Recently I got a 1 1/2 years old male cat that someone I know couldn't keep.
I already had another female cat about 4 years old. The problem is with two
other cats (my son's) that also live in my house and will be here for
several months. These two can live together but they don't really like each
other. However, both hate the new cat and it seems to me they really try to
kill it. So I have to keep them separate all the time. I should say hey
don't attack together. Is there a way to get them used to each other?
Thanks
>Recently I got a 1 1/2 years old male cat that someone I know couldn't keep.
>I already had another female cat about 4 years old. The problem is with two
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>don't attack together. Is there a way to get them used to each other?
>Thanks
You need to re-run the introduction process. What behaviourists recommend is
putting one cat in a room on her own with the other outside so that they can
smell her but not reach her. The next stage is to bring the new cat out in a
cat carrier and allow the other cats to look. Then reverse it, put the other
cats in a room and allow the new cat to have a good smell and explore. A key
product for this is the Feliway Diffuser. Links below (note the article on
Pheremonatherapy as well - this is Feliway).
Multi-cat households can be fraught with difficulty. Unlike dogs, who are co-
operative hunters, cats hunt alone and have not built-up a social repertoire.
At the end of the day, you may have to live with an uneasy truce. The UK
behaviourist Vicky Halls writes eloquently on this. If the cats cannot bond
(i.e. you see no mutual grooming or facerubs), then the best you can do is
reduce conflict over access to favoured areas. The idea here is that, if cats
realise that what they covet isn't in short supply, they don't need to fight.
Littertrays - however well the cats get on, one litter tray per cat, plus one
to spare, and not all together, in different areas of the house.
Individual feeding areas and water stations for each cat.
Plenty of beds.
Access to high resting places - plenty of cat centres.
Plenty of scratching posts.
Plenty of secret hidey-holes.
Toys galore.
This is Vicki Halls' list of covert tactics to watch for:
Dominant cats blocking stairways, narrow corridors, doors and catflaps.
Jumping on the victim while she is asleep.
Intimidating the victim by staring, poking or blocking while she uses the
littertray.
Staring to remove a victim from a place of comfort.
Stalking.
The basic battle is a territorial one. Safe access to the outdoors would help
a lot. Can you catfence your garden or yard?
http://wizz-catz.co.uk/introducing.html
http://www.fabcats.org/behaviour.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/aggression.html
>Recently I got a 1 1/2 years old male cat that someone I know couldn't keep.
>I already had another female cat about 4 years old. The problem is with two
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>don't attack together. Is there a way to get them used to each other?
>Thanks
f.ck the behaviorists. The cats will work it out among themselves. Be
patient.
Popess Pantiara Evokovitch - 11 Jul 2006 00:14 GMT
> f.ck the behaviorists. The cats will work it out among themselves. Be
> patient.
If I took that advice for my cat and Yorky, my cat would have been dead
by now. Course, that's between two different species notorious for
hating each other, but it goes for all animals. Sometimes not
interfering could have psycological consequences if not physical. The
cat getting bullyed could become aggresive towards people and
reclusive. Some cats just don't like each other, but kind of like
warring siblings, make sure everyone has plenty of everything,
including space, food, and litterboxes, like the person above said.
Also make sure your first two kitties get lots of love and attention
along with the new one. THEN relax and let the cats establish the
pecking order without trying to kill each other.