New Cat Introduction Failing

[tryingbutworried]

Hi Cat Site,

Looking for some help/advice. It's been about a month since we have adopted a new cat, and the introduction process has gone poorly. I'm looking for your opinions on what to do next.

We have a resident cat, a tabby-mix, who is about 4 years old. She is incredibly sweet to humans but is territorial. We adopted a larger male cat, between 2-3 years old, who is very friendly, easy-going, playful and curious. We started off with him in his own bedroom, did scent-swapping, followed by short visual-only exposures, then moved on to him actually coming downstairs for a few minutes at a time. We have tried clicker training, hiring a cat behaviorist.

At every stage, our resident cat met with the new with hostility. Shriek-growling/hissing, striking at us, him, or even the air when she smelled, heard or saw him. She continues to be aggressive in this way.

Has this happened to anyone else, but had an eventual success story, or is this looking like an unsuccessful introduction?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
A month isn't that long, but she sounds like she is having a very difficult time.
Can you try some more scent swapping where you're using a worn, unwashed t-shirt or sock, have him sleep on it and the give it to her, in other words where your scents is mixed in with his?

She's cranky with you too however?

I know you said you've spoken with a behaviorist, and just in case this wasn't mentioned try music, and you could look into a calming product. --I would not suggest feliway here, it can make things worse when a cat is really upset.

Hopefully there's something that will help;

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)

You, Your Cat And Stress

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[Furballsmom]

Music to use would be classical harp music, there's an app called Relax My Cat, there's also MusicForCats.com

Here are some calming products;
Richard's Organics Pet Calm-those are drops that you put on the tip of their tongue. Quiet Moments Cat treats, there is Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.
Also Thunderease has diffusers as does Sentry.
You might want to check with your vet, but some people have good results with CBD oil.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, animaleo.

Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat

 

[Jcatbird]

Yes I have had this problem. Don’t give up yet. Not every cat is going to love every other but all of mine do now accept each other. You have been doing some great stuff to help. There are still more things you can do. Have you tried using a hairbrush to brush the aggressive one and then use that brush on the other right before they are together? Make sure you brush along the chin lines and under the neck where they like to rub on things to scent swap. What about using a toy on a string to get the aggressive cat playing before you let the other cat join in. Play can distract as well as getting them to work together to catch the prey. Treats time can be another tool. Start with the aggressive one and make sure you have a happy cat before the other comes into it. If aggressive cat starts up then take her to a private area and give her just a couple of treats and then stop. No rewards for bad behaviour but no being deprived because the other cat came in. Private time with you is imposrtant. I find that they sometimes feel they get shorted on sharing your affection. Make a big fuss over the aggressive one. Make sure that cat understands you still love it and it is tops with you. It’s kind of like bringing a new baby home when you already have a two year old child. They need to feel special. Is there something you can do only with the aggressive one? Let that one sleep with you maybe? I have to introduce new cats here a lot and I have established cats here. We still have an occasional swat but mostly there is peace. My Maine Coon does like to give my Blue Smoke a hard time sometimes by chasing her but as soon as I say No, he stops. The no word is important for them to understand. No yelling it but said calmly and firmly so they know this is not accepted. I then pick up the Maine Coon and move him away from my Smoke. Sort of a time out. After repeatedly doing the no and time out he rarely chases her. With him it is just being jealous. She is my sweet older female and he is the baby of the family. I also use massage time with the aggressive ones just to get them very relaxed before I let the new cat around. Another trick is to put the calm cat in a cage where the aggressive one can see it. If the calm one cries to get out, even better. You want the aggressive one to worry about the one trapped in the cage. Sometimes the aggressive ones decide I should let the trapped one out! They actually feel sorry for the trapped cat. It has worked! I will put your thread in my watch. If you post how things are going I should see your message. If you need more ideas I will come back. I am sure lots of other people can give you some great help with this. Sometimes it just takes longer with some cats. Hand in there. I am glad you came to TCS. It’s a great place. Welcome! Be looking for your updates. Good luck!

 

[tryingbutworried]

Furballs Mom - thank you! We may try those calming products. Classical music does help our resident cat calm down. We discovered it by mistake as we sometimes put it on later in the evening. It only works when the new kitty is nowhere in sight, however, when he is, our resident cat will attack regardless of what is going on.

Jcatbird - So many of your ideas are amazing, there are some we'll be able to try. Our resident cat HATES being picked up so trying to move her around would only increase her aggression. We have tried giving her treats when he comes down. This has worked, but we cannot always be giving her treats when she is around and when we stopped and tried to create a more natural/common encounter, it was back to the usual aggression. One big issue we face is that my partner and I both work full time, and not from home.

 

[Jcatbird]

I can understand the time constraints. Furballsmom gave some really great tips. Try those. Maybe you can pick up the other cat instead of the aggressive one but make sure it doesn’t appear to the aggressive one that you are pampering that one but rather removing him. It is a juggling act I know but maybe the calming products will work or even a combination of ideas. Let us know!