Kitten to multi-cat household introduction not progressing

[Kwik]

Hey guys, just a quick update.

I'm going back to basics and taking it slowly. I've incorporated many of the suggestions you guys have provided.

Just focusing on one cat at a time. So now, I'm using the crate method to get Snow and Momo used to each other. Its been progressing well. With Nayla and Kaiya, I am leash training them and only doing scent and site swapping. Once Momo and Snow are okay with each other, then I will do the same with Kaiya and Nayla.

We'll see how it goes. I just have to be patient and lead my cats to integrate with one another slowly slowly. The self-imposed deadline of 'I want them to be integrated' is not helping the case. I'm just taking it one very small baby step at a time. Wish me luck.

I will keep posting periodic updates here.

You got this my dear Sarah- you got this

 

[rubysmama]

I just have to be patient and lead my cats to integrate with one another slowly slowly. The self-imposed deadline of 'I want them to be integrated' is not helping the case. I'm just taking it one very small baby step at a time. Wish me luck.

Not sure if she's posted in this thread, but as Mamanyt1953 often says "you can only go as fast as the most reluctant cat". So time, patience and baby steps.
Good luck !!!

 

[rubysmama]

Sarah M : Just thinking of you and Momo and wondering how things are going.

 

[Sarah M]

Sarah M : Just thinking of you and Momo and wondering how things are going.

Hello, rubysmama things are moving in the right direction, if at the slowest pace possible . Have still not come to the point where Snow and Momo are comfortable enough to be left without restrictions.

I've been harness training them as well. Save Kaiya, the others have adjusted well to wearing the harness.

I'm just pushing through this as much as I can and as much as the cats let me, lol.

 

[Kwik]

Hello, rubysmama things are moving in the right direction, if at the slowest pace possible . Have still not come to the point where Snow and Momo are comfortable enough to be left without restrictions.

I've been harness training them as well. Save Kaiya, the others have adjusted well to wearing the harness.

I'm just pushing through this as much as I can and as much as the cats let me, lol.

Not to mention holding down a full time job!You're a star Sarah,a bright shiny starHanging in there,lol- never the less a STAR

 

[rubysmama]

Hello, rubysmama things are moving in the right direction, if at the slowest pace possible . Have still not come to the point where Snow and Momo are comfortable enough to be left without restrictions.

I've been harness training them as well. Save Kaiya, the others have adjusted well to wearing the harness.

I'm just pushing through this as much as I can and as much as the cats let me, lol.

Moving in the right direction is good, even if it's at the slowest pace possible. Some cat introductions really just take a long, long time. Keep up what you're doing, and you'll all get there eventually.

 

[Sarah M]

Hey guys, its been a while.

Hope you all and your kitties are doing well.

I thought I would come on here and give an update as I've been awol for a while from this thread. Kwik has given me so much amazing advice and suggestions that I have been following and things are going well, as well as they can be. Still nowhere near full integration, but I'm taking it slow and steady.

I've moved Momo to my bedroom instead of the spare room that was in the corner of the house. In my bedroom, I have set up an enclosure:

It is sorriunded on all four sides by this net:

I do have blankets and stuff inside for Momo (not in this pic), her own tree, her own litter, box, water fountain, and food bowls. I had kept an open litter box earlier, but then I covered it because she was not using the open litter box with the other three cats around. I know we are supposed to keep an open litter box, but my cats would start stalking her the minute she entered the litter box and she would get scared and stop doing her business. Since covering the litter box, this problem has stopped. So I'm gonna keep using the closed litter for Momo box until all are integrated.

Now, onto the main update, I only keep my bedroom open when I'm at home in the evenings and during the night. It's come to a point that all three cats hang out in and around, they climb on top, and hang out there.

When I had first moved Momo into the enclosure, I was prepapred to give it time till she establishes herself in the enclosure. At the same time, Momo had contracted ringworm, so there was no choice for me to keep her in the enclosure with my bedroom door closed for almost more than a month. This was a blessing in disguise as Momo was able to recover without the stress of seeing other cats, grow up a little bit more, and also establish her territory.

