Please tell me this can be rectified (cat introduction)

[BengallingAround]

I hope this link works. We brushed Milo, then Koli, then brought the brush back to Milo. This was what he did.

He let us brush him with it after getting bored of chewing it.

Sharing a brush

 

[BengallingAround]

Yes. One thing I do know about Bengals, being cats, is that they are very smart and resourceful. Your doors look great! and it sounds as if they will definitely do the job. And absolutely, Milo is taking a PAWSitive approach to working off his frustration at not getting through the door, by spending time on his wheel (glad you have that, BTW. I've seen on Jackson Galaxy media that a wheel is almost mandatory for Bengals, Savannahs and any other wild/domestic hybrid). Smart guy! If you're around when he does that, you might consider immediately giving him a high value treat and praising him. That's reinforcement for his good action.

Ah great idea. Yes, I shall do that. We have some freeze dried salmon treats for clicker training and now for good introduction behaviour.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Ah great idea. Yes, I shall do that. We have some freeze dried salmon treats for clicker training and now for good introduction behaviour.

Great! You can integrate it with the clicker, as well.*In other words, click and treat and verbal praise immediately after he uses his wheel.*
A lot of cats love to bite their brushes. Fluff does, too.

 

[DeesCats]

I agree that the door screen looks great and well done on the installation.

I've also heard that athletic cats like yours do well using a wheel to help burn off frustration, get exercise as well as for fun.

 

[tarasgirl06]

The screen is secure. It's velcro and nailed into place, thank goodness. There is a proper door too but we've been trying to use the mesh as there's no glass at the bottom to see each other.

Oh he completely threw himself against the screen a couple of separate times. I'll record him tomorrow and see if he does it again. No hissing or growling though for a while now.

Oooh another thing he's been doing today when he can't bust through the screen is immediately jump onto his wheel and have a little treadmill run. It's almost like a release of frustration. Does that sounds likely? It's happened too many times today to be coincidence.

The big guy does try to get his paw through the kitten's safe room door. That seems quite gentle - but that door is solid and although he knows the kitten is in there, he can't see him.

I have a suspicion that he just wants to see the little one and have a good sniff but I know the little one will react with fear and we could end in a stand off.

Milo is looking very PURRplexed in #731 - he's maybe thinking, "Now how did THAT get there? That's definitely not part of my plan."

 

[Meowmee]

Here they are. Our little darlings 🩷

Gorgeous brothers Koli is adorable

 

[Meowmee]

The screen is secure. It's velcro and nailed into place, thank goodness. There is a proper door too but we've been trying to use the mesh as there's no glass at the bottom to see each other.

Oh he completely threw himself against the screen a couple of separate times. I'll record him tomorrow and see if he does it again. No hissing or growling though for a while now.

Oooh another thing he's been doing today when he can't bust through the screen is immediately jump onto his wheel and have a little treadmill run. It's almost like a release of frustration. Does that sounds likely? It's happened too many times today to be coincidence.

The big guy does try to get his paw through the kitten's safe room door. That seems quite gentle - but that door is solid and although he knows the kitten is in there, he can't see him.

I have a suspicion that he just wants to see the little one and have a good sniff but I know the little one will react with fear and we could end in a stand off.

Milo’s expression is wonderful there, so funny

 

[Meowmee]

Here is a bengal kitten and adult cat intros. I don’t know if they will help, maybe

 

[tarasgirl06]

Here is a bengal kitten and adult cat intros. I don’t know if they will help, maybe

Thanks for sharing the video! I have a couple of comments: A lot of experts suggest an up to two week period in an intro room for a new adoptee, with gradual through-the-door sniffing, eating on opposite sides of the door, and supervised short intro periods, until the cats are comfortable with each other.
And the other comment? *WISHING they'd clean the litter box and surroundings more often! If they don't, they should not blame the new cat for any "accidents." *

 

[BengallingAround]

Thanks for the video Meowmee . I have seen those videos before and i wish Milo was as chilled as the resident cat in the video.

Milo darted into the safe room today and immediately pounced on his little brother. My husband broke it up quickly but there was zero hesitation, he went for him.

