New Cat Is So Stressed And Hates Resident Cat

[2cj]

Hi all. We recently took in a friend’s 2 year old neutered male cat because he would be moving to a different country.

We already have a ~2 year old female tabby who is very social and playful.

We previously had 2 cats, but one has passed on, but we knew the general protocol of introducing our cats. We had them in separate rooms and had them swap beds, toys, etc to get them used to each other’s scents. They eventually got to the point where being in carriersrighht in front of each other caused no distress.

After a few weeks, we let them interact for the first time and there was hissing and growling from the new cat. He ended up getting so stressed that he threw up. Meanwhile, resident cat showed no signs of aggression and even offered multiple eye kisses to the new guy.

Regardless, we separated them again, repeated our routine, and again they were fine in the carriers. Tried again to let them meet by letting them out in opposite sides of the room while me and my boyfriend each played with one of them so they would associate happy feelings with one another. However, new cat hissed and growled again and again though he never tried to actually fight. After around 10 minutes, he’s throwing up again!!

So once again we separated them and did our whole thing from the top.

HOWEVER, we were just robbed a few days ago while we were home!!!! New cat was in a room downstairs when it happened while my bf and I were with our resident cat in our bedroom. New cat was terrified. A group of police came to search the house and he was even more terrified. He hasn’t eaten or drank in a 2 days, except finally a little nibble of canned food (<1tbsp of Hills urgent care wet food). Because we were so shaken up after what happened, we decided we wanted everyone together should anything happen again.

Our cats are now in our master bedroom, separated by a 10ft tall gate that is covered so the cats can’t really see each other (maybe 2 inches of visibility on the ground). The new guy is doing a little better, but still goes towards the gate to hiss. Also he barfed the first night he was in the room, but is otherwise the least scared he’s been since he’s been with us. However, there is no less aggression or defensiveness he has to the resident cat. When he sees her feet passing, he immediately hisses. I thought since he’s in a room smelling her scent it’d be better, but it isn’t.

And go make things even worse, his bright pink nose is so pale today!!

Can anyone offer any advice?

 

[rubysmama]

I'm sorry you and your cats are going through this very stressful period. And I'm sure the stress is causing your new cat to vomit, and lose his appetite. But 2 days is a long time for a cat not to eat.

Cats can begin to develop hepatic lipidosis within 24-48 hours, and it can be very serious. It is explained more this TCS article: Why Has My Cat Stopped Eating And Is It Dangerous?

Right now you need to try giving him anything you think he might eat, just to get some calories in him. Cat treats, cold cuts, chicken, etc.

And once your vet opens for the day, I would call them, tell them what's going on and get their advice.

Here's another article:
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again

Here's one more article: Your Cat Throwing Up?

Once he's eating again, and keeping it down, we'll try to help you work on the re-introductions.

 

[2cj]

Hi rubysmama ! Thanks for your reply.

We decided to move him back downstairs to his first room despite me feeling uncomfortable about the burglary. We have a baby monitor camera in there so hopefully that’ll bring us some peace. He finally began eating his usual food, though it was a pretty small amount. His nose is a little less pale too!

Though he loved being with us in our room (and sharing our heated blanket lol), I guess our resident cat brought him too much anxiety. Hopefully I will see an empty dish in the morning.

Do you think his pale nose also indicates stress? The vomiting was definitely induced by stress from our resident cat as he never throws up any other time except when overwhelmed by her presence.

I think he was not well socialized as his mom gave birth to him in a home and he was adopted at a few months old to his former owner. He never really spent much time with more than 1-2 people at a time or any other cat at all.

Our resident cat and our cat who has passed on definitely had a hard time getting along (mutual hissing and growling and even full on fights), but neither of them ever had such full blown anxiety that they would throw up or stop eating :/

 

[rubysmama]

I'm not sure about the pale nose, but definitely keep an eye on your boy, and make a vet appointment if you feel something isn't right. Or he continues to be picky about his food, and/or vomiting. Has he been to the vet since you adopted him from your friend?

Hopefully you wake up to an empty dish.

 

[di and bob]

All you are saying is not really abnormal ar all. The new cat is more easily stressed and has been made even more so by the robbery. This poor little one will take months to get more relaxed, but it WILL happen. Females are not known to be real friendly with new cats, so if yours is ignoring the other, that is a good sign. He has had major upheaval and stress in his life and needs continuity and everything to remain calm and the same. Hissing, growling, and swatting are all perfectly normal with a newer cat. As long as there are no outright attacks with deep bites and scratches it is OK. He will most likely ignore your other cat for a while and just hiss when she comes too close as a warning. Make sure he has a high up place to escape to, my Chrissy spent months on top of the fridge. Ask the vet if you can try some 'calming' treats found on pet sites and Amazon. I use one instead of the recommended amount for vet visits and they worked well. Please keep us posted!