When I did open the bedroom door earlier, I did so for one cat at a time. They were also leashed (though Kaiya and Snow were not happy being leashed). Initially, Snow and Kaiya had a very rough reaction, which was to be expected. They would immediately go and attack at the enclosure. Nayla was a bit mild and she now spends entire nights and days with me in my bedroom.

Earlier I was focusing on one cat at a time, because I had time till I moved. But the timeline changed what with Momo's ringworm and also the fact that I now had to leave earlier than planned. My mom also went back to out home country. So there were a lot of changes that were happening at all once. So then my goal shifted to make sure that all three cats can coexist with Momo in the same room without causing too much of a rukus.

I think I have achieved that for now. I will be shifting in two weeks, by the end of this month, and I leave my bedroom door open. There is a scuffle here and there, but the cats have mostly understood that attacking the enclosure is not gonna get them anywhere.

Since my mom left (Snow was very close to my mom), Snow does have a bit of a redirected aggression towards Momo. Earlier, Snow was the most chilled with respect to Momo, and now she has become the main aggressor. But its better today from last week. As I type this, my bedroom door is open, Nayla is sat next to me, Momo is sleeping in her enclosure, Snow is inside my cupboard (in her sport), and Kaiya is just lounging.

When I go to work, I open Momo up in my room, and there is a LOT of under the door interaction that occurs between the cats and Momo. So that has also helped significantly.

When I was focusing on one cat at a time, after Nayla had spent a week sleeping beside me without growling and hissing at Momo in her enclosure, we decided it was time to open Momo's enclosure and let Nayla interact with Momo with Nayla on leash. I did this a few times and Nayla was doing so well. But one fine day, something went wrong, there was wrong move, a sound, something, that ticked both Nayla and Momo off. Now Nayla was leashed, so I had control over her, but this time the aggressor was Momo. She did swat at Nayla a couple of times (no one got hurt, no fur flying, no blood). Now, while it should not have happened, I count it as a victory because Momo did not pee herself, she did not let herself get beaten, and did not back down.

Now also, Momo doesn't just hang on the top shelf of the enclosure. She comes down to the ground and even swats back at the cat that is being aggressive. She has swatted, hissed, and growled back at all three. They do also understand and have begun, ever so slightly, respecting her boundaries as well. Kaiya doesn't approach the enclosure when Momo growls, same with Nayla. Snow is relentless (I've added another layer of chicken wire on top of the net to deter Snow, and that seems to be working). Overall, its getting better.

I will be moving into a smaller place than my current house. My new apartment is a studio and I'm hoping that they will all get along well eventually. It's quite spacious for a studio tbh.

I will definitely catify the hell out of the apartment and will make another post on that here when I do actually move and set everything up.

So yeah... That's it for now. If you guys have any further suggestions, please let me know. Sorry if post sounds scattered and too long!

 

[Kwik]

Wow ,I don't think your post was long or scattered,you summed up your months of hard work with so many unexpected issues and circumstances very nicely- I am so proud of you ,you have persevered and overcame tremendous obstacles that not many people could or would

I'm impressed every time we speak,you didn't mention that YOU single handedly built that enclosure !! There's no doubt that after you move and have no more outside interferences you will achieve all of you goals and expectations!!!!

Love ya Sarah,you're incredible

 

[Sarah M]

Wow ,I don't think your post was long or scattered,you summed up your months of hard work with so many unexpected issues and circumstances very nicely- I am so proud of you ,you have persevered and overcame tremendous obstacles that not many people could or would

I'm impressed every time we speak,you didn't mention that YOU single handedly built that enclosure !! There's no doubt that after you move and have no more outside interferences you will achieve all of you goals and expectations!!!!

Love ya Sarah,you're incredible

Lots of love to you too Kwik

I would not be where I am had it not been for your encouragements and amazing advice whenever I needed it (and shall need in the future)

 

[Kwik]

Lots of love to you too Kwik

I would not be where I am had it not been for your encouragements and amazing advice whenever I needed it (and shall need in the future)

Anytime my friend,my pleasure

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for the update. I actually was thinking about you and your cats recently and wondered how things were going. Hope all goes well with the move. You never know, but a new neutral location might improve things with your cats.

 

[Alldara]

Sarah that really and truly is impressive. You should be so so proud of yourself!

