Please help !!! New introduction not going so well

[milonagustus]

Hi everyone smile.gif just wondering if anyone can give me some guidance in introducing a new cat to the household. I will give a little backstory on my experience as well as about the cats involved.

My name is Alex and I've had mostly cats all my life although never more than one at a time growing up. My wife sheena has also had a mostly cat household growing up as well although she has had experience with a multi cat household.

Milo - came to me as a stray when I moved into my own house and I kept him as he was very young and there is nothing but coyotes around my place --( think he was dropped off on the road to fend for himself at the neighbors barn )-- he is the king of the household and has the mood to go along with a king, he either likes you or doesn't and isn't afraid to let you know
Milo is a male grey tabby short/long hair 3 years old

Augustus - We got Augustus after having milo for about a year because he was quite visibly bored and started to get a wee bit destructive. Augustus is a Male Bengal that was supposed to be my big strong monster who turned out to be the biggest suck you have ever met!! Milo and Augustus did very well when we introduced them, I kept Augustus in the office for a week with a toy between the door as well as constantly swapping blankets..... By the time we let them meet face to face they were best friends and still are 2 years later, and although milo can be quite moody Augustus seems to know milo is the alpha. He is 2 years old


Jade - jade was Augustus mother, we weren't planning on getting a third cat but fait had other plans and I couldn't be happier about her coming to us as her female Bengal energy brings a nice calm to the house as well she is quite vocal when the boys get out of line and keep them in their places. She also had quite a seamless transition into the household using the same techniques. She is a 5 year old Bengal

This is where everyone's knowledge/past experiences are needed smile.gif

We had another GORGEOUS stray come along about 4 months ago but wouldn't come near us, about a month later after disappearing for a couple weeks he re-apeared quite thin/messy and this time wanted nothing but love... We started feeding him as we looked for his home but as it started to get cold out I couldn't help but bring him inside...... After a trip to the vet then quarantine for a month then back to the vet for blood tests for viruses and a neutering he has now been inside for 2 months and is quite content with his surroundings. Now I said we didn't want a third and I really really was never thinking 4!!! But words can not describe how awesome he is...... So ya, keeping him.
His name is Sebastian and he is a male long haired tabby estimated at 1-1.5 year old who had his testicles until I had him nurtured

This is where my predicament begins, I have tried every trick in the book with introducing him from the towel swapping, separate rooms (still in effect) I even took some fence lattice and built a door to replace the door in the room so they could more easily see each other and interact when we were home. After 2 months of this we have seen little change in his aggression towards the other cats. He is fine when we feed them all together as well as when he is in his carrier and the cats are wandering around. Milo managed to sneak onto the main floor through the cat door with his extra toes and crazy ninja skills and they got into quite a tuff with hair EVERYWHERE and a small scratch on each cat. I was hoping this would solve their issue but hasn't seemed to. Augustus is at the point where he doesn't care he just wants to see him and jade runs off every time he is around other than at dinner or breakfast but is still a little on edge during that time. My main issue is his aggressiveness, he is ok when I am between them but as soon as I stand up or pretend not to pay attention he goes straight into attack mode (Sebastian)...... We recently got that plug in defuusser with the pheromones as a friend that works at a shelter suggested trying it and are almost finished the first plug in, we have noticed a bit of a difference in the other cats with it but not so much in Sebastian although we are only on the first bottle we were told that we wouldn't notice anything until the second......

Anyway that's all I can think of right now, any help would be awesome!!! I understand I'm going to have to eventually have to let them sort their **** out I'm just wondering if there is a better / more effective way of handling it..... Thank you very much for any help smile.gif

 

[mollyblue]

What you are going through is very difficult... we are going through the same.  with cat introductions, it almost seems like the interest is high in the first couple weeks, but after a couple months of forced separation, the boundary lines are drawn and they become more defensive of their territories.  It seems to be enough time to go from curiosity about the stranger to animosity about the intruder.  Buttercup is our stray/feral.  She has adapted to humans and regular feedings quite well, but she is triple defensive with any of the other cats around... paces her door and hisses if anyone comes close even to sniff or play pawsies... She just don't  like other cats.   Most of it, in my opinion, is fear.

So, when I am there to supervise, I will let Buttercup out into the main apartment area, as long as I am talking to her and will put a hand on to calm her when she begins to get ruffled, she does okay, but I cannot leave her alone even for a minute because one of the other cats will move/twitch/blink and that is all it takes for her to fly off the handle.

Does he have 1 of the 3 resident cats that you think he will be able to get along/bond with easier than the other two?  Thats what we are trying now.  Snowy and Buttercup have an uneasy truce, and we are trying every day just to increase the comfort level with each other.  I refuse to think we are not making at least some progress.  But, if the other two are are around, the air is just still supercharged.  I am hoping that if we are able to get BC and Snowy sorted, then adding the other cats to the room one at a time should go easeir.  As it is, there are 3 cats that get along, and then Buttercup, so even though Buttercup is the aggressor, it is really 3 against 1 and it just keeps her on edge, which puts the other ones on edge.  Instead of just a hiss or a snarl to leave me alone, we get growls and swipes, which of course quickly leads to "its on like donkey kong".

Good luck!