 

[2cj]

rubysmama We did take him to the vet when we first got him. I just called the vet today and they just told me to keep monitoring him. But now that he’s in his own room again, he is eating and drinking normally !!

di and bob That’s good to hear! When I googled about new cats being adopted into homes with a cat already, I read a lot about resident cats showing signs of defensiveness or aggression, but not really the other way around.

I wanted to know when you think it’s a good time to let them both venture out into the entire house together? As of now, our new boy and our resident girl are in separate rooms on different floors of the house. We kept resident cat in her favorite and largest room (our bedroom) because even hearing her makes new cat freaked out! I wish she would just ignore him, but she follows him and wants to play. She’ll slowly close her eyes at him, then when he’s not looking she’ll focus on his tail and pounce! He doesn’t appreciate that lol. New cat, however, will just usually sit and hiss and growl, or try to find her if he can’t see her so he can hiss and growl at her when we previously tried letting both of them roam the house. Our resident cat has never touched the new cat once he starts hissing or growling, but will continue to be close by.

Any suggestions how to make our new guy less afraid? As I’ve mentioned before, he has one of her beds, some of her toys, and other things that have her scent but to no avail. Feliway also doesn’t seem to help much!

I’ll ask my vet about a calming treat if there’s no other thing to try, though!

 

[rubysmama]

That's great that he's eating again. And though it does sound like you did the introductions "by the book" the first few times, as they are now separated, you can try again.

TCS has the following articles on cat introductions. They're mostly short, and may have some repetitions between them, but I'll post all the links anyway.

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats
The Multi-cat Household

Also the ones on stress:
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
You, Your Cat And Stress
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

Good luck. Keep us posted on their progress.

 

[Hellenww]

New cat, however, will just usually sit and hiss and growl, or try to find her if he can’t see her so he can hiss and growl at her when we previously tried letting both of them roam the house. Our resident cat has never touched the new cat once he starts hissing or growling, but will continue to be close by.

When he looks for her to hiss and growl does he just turn his head or walk around to find her? If he's walking that's a good sign because he feels safe enough to move. Her respecting his hiss is also wonderful.

You've been through so much. When it's time for them to meet again give him only part of his meal beforehand and give them time so he can realize she's listening to him.

 

[2cj]

Hi all. Sorry for the late reply. It’s been a crazy week.

rubysmama Thank you for the resources! I guess I just need to have more patience and keep trying until he’s more ready.

Hellenww Hi there thanks for that advice! I know you wrote to give him time to realize she’s listening to him...but should I immediately separate them should he vomit even if he hasn’t eaten? I usually separate them immediately at that point because I get pretty nervous for his safety.

I also should note that my first cat passed away due to FIP...and I know that is sometimes linked to stress being the trigger. He was just barely 2 years old when he passed, but he was pretty stressed out when our current resident came into the picture when he was around 1.5 years old. Of course, we’re not certain that’s why he developed FIP, but we’re definitely concerned with the possibility of our new cat potentially being more at risk to it i guess this isn’t really a question because stress is stress and FIP is not always the result...but just another concern

 

[Hellenww]

Not eating could be making the nervous stomach worse. When the acid starts from nerves it has no food to work on and makes him more nauseous. Can you feed him a half hour before letting them get together? I don't know if it will help but maybe.

 

[2cj]

Wow I didn’t realize that! Thank you. I’ll try that and let you know!

I think we may try again this weekend...fingers crossed it goes a little better. I’ve even had a dream that they got along lol! Let’s hope that’s a reality someday.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Is he eating ok now?
Have you tried music?

 

[2cj]

Hi Furballsmom ! Yes, he’s eating fine now that he’s back in his own room. He’s playing, meowing out the window at birds and bugs, using the litter box fine, using his fountain well, and is very loving to me and my boyfriend. Still a little nervous to venture outside of his room...esp after the burglary. But otherwise he’s doing great. Just really despises our resident cat lol He’s a shy one, for sure. So his personality is really different from our very social, outgoing, and confident resident gal.

 

[Furballsmom]

oh, that's so good to hear - that means you and your bf are giving him a sense of calm, which is an awesome thing after all that

 

[Furballsmom]

and sharing our heated blanket

oh, by the way, you could maybe get him a thermal, or heated, cat bed

 

[rubysmama]

I think we may try again this weekend...fingers crossed it goes a little better. I’ve even had a dream that they got along lol! Let’s hope that’s a reality someday.

I hope it's a reality someday too. For both the humans and the felines.

Is the door to "his" room kept closed all the time? If so, does your other cat ever try to go inside? Or put her paws under the door? Just wondering if you could/should try opening the door, but putting up a barrier, like stacked baby gates, so the cats can see each other.

 

[She's a witch]

When you introduce the cats, do you do this in new cat’s room or in the resident cat’s “territory”? If he is not accustomed to the room, it can add the stress, I would probably do this in the new cat’s room. Also I would probably switch the cats between their rooms, keep the new one in the room normally occupied by the resident cat while she is not allowed there. It should help with getting accustomed to both the house and the smell of the resident cat.