Resident Cat Chasing New Cat

[cheeseburger]

We are doing our second foster-to-adopt trial. The first one did not work out because the cat was incredibly timid and seemed to aggressively hate our resident cat. Resident cat (2M, fixed), for his part, was never aggressive with her and very respectful of her space. He seemed to enjoy having company around, even though she did not, so we thought we'd try again.

We are now working with a new cat who has a more spunky personality. She is very petite and about six months old (also fixed). We've had her about two weeks now and she's already a very sweet, sunny, adventurous addition to our home.

Right now, she has the upstairs and our resident cat has the downstairs with frequent switching. We have been successfully feeding them on either side of a gate with no aggression for the last few days, so I decided to start doing supervised play sessions without the gate.

Initially, our new little girl would play while our resident cat would just crouch nearby and stare at her. Three days later, he's now a little more relaxed around her and will eat treats and play a little bit in her presence. But he's still got a creepy stare going on and sometimes an angry tail. She will try to slow blink him and he will not respond.

The real issue is that every time she runs, out of a room or whatever, he gives chase. And the chase gets pretty wild. It's a flat-out sprint where if he catches her he will jump on her back. He really seems to aggressively dominate her. She will run to a hiding place and then viciously hiss at him and sometimes swat at him. I've been harmed by our resident cat once trying to break it up (I've figured out how to herd him out with cardboard now without damaging myself). There's usually almost no warning for these chases. Everything goes from great and relaxed to chase in the blink of an eye.

He's also started doing things like trying to eat all of her food and using her litter box whenever we are doing group play in her room. She is becoming more tentative and hiding more, when before she seemed to have all the confidence in the world.

Should I move back in introduction protocol to group feeding and eliminate playtime? Or will this chasing stuff work its way out of their system as a pecking order is established? Our resident cat is about 2x the size/weight of new cat so I'm a little worried about her getting harmed.

 

[She's a witch]

I think you're doing great and if I were you, I wouldn't worry about the chasing - I guess it will turn into play if she decides to chase him back. I wouldn't intervene at all, let them hiss at each other, growl, don't break them up, unless there is blood. And don't worry too much, if you're stressed, they feel it and they may think there must be a reason.

Edited to add: just make sure she has a space to get away from him where he cannot follow her - small box etc.

 

[Furballsmom]

She is becoming more tentative and hiding more, when before she seemed to have all the confidence in the world.

Can you play with and love on her to keep her confidence up? Would you be able to set up one of those big boxes with a small kitty door where her food, and also one for her litter, is inside and safe from him? She needs the ability to eat and use the box in peace and safety.

Also, maybe I'm wrong but when he's doing the stare, I would distract him because although you've said there's no warning - this stare and the angry tail are definite signs. The thing with that is when you're not around, he'll probably do it anyway, so I'm not sure about this.

 

[jen]

I don't see a lot of issues really. All you mentioned is very common. I would not worry about the chasing and hissing and swatting. This is the equivalent of an obnoxious teenager annoying a mature adult, and the adult yells and says to knock it off. Hissing and growling are fine.

Take a small step back since you said the resident cat is hiding. I like to have a laser pointer handy just to distract the new cat in she is too focused on the resident cat. But continue the playtime and feed them together and everything should straighten itself out soon.

 

[cheeseburger]

Can you play with and love on her to keep her confidence up? Would you be able to set up one of those big boxes with a small kitty door where her food, and also one for her litter, is inside and safe from him? She needs the ability to eat and use the box in peace and safety.

Also, maybe I'm wrong but when he's doing the stare, I would distract him because although you've said there's no warning - this stare and the angry tail are definite signs. The thing with that is when you're not around, he'll probably do it anyway, so I'm not sure about this.

Thanks for the response! I am definitely doing what I can to love on her and play with her and it does seem to help build back up her confidence until the next encounter.

I think I will schedule their play sessions outside of her safe room for future encounters so she still has a place she feels safe without him taking ownership of her stuff. I was trying to play where she felt the most comfortable, but didn't think about him infringing on her space.

I am definitely not letting them hang out unsupervised just yet. I do not trust that new cat will be safe. I am absolutely trying to distract when he's staring, but he's a bit fixated.

 

[cheeseburger]

I don't see a lot of issues really. All you mentioned is very common. I would not worry about the chasing and hissing and swatting. This is the equivalent of an obnoxious teenager annoying a mature adult, and the adult yells and says to knock it off. Hissing and growling are fine.

Take a small step back since you said the resident cat is hiding. I like to have a laser pointer handy just to distract the new cat in she is too focused on the resident cat. But continue the playtime and feed them together and everything should straighten itself out soon.

Thank you Jen, this is very reassuring!

 

[She's a witch]

Can you play with and love on her to keep her confidence up? Would you be able to set up one of those big boxes with a small kitty door where her food, and also one for her litter, is inside and safe from him? She needs the ability to eat and use the box in peace and safety.

Also, maybe I'm wrong but when he's doing the stare, I would distract him because although you've said there's no warning - this stare and the angry tail are definite signs. The thing with that is when you're not around, he'll probably do it anyway, so I'm not sure about this.

