Is this introduction going ok?

[Ladyrosee]

Hi! I've posted before about my kitties and the new one (Holly) she is finally eating in her safe spot: the closet. I have no clue how her life looked the first 6 months until she arrived in a lady's foster care in a bedroom for another almost year but I adopted her a week ago. She is terrified of everything which I expected and am fine with! She LOVES cats..more than humans. I just started letting her be able to leave her bedroom (my guest bedroom/foster cat bedroom) and she often will dart back into the closet but if she hears one of my cats she frantically looks for them. She has been hissed at a lot by my two and seems to understand (breaks my heart). My senior Lucky always comes around to cats he has met about 5 in his lifetime usually kittens but my husband and I moved in back then and he had an adult cat that just hid from Lucky and they worked out fine eventually. I've just never had a cat obsessed new cat and it makes me feel awful when shes hissed at it's been a week and she heard Lucky meowing and she trotted out of the bedroom over to him and they touched noses for a few seconds and he was smelling her and then hissed in her face and casually walked away. The night before they had a plastic panel between them blocking upstairs from downstairs. Lucky was wanting upstairs and Holly saw him while she was at the top of the steps and was rolling and making air biscuits and purring. Lucky was having his "sundowning" episode so he's usually nicer and he was just watching her and tried batting at her tail through the plastic panel. Then a few mins go by, he hisses once and goes back downstairs. He did growl at her days ago when she escaped her bedroom but he hasnt done that since.

Now my 2 year old Broccoli has never seen another cat besides Lucky and is just terrified of her but very intrigued. He is scared of everything though, guests, people in hats, sneezes, a sudden noise etc and will do the same look and dart away. He has seen her a lot between the plastic panels when shes upstairs and he will usually run when he gets a visual. The day she escaped the bedroom she darted down the stairs and dove under the couch. I think Broccoli thought she was chasing him so he spun out and ran off. He is jumpy of everything all the time even before she arrived. Lucky always seems to get I over himself but idk if Broccoli will at what point do I let her have free access of the house? Does it seem like it's going in a positive direction? I've never had to do this before really because it's only ever been Lucky meeting new cats. Broccoli loves Lucky though

 

[Mamanyt1953]

ActuaIIy, things seem to be going pretty weII. AIthough the ideaI is to manage introductions with no hissing, it rareIy ever happens. It seems as if Lucky is just reminding her that she is the "new guy," and as such, wiII respect him as Boss Cat. She knows exactIy what he is saying, and respects that. As for poor BroccoIi, he wiII probabIy, and with time, take his cue from Lucky, and sIowIy accept her. He'II watch the intereactions between his buddy and HoIIy, and reaIize over time, that she's not a bad roommate at aII.

 

[Ladyrosee]

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ActuaIIy, things seem to be going pretty weII. AIthough the ideaI is to manage introductions with no hissing, it rareIy ever happens. It seems as if Lucky is just reminding her that she is the "new guy," and as such, wiII respect him as Boss Cat. She knows exactIy what he is saying, and respects that. As for poor BroccoIi, he wiII probabIy, and with time, take his cue from Lucky, and sIowIy accept her. He'II watch the intereactions between his buddy and HoIIy, and reaIize over time, that she's not a bad roommate at aII.

Lucky get bullied by Broccoli sooo bad. Hisses at him all the time. It seems Broccoli is the dominant one. Sunny window spot? Broccoli will creep over by lucky and start grooming him or smelling his butt and Lucky gets irritated and moves away. Broccoli tries to seem innocent but I see what he does. When Lucky has had enough though and goes after Brococli it scares the crap out of him. Lucky has 4lbs on broccoli and is double Holly's weight too. Lucky has never attempted to be mean to Holly no swatting, charging or fluffed hair or ears flattened. I think you're right and he's giving her the scoop on what's up but the look on Holly's face is so confused I will attempt again to let her out around midnight when Broccoli is asleep with my husband and Lucky is sun downing and crying out for attention and company maybe he will be nicer to Holly. She hears him every night and she gets soooo concerned and is meowing at the door wanting out when I'm visiting her. I really hope that Broccoli accepts her because realistically.. once Lucky passes away it's not like I'm just never getting another cat until Broccoli passes.
Broccoli is doing much better though from January when I was fostering a feral tiny kitten. She was kept in the spare bedroom and I spent a good amount of time with her for a couple days then Broccoli got severely upset and stopped eating and got really sick. She was only at my house for like 4 days and I reached out to the shelter and they placed the kitten in a home with other kittens and she immediately warmed up to the foster parent. My husband cleaned out the spare room and Broccoli immediately ate once he realized she left. We are going on 8 days with Holly and 0 negative behavior or health change other than him being very spooked if he sees her and darts away but he immediately will turn around and play with me downstairs