Koli was a bit scared afterwards but he calmed down very quickly and carried on catting around. I wonder if that means anything. I think I would've been hiding for a year if that happened to me.

tarasgirl06 I see what you mean about the litter tray!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Thanks for the video Meowmee . I have seen those videos before and i wish Milo was as chilled as the resident cat in the video.

Milo darted into the safe room today and immediately pounced on his little brother. My husband broke it up quickly but there was zero hesitation, he went for him.

Koli was a bit scared afterwards but he calmed down very quickly and carried on catting around. I wonder if that means anything. I think I would've been hiding for a year if that happened to me.

tarasgirl06 I see what you mean about the litter tray!

Yeah, B BengallingAround -- that's just asking for trouble and certainly won't be the cats' fault! The whole room looks pretty nasty, actually. A little pride in your environment goes a long way, and it helps your cats, too.
"...he went for him" could mean just about anything, from excitement at seeing a new potential pal, to other levels of excitement. So unless we know more, it's impossible to make a call. Looking at that video again, even someone like me, conceived, born and living almost every day of my life with cats, learned things. It's good to review, too. Learning to be really perceptive in reading a cat's body language (or a human's, for that matter. It's really hard to deceive when this reveals so much) can be so crucial in introducing and living with multiple cats.

 

[BengallingAround]

Yeah, B BengallingAround -- that's just asking for trouble and certainly won't be the cats' fault! The whole room looks pretty nasty, actually. A little pride in your environment goes a long way, and it helps your cats, too.
"...he went for him" could mean just about anything, from excitement at seeing a new potential pal, to other levels of excitement. So unless we know more, it's impossible to make a call. Looking at that video again, even someone like me, conceived, born and living almost every day of my life with cats, learned things. It's good to review, too. Learning to be really perceptive in reading a cat's body language (or a human's, for that matter. It's really hard to deceive when this reveals so much) can be so crucial in introducing and living with multiple cats.

By "went for him", I meant he attacked him. No preamble, he just went for it. It seemed aggressive although I don't think he hurt the little guy. There was no licking by Koli afterwards (like you'd expect if there was pain).

Milo's been dying to get to Koli and when he got the chance, he pounced. My husband said it was like something out of a cartoon - paws everywhere. A split second fight before the husband scooped Milo up.

Tomorrow, I'll try to get a video of both cats behaviour.

Koli is completely avoiding the screen door now though.

Both cats go back to normal behaviour once separated.

 

[tarasgirl06]

By "went for him", I meant he attacked him. No preamble, he just went for it. It seemed aggressive although I don't think he hurt the little guy. There was no licking by Koli afterwards (like you'd expect if there was pain).

Milo's been dying to get to Koli and when he got the chance, he pounced. My husband said it was like something out of a cartoon - paws everywhere. A split second fight before the husband scooped Milo up.

Tomorrow, I'll try to get a video of both cats behaviour.

Koli is completely avoiding the screen door now though.

Both cats go back to normal behaviour once separated.

Not sure what Jackson Galaxy or other cat behaviorists would say to this, and I don't want to give feedback that isn't good. I do know that cats, especially male cats, will want to establish a "pecking order" of dominance/subservicence, just like most male primates (including humans) and others. I am glad to hear that no blood was drawn. Koli was obviously shaken by this out-of-the-blue action. Good to let them have a breather.
Hoping others can weigh in with helpful feedback.

 

[Meowmee]

Thanks for sharing the video! I have a couple of comments: A lot of experts suggest an up to two week period in an intro room for a new adoptee, with gradual through-the-door sniffing, eating on opposite sides of the door, and supervised short intro periods, until the cats are comfortable with each other.
And the other comment? *WISHING they'd clean the litter box and surroundings more often! If they don't, they should not blame the new cat for any "accidents." *

Yes that is true, however I still felt the video would be helpful to show the cat interactions. They gave excellent descriptions of their body language and tail positions etc. Did they blame the new cat for accidents? I don't remember that part, I will have to watch again. Yes, obviously they are not obsessive about things like clutter which is ok by me. However I keep the boxes very clean and the clutter down to a minimum etc. as much as possible. I know from experience minimum clutter had no effect on Sybil's life long peeing issues unfortunately.

