Abbott and Evita hate each other

[LynneSin]

:cry:

It's like a war zone in my home. I'm not an experienced cat person and I want my 2 kitties to be best buds. Any suggestions?

[felonious thunk]

1. Separate them for now

Keep the new cat in a spare room, and introduce them gradually, for a couple of hours a day. Let the other cat get used to the smell, and keep the water gun handy and squirt liberally when they start fighting. It took over a year before my older cat accepted the new kitten, but he eventually did. Well, accept maybe isn't the right word. Tolerate. Or at least he no longer tries to bite through the kitten's neck.

[GOPisEvil]

2. T-I-M-E

They'll get used to each other over time. I grew up in a house with 4 cats. After some initial hissing and fighting, they all eventually got along and could at least tolerate each other.

I don't want to be refereeing any late-night kitty fights, dammit. They had better work it out.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

3. I agree with the above posts

Keep them separated for a few days, but they need to get used to each other's scents. I remember Ferg looking at me defiantly and spraying when I brought my other late kitty Guinevere into the home. Abbott and Evita will eventually become bestest buds, but to spare your sanity keep them apart (mostly) for now.

Even my cats, who are BROTHERS and have spent every day of their lives together, hate each other when the come back from the vet! I guess they smell that strange scent on each other and freak out. So this is not unusual.

[WillParkinson]

4. Put one in the bathroom...

The other can roam the house. Let them sniff at each other through the crack in the door. After a while switch them around so that they can smell each other in the house.

It may take a while but they will get used to each other. I won't say they'll be the best of friends (although the younger they are the easier it will be) but they will maintain a healthy respect for each other.

Are they male and female, male and male, or female and female?

[Az]

5. Have a baby, cats love babies

[CatWoman]

10. Az

you are so fucking cruel.................

:D

[GOPisEvil]

6. Oh, remember...Evita just had surgery, too.

Cats don't like the smell of other cats fresh from the vet.

[Butterflies]

7. The separation is a good idea

so they can get used to eachother's smell. I brought a girl kitten into my house with a 2 year old boy cat, and he was upset at first. I was told that opposite sexes can get along better, and it worked out for my two. When they were in different rooms, the kitten kept reaching her arm under the door to play with him (she was braver than he was), and I put them together after only a few days. Now they sometimes lie around together and clean eachother, and other times they fight and chase eachother. It's mostly love between them though. Just be patient. :-)

[SoCalDem]

8. Separate food..separate litter boxes

They will eventually figure out who is the dominant cat, and they will get along..

Keep their claws clipped, and give them each "private lovies", so they don't have to watch the other one getting all your affections..

Use a stern voice when one goes after the other.. Make sure you have "hiding places" where they can escape from the other one..

It will be ok.. It's just noisy now..

Remember too, that if she has just recently been spayed, she might need a little more "space" while she recuperates.. She may still be tender from her operation, and might really be afraid that he could hurt her..(Probably couldn't, but she might instinctively know that she's "injured".)

Usually when adult cats are introduced to each other, there's a lot of noise and posturing, but they will come around :) Patience

[CatWoman]

9. *groan*

I've had Streak and Trinity for about nine months now, and Male still growls and hisses at them, or slaps them when they invade her "space".

Female is a lot more accepting.

I had to bring them together slowly -- I kept Streak and Trin in the den the first two months, and would allow them frequent glimpses at each other.

Next I put their food bowls side by side, and let them eat together. I kept this up for about a month, but would always put Trin and Streak back in the den after they ate.

At about four months, I let it all hang out.

My house has never been the same. ;-)

Patience, Grasshopper -- It will work out. They will come to accept each other, if only grudgingly.

Abby is top cat, and he's not going to give up his territory without some problems.

You also might want to get some Feliway (cat pheremones). Since felines operate mostly by scent, Feliway will help bridge that "getting to know you sniffing".

[grannylib]

11. Isolate Evita in a bathroom where she can have her own food/litter/blanket

and let them get acquainted by 'paw under the door' technique.
I had an older kitty, Rio, who just hated our new addition, Layla, and it took about 2-3 weeks before Rio tolerated the little interloper (Layla wanted to be friends immediately, but then she was just a babycat)
Now they alternate between sleeping/grooming together, and fighting 'til the fur flys...