Currently Broccolis favorite thing apparantely is sitting at the gate going up the stairs, seeing her at the top of the stairs , hissing and running down the stairs. My husband jokes that broccoli has a crush. I wish

 

[Ladyrosee]

Little update for the night. I introduced the wand to Holly and she's going nuts over it absolutely bonkers. Broccoli went upstairs and was probably 10ft from her no hissing just watching her play. He walked away after about 5 mins and went downstairs. Came back up and moved to her door way to watch her play more, I was taking turns with the wand and he was playing with it then her. Then my husband got behind broccoli and was watching and I think broccoli got over stimulated because he hissed and ran downstairs

 

[xlynnbbyx]

First off the orange kitty in your pic looks like my Scooter he has the same color pattern.

Like Mamanyt1953 said things are going well. When I first got Scooter I had 2 older cats a grey & white cat named Skeeter & a black cat named Salem. Salem had no issues with Scooter he was mostly outdoors only came in when it was raining, snowing, freezing or he wanted a good nap. Skeeter however would hiss at Scooter even though Scooter was only 3 weeks old. He was telling Scooter I don’t care that you are a baby but I am THE BOSS. Eventually he got use to Scooter and would protect him. Of course he got annoyed when Scooter jumped him to play. Scooter got use to Casper fast though he understood Casper was new and saw him as a brother. Now they happily play together. That is all Lucky is doing is reminding the kitty who is boss. Broccoli he has never seen another cat before so it’s all new to him. So he is not sure what to think especially since this kitty is a little lady. Plus if she has nervous and scared energy Broccoli is picking up on that too which makes him scared. Give both Lucky & Broccoli time they both will get use to Holly. Once she settles down fully they will all be happy and comfortable together.

 

[Ladyrosee]

First off the orange kitty in your pic looks like my Scooter he has the same color pattern.

Like Mamanyt1953 said things are going well. When I first got Scooter I had 2 older cats a grey & white cat named Skeeter & a black cat named Salem. Salem had no issues with Scooter he was mostly outdoors only came in when it was raining, snowing, freezing or he wanted a good nap. Skeeter however would hiss at Scooter even though Scooter was only 3 weeks old. He was telling Scooter I don’t care that you are a baby but I am THE BOSS. Eventually he got use to Scooter and would protect him. Of course he got annoyed when Scooter jumped him to play. Scooter got use to Casper fast though he understood Casper was new and saw him as a brother. Now they happily play together. That is all Lucky is doing is reminding the kitty who is boss. Broccoli he has never seen another cat before so it’s all new to him. So he is not sure what to think especially since this kitty is a little lady. Plus if she has nervous and scared energy Broccoli is picking up on that too which makes him scared. Give both Lucky & Broccoli time they both will get use to Holly. Once she settles down fully they will all be happy and comfortable together.

Holly is just so sweet and when she's hissed at she hides from Lucky. Earlier today she was in my husbands office under the couch and I was playing wand with her. Lucky went up to her face while she was under there and hissed a bunch.. sigh. I do agree on the energy though. Broccoli seeing her playing I think really helped his anxiety .. for today.

Just the uncalled for going out of luckys way to hiss at her is just so rude

 

[ArtNJ]

Broccoli is a little like tofu, it absorbs the flavors of the meal. I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but you already got good advice. Hissing at a new cat is how almost all cat friendships start, and a week is nothing. My current two are great buds and there was hissing for 4 days, which I considered short and wildly successful.

Good luck, and please dont ever name a cat kale, spinach or brussel sprouts. I'd have to report you . . . to someone.

 

[Ladyrosee]

Broccoli is a little like tofu, it absorbs the flavors of the meal. I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but you already got good advice. Hissing at a new cat is how almost all cat friendships start, and a week is nothing. My current two are great buds and there was hissing for 4 days, which I considered short and wildly successful.

Good luck, and please dont ever name a cat kale, spinach or brussel sprouts. I'd have to report you . . . to someone.

It actually has a lot to do with what I'm talking about he is very affected by his environment and absorbs the emotions apparantely. Also, I didn't name him. I took over fostering his litter of Alfalfa, clover and him at a week old. Decided to keep Broccoli and the name lol.

 

[ArtNJ]

It actually has a lot to do with what I'm talking about he is very affected by his environment and absorbs the emotions apparantely. Also, I didn't name him. I took over fostering his litter of Alfalfa, clover and him at a week old. Decided to keep Broccoli and the name lol.

