My Husband and I are at somewhat of a disagreement on whether or not one cat hissing at another is bullying.
The reason: two weeks ago, we brought home a couple of cats that had been abandoned by their previous owner
. There names are Lizzie and Sam; around 7 years old, spayed/neutered, front declawed. Sam appears to be a Maine Coon (or part Maine Coon), and Lizzie is a domestic short hair. We are still learning the ins and outs of their personalities, and overall they seem to be nice cats. Sam is pretty laid back, not much seems to faze him. Lizzie is a bit on the cautious side, but likes to be petted.
Of course, we already had a cat, who's name is Bazinga. She's 2 1/2 years old, and has been with us (and our only cat) for the last two years. Hadn't been around any other felines since we brought her home from the shelter. So we took the precautions with introductions: Sam and Lizzie are in our spare bedroom with food, litter boxes, toys, a window with a view and regular visits from both humans residing in the house. At their own pace, the cats "discovered" one another through the gap beneath the bedroom door. Of course, Bazinga hissed at them nearly everytime she saw one or both beneath the door.
We have slowly initiated supervised face to face meetings. So far, no fights, nothing drastic. Only when either Sam or Lizzie physically get within a couple of feet of Bazinga will she hiss at them. Neither one of them seem interested in picking a fight with Bazinga. There is no fighting over or domination of food dishes and litter boxes. No one attempting to corner and/or attack one another. None of the usual signs of a cat being a bully.
I think Bazinga hissing is her way of telling Sam and Lizzie "don't invade my personal space!". Husband disagrees with me; he thinks that her hissing at them is bullying. And when he does hear Bazinga hissing at one or both of them, he whips out the water bottle to reprimand her - which I happen to disagree with!
Husband doesn't like the hissing because he feels it upsets Lizzie. The reason being is that the abandonment was very traumatic for Lizzie; not so much for Sam, though. He doesn't want her upset!
{their previous owner dumped them off in the dead of a cold night in front of a local vet clinic. It was at least two weeks before anyone could safely handle Sam, and Lizzie refused to let anyone touch her until the day Husband made the effort to 'connect' with her.}
I've done numerous internet searches regarding this, with unsatisfactory results. Something to make Husband realize that this type of hissing is expected as the cats are still getting used to one another. And that perhaps his intervention with the water bottle isn't helping?
Bazinga, by the way, is slowly become used to Sam and Lizzie's presence. Just this afternoon all three of them were lounging/napping under supervision in the living room for nearly 3 hours.
Any suggestions/ideas/advice on Husband and mine's disagreement are welcome, Thanks in advance!
The reason: two weeks ago, we brought home a couple of cats that had been abandoned by their previous owner
Of course, we already had a cat, who's name is Bazinga. She's 2 1/2 years old, and has been with us (and our only cat) for the last two years. Hadn't been around any other felines since we brought her home from the shelter. So we took the precautions with introductions: Sam and Lizzie are in our spare bedroom with food, litter boxes, toys, a window with a view and regular visits from both humans residing in the house. At their own pace, the cats "discovered" one another through the gap beneath the bedroom door. Of course, Bazinga hissed at them nearly everytime she saw one or both beneath the door.
We have slowly initiated supervised face to face meetings. So far, no fights, nothing drastic. Only when either Sam or Lizzie physically get within a couple of feet of Bazinga will she hiss at them. Neither one of them seem interested in picking a fight with Bazinga. There is no fighting over or domination of food dishes and litter boxes. No one attempting to corner and/or attack one another. None of the usual signs of a cat being a bully.
I think Bazinga hissing is her way of telling Sam and Lizzie "don't invade my personal space!". Husband disagrees with me; he thinks that her hissing at them is bullying. And when he does hear Bazinga hissing at one or both of them, he whips out the water bottle to reprimand her - which I happen to disagree with!
Husband doesn't like the hissing because he feels it upsets Lizzie. The reason being is that the abandonment was very traumatic for Lizzie; not so much for Sam, though. He doesn't want her upset!
{their previous owner dumped them off in the dead of a cold night in front of a local vet clinic. It was at least two weeks before anyone could safely handle Sam, and Lizzie refused to let anyone touch her until the day Husband made the effort to 'connect' with her.}
I've done numerous internet searches regarding this, with unsatisfactory results. Something to make Husband realize that this type of hissing is expected as the cats are still getting used to one another. And that perhaps his intervention with the water bottle isn't helping?
Bazinga, by the way, is slowly become used to Sam and Lizzie's presence. Just this afternoon all three of them were lounging/napping under supervision in the living room for nearly 3 hours.
Any suggestions/ideas/advice on Husband and mine's disagreement are welcome, Thanks in advance!
