My adopted senior cat attacked Daryl tonight

[daryl the cat]

Tonight is the first night my CKD cat has seemed to feel good.  She ate more than I've seen her eat since I got her 1 1/2 weeks ago.  So that part is great.   I read up on integration and have been keeping her in her own room.  I switched blankets for them to sniff, and I let them see each other through the baby gate.  All seemed to be going well.  A few hisses from her but mostly Daryl just looked at her and my dog just wags his tail.  I also started letting her out at night when we were in bed so she could explore the house on her own. 

Tonight while giving her fluids, I made the mistake of leaving the door open and Daryl came in and started sniffing around.  I was able to finish the fluids and take the needle out, then she bolted and ran after Daryl.  He tried to run away and she just ripped into him.  There was a terrible yowling noise, which I think came from her.  Poor Daryl ran downstairs and he looked terrified.  I put her in her room for a timeout and let everyone calm down.  Later I was in the kitchen and she came down and started to challenge my dog.  He was wagging his tail, but she got in the same stance she did with Daryl.  I let the dog outside and then I heard feet running upstairs.  I went upstairs and she had cornered Daryl under a chair.  He was again terrified.  I'm afraid I rushed the integration, or maybe they will never get along at all.  She is such a sweet little cat with me, but they did say she has always been an only cat her whole life.  She's 14 1/2.

Has this happened to anyone and did things resolve in time?  What should I have done differently with the integration?  Are some cats simply not able to integrate with others? 

 

[cat hunter]

Sounds like you needed to keep the new cat separate for longer. You should at first do introductions through a small gap in the door, or from behind a baby gate so that the cats can get used to each other before a proper face to face. You should also not allow your new cat free run of the home yet. She needs to be kept isolated. 

Separate them again, and start again. When I introduced my two there was hissing and growling, but they met each other several times through a crack in the door until they were both calmer and not aggressive. Then I allowed short face to face meetings which were supervised and kept short. Then I would isolate the new cat again. 

 

[daryl the cat]

Thanks Cat Hunter.  I thought maybe I rushed things, but she really wanted out of that room.  She was relinquished by her family of 14 years and seems very lonely, and on top of it has CKD.  She is isolated all day when I'm at work.  I'll work on some positive meetings through the gate with treats, if I can get poor Daryl to come that close.

 

[daryl the cat]

Bumping this up because it's still a problem

I have her in a separate room and have been using the integration techniques with the blanket exchange and treats for positive meetings.  She's fine with my dog, but she absolutely hates my other cat, and he is the sweetest, most laid-back cat ever (neutered).  I have a baby gate in the doorway.  I stacked some boxes by the door and covered them with a blanket, so she can perch there and watch the activity in the house.  She does enjoy this and spends most of her time there. 

Lately I've been taking the gate down in the evenings so she can explore the house.  She really wants out of there, and I don't like her jumping the gate because she has arthritis.  Whenever she sees Daryl she glares at him and charges him.  He's just sitting there looking at her, not hissing or flattening his ears or anything.  She will chase him and corner him under a chair or desk until I come in and usher her out of the room.  I hate seeing him bullied like this.  He doesn't even want to pass her doorway to get to the room where his litterbox is. 

I'm very concerned about this because I don't want Daryl to be fearful in his own house.  I even thought about returning her to the shelter, but she's a CKD cat and needs daily fluids and medications.  I can't just take her back.  No one would ever adopt her.   I'm trying my best to make this situation work, but I don't have any experience with "difficult" cats like this.  Daryl was such a sweetheart from Day 1 even with the dog.

What can I do?  A co-worker told me to use a spray bottle when she goes after Daryl.  I don't want her to fear me, especially since I have to administer fluids daily.  I did tell her "no" one time and she backed off.  Why does she see him as such a threat? 

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• daryl the cat
• Jun 5, 2015