As for the litter box, the only thing you "should" do is give the type to your cat that they like. For Momo thats enclosed and that's okay! Calcifer won't touch an open litter box if he can help it and he's got a great relationship with the other cats here.

Are you using any cat music? This one has worked wonders for my home. The purring takes the edge off.

Since youll move soon i suggest getting an inexpensive set of faceclothes and wash them in your normal detergent. Then, take time to pet each cat with them and leave them around your home. Build that family smell, and when you move take one of those cloths and wipe it around the baseboards and corner walls of the home.

I cant wait to see what you do in your new space. Thank you for loving all your cats so much to work so hard for them. Your post has truly brightened my day.

 

[Kwik]

Sarah that really and truly is impressive. You should be so so proud of yourself!

As for the litter box, the only thing you "should" do is give the type to your cat that they like. For Momo thats enclosed and that's okay! Calcifer won't touch an open litter box if he can help it and he's got a great relationship with the other cats here.

Are you using any cat music? This one has worked wonders for my home. The purring takes the edge off.

Since youll move soon i suggest getting an inexpensive set of faceclothes and wash them in your normal detergent. Then, take time to pet each cat with them and leave them around your home. Build that family smell, and when you move take one of those cloths and wipe it around the baseboards and corner walls of the home.

I cant wait to see what you do in your new space. Thank you for loving all your cats so much to work so hard for them. Your post has truly brightened my day.

I agree 100%- 2 of my cats prefer covered boxes- have 3of those - the other 3 use open so I have 4 of those and they ALL like one corner box best of all- sheesh

Good advice with rubbing "family scent " all over the new place- forgot all about that terrific tidbit

Also ,if possible leave some old litter in the boxes when in new location

 

[Sarah M]

Thanks Alldara for your kind words! All I CAN do is love my cats

Well, with the music, I tried it initially, and it seemed to disturb two of the resident cats. So what I did was record Momo purring, she is always has category 5 purring events, lol, especially when she is sat in my lap. So I have a recording of that and I play that, which works wonders to be honest!

As for the t-shirt, yes I'm gonna be doing that. I do that now as well so I'm gonna be using the same t-shirt that already smells like them and me.

Kwik Yeah I'm gonna use the same litter boxes for all. I will wash and change them one week prior to the move, so by the time we move, the litter boxes will be used by one week so they will have their scent in them. Most of my furniture is also gonna be the same, for now, so that they can get a familiar sense of smell when we do move.

I have moved once, with the cats, and it was the most stressful experience for them. I have two cats now who are incessant meowers. Momo and Snow. I do have the Pet Remedy anti-anxiety spray that I will use during the move. Anything else you guys can suggest to reduce the meowing will be good.

 

[Alldara]

Thanks Alldara for your kind words! All I CAN do is love my cats

Well, with the music, I tried it initially, and it seemed to disturb two of the resident cats. So what I did was record Momo purring, she is always has category 5 purring events, lol, especially when she is sat in my lap. So I have a recording of that and I play that, which works wonders to be honest!

As for the t-shirt, yes I'm gonna be doing that. I do that now as well so I'm gonna be using the same t-shirt that already smells like them and me.

Kwik Yeah I'm gonna use the same litter boxes for all. I will wash and change them one week prior to the move, so by the time we move, the litter boxes will be used by one week so they will have their scent in them. Most of my furniture is also gonna be the same, for now, so that they can get a familiar sense of smell when we do move.

I have moved once, with the cats, and it was the most stressful experience for them. I have two cats now who are incessant meowers. Momo and Snow. I do have the Pet Remedy anti-anxiety spray that I will use during the move. Anything else you guys can suggest to reduce the meowing will be good.

Oh awesome fix for that re the purring.

If you can do some dry faceclothes/towels like how youre doing rh t-shirt, youll be able to put those around the new space so theyll automatically have some new territory establisbed.

 

[Sarah M]

Oh awesome fix for that re the purring.

If you can do some dry faceclothes/towels like how youre doing rh t-shirt, youll be able to put those around the new space so theyll automatically have some new territory establisbed.

I will definitely do that, thanks!