I am not sure about the so called cat experts to be honest. We are all experts of some sort at a certain point though after having numerous cats for our whole life. Still many here as a sample have different opinions and experiences in the cat intro realm and other realms. JG has a lot of great ideas and clearly cares about cats a great deal, but by profession he was a musician, not a trained cat expert, if there is such a thing Not that I have every really trusted everything from so called "animal experts" because they frequently say a lot of nonsense imho. And although I loved JG show, I always thought it was nuts they way he invited aggressive, stressed cats to scratch him etc.

 

[Meowmee]

Thanks for the video Meowmee . I have seen those videos before and i wish Milo was as chilled as the resident cat in the video.

Milo darted into the safe room today and immediately pounced on his little brother. My husband broke it up quickly but there was zero hesitation, he went for him.

Koli was a bit scared afterwards but he calmed down very quickly and carried on catting around. I wonder if that means anything. I think I would've been hiding for a year if that happened to me.

tarasgirl06 I see what you mean about the litter tray!

You're welcome They have a whole series of videos of all of their cat intros, first of the lovely ginger classic as a kitten being introduced to the girl bengal who used to be a breeder... I have forgotten their names.

Oh no, sorry that happened ... maybe a video would give us more of an idea of what is going on. With Sybil and Quinn, it was the other way around with him relentlessly jumping on her and dominating her. I think as long as he does not injure him, it will be ok in time... Bengals are different being hybrid cats. And the two cat's personalities will always factor in. There was someone here a couple of weeks ago who had a similar situation with 2 dsh kitties, the older cat attacking the kitten as well. She ended up not separating them any further than she had I think, and now they are ok and playing together. I will try to find the post. Not that I am recommending ending the new separation for you etc.

Hang in there. We have all been through this a few times at least and I think honestly we get more stressed out by it than the cats do sometimes. To them this is their normal way of working things out. I do think Milo is dominating Koli too. Koli is happy go lucky and so adorable.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Yes that is true, however I still felt the video would be helpful to show the cat interactions. They gave excellent descriptions of their body language and tail positions etc. Did they blame the new cat for accidents? I don't remember that part, I will have to watch again. Yes, obviously they are not obsessive about things like clutter which is ok by me. However I keep the boxes very clean and the clutter down to a minimum etc. as much as possible. I know from experience minimum clutter had no effect on Sybil's life long peeing issues unfortunately.

I am not sure about the so called cat experts to be honest. We are all experts of some sort at a certain point though after having numerous cats for our whole life. Still many here as a sample have different opinions and experiences in the cat intro realm and other realms. JG has a lot of great ideas and clearly cares about cats a great deal, but by profession he was a musician, not a trained cat expert, if there is such a thing Not that I have every really trusted everything from so called "animal experts" because they frequently say a lot of nonsense imho. And although I loved JG show, I always thought it was nuts they way he invited aggressive, stressed cats to scratch him etc.

IDK if there were any "accidents" -- my comment was that if there were/are any, the cats are not to blame, cats being the most fastidious and clean beings and abhoring a dirty toilet.
Jackson is a cat behaviorist. IDK what education goes into that, but he definitely knows his cats. What bothered me in the series was the PEOPLE. Most of them were none too bright and I thought THEY, rather than the cats, were the "from hell" part. Fortunately, Jackson is very good with people, and where I'd have a meltdown in dealing with these clueless types, he was able to actually educate them and work with them in a way they could fathom and hopefully take to heart.

 

[Meowmee]

IDK if there were any "accidents" -- my comment was that if there were/are any, the cats are not to blame, cats being the most fastidious and clean beings and abhoring a dirty toilet.
Jackson is a cat behaviorist. IDK what education goes into that, but he definitely knows his cats. What bothered me in the series was the PEOPLE. Most of them were none too bright and I thought THEY, rather than the cats, were the "from hell" part. Fortunately, Jackson is very good with people, and where I'd have a meltdown in dealing with these clueless types, he was able to actually educate them and work with them in a way they could fathom and hopefully take to heart.

