Hello this is my 1st time posting on this site I hope to get an answer. I currently have a 10 yr old male cat that I adopted from the humane society about 5 yrs ago. I recently adopted a 3 yr old female cat from the same humane society. When I adopted her they said she was found w/ a group of cats and they thought she may be feral but then they said she wasn't feral or else they wouldn't have put her out for adoption. They also said she probably has already had a litter of kittens. My thinking was that since she was found w/ other cats she would be good w/ them. When I met her she instantly climbed in my lap and fell asleep which is what my current cat did when I adopted him so I thought it was a good sign. So I brought her home, had her in her own room separated from my current cat for 2 weeks because she got sick after a few days. Well now we are slowly introducing them we will let the new one out for a while to roam the house. When the two cats first met they would do a low growl and sit near each other just growling but that's it. Anyways so now the new one when I let her out of her room just randomly locks eyes on my current cat and gets this wide eyed look then she goes into the hunting crawl stance and make the hunting clicking sound and tackles my current cat. Claws out no biting or blood yet but I am nervous it will escalate if it continues. I'm wondering why she is going into the hunting position? Is she trying to hunt and kill my current cat? Is this a normal behavior when introducing cats? My current cat is completely fine and wants to try and be friends but the new one continues to stalk him. What can I do to make this stop? I know some people say to just let them fight it out but I do not want my current cat to get hurt. Also she is extremely loving w humans but sometimes when I'm standing next to her she randomly bites my foot. Not super hard but it still hurts. What do I do?
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New cat hunting current cat
- Thread starter hellothere1234
- Start Date
Cats need to be introduced very slowly. It can take them weeks to months to many months to learn to coexist. They are very territorial by nature and just bringing home a cat and plopping it down rarely works. The cats need to be separated 24/7 for now. Keep the new kitty in a room of her own. You can visit lots and lots and continue to work on her socialization. Play with her to encourage her to gain confidence. Food is a great motivator. Play play play and then reward her with a special yummy treat. Something extra special such as plain cooked chicken, a bit of canned tuna or even Gerber stage 2 chicken/turkey baby food. Just a tiny bit at the end of each play session.
As for introductions, the key is to take it slowly and not rush the process. As humans we want to rush the process and not watch the clues the cats are giving us. When you hear hissing, growling, yowling or see posturing or tail swishing these are warning signs. You need to slow down the process.
I will also post a picture of a screen door set up I used. I brought a feral/stray cat into my home over 2 years ago. He had very poor socialization skills. I had another cat living in the house as well as a large dog. The cats process took one solid year. Yet I persevered. I used a cheap wooden screen door ( or you can find a tri fold screen) that I attached to the existing door frame with tension rods. I put a baby gate in the door way for extra protection. This set up was only used with supervision when I was home. It allowed the new cat to see, hear and smell the comings and goings inside the house and the cats could sniff safely. I found the screen door at Lowes for $20 and tension rods for $4.
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats
http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat
http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/
As for introductions, the key is to take it slowly and not rush the process. As humans we want to rush the process and not watch the clues the cats are giving us. When you hear hissing, growling, yowling or see posturing or tail swishing these are warning signs. You need to slow down the process.
I will also post a picture of a screen door set up I used. I brought a feral/stray cat into my home over 2 years ago. He had very poor socialization skills. I had another cat living in the house as well as a large dog. The cats process took one solid year. Yet I persevered. I used a cheap wooden screen door ( or you can find a tri fold screen) that I attached to the existing door frame with tension rods. I put a baby gate in the door way for extra protection. This set up was only used with supervision when I was home. It allowed the new cat to see, hear and smell the comings and goings inside the house and the cats could sniff safely. I found the screen door at Lowes for $20 and tension rods for $4.
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats
http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat
http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Hi thanks for your response. I will try the screen door although the new cat is dying to get out of the room. She's used to the house now she is just agressive towards the other cat. What do you suggest I do since the cat wants out? She is now starting to destroy the carpet from scratching to get out but I can not let them out together unsupervised. I feel really bad having to keep her locked in their all day she has been in there for 2 weeks and 3 days now. My vet advised I should keep a harness on her when the cats are in the same room what do you think?
Unfortunately you need to keep them separated when you cannot supervise. The feral cat I brought inside also started to scratch up the carpet by the door way. I used a piece of very thick plastic ( it came from what you put under a desk chair to keep the chair from ruining the carpet) and duct taped it to the carpet. This protected the carpet.
Make the room she is in as interesting as possible for her. Is there a cat tree or a place where she can look out the window? Have some toys for her. You also can play music for her when she has to be alone.
You also need to do some swapping of the cats. You can do room swapping or you can place your resident cat in a safe location with a closed door and allow the new kitty time out of the room. I work from home and used to rotate the cats every 1-2 hours. This allows them to mix their scents safely.
Keep working with the cats daily. Feeding time near one another is very crucial.
You could try a harness while you are out working with the cats, but you can't have them unsupervised with a harness on. While working with the cats always use yummy special treats ( I like plain cooked chicken or canned tuna). You want the cats to associate each other with something yummy.