Regarding the move, I was wondering how I should do it. Logistically, I mean. Shall I set up the enclosure and Momo first in the apartment? Which will mean I will dismantle it couple of days before the move and have it set up in the new place and as soon I as move, first I put Momo back in her enclosure and then get the other three cats? During this then, Momo will not have the enclosure and will be in my current bedroom, open. I will of course keep the other three out.

Or all together (of course, in their respective carriers) and then set up the enclosure again and let Momo in? I've hired professional movers so that its easy and less stressful for me, so setting up the enclosure in the new place will take max 15 to 20 mins if I do it on the day of. On the day of, I can keep all four in their carriers while the enclosure is being set up and then open them up together, with Momo in the enclosure and them out and about. (If I choose this way).

 

[Alldara]

Personally, Ive always had the best bet with moving the cats first. Then I usually let them into the bathroom at the new place so they can move enough to use the litter etc.

But if im leaving a place where another roommate is staying behind I move cats last. The cats stayed in my roommates room to have a familiar space.

Did the movers give you an estimate of how long it will take? This might dictate your choice. Youll need to consider time of day and what your cats are usually doing at that time. For example, Nobel's litter schedule was pretty consistent so i needed to plan for him to use it or he might soil is carrier. Adding a cat bath to the day is not ideal.

My last move, we put the bedroom items into the truck last (last in, first out) and my cats stayed at the old place. Once the bedroom items were in, we went to get the cats and brought them to the bedroom, got them set up. When I left the room, I taped the door with painters tape.

 

[Kwik]

I haven't moved in many years but years ago I moved quite a few times and always had many pets including several cats,always moved them last

When I moved from my very big house to where I am now it was alot,alot of commotion with movers so my pets were all crated for safety.....on my last trip to the new place my cats came with me

I'd want the enclosure set up at the new place before cats are brought to new place

I think Alldara is right about the movers timeline dictating your decision- being it's a studio I would not want them in their carriers at the new place with people in and out and the enclosure getting set up

 

[Sarah M]

The movers have indicated that it would take 2 hours tops to get everything done (entire thing from start to finish). They have quite an efficient team, so it may be sooner, but this is the maximum.

The issue is that once Nayla and Momo hear any commotion, they will be harder to crate. So what I have done in the past is have the cats crated and then move them first with my brother. But it will just be me, so I will likely move them last. I think it would be best as per what you guys have recommended.

The cats have a morning routine about the time I wake up around 6. The movers will be here around 9 ish so the cats morning routine won't be disturbed. I have bought pee pads to line their carriers with so even if they do feel the urge, the carrier is not soiled to that extent and they will also be relatively unsoiled. Only Nayla has a tendency to soil herself, she gets really scared of commotion and pees herself. So I really want her to be crated well before the movers arrive. I will be using the anti-anxiety spray on all the cats, so hopefully it helps.

I can instruct the movers to set up the enclosure first and foremost. And then move to the other stuff, which is not much, just a bed, a couch, a wardrobe and some appliances.

So I think I will do this way then: I was thinking of feeding them their special wet food during the morning before the movers arrive. Get them crated in my mom's bedroom (which is now their cat room), once the movers are almost done, I can then ask my other brother to get the cats with him. He has agreed to drive the cats from my old place to the new place. And then I can have the cats in an already somewhat set-up place. So I will be with the movers as I need to be there to make sure they are doing it all properly. And then my brother can bring the cats to me in the new place. Although I don't want to leave the cats alone... but I don't know what else to do...

What do you guys think? Kwik and Alldara

It's also really hot here so I need to make sure the cats don't spend too much time being crated. Although the ac will be on on full blast, the stress will surely make it worse for all of them.

 

[Kwik]

I think it's a good plan and I like it !I'm familiar with your current home so having them crated and away from everything in your Mom's old room is great - away from all that will be going on in your room and where the movers will be going in and out will be the least stressful for them ,and safely tucked away.

A couple of hours is really not that bad at all- when you bring them to the new place you might what to let them settle a little in their crates/carriers before letting them out- I think Id put Momo in her set up enclosure first since she will probably feel the most ' at home" pretty quickly

This is very exciting,you've waited a very long time and worked so hard to have a place of your own,you should be very proud of yourself for what you've accomplishedI'm so so so happy for you