- Joined
- Mar 29, 2021
- Messages
- 9
- Purraise
- 6
Hi! First post here.
I've had cats all my life, and never before had a failed introduction. That record is broken - we're in cat hell.
We have two cats, a mom and her boy. He's five, she's six months older. They've always had a very loving relationship.
Our third cat, a very elderly girl, passed away. We waited a few weeks then brought home a very good-natured, peaceful three year old.
We did everything by the book - gave him his own room, brought him in the back so they didn't see him, Feliway in three rooms, etc. As soon as she sensed the new smell in the house, the mom cat went nuts with redirected aggression. She growls, screams, and hisses at her boy. He chases her, she goes nuts. We've been keeping them separate at night, and a sharp eye on them in the daytime. They'll share treats, even get to the point of curling around each other to sleep, then they go ballistic again.
So I've been doing my research here and on other sites. What I've learned: we need to separate mom and son for at least a few days, not just at night, then gradually reintroduced them with supervision, play, and treats. We'll take this as slowly as necessary.
We also need to start over with the new boy - restricted to the family room, getting his scent into the two rooms with socks and fur, no glimpses of each other for at least a week. (Fortunately the family room is very large and bright, with a tall cat tree and toys - otherwise we'd feel even worse about all this.)
My question with all this - what order should we take this in? Get mom and boy together first, then once they can be together start reintroducing cat #3? Do all gradual introductions all at once? When do I introduce his scent in their rooms - while they're separated, or after they've rebonded?
I feel like I have the tools down, but I'm having trouble with timing and logistics. I appreciate any and all input!
I've had cats all my life, and never before had a failed introduction. That record is broken - we're in cat hell.
We have two cats, a mom and her boy. He's five, she's six months older. They've always had a very loving relationship.
Our third cat, a very elderly girl, passed away. We waited a few weeks then brought home a very good-natured, peaceful three year old.
We did everything by the book - gave him his own room, brought him in the back so they didn't see him, Feliway in three rooms, etc. As soon as she sensed the new smell in the house, the mom cat went nuts with redirected aggression. She growls, screams, and hisses at her boy. He chases her, she goes nuts. We've been keeping them separate at night, and a sharp eye on them in the daytime. They'll share treats, even get to the point of curling around each other to sleep, then they go ballistic again.
So I've been doing my research here and on other sites. What I've learned: we need to separate mom and son for at least a few days, not just at night, then gradually reintroduced them with supervision, play, and treats. We'll take this as slowly as necessary.
We also need to start over with the new boy - restricted to the family room, getting his scent into the two rooms with socks and fur, no glimpses of each other for at least a week. (Fortunately the family room is very large and bright, with a tall cat tree and toys - otherwise we'd feel even worse about all this.)
My question with all this - what order should we take this in? Get mom and boy together first, then once they can be together start reintroducing cat #3? Do all gradual introductions all at once? When do I introduce his scent in their rooms - while they're separated, or after they've rebonded?
I feel like I have the tools down, but I'm having trouble with timing and logistics. I appreciate any and all input!