My female cats associating with male cats both fixed.

I am babysitting my brother's two male neutered cats , one is around 7 years old named Jake and the other is 18 years old named Gus. They arrived on this past Saturday and I have them downstairs in a room with all their food and litter boxes. I have one of those child proof gates at the door so that my two female cats, Taffy who is 3 and Misty who is 2 1/2 can see them and the male cats can see my cats but the males tend to jump over the gate so I have to shut the door sometimes.


After a day or so I let the male cats out so they could wander around. My female cats did see the male ones through the gate and did hiss and spat at the two male ones and the male cats growl at them as well. So they knew that they were in the room and they do go downstairs to use their litter boxes so they can hear the male cats behind the door.

The older male , Gus who's 18 has chased my 3 year old Taffy all around the family room and last night cornered her up on the window sill and there was a screeching , hissing contest. I eventually got Gus and put him downstairs and back in the room.

I only have my brother's male cats until February 3rd or 4th when they get back from Florida. Should I just keep the male cats downstairs and let them just roam around downstairs and put the gate up and let them roam around for a half an hour and then put them in the room again so my female cats can go downstairs to use their litter boxes. Should I just leave it that way where the male cats stay downstairs and avoid confrontation and meetings with my cats.

I feel that the confrontations of these two male cats will stress my female cats too much. The two weeks of babysitting the two males are just to see if all the cats will get along as my brother wants me to care for them for a couple of months and I would be doing this babysitting on my own as my parents usually go away for three weeks in late February/March. So I'll be caring for four cats that may not get along at all. My mom feels that it just won't work and that my brother will have to find some accomodations closer to where he lives.

The reason he brought them to us is that he can't get into his new house yet before moving into it. Is keeping the male and female cats apart the right move to make. I just wanted to get some cat advise from fellow cat lovers is all about this situation.


Thanks for all your advise that you can give me.



Anne

I would just keep them separated if you can... seems like a lot of work not to, and what's the point if they're not staying anyway?

Since its a short time, I'd keep them apart. In a situation where you would be keeping the cats permanently or for a few months, it might take 2-3 weeks for everyone to be ok.

I'd not stress them. Give the boys some freedom without the females having access, then put them away and let them have the house again.

Thanks so much for the advise. I'll think about those ideas very carefully.


Anne

I bet it is stressing out the males way more then it is your girls. They are older and don't know the house or you probably all that well. At least your cats are in the same environment, there are just two intruders. I would keep them seperate too.