I love that! We have a Clyde that we didn't name. I never give my cats normal human names, but his just stuck!

 

[Ladyrosee]

I love that! We have a Clyde that we didn't name. I never give my cats normal human names, but his just stuck!

We have Lucky because he was found in the desert at my dads motorcycle camping trip. Ran out of the bushes frantic for help, dad found a box and put him in it back of his motorcycle and drove home. He is Luckyduck to me aka honey duck. Broccoli is honey butt. Holly came named so shes honey biscuits for all her constant kneading

 

[xlynnbbyx]

Holly is just so sweet and when she's hissed at she hides from Lucky. Earlier today she was in my husbands office under the couch and I was playing wand with her. Lucky went up to her face while she was under there and hissed a bunch.. sigh. I do agree on the energy though. Broccoli seeing her playing I think really helped his anxiety .. for today.

Just the uncalled for going out of luckys way to hiss at her is just so rude

Cats tend to feel off of each other. They can even feed off of our energy as well. If Holly is anxious, scared or nervous then Broccoli will be too. He will think if she is feeling that way there is a threat so he needs to be like that too. But if she is relaxed and playing he will be calm thinking things are safe. Cats especially older cats as they age they get grumpier. Before Skeeter passed he would occasionally hiss at Scooter. Skeeter was an old man grumpy kitty so he didn’t take kindly to Scooter jumping on him to play. As long as Lucky doesn’t swap her it will be fine. He is just telling Holly who is boss. It will take time but eventually you will have 3 happy kitties who can handle being around each other.

 

[Ladyrosee]

Cats tend to feel off of each other. They can even feed off of our energy as well. If Holly is anxious, scared or nervous then Broccoli will be too. He will think if she is feeling that way there is a threat so he needs to be like that too. But if she is relaxed and playing he will be calm thinking things are safe. Cats especially older cats as they age they get grumpier. Before Skeeter passed he would occasionally hiss at Scooter. Skeeter was an old man grumpy kitty so he didn’t take kindly to Scooter jumping on him to play. As long as Lucky doesn’t swap her it will be fine. He is just telling Holly who is boss. It will take time but eventually you will have 3 happy kitties who can handle being around each other.

Very good point. I think cats especially even over dogs are sooo sensitive and I see SO many behavioral issues owners report over my years of vet med. I've even asked how do you get along with your partner/roommate etc because if you're fighting your cats will be distressed too. The other day my husband and I were being goofy and I was sternly talking to him (us play arguing) and he goes "oh baby look at him" and Lucky is looking up at us in this particular way. So we hug and kiss and say Its ok lucky! And he rubs against us and walks away. but yes man that makes so much sense seeing her play he looked wayyyy more relaxed. Still will run away after or hiss if she decides to try to approach him but he is getting a tiny bit better. Sad thing is when shes hissed at she retreats and slinks away and hides for a bit. No swatting has happened. Today with Lucky he went in her room and watched her play.. decided to sit in the middle of her room and I fed him high reward treats (kibble) and he was happily taking a piece at a time and I was praising him. Girl needs confidence and the hissing ruins hers. So I'm doing my best to praise and encourage her

 

[xlynnbbyx]

Very good point. I think cats especially even over dogs are sooo sensitive and I see SO many behavioral issues owners report over my years of vet med. I've even asked how do you get along with your partner/roommate etc because if you're fighting your cats will be distressed too. The other day my husband and I were being goofy and I was sternly talking to him (us play arguing) and he goes "oh baby look at him" and Lucky is looking up at us in this particular way. So we hug and kiss and say Its ok lucky! And he rubs against us and walks away. but yes man that makes so much sense seeing her play he looked wayyyy more relaxed. Still will run away after or hiss if she decides to try to approach him but he is getting a tiny bit better. Sad thing is when shes hissed at she retreats and slinks away and hides for a bit. No swatting has happened. Today with Lucky he went in her room and watched her play.. decided to sit in the middle of her room and I fed him high reward treats (kibble) and he was happily taking a piece at a time and I was praising him. Girl needs confidence and the hissing ruins hers. So I'm doing my best to praise and encourage her

Exactly! Despite what many people think animals can pick up on our emotions. Especially cats they seem more in tune to us. They know when we are upset and such. When Scooter had his UTI 4 weeks ago taking him to the emergency vet I was so worried and I was stressed thinking what could be wrong. Scooter could pick up on my stress and he started yowling. The next day when I could pick him up after his 24 hour stay I was calm cause I knew he was ok. With me calm Scooter was calm he did meow cause he wanted out but he was calm. Cats are amazing creatures they are very judgmental too. Well at least my boys are. Praising both Lucky & Holly is definitely a great idea. The more they are praised for something they did good the more calm they will be. Especially broccoli the more praise the happier the kitties are.

