I have a one year old female who has been living with me in my studio apartment. We recently decided to take in another cat (male, 8 months) that needed a home, and Day 1 was yesterday. Because we are in a studio, my grandma let us borrow her big dog kennel that fits his litter box, food, sleep mat, and toys.
We first tried to just put him in the kitchen and have a baby gate separating him from the living area before trying kennel. My cat originally hid under the bed, but she later slowly came out and from a distance was watching him through the baby gate. I played with him, my boyfriend tried to play with our cat but she was too on edge. It was going great for quite a while, when the new cat suddenly jumped over the baby gate and went right after her. She went under the bed and there was a big loud fight down there she was running all around trying to go up the walls to escape and ended up on the nightstand with him hovering over her on the bed. She ended up pooping there too.
He wasn’t trying to be aggressive and wasn’t hissing at her or even running as fast, but she is just super super scared. So we got him in the kennel and put it in living area by front door hoping she’d calm down. Instead, she hid behind toilet most of the night and then under the bed. She wouldn’t even go to her food or litter box.
So this morning I moved him into the bathroom with door shut. He has all necessities with toys and a small cat tower/scratcher. I feel bad because I don’t want to keep him locked in the kennel all the time but the bathroom is only slightly better. As soon as I put him in the bathroom she started to come out from under the bed.
Is it bad of me to keep him in the bathroom anytime we are not home, and then when we are home either play with him in bathroom or try to barricade the place where we had baby gate so then he’d have bathroom and kitchen? Or what else do I do until my cat stops being so scared? I’ve heard it take a week or more for things to maybe get better but give me all the advice!!
We first tried to just put him in the kitchen and have a baby gate separating him from the living area before trying kennel. My cat originally hid under the bed, but she later slowly came out and from a distance was watching him through the baby gate. I played with him, my boyfriend tried to play with our cat but she was too on edge. It was going great for quite a while, when the new cat suddenly jumped over the baby gate and went right after her. She went under the bed and there was a big loud fight down there she was running all around trying to go up the walls to escape and ended up on the nightstand with him hovering over her on the bed. She ended up pooping there too.
He wasn’t trying to be aggressive and wasn’t hissing at her or even running as fast, but she is just super super scared. So we got him in the kennel and put it in living area by front door hoping she’d calm down. Instead, she hid behind toilet most of the night and then under the bed. She wouldn’t even go to her food or litter box.
So this morning I moved him into the bathroom with door shut. He has all necessities with toys and a small cat tower/scratcher. I feel bad because I don’t want to keep him locked in the kennel all the time but the bathroom is only slightly better. As soon as I put him in the bathroom she started to come out from under the bed.
Is it bad of me to keep him in the bathroom anytime we are not home, and then when we are home either play with him in bathroom or try to barricade the place where we had baby gate so then he’d have bathroom and kitchen? Or what else do I do until my cat stops being so scared? I’ve heard it take a week or more for things to maybe get better but give me all the advice!!
