Hi, all! It's been a while since I last posted here, but I recently adopted a new cat, and am in need of some advice on cat introductions.
My resident cat is now about 7 years old, and pretty much as friendly and affectionate of a cat as they come; she's never shown any aggression toward humans, even when they approach her wearing another cat's scent. She was adopted when she was around 3, having gone from a household where she was one of two littermates to one in which she's the only cat. She's spayed and not declawed.
Ten days ago, I adopted a gorgeous new 18-month-old spayed female cat from the shelter. She's quite shy and skittish, but over time has grown to accept affection from her humans and to run around freely in the room we have designated for her. Like the RC, she's spayed and not declawed.
For the first six or seven days we kept them separated, apart from a few times we accidentally left the door to the room open and the RC snuck in to eat the new cat's food or use her litter. (We shooed her away each time we saw her doing so.) During that time, I placed a towel with the other cat's scent under each cat's food and water bowls. RC has not reacted aggressively to the presence of the other cat's scent in her space, and neither has NC to RC's scent.
The two first came face to face maybe three or four days ago, and there was a brief standoff in which they simply stared at each other for a few minutes while standing a foot or two apart before the NC ran off to hide. The first sign of aggression from the RC came a little bit later when she was perched on top of a scratching post and appeared to hiss or growl at the NC, who was standing beneath her.
Yesterday, I was in the NC's room when the RC entered, following me as she has always done. When the two cats saw each other, there was a standoff in which the NC would approach, back off, hide, and then repeat the process. During one approach, she probably got a tad too close to RC, who then hissed and swiped at her. Shortly thereafter, RC ran after NC and chased her under the bed, prompting me to scold her. After a few minutes, I shooed RC out of the room because NC wouldn't come out from under the bed while RC was present. The two interacted with each other through the door for a while, meowing but (thankfully) not hissing.
Neither cat has altered her potty, eating, or grooming habits, and when NC isn't present, RC is just as affectionate toward her humans as she has always been. I admit to having felt mild anxiety each time the two cats were in the same room, so was my nervous energy the reason for the confrontation, or was it just too soon for them to be introduced? Thanks in advance!
My resident cat is now about 7 years old, and pretty much as friendly and affectionate of a cat as they come; she's never shown any aggression toward humans, even when they approach her wearing another cat's scent. She was adopted when she was around 3, having gone from a household where she was one of two littermates to one in which she's the only cat. She's spayed and not declawed.
Ten days ago, I adopted a gorgeous new 18-month-old spayed female cat from the shelter. She's quite shy and skittish, but over time has grown to accept affection from her humans and to run around freely in the room we have designated for her. Like the RC, she's spayed and not declawed.
For the first six or seven days we kept them separated, apart from a few times we accidentally left the door to the room open and the RC snuck in to eat the new cat's food or use her litter. (We shooed her away each time we saw her doing so.) During that time, I placed a towel with the other cat's scent under each cat's food and water bowls. RC has not reacted aggressively to the presence of the other cat's scent in her space, and neither has NC to RC's scent.
The two first came face to face maybe three or four days ago, and there was a brief standoff in which they simply stared at each other for a few minutes while standing a foot or two apart before the NC ran off to hide. The first sign of aggression from the RC came a little bit later when she was perched on top of a scratching post and appeared to hiss or growl at the NC, who was standing beneath her.
Yesterday, I was in the NC's room when the RC entered, following me as she has always done. When the two cats saw each other, there was a standoff in which the NC would approach, back off, hide, and then repeat the process. During one approach, she probably got a tad too close to RC, who then hissed and swiped at her. Shortly thereafter, RC ran after NC and chased her under the bed, prompting me to scold her. After a few minutes, I shooed RC out of the room because NC wouldn't come out from under the bed while RC was present. The two interacted with each other through the door for a while, meowing but (thankfully) not hissing.
Neither cat has altered her potty, eating, or grooming habits, and when NC isn't present, RC is just as affectionate toward her humans as she has always been. I admit to having felt mild anxiety each time the two cats were in the same room, so was my nervous energy the reason for the confrontation, or was it just too soon for them to be introduced? Thanks in advance!
