HELP!: Two grown cats.

Awhile ago, one of my cats, Rosebud, disappeared without a trace and we haven't seen her since. We asked the neighbors, posted signs, and went to the animal shelter with no luck. I find it likely that we forgot her in the back yard one night and from there, only God knows what happened. It's strange that she vanished because she's incapable of getting over our fence because she was declawed front and back before we even got her and she has always been very delicate. My other cat, Leo, who is the alpha cat, has been going crazy.

Anyway, my family recently lost hope and decided they wanted a new cat. Rather than getting a kitten, they decided to adopt an unwanted full-grown cat from one of my brother's friends. She is very friendly and playful, as is my resident cat, Leo. They have meet each other once before, when we babysat the newcomer for awhile, which was months ago. It was a far from pleasing introduction. At first, they looked at each other with curiosity, but when Leo got closer, the newcomer hissed, Leo hissed back and ran away and held a grudge and acted strange the whole time she was here. However, this time, the newcomer is here to stay.

Today is day one. I have the new cat shut in my room with its own food, water, and litter. The newcomer has become familiar with my room once again and no longer hides under my bed. It didn't take long at all for Leo to recognize her scent and vice-versa. I was shocked because once Leo smelled her on me, he hissed and growled at me and avoided me for a short period of time. The newcomer hissed even more, but did not become avoidant.

I understand that hissing at the scent of strange cats is normal, but is it a bad sign that Leo hissed at me? Also, how should I go about introducing them at first, as Leo is slightly territorial and can be aggressive. Another thing I should mention, when we had Rosebud, Leo would often bathe her, even if she did not approve, which would sometimes result in skirmishes and I can imagine he'll eventually try to do the same to the newcomer. Tips please?

Best thing to do is:

1. Wash both cats in the same shampoo.

2. Sprinkle both with cornstarch baby powder and rub it into the coats.

3. Put a dab of vanilla extract on their noses when you introduce them face to face.


It will take some time to get them used to each other - don't push for a fast intro. Let them decide at their own pace. New cats will hiss and growl at each other and sometimes fight some. Be sure all nails are clipped short before introducing face-to-face.

Thanks for your suggestions, GoldenKitty45. I'll try the scent methods once I feel they are ready to be introduced. There is also one very important factor that I forgot to mention. Leo is neutered. The newcomer is female and we are not sure if she has been spayed, but it's highly doubtful. Will this make it considerably more complicated to introduce them? Are there any indicators that a cat has not been spayed?

I think the only ways to know is to have the belly shaved to see if there is a spay scar, or you'll have to wait a few months and see if she comes into heat or not. Until you know she cannot be let outside at all.

And yes, sometimes neutered and unneutered cats may take longer for introductions.

There is the newcomer, now named Shadow. We have made progress. They no longer get aggressive upon smelling each other. I am especially proud of Leo. One day, Shadow got out of the room for a few seconds when I opened the door. Leo saw her from my mother's room, but did not show any signs of aggression. On the other hand, Shadow is only aware of Leo's presence because of his smell and his loud and frequent meows.

I'm worried about how Shadow will act on the first introduction. When I let her out to explore the house, she seemed terrified and looked all around for Leo before exploring, but she seems indifferent to his scent.

There is another information update, as well. Shadow's previous caretakers told us s/he is a female, but they may have told us this because it's what we wanted to hear (we were looking for a female to adopt, not a male). My brother was talking to his friend (the caretaker's son) about the cat and he claims that they're actually clueless about the gender of the cat. This is unconfirmed and we're not sure if he's telling the truth, since he has a tendency to tell tall-tales/lies. I've seen male cats live with each other harmoniously before, but there was always at least one female present. Can two males live harmoniously w/o a female present? Also, is there a way of determining the sex of the cat?

Any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as well.

When I first introduced Hailey to the new kittens she hissed at me a lot...pretty much everytime I tried to touch her around them. She still growls at me a little around them (3 weeks later), but for the most part everyone is getting along. The little black boy even trys to rub up against her and then she swats him, I say that he loves BBW.