New Cat & Redirected Aggression

[suh]

Hi all,

We just got a new foster cat in our house last night. We set him up in a room with glass doors so he has a safe space but can also see out. He's really very sweet, loves petting, doesn't mind being held, curious and not scared of strangers or the new place. However, the moment he saw our other foster cat through the glass was the moment he changed completely. He started growling and hissing constantly, which I understand can be normal, but after realizing that he cannot get to our other cat, he lashed out at us instead, latched onto my leg, scratching and biting down hard. It was unprovoked as we didn't try to interact with him while he was grumpy. It's happened a few times now,

He seems to be stuck in this temperamental mood even when our other foster isn't in sight. I'm keeping him for a bit longer to observe whether he will calm down as he gets used to the new environment and our other foster, if not, we will try to get him to another foster family as an only cat.

What do you guys think about his aggression? How should we approach him and help ease his tension? My idea for the time being is to just leave him alone and provide food and clean litter so he doesn't stress out more. Should we try to interact with him? Thanks!

 

[rubysmama]

Do you usually let foster cats interact with each other? If so, TCS has some articles on cat introductions which may be helpful.

Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

Plus one on Cat Aggression Toward People

And: Re-directed Aggression In Cats

And stress:
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

Good luck.
And thanks for fostering cats.

 

[ArtNJ]

You definitely shouldn't try and touch him when he is like that, that is how one usually gets attacked as a result of redirected aggression. Getting attacked when keeping your distance is much less common and probably not a great sign, but maybe all he needs is a slower introduction process where he isn't seeing the other cat right away. I have glass doors in my kitchen that face the backyard, and seeing another neighborhood cat through them can cause massive stress - and have heard similar stories from others. Might work sometimes -- sometimes a slow intro is not needed -- but when slow is needed, don't think I'd go with glass doors.

Bottom line - moving him somewhere without glass doors and restarting a slow introduction process per the links above posted by rubysmama is what I'd try.

 

[suh]

Thanks so much for the responses! This is actually the first time we are introducing cats. Our own cats used to just get along with each other, we didn't know much about gradual introduction at the time. We knew for this new foster cat, his previous foster family has mentioned that he scratched another cat when they tried to mingle them, so we thought we were taking enough precaution(apparently not).

He is slightly calmer today. He still attacks but also wants affection, but we get a little nervous when he gets too close, haha. We don't have another room with enough space to move him and we don't feel safe sleeping in the same room as him. Right now, I have the glass doors taped up with colored paper so he can't see out unless he climbs up to a higher place, hope that will help him feel better!