Hi there; I rescued a female 18 months ago. 4 weeks ago I rescued a second male cat. They are both 3 years old. I followed all instructions for introduction, separate room, scent, etc.
I even prayed over these little floofers so they'd relax and plugged in one of those Feliway thingys. After one week Lanny and LC (Little Cat) were ready to share the whole house.
4 weeks in, these cats share and live in the entire townhome together. They play fight, groom one another, rub their bodies against one another, sit and sleep next to one another, chase each other once in a while, it's really amazing how quickly they bonded. I feel lucky because I'm not a super knowledgeable person about cats.
Lanny is an ultra laid back male. He was a therapy cat for a senior before she went into nursing home. LC is a bit more of a feisty gal. She lived on the street where she had a litter just before she was brought into the shelter. Lanny often licks her head and neck to calm her insecurity down. While he wouldn't dream of sneaking up on LC, she does it to him and nips his back. I'm quite proud of her for sharing her entire territory, toys, scratch posts, trees, even food dishes and litter boxes (even though I have 3). I can tell it's a huge deal for her. She seems jealous of any attention I give to Lanny so I'm going slow. A little cuddle or scratch, or a short play session, here and there.
I read it can take 8 months to one year for two cats to bond fully. And I'm keeping an eye on LC's need to rough house with Lanny. When he approaches her to give affection, the safe space she inhabits is to turn it into play fighting. I sometimes will gently shoo her away. And Lanny gets it. He is masterful in managing her fears. Really something for me to see the intuition in this cat. There's been no hissing which is fantastic. Truly the hardest thing for me right now is my desire to pick Lanny up and squish him and cuddle him for hours. He will only tolerate me in small doses and I have to respect that LOL
I even prayed over these little floofers so they'd relax and plugged in one of those Feliway thingys. After one week Lanny and LC (Little Cat) were ready to share the whole house.
4 weeks in, these cats share and live in the entire townhome together. They play fight, groom one another, rub their bodies against one another, sit and sleep next to one another, chase each other once in a while, it's really amazing how quickly they bonded. I feel lucky because I'm not a super knowledgeable person about cats.
Lanny is an ultra laid back male. He was a therapy cat for a senior before she went into nursing home. LC is a bit more of a feisty gal. She lived on the street where she had a litter just before she was brought into the shelter. Lanny often licks her head and neck to calm her insecurity down. While he wouldn't dream of sneaking up on LC, she does it to him and nips his back. I'm quite proud of her for sharing her entire territory, toys, scratch posts, trees, even food dishes and litter boxes (even though I have 3). I can tell it's a huge deal for her. She seems jealous of any attention I give to Lanny so I'm going slow. A little cuddle or scratch, or a short play session, here and there.
I read it can take 8 months to one year for two cats to bond fully. And I'm keeping an eye on LC's need to rough house with Lanny. When he approaches her to give affection, the safe space she inhabits is to turn it into play fighting. I sometimes will gently shoo her away. And Lanny gets it. He is masterful in managing her fears. Really something for me to see the intuition in this cat. There's been no hissing which is fantastic. Truly the hardest thing for me right now is my desire to pick Lanny up and squish him and cuddle him for hours. He will only tolerate me in small doses and I have to respect that LOL
Congrats on the successful cat introductions! 
