New Cat Introduction Going Badly

[siami]

In spite of following advice for introducing new cats, things are not going well and today was really upsetting. Resident cat Leo and new cat Charlie (not so new now as he's been with us over 2 months but kept separate) have had a fight and both have bite wounds and scratches. It makes me so sad as Leo, 7, has been here since he was about 6 weeks old but Charlie behaves like he's the long time resident and Leo is the newcomer. Charlie is around 2. Both are castrated. I'm finding this so distressing as I love them both and find it a strain to keep them separated. Can anything be done to improve their relationship?

 

[macyaji]

Are both cats neutered? Did you do Scent swapping?

 

[abyeb]

Here's an article for you to read about introducing cats: How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

the introduction process is more than just keeping cats separated... they need to scent-swap, room-swap, meet through a glass door or babygate, and have carefully planned play sessions. Maybe the next time you allow the cats to intermingle, feed both before (to get them feeling a little lazy, less likely to act aggressively as well as associate the other cat with something positive: food!), then drag a wand-type toy around the room for the cats to chase which will help focus their energy on chasing the toy, instead of the other cat, as well as showing the cats how they can play nicely together. After an interaction, separate the cats again and reward each with a treat for a job well done! You can also use a Feliway diffuser to help relax the cats.

 

[siami]

They are both castrated as I wrote in my message. I did do scent swapping for more than a month as part of following the instructions for introductions.

 

[siami]

Yesterday I was at my wits' end after a fight broke out between Leo and Charlie and I felt my only option was to look for a new loving home for newcomer Charlie (not easy in rural France where there are so many unwanted cats). But I've grown to really love cheeky Charlie and last night he rubbed his nose on mine for the first time ... so I must persevere and find a way for them to get along. Please help. It's especially hard as I'm at the start of a memory illness and keeping track of which cat's where, who's in, who's out, has the dog pushed a door open, is a challenge for me. Additionally, my 81 year old husband is losing patience with me and the cats saying they're running our lives.

The current situation is that under supervision for short periods in the garden Leo was following Charlie as if hunting him. One of them is brought in before this goes any further. Initially I thought Charlie was the agressor but now I believe it's Leo, which makes more sense as he's the resident cat. But Charlie is super confident and loves any opportunity to go outside and will lay calmly grooming himself even though he knows Leo is laying in wait. These garden periods have grown less frequent as there's an inaccessible spot we can't get to where trouble can break out.

I try to feed them either side of glass doors, with Charlie inside on the ground floor of his "quarters" and Leo on the garden side but recently Leo has refused to eat here, maybe simply because of the excessive heat but it's getting cooler now. He stares at Charlie through the door but instead of staring back Charlie now looks away which I hope is progress. Leo stiffens up and his tail thickens when he's staring.

The fight broke out behind me when the dog had opened the bedroom door letting Charlie into the downstairs living area where Leo was. The first I heard was the strange crying noise Leo sometimes makes when he sees Charlie. Clearly this was Leo's territory. All hell broke loose and they seemed to be rolling around screaming at each other in every corner of the ground floor, fur literally flying. It all happened so fast and was terrifying. Eventually, I managed to open the bedroom door to let Charlie through to safety. By then I was a crumbling wreck, Leo appears to have no visible effects but Charlie has a scratch in his ear and either 2 fairly long scratches or a shallow bite on his side. I have to restrict Charlie's movements now rather than chance a repetition.

I followed all the advice on introducing cats with the exception of playing with them to distract each other. Leo doesn't play with toys. Charlie loves to play. The vet estimated his age as around 2 but I think he's younger as he seems to behave quite like a kitten. Leo is 7 and here since he was 6 weeks, found abandoned in the woods with his mum and 4 litter mates Charlie was abandoned in our village in February and lived outside until we were able to catch him. They're both quite big cats, Leo 6 kgs and Charlie 5.8 kgs.

 

[lifewith3cats]

It took 4 LONG, torturous months for my 3year old (well, he was 2 at the time) Maine Coon to accept my newest kitten, Misha. He constantly growled loudly and hissed at her. But finally after 4 months they connected. I don't know what caused the turn of events, but it happened, and it's been peace and harmony since, but it took a lot longer than I ever expected. What's weird is our Maine Coon accepted our middle cat immediately, without reservation, but with Misha, our youngest, he hated her at first. Thank God it all worked out.