To whom do I first introduce the new cat?

[Flaxbee]

I have two other cats, both of whom are indoor kitties by necessity these days (renting a house too close to a road). A stray cat ingratiated himself not so long ago; he was very sick with a respiratory infection so I took care of him, had him neutered, got him his shots, etc. And of course, after the attention and love he didn't want to stay one of the neighborhood cats, he wants into the family. So he's got a little kitty house on the downstairs covered porch, regular food, loving, etc.

It could just stay this way for a while but we'll probably be moving in 3-4 months so I need all cats to like, or tolerate, one another. So I think I need to start introducing them now.

The new guy, Ivan, is a HUGE, young (probably less than 2 yrs) male, very strong. About 15 lbs with a head the size of a softball. He is HUGE. He had a biting problem for a while but seems to have mostly grown out of it having learned rapidly that my firm, not-nice-mama voice saying "NO!" means I'm not happy at all and that biting me is a bad idea. He's not stupid, but this cat, if pissed off, could do a lot of damage.

My indoor female, Clarisse, is a very wacky, psycho calico who can't see very well and she's just got a temper. She's aggressive until the the other cat has had enough and goes after her, then she screams and runs like bullies usually do. I love her, but she's a psychobitch.

And Tommy, the kitty love of my life, is a neutered male, at least 10 years old, missing both top canine teeth and is about 2/3 the size of Ivan. He's territorial, but not excessively so, though he used to regularly chase stray males off our property in Virginia and get into fights on occasion. I adore this cat. He is my sweetie pie, and I DO NOT want him hurt at all (I don't want any of them hurt, but, Tommy's my baby; I hate to have favorites but he's declared himself mine and we're just great buddies).

So. Long story short. How and when do I introduce these cats? They've seen each other for weeks through the enclosed upstairs screened porch, my cats in, Ivan out. They've gotten beyond active hissing and growling and now ignore one another, but the boundaries have been established and if I break those down and bring Ivan into the upstairs porch there will probably be more hissing and yowling. I'd just introduce them one at a time, but how do I break up a catfight?

[davidinalameda]

1. just remember--cats are much smarter than people

they'll work everything out themselves

I had to introduce my original cat Theodore to at least 5 other cats over the past few years and he's a holy terror when it comes to new cats

he sits there and hisses until the others decide its enough and kick his ass

they'll hide for a while and then start the hissing again and then after a few weeks, they'll get use to each other

let them fight--most of the time, they'll just bat each other with their paws and wrestle

I have never seen cats, other than outside cats who have wandered onto another one's terrority, get into a real cat fight

[yardwork]

2. The female will probably be your biggest problem

Female cats are very territorial and jealous of other cats, especially other females. Therefore, it is a good thing that your new cat is male.

It's possible that Clarissa is not really a psycho bitch - she's just acting like a normal adult female cat who doesn't want other cats around.

Neutered males usually get along very well and male cats in general don't hurt female cats. It sounds like you are doing everything right.

I predict that Tommy and Ivan will become good pals. Clarissa will fight them both on occasion but they won't hurt her.

[Flaxbee]

3. poor Clarisse is a psycho bitch... she was even

hard to handle when it was just the her and me in our NYC apartment... she can go from affectionate to hand-shredder in a split second, and doesn't have the normal domesticated animal built-in stop-biting-the-hand-that-feeds-me instinct. She has shredded my hands and arms to bits, and even clawed the upper part of my ear almost in two when I made a sudden move to get up and scared her. She's hard to handle. I'm just thankful I was the one who adopted her from the shelter b/c I think almost any other person might have killed her by now. I love her, just never ever let my guard down when she's cuddling oh-so-innocently on my lap.

But, a former female cat of ours who lived with us in Virginia (and who was adopted by our neighbor before we left -- sweet Lindakitty was too beloved by the neighbor's husband who happens to be suffering from cancer and who said Linda's the only cat he ever loved; I couldn't take her from him even though I miss her terribly) kicked the stuffing out of Clarisse a few years ago and that seemed to settle things... so, I think a few scuffles will probably sort things out. Ivan's just such an enormous creature I'm a little worried.

[Angry Girl]

4. Keep a water pistol/spray thing handy! Good luck!

[hyphenate]

5. The first thing I would do is

bring Ivan in, put him into a room of the house, and separate him from the others only by a door. I usually use the bathroom. If you have access to a high screendoor that you can use between the room and the rest of the house, use it. A pet door is okay, but a lot of cats can jump over them. The alternative is a very large cat/pet cage, but that's a lot more stressful.

