New cat + resident cat = still rocky

Zorilane

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Hello,

The day after we brought a new cat home to his base camp, he ended up escaping [solely by our negligence] and met the resident cat.
Cat went nuts. I have scratches everywhere - long story.

Currently the cats are through the door acquaintances. Their feeding stations are 5 feet apart.

Resident cat still refuses to come up to eat when called. Her food supply has been reduced to solicit hunger (and compliance) today she didn’t come up, but she ate the food within 15 minutes of being called.

My concern is Both cats are at the door now. New cat wants to come out and play, scratches the door. Resident cat sits there patiently listening and hissing every once in a while. Is that normal?

I take new cats towel to her every day. She now sleeps on them, hissing at them once in a while. I started laying a treat on the ‘fresh’ delivered towel to entice a positive association. She is still very unstable in her behavior.

Should I just continue doing what I’m doing, or should I take additional steps?

Ps We have pheromones running. I play with both cats daily to draw out energy. Resident cat is not as open as she was, and frankly I’m cautious because I still have claw marks on my face and body to remind me to keep my distance. Its been a day short of a week since we got our additional fluff of joy.

asking For a friend 🥺
 

She's a witch

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How old are they?
A lot depends on their age imo, but generally, given their first encounter, I’d just keep doing what you’re doing. Week is a very short time.
 
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Zorilane

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How old are they?
A lot depends on their age imo, but generally, given their first encounter, I’d just keep doing what you’re doing. Week is a very short time.
Thank you! I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything. She is 8 and he is 2. He is a play-doh cat. Very mellow. Gets rowdy only at night if he doesn’t play enough. I just never expected my cat to turn into a hell hound. That was scary...
 

rubysmama

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Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitty. Hopefully in time he and your resident cat will be friends.

Meanwhile, yes, it's totally normal for your female cat to be acting territorial and aggressive now that there's another cat in her home.

It's unfortunate that he escaped, and they met, so soon. Sorry that you got scratched. Keep an eye on the scratches, as cat scratches and bites can become infected.

I'm guessing you getting scratched was because you were trying to separate them.
But it could also be Re-directed Aggression In Cats | TheCatSite if she smelled his scent on you.

Watch This Cat's Reaction When He Smells A Stray Cat On His Owner

Back to the cat introductions, a week is not a long time at all in a cat's world. It usually takes weeks for the cats to be fully integrated. So keep doing what you're doing. But sometimes put your girl in a closed room so that your boy can wander around the home, and leave his scent everywhere.

Just watch to be sure your female isn't showing any signs of stress, such as not eating, litter box accidents, etc.

Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – Cat Articles

TCS has some articles on cat introductions, which might have some tips for you. Good luck. Keep us posted.

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

ArtNJ

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I strongly believe that the guidance that is out there on feeding on opposite sides of the door is just wrong. Oh sure, it can be a helpful step, but attempted too early it just leads to extra stress, and extra stress is bad.

We have had many people report this problem. Its just too early to do opposite sides of the door feeding with these cats. Attempt it only when they are not so uncomfortable and more willing to approach the door. At that point, it can be used to help build positives vibes -- when I'm near the other cat I eat and thats good! Now, it is just building negative vibes.

Edit: On reviewing this site's guide and Jackson Galaxy's guide, I am actually not sure why this problem keeps arising! Both guide's state start the feedings on opposite sides of the door after scent swapping has calmed things down, and to start far enough apart that the feedings don't add stress. Anyway, you are not alone in running into a problem at this step, we have had multiple reports of similar issues. The solution is either to move the bowls further apart or just wait and not try this step quite yet.
 
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Zorilane

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I strongly believe that the guidance that is out there on feeding on opposite sides of the door is just wrong. Oh sure, it can be a helpful step, but attempted too early it just leads to extra stress, and extra stress is bad.

We have had many people report this problem. Its just too early to do opposite sides of the door feeding with these cats. Attempt it only when they are not so uncomfortable and more willing to approach the door. At that point, it can be used to help build positives vibes -- when I'm near the other cat I eat and thats good! Now, it is just building negative vibes.

Edit: On reviewing this site's guide and Jackson Galaxy's guide, I am actually not sure why this problem keeps arising! Both guide's state start the feedings on opposite sides of the door after scent swapping has calmed things down, and to start far enough apart that the feedings don't add stress. Anyway, you are not alone in running into a problem at this step, we have had multiple reports of similar issues. The solution is either to move the bowls further apart or just wait and not try this step quite yet.
thank you. I will keep this in mind.
I saw my girl just come up and sit there curiously too. So I think she is warming up. We got a nanny cam coming so we may monitor from afar...
Thank you for letting me know I’m not alone.
 
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Zorilane

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Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitty. Hopefully in time he and your resident cat will be friends.

Meanwhile, yes, it's totally normal for your female cat to be acting territorial and aggressive now that there's another cat in her home.

It's unfortunate that he escaped, and they met, so soon. Sorry that you got scratched. Keep an eye on the scratches, as cat scratches and bites can become infected.

I'm guessing you getting scratched was because you were trying to separate them.
But it could also be Re-directed Aggression In Cats | TheCatSite if she smelled his scent on you.

Watch This Cat's Reaction When He Smells A Stray Cat On His Owner

Back to the cat introductions, a week is not a long time at all in a cat's world. It usually takes weeks for the cats to be fully integrated. So keep doing what you're doing. But sometimes put your girl in a closed room so that your boy can wander around the home, and leave his scent everywhere.

Just watch to be sure your female isn't showing any signs of stress, such as not eating, litter box accidents, etc.

Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – Cat Articles

TCS has some articles on cat introductions, which might have some tips for you. Good luck. Keep us posted.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide | TheCatSite
Introducing Cats To Cats | TheCatSite
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction | TheCatSite
Thank you so much! I will definitely pay more attention to her! I’m glad that I’m at least o. The right track. 🙏
 

She's a witch

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I strongly believe that the guidance that is out there on feeding on opposite sides of the door is just wrong
I think the guidance is correct, it’s just people may start this step too early and they forget the underlying cause for this step: creating positive association. If feeding by the door creates more problems than good vibes, then yes, I totally agree it shouldn’t be done at that point.

Z Zorilane You need to be positive in this introduction but also realistic: your girl is past the age when introductions are easy, so you may have to keep your boy separated way longer that you’d like to. Sometimes weeks are enough, sometimes months. But given how badly they started, I’d say it’s not so bad, and if you keep exchanging scents, she’ll eventually stop reacting with fear to it. She saw him as an intruder in their very first meeting and that need to change, but you’re in the right track to change this. Just don’t rush this.
In the unlikely event that they fight again, never ever try to separate them with your hands. Use towel, blanket, other object to separate them.
 
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