 

[milonagustus]

Sounds like I'm in the same boat! And yes I think Augustus will be the one he gets along with better but I know it will still be a fight in the beginning as I feel since he was left un-neutered for so long that he is trying to show he is the boss though I agree it probably has a bit to do with fear...... Although he doesn't hide at all, seems quite interested in seeing them but instantly goes into stalking mode when given the chance to. I am going to try putting him on a leash and doing the solo intros and see how that goes as well

 

[mollyblue]

Well our 3 are all girls, and Buttercup was left unneutered until a few weeks ago when her kitten was weaned. But, I know with her there is a lot of food insecurity (she still growls while she eats, even though she has had more food than can eat for months now), and just plain defending her territory.  She doesn't want back out on the streets, and this is her corner.  Where we live there is a large feral cat population so I am certain that once a cat finds a good dumpster that often has food whatever in it, then they don't want any other cats coming round.

Snowy is our deaf cat, and she also is a rescue from the streets, though we got her from the Shelter.  She had a lot of issues... but because of all she has been through, she is the most patient with Buttercup.  The only problem is that Snowy also wants to be dominant, but she also sees how mean BC can get so she is scared too... Buttercup is the one who started with all the aggression, but the other two cats are not going to let her forget it, and she gets set off if you just look at her.  Good supervision is very imporant though.  It seems like you make a little progress and then have a set back.  If there should be a fight where one of them actually hurts one of the others, they might never recover from that.

 

[jennyr]

It is a problem often encountered when bringing an adult ex-stray into a house of already domesticated cats. Your original cats have all been in homes since they were very young, and therefore have confidence in their surroundings. They know the food bowls will always be full, the beds will be warm and there will never be serious threats to worry about. Sebastian, on the other hand, has had to fight for survival, and probably it was other cats who were his main rivals for food and shelter. he does not realise that there will always be enough food to go round, that he will not suddenly find himslef out in the cold again, and he feels he needs to fight for these luxuries. It can take months, or longer, for a feral or stray to build up enough confidence to tolerate other cats close to him where he feels they are potential rivals.

I would always feed him separately, give him plenty and make sure there is no possibility of one of the others trying to take or share his food. He must have his own space, where he feels secure. Only when he has confidence that these things are his by right will he maybe feel it is OK to tolerate the presence of others. he will probably go through a stage of fighting for affection, too, once he realises it is to be had and that he likes it. It will require a lot of patience.

 

[milonagustus]

Thank you Jenny that was quite informative! I am not 100% sure but I have a good feeling that he was dropped off to fend for himself and he came from a previous home. What you said about him not being 100% comfortable/ confident in his surroundings sounds like it could be it although he walks around the place like he owns it..... We have a door separating the basement and upstairs so when he is not in his own room we close the door and let him have either the upstairs or downstairs desperate from the other cats. Also when I feed them together he does eat very fast although he does this when eating by himself as well, and when he finishes eating he just walks to the basement no looking like he is nervous or anything around the other cats...... Last night I tried putting him in a harness with a leash around Augustus since Augustus is fairly timid and is at the point where he wants to be around Sebastian (newcomer)...... Augustus was sleeping on his house when I brought Sebastian out and was very good, never moved or hissed as he was just feeling the situation out..... Sebastian was ok although if I was not there I know he would have tried to get him, he would walk around the house and slowly try to get up.... Never charging but again I was there so that could have been a different story if I wasn't.......

I feel as though he is quite comfortable with his surroundings although I'm not a cat so who knows what's going on in that crazy head of his...... I guess my question really was if he is trying to become the new alpha am I supposed to let them sort it out themselves while not letting it get too out of hand? Or keep doing what I'm doing till he realizes that he isn't the boss and becomes more comfortable around the other cats...... We are willing to put the time and effort into making it work but at the same time I don't want to continue possibly stressing the others out if this sounds like a lost cause...... After his tuff with milo and a few charges at Augustus while on the leash they don't seem to be scared of him, just cautious.

 

[jennyr]

He might well be an alpha personality - they are much more likely to survive outside as they will win the battles for food. What you say about him eating fast reinforces what i said. He is afraid that if he does not get it all down fast then someone will fight him for it. And he thinks it may be the last food he will get. He still does not realise that there will always be a meal. Eventually they will sort it out between themsselves, but I would not let it happen yet as someone might get hurt, and it might affect their relationship for the rest of their lives. Separating and then showing them each other in calm situations is very good, you are doing the right thing. But avoid conflict at meal time.

 

[milonagustus]

Thank you very much Jenny that is comforting. One thing that I did find odd was that he never once sprayed, not even around the house when he was outside for the first little bit and being such an alpha personality I would have thought for sure he would be a sprayer...... Guess I dodged one there

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• milonagustus
• Nov 5, 2015

 

[jennyr]

What a lovely boy! It is good about the non-spraying - of course, if he once had a home and was neutered early, he may never have got into t he habit.

 

[SeventhHeaven]

He's Gorgeous he's lucky to have you. Sounds like you walk your kitties wondering if you can try

some clicker training with treats with Sebastian, not very much to overwhelm him just a few commands

crash course, I put treats in front of them tell them to wait and when to take the treat on command, then when to touch it they will automatically reach for the treat, touch with left paw then right, reward with treat it's so easy, builds up their confidence helps you Bond with him / them, (If you don't have a clicker they still get it.) they will listen to you, they love the stimulation, you can teach them anything. It keeps you Head Cat, adjustments take time. This will also challenge his habit of scarfing down food.