I think your psychobitch will have a lot more trouble with the newcomer than your other cat. Tommy sounds like he's a bit tired of being the man around the house, and wouldn't mind giving up part if his territory to Ivan.

Even after living together for 16 years, my Sandi never accepted Piccolo. They didn't actively "fight" so much as avoid each other. When I took in Amanda in June 2003, she did okay with the others, except for one, Jean-Luc. She still hisses a bit at the others, but she hates JL, who follows her and chases her. There will almost always be conflicts, but for most cat groups, it's only until familiarity breeds comtempt.

The move alone is going to be stressful enough. You might end up needing to put them into a "halfway house" while all the moving goes on. If that happens, you will definitely see how well they're coping together. The sooner you introduce them the better, simply because the closer to the move, the more stressors will make their moods that much worse.

The room segregation should be no longer than a week. During that time, you can let them see each other for slightly longer periods of time when you are with them all, like for a visit to the living room or something. You need to direct attention mostly to the older cats, because they're going to feel you're displacing them. Once the week ends, if they aren't at least ignoring each other, then you can try longer supervised visits for at least another week. After that, they should be more or less ookay, but there might always be some tension between them.

My vet also recommended something called "Rescue Remedy" which is an herbal supplement that you simply put about 5 drops once a day into their food. It mostly eases stress. I will tell you right away, it's expensive--for me, anyhow--it was $17 for a small bottle. But it seemed to help a lot. You can find it in almost any store specializing in vitamins and other such stuff--I would suggest a GNP first.

Good luck!

[crispini]

6. Bring him inside and shut him in a bathroom or utility room

and let them play with each other under the door for awhile. Do this daily. That will get his smell into the house and it'll get them used to it. When he's out, let them into the bathroom and it'll get them used to the smell.

Then, supervised introduction ONLY and keep spray bottle handy!

[Lorien]

8. The only problem with the spray bottle trick

is that the cats will begin to associate one another's company with being wet and unhappy. Try treats first. Get a clicker or a ballpoint pen. When the kitties get close and don't growl, click and give them a treat (original cat first). That way, they associate the newcomer with something positive.

You might also purchase some Feliway to calm all the kittie's nerves during this period.

[Lorien]

7. This is what the Humane Society recommends:

Introducing a new pet to your existing pets

Always have the new pet checked by your veterinarian to ensure she has a clean bill of health and that it is safe to introduce her to your pets.

Cats are territorial animals and need to be introduced to other animals very slowly. Any fearful or aggressive behavior from either the new or existing pet or pets should be interrupted (don’t attempt to pick up a frightened or aggressive cat, use a squirt of water or throw a pillow to break up a cat fight). Introductions should proceed more slowly to avoid any interactions that result in fear or aggression.

Confine your new cat to a medium sized room with her litter box, food, water and bed. Using food rewards, treat your existing pets by the closed door so they can associate good things happening (food) with the smell of the new cat. If everyone is calm, try propping the door open with two doorstops so there is a small gap through which they can see each other and repeat the treat process. Letting them eat on either side of a glass or screen door can also help (as long as they are all inside).

Swap scents by either switching sleeping blankets or taking a towel on one animal and placing it under the food dish of the other. Switching living areas and letting the pets investigate is another method that helps the new pet check out the house without the resident pets being present.


It may take several days or even weeks. If hostilities begin in ernest, just move back to square one and start all over again. I used these methods with my three. It took six days to safely allow Oberon and Puck in the same room together, but they're best buddies today.

Good luck!

[EC]

10. This is good advice

I've had multiple cats and dogs all my life, they are required to get along, no if's, ands, or buts, but when introducing a ferral, make sure you bathe him or have him bathed first to erase all scents picked up in the wild. I've found this to be the most important. Also, since the vet already checked him out the other 2 won't smell disease, that scares them and they will attack a sick animal. Otherwise all this from the humane society is really good advise, especially the blanket bit, I know if one of my animals aren't feeling well, I let them sleep on my robe and my scent seems to relax them....

[hickman1937]

9. You've got a problem.

I've had my male (Oreo) for 10 years. I got his buddy/nemasis Unkas, 9 years ago. they used to take chunks out of each other, then sleep in a cat ball. My son rescued an elderly cat 2 years ago. Oreo started pissing on curtains and shoes. My daughter brought Crazy(little male) home from Tenn. a couple months later. Lots of fighting, till Unkas adopted Crazy. Oreo was still marking territory occasionally. 9 months ago Unkas died. Oreo has been on a piss spree ever since. The moral of the story is get ready to clean. I'm barely keeping up.