done. There are things us humans can do to make the situation easier (diffusers, music, calming sprays, etc.) but ultimately it's up to the cats to set their boundaries and limits. There will most certainly be hissing, growling and swatting as they work it out, but most cats will eventually come to an understanding of each other. Try not to get discouraged and especially try not to get stressed, they will notice your stress and react to that. Patience is key.

 

[kakers]

You're doing just fine! Go as slow as they need but also understand hissing is totally normal when introducing new cats and the occasional fight isn't always a bad thing if they don't hurt each other and it helps them work out their boundaries. The important thing to look at after a fight is how quick they go back to normal. Keep an eye on their body language. If they act like their usual selves after a couple minutes that's a good thing. It may not feel like it but it sounds like the introduction is actually going fairly well. We have a new kitty and she and one of our resident cats are only just now how you describe your two and we've had her for over a month.

Of course keep an eye out for a pattern over any fights to see if there's anything you could do if it's something territorial or resource guarding. But it sounds like they're working it out for now.

 

[Alldara]

Give them some time away from one another with a closed door per day too. This allows them to fully relax.

You said it yourself, the process was rushed. Now you know it's possible to keep them together, you can just slow down and keep building those positive associations with one another.