New cat, old cat problem

rachpreach

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Ok I recently got a new cat for my old cat to have a companion. Both cats are about the same age, both males, both neutered, both from shelters. The new cat is very submissive and the old cat is more dominant. I introduced the two cats slowly, using the method used in the sticky thread on this forum. Now both cats are ok in the same room together. The old cat, Marley, is fine around the new cat, Stanley. There is no hissing or growling. The only thing is, Marley will just kind of walk up to Stanley and start batting at him and fighting. Hes not playing i dont think but hes not really hurting stanley either. So of course Stanley is very timid and scared of Marley now because Stanley doesnt fight back or show any defense. I want Stanley to be about to walk around the house without being scared of Marley. Whats going on with this behavior? Help!
 

cheylink

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Marley is just showing his dominance and territory, it is more common for the original cat to be the dominant. Stanley just needs some TLC and eventually he should stick up for himself more.
 
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rachpreach

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well is there anything I can do to encourage stanley to come out of his room? He wont even walk around the house because he is scared. Is there anything else i can do in general to help the situation?
 

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What about keeping Marley in a room for a couple of hours at a time, and bringing Stanley out of his room to roam around and begin to feel the place is his as well? I don't know if it will help, but at least it might equalize things a bit.
 
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rachpreach

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i actually have tried that and stanley wont really roam around. He'll just get somewhere safe(the couch) and stay there.
 
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rachpreach

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Ok I have another problem with Stanley(new cat). The second night we had him, he peed in my bed in the middle of the night. I figured it was because he was scared to jump down because of my other cat and dogs. I would take him out of my room for time in the living room on the couch because he was too scared to come out on his own, and he peed on the couch too. Now he is just regular peeing, not spraying. He has done this several times for the past two weeks. He does use his litter box but obviously not every time. I am taking him to the vet on saturday to check for UTI. If he doesnt have a UTI then Im either going to have to give him up or something. He is ruining my sheets and couch pillows. Any advice?


I do have some other questions:

If I do decide to trade him out for another cat(at the shelter) would it be better to get a kitten or a female cat? Would one of these better adjust to my male cat? Stanley is just not standing up for himself to marley and he just stays in my room all the time unless i bring him out.
 

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Originally Posted by rachpreach

Ok I have another problem with Stanley(new cat). The second night we had him, he peed in my bed in the middle of the night. I figured it was because he was scared to jump down because of my other cat and dogs. I would take him out of my room for time in the living room on the couch because he was too scared to come out on his own, and he peed on the couch too. Now he is just regular peeing, not spraying. He has done this several times for the past two weeks. He does use his litter box but obviously not every time. I am taking him to the vet on saturday to check for UTI. If he doesnt have a UTI then Im either going to have to give him up or something. He is ruining my sheets and couch pillows. Any advice?
A Comfort Zone diffuser or other kind with FELIWAY and maybe even a Feliway spray too! Put the diffuser in the room(s) where he's peeing and also spray the Feliway spray on the spots that you *DON'T* want him to pee.

Feliway is a pheramone (i have no idea how you spell that) that calms cats down which will help you in more than one way - 1. Make the new cat more calm 2. Make the old cat more calm (less territorial perhaps?) 3. Keep the new cat from peeing in non-litterbox places 4. Maybe even keep your furniture from being scratched (I have no proof of this last one, but I've heard that it works)

My cat Luna randomly pees just outside of her litterbox and I put a Feliway diffuser in the litter box room. I notice that when the diffuser is full she doesn't do that and when it runs out (being in college, i can't always afford to buy a refill right away) she does it again. So, I'd definitely try this before giving your new cat up.


The diffuser and refills are a bit spendy, but I've also heard (though never tried) that if you go to PetCo.com (or petsmart.com if one of those is in your area) and print out the online price they store will give it to you for that. Save a couple bucks, I think.

GOOD LUCK!!
 

cheylink

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I would first make sure there are no health issues...........My second feeling is Stanley sounds a bit traumatized, maybe from his past, but definitely sounds like he is having extreme difficulty settling in to his new home. I would recommend keeping him in a separate room for a while, his own litter, food, water, and space where he can adjust at his own pace.
 
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rachpreach

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would it be beneficial to have stanley out in the living room in his crate so marley could see him? Im asking because I was getting ready to take stanley to the vet and i had him out in the living room in his crate and marley was by the crate rubbing on it and looking at stanley. what do you think?
 

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This is a method used to help socialize and introduce ferals. I've never used it, so I don't know what to recommend. I don't really see how it helps solve the dominance problem. I think the main ingredient there is going to be time, and positive reinforcement of all other behavior from the family.


I'm glad you're getting Stanley to the vet, because that's always the first thing to do when a cat pees outside of the box. The stress may have resulted in a UTI. But it may well be a stress problem.

I'd go for the Feliway, and I'd consider purchasing Rescue Remedy flower essences as well. Both can be purchased here: http://www.catfaeries.com. I'd also continue scent swapping (wipe Stanley all over with a towel, put that down with treats on it for Marley and vice versa). I'd give each kitty an extra 10 - 15 minutes of alone play time every day.

Since he finds your room to be his "safe" room, I'd put food, water and a litter box out for him there and give him extra love and attention.

Also, make sure you use an enzyme cleaner to clean the sheets, blankets and mattress and any place else he goes (we always did the wash with it alone and then washed them again with regular soap). I'd get a black light to go through the room and the house to make sure he hasn't gone any place else. When Spook had a peeing problem, we SOAKED the mattress where she went, covered it with thick towels