Is there any education for that? I don't know, but maybe there is and he has done it. Still he started as a musician not a cat behaviorist- my point was that a cat behaviorist should know better than to stress out a stressed out cat by inviting them to scratch them etc. And who wants to get scratched by a cat if they don't have to?

I found a lot of the people on the show to be nice and thoughtful, and the fact that they were trying to get help, so as not to give up their cat(s) was admirable to me. There was one episode I remember where the woman had to euthanize a previous cat who had had severe aggression maybe and he discussed that with her and the emotional aspects. he was great and so was she on that episode. It was very sad.

Maybe they forgot to clean the litter box for the video, which I definitely would have done unless it was a video about litter boxes etc. Keep in mind this looks like an older video, to me anyway, when ideas and standards were different than now.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Is there any education for that? I don't know, but maybe there is and he has done it. Still he started as a musician not a cat behaviorist- my point was that a cat behaviorist should know better than to stress out a stressed out cat by inviting them to scratch them etc. And who wants to get scratched by a cat if they don't have to?

I found a lot of the people on the show to be nice and thoughtful, and the fact that they were trying to get help, so as not to give up their cat(s) was admirable to me. There was one episode I remember where the woman had to euthanize a previous cat who had had severe aggression maybe and he discussed that with her and the emotional aspects. he was great and so was she on that episode. It was very sad.

Maybe they forgot to clean the litter box for the video, which I definitely would have done unless it was a video about litter boxes etc. Keep in mind this looks like an older video, to me anyway, when ideas and standards were different than now.

He is very intuitive, aware, and empathetic to cats. That much I do know. And he has a rare gift for dealing with people I could not deal with. So big props to him all around.
I don't remember that episode but it sounds like he was very helpful to her.
Yeah, I know, different people have different ways. To me, cats being the cleanest beings out of water, that litter box is the equivalent of a filthy gas station bathroom. Dirty boxes are a major reason why cats don't use them, and that's a major reason why cats are returned to shelters or abandoned. So it's very important to maintain a clean box and environment. I clean more than most people, I know; but I wish people would see it from their cat's point of view and also: if you wouldn't use it, you KNOW your cat wouldn't want to use it.

 

[Meowmee]

He is very intuitive, aware, and empathetic to cats. That much I do know. And he has a rare gift for dealing with people I could not deal with. So big props to him all around.
I don't remember that episode but it sounds like he was very helpful to her.
Yeah, I know, different people have different ways. To me, cats being the cleanest beings out of water, that litter box is the equivalent of a filthy gas station bathroom. Dirty boxes are a major reason why cats don't use them, and that's a major reason why cats are returned to shelters or abandoned. So it's very important to maintain a clean box and environment. I clean more than most people, I know; but I wish people would see it from their cat's point of view and also: if you wouldn't use it, you KNOW your cat wouldn't want to use it.

Yes agree a box should be clean- I actually did not notice even it in that video because I was focused on the cat interactions. However they apparently did not say they were having any cat accidents etc. either so maybe it worked for them, or maybe they filmed and all the cats had used it before that etc.

* I went back and re watched it and yes, big mess with litter spilled out around it I had forgotten that, the box itself does not look dirty to me.... this is the kittens isolation room, and kittens are a lot more messy than adults in my experience.

 

[Meowmee]

He is very intuitive, aware, and empathetic to cats. That much I do know. And he has a rare gift for dealing with people I could not deal with. So big props to him all around.
I don't remember that episode but it sounds like he was very helpful to her.
Yeah, I know, different people have different ways. To me, cats being the cleanest beings out of water, that litter box is the equivalent of a filthy gas station bathroom. Dirty boxes are a major reason why cats don't use them, and that's a major reason why cats are returned to shelters or abandoned. So it's very important to maintain a clean box and environment. I clean more than most people, I know; but I wish people would see it from their cat's point of view and also: if you wouldn't use it, you KNOW your cat wouldn't want to use it.

In addition, if you watch the whole series, by video 4 they switched to a home made higher wall cat box for him because they said he has a tendency to spray the litter out a lot. And the original box was not actually "dirty" so, maybe that comment is not accurate and it's not fair to say they are having accidents or are going to have them or to say that they are going to blame the kitten or cats for it etc.