 

[Ladyrosee]

Exactly! Despite what many people think animals can pick up on our emotions. Especially cats they seem more in tune to us. They know when we are upset and such. When Scooter had his UTI 4 weeks ago taking him to the emergency vet I was so worried and I was stressed thinking what could be wrong. Scooter could pick up on my stress and he started yowling. The next day when I could pick him up after his 24 hour stay I was calm cause I knew he was ok. With me calm Scooter was calm he did meow cause he wanted out but he was calm. Cats are amazing creatures they are very judgmental too. Well at least my boys are. Praising both Lucky & Holly is definitely a great idea. The more they are praised for something they did good the more calm they will be. Especially broccoli the more praise the happier the kitties are.

Broccoli definitely doesnt want to stay away from her he wants tabs on her. But once she starts moving like earlier tonight I saw him start to growl sigh. It's so stressful. He has run away each time though hasnt tried anything. The thing is too he growls at a lot of stuff before meeting her. Sometimes when we are cradling him he will be purring so loud and blinking at us then he will deep scary growl and I'm like ok we're done. He has never done the typical cat high pitched growling but yeah he honestly sounds like a dog with a deep growl. At least he isnt just doing that at her? Idk. He is just so weird

 

[Ladyrosee]

So I left holly out upstairs after giving her some more food this morning, put the panels up to block the stairs so broccoli wouldnt go up there and fell back to sleep. My husband said he was surprised to see holly downstairs. Broccoli was following her around smelling her butt and she followed him a bit too. They also touched noses. I think they were down there for an hour and he was just reading but turned everything off to listen for hisses and he didnt hear any. Then I woke up to holly crying in my door way and I noticed the panels were down and husband explained what went on. Then a bit later broccoli posted up on my feet cuddling me. But then he did hid normal growling and hissing when she was by her and my bedroom and he was in the hall by the stairs. So idk what his deal is maybe hes territorial of my bedroom

 

[Mamanyt1953]

That's a very astute observation, about your bedroom. Our bedrooms, and especially our beds are where most of our own scent is in the house. The bed is just saturated in it. And our cats find that incredibly comforting, to immerse themselves in our scent, and to mingle theirs with ours. The bedroom may well be the last place that they are totally comfortable with each other, but I thnk that will come in time!

 

[Ladyrosee]

That's a very astute observation, about your bedroom. Our bedrooms, and especially our beds are where most of our own scent is in the house. The bed is just saturated in it. And our cats find that incredibly comforting, to immerse themselves in our scent, and to mingle theirs with ours. The bedroom may well be the last place that they are totally comfortable with each other, but I thnk that will come in time!

I also wonder if he acts better without us around and if he would growl or hiss. He was parallel playing the other day with the wand then my husband comes up behind quietly to watch and broccoli states at holly, growls and runs away downstairs. It would be interesting to set up cameras sometime and leave them alone but I always worry about fights

 

[Alldara]

I also wonder if he acts better without us around and if he would growl or hiss. He was parallel playing the other day with the wand then my husband comes up behind quietly to watch and broccoli states at holly, growls and runs away downstairs. It would be interesting to set up cameras sometime and leave them alone but I always worry about fights

He could be jealous!
Nobel would get jealous of my attention to Calcifer.
My wife would say that there was no hissing or growling all day while I was gone. Would send cute photos of them together.
I'd walk in from work and immediately Nobel would be hissing and swatting at Calcifer.

 

[Ladyrosee]

He could be jealous!
Nobel would get jealous of my attention to Calcifer.
My wife would say that there was no hissing or growling all day while I was gone. Would send cute photos of them together.
I'd walk in from work and immediately Nobel would be hissing and swatting at Calcifer.

Yet everyone says cats and dogs cant posess a human emotion... I dont believe those people. Last night Holly was downstairs and I saw broccoli on the counter eating his dinner which is a huge sign because if hes stressed he does not eat! Then he jumped down to find her and was completely peaceful all cats were sitting around by each other she was nervously exploring.. went into the curtains and broccoli did his stalking and butt wiggle and gently jumped at her which spooked her but they were in the curtains together for a bit moving around. Broccoli loves to play in the curtains lol. No hissing or anything. Then this morning I let her out and of course upstairs and broccoli sees her, hisses and runs downstairs and she goes under my bed

 

[Mamanyt1953]

They've had a breakthough, and can now build on that in their own time! If they are able to eat around each other, and to play together, you're over the worst of it...although, there may well be some posturing for awhile!