Introducing new cat to young Siamese - looking for advice

[andromedagalaxy]

So I've got a six-month old fixed Siamese male and recently decided to add another cat to the household to keep him company. The new cat is a two-year old rescue, also male, also fixed, super friendly and laid back, very good with other cats and relatively playful. The Siamese is a typical Siamese, very friendly, super attached to me, and always busy. That said, our introduction seems to be taking a long time and I would love to know if there's anything else I can be doing, or if there are things I can change to make this go easier for all of us. 

Before I brought the new cat in, I did a lot of research--Pam Johnson-Bennett, etc--and followed all the steps, keeping the new cat in a separate room, swapping scents and then spaces, feeding near each other, etc. No problems there at all. But whenever they interact, the Siamese rushes the new cat and starts wrestling really hard, to the point that the new cat, who initially goes along with it, gets upset and tries to go away. I always split them up when this happens, but it happens like clockwork. No problems when one of them is in the carrier and the other is roaming around--the free cat with roll around nearby and the other will just watch. No spraying, peeing/pooping outside the box, scratching where they shouldn't, etc.--they even use the same litter boxes (when in the other's room) without a second thought. I have Feliway diffusers in multiple rooms and have tried giving them both those calming treats once or twice a days. They are still separate pretty much all the time. I thought maybe the Siamese was jealous, so I make sure to spend lots of time with him--pretty much as much as before, which was a lot, since the new cat is settling in well and is way more independent when it comes to human interaction. It's been two weeks. Should I just keep on doing what I'm doing? Is this a Siamese thing? I don't expect them to be best friends, but I would like to be able to have them in the same room without the Siamese constantly harassing the new guy. Is this normal? Any tips?

Thanks!

 

[andromedagalaxy]

I should add--though my apartment is fairly small there is a lot of cat friendly furniture. I have a multi-level cat tree in one room, cat shelves going up the back of the door in another (with a view of the other tree when the door's open), a cardboard scratch lounger, multiple scratching posts, lots of toys, etc. So in terms of territory and available fun stuff, they are pretty spoiled.

Also, neither one of them cares about catnip, and the kitten is not food-motivated at all, so I'm fairly limited when it comes to bribes.

 

[krate]

This is normal. I'd say keep your new cat in a separate room but also let them visit your Siamese. If they start fighting break them off immediately. Gradually they'll become friends.

 

[talkingpeanut]

So, two weeks is almost no time at all in the world of cat introductions.  I think you need to go back a few steps and separate them again.  Were you having no reaction at all when they were eating on opposite sides of a door?  What about when they could see each other?

The key is to move only at the pace that your cats dictate, and I think this was a bit rushed.

Your new cat needs time to wander around his new home uninterrupted.  He should spend most of his time in his safe room, getting comfortable and letting your first cat adjust, but he also needs time to explore while your first cat is confined.

Once they both get more comfortable and increase their confidence you'll be in a much better place for face to face time.

 

[andromedagalaxy]

Thanks! This is very helpful. I'll go back a few steps and give them a bit more separate time to adjust. They're okay when eating near each other--no reaction from the new cat at all, and if the kitten gets distracted or stops eating I just redirect him with a wand toy so he's still having fun nearby. Both of them can fit through the gaps of the gate I currently have  so I put a blanket over it, limiting their ability to look at each other to about two or three inches under the gate. I'll get a new gate with smaller holes so progressing slower--with time to look at each other while eating--will be easier to do.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

That sounds like a good plan!  Please let us know how it goes! 

 

[siruh]

You must be patient with cat introductions. Jackson Galaxy posted a youtube vid about it - check it out.
Some cats take months to warm up to the new household - so just be patient! It'll work out eventually [emoji]128568[/emoji]

 

[andromedagalaxy]

Thanks for the advice everyone I dialled things down again and am keeping them separate. They've started playing under the door together, which is good, and actually really like being able to look at each other as long as the gate is in place. Here are a few other things that seem to be working:

- first thing in the morning, when they wake up, I swap the cats' rooms while I'm getting their food together. This seems to help the kitten especially remember that he knows the new cat and that he doesn't need to be a total maniac about it,

- I've been giving each of them one composure treat each twice a day, smashed up in their wet food.

- One thing that (bizarrely) seems to be working for them is for me to put the kitten in their carrier (large Sherpa with mesh on three sides, which I leave out most of the time and which both of them love to sleep and play in) in the middle of the living room for about 15 or 20 minutes after a big play session, while the new cat wanders around (or, more often, just sleeps in the sun). Sometimes the new cat lies down beside him or nose-bumps him through the mesh. I throw the kitten a few treats and he just lies down and relaxes for a while. Then I split them up again.

Anyway, just wanted to update you. Thanks again!

 

[talkingpeanut]

It sounds like you're making great progress! Congratulations on the excellent work.

 

[andromedagalaxy]

Hi everyone - just wanted to pop in with an update. It's been a little over six weeks since I brought Cat #2 home and they're best buddies now. I followed your advice on keeping them totally separate for about a week longer, and then slowly introduced them to each other over the next week or so--first with a gate instead of the door, then supervised for short periods, then out together whenever I was home, and so on, all the while switching them into each other's part of the house, back and forth. One thing that really seemed to help was an aerosol can of compressed air--the very first time I let them out together, the kitten dove on Cat #2, and when Cat #2 started looking annoyed, I gave the can a quick blast, which would spook them apart. I only had to do this a few times before the kitten smartened up. I think he thought the noise was Cat #2's really loud and super scary hiss! I wouldn't recommend this strategy for everyone, but it worked here because no one was being aggressive, fearful or territorial--the kitten just wanted to play HARD and didn't cotton on at first that the new guy wasn't having that.

Anyway, for the past three weeks or so, they've been together full time with no problems. Nobody's peed/marked, scratched or fought, and though they have kind of split up the house into "territories", they hang out and cuddle and lick each other a lot. Both of them have been very chill and content. So I'm happy!

That said, I really did luck out in some ways. Kitten is and has always been an extremely social and curious cat, which really helps. The other thing--and maybe I'm projecting here--is that Cat #2 was born into a cat hoarding situation where he spent the first year or so of his life, and then, once rescued, went to live in a foster home with several resident cats. So I think when it comes to sharing territory/entering new territory and dealing with new or awkward cats, he's probably seen it all. Through this whole process, he's been cool as a cucumber. 

I wanted to say thanks for the encouragement and advice - this forum is a great resource and I'm grateful for the help! 

 

[mani]

Excellent news!!  Thank you for letting us know.