Staring and "angry" tail might as well be preparing to play - after all, this is how cats play, it's supposed to be functional and they're testing their hunting skills even when playing with another cat. My cats are doing it before the "play" attack, this is our everyday reality. It's either followed by chasing around the house or physical "fight", depending on the response from the other cat.

when it comes to litter box, this may be difficult to ensure that each cat uses separate litter boxes. I think it's actually good that he uses hers - more opportunity for getting used to theirs smells. And food: of course it may be a sign of dominance (my female uses this method) but it might as well be that he simply sees food, so he eats it like it's his own. And even if this is dominance, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Furballsmom]

Whatever the case, hopefully your new little one grows fast and is able to "hold her own" soon

 

[cheeseburger]

Staring and "angry" tail might as well be preparing to play - after all, this is how cats play, it's supposed to be functional and they're testing their hunting skills even when playing with another cat. My cats are doing it before the "play" attack, this is our everyday reality. It's either followed by chasing around the house or physical "fight", depending on the response from the other cat.

when it comes to litter box, this may be difficult to ensure that each cat uses separate litter boxes. I think it's actually good that he uses hers - more opportunity for getting used to theirs smells. And food: of course it may be a sign of dominance (my female uses this method) but it might as well be that he simply sees food, so he eats it like it's his own. And even if this is dominance, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I wish I had your confidence that the chase was playful and not hostile. It definitely reads as hostile/hunting behavior to me, especially because he attacks me with claws and teeth when I try to get in the middle of it. And new cat's reaction of fearful hiding and hissing doesn't seem like she's enjoying herself.

I'm happy to let this play out but I'm worried that there could be a bad injury if he gets too aggressive. I guess I just don't know how far to let them take things, if that makes sense.

The new little girl is pretty fast and agile, so she has that going for her at least.

 

[She's a witch]

I wish I had your confidence that the chase was playful and not hostile. It definitely reads as hostile/hunting behavior to me, especially because he attacks me with claws and teeth when I try to get in the middle of it. And new cat's reaction of fearful hiding and hissing doesn't seem like she's enjoying herself.

I'm happy to let this play out but I'm worried that there could be a bad injury if he gets too aggressive. I guess I just don't know how far to let them take things, if that makes sense.

The new little girl is pretty fast and agile, so she has that going for her at least.

Don't get into middle of this then just take a step back and watch them when it happens and never interfere (unless there's blood), don't take him away, he is supposed to be there where she is in her safe spot and hissing and swatting at him. I actually even think that your interference may undermine her confidence, as she needs to know that she can deal with it on her own. Eventually, when she feels safer with his smell and presence, she will "attack" him back and he will have to retreat - remember that she is in a safe spot where he cannot get so she is in a better position.
When cats play, the difference between "hostile" and "just playing" is very thin, each play is supposed to resemble hunting in a way.. Watch some youtoube videos maybe and see how "aggressive" to us humans it can look like :-)

At the beginning of my recent cat introduction, my husband, who is not cat experienced, had to leave the room as he couldn't stand how his precious princess was being treated all the chasing and wrestling was too much for him

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm just not sure - I personally think to let her have a few more weeks of growth, both in maturity and size before stepping back, and before playing in her safe spot.

The thought of watching some youtube videos to visually work out the difference between hostile and just playing is a great idea

 

[cheeseburger]

Hey people. So I tried to take the advice of "Let your resident cat chase and let them work it out". I'm not sure it's going well.

For starters, our new cat is getting stalked and chased mercilessly, all day every day. And she's started pooping outside of the litter box and vomiting everywhere. She's fine in terms of health, otherwise. She only seems to vomit in a hiding place when she gets chased there. It seems like she's really stressed about the chasing.

And then my resident cat is still really aggressive about all of this. He's guarding her safe room and her litter box and controlling her access to it. He's chasing her every time she tries to play or move. He seems very anxious and unhappy, won't accept affection, has stopped playing, and has been more destructive with scratching things he knows he's not supposed to lately.

They will still eat head to head. The chasing sometimes ends in a pounce but usually does not end violently. My resident cat will back off if the new cat hisses. But we aren't progressing. I think I need more advice.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! This situation is degrading for both cats. Sometimes it just doesn't work out.

I would let this little sweetie go to a different home, and if you want to try again, maybe an older cat. However, you might consider giving your resident cat some time to decompress first. When he's acting himself, maybe then, or leave things be so he can have his house.

 

[She's a witch]

I'm sorry it's not working out, and she's getting sick Maybe their personalities did not match? Maybe there's something intimidating about your resident cat? Usually introducing kitten is much easier than in your case, and your resident should be young enough, but maybe he got used to being the only one? Sometimes it takes time for them to recall what it means to live with another one of their own. Although I still think that your resident's reaction is not unexpected, but the fact that the kitten feels so threatened is worrisome. Her health must be a priority. Normally I would still advice to let them sort it out by themselves, but if she's having health issues caused by him, then that's clear "no" from her.
If don't want to give up, separate them and start from the beginning (I'd increase the number of her litter boxes if you'd decide to introduce them again).
Now, I don't know you and I haven't seen your reaction, but sometimes the owner can be so stressed during the introduction that cats get stressed as a result. Both me and my husband had some time off during my recent cats' introduction, but seeing how stressed he got and the effect it had on the cat, I forced him to go to work mid day So if that's your case, you'd need to relax as much as possible before you get them together again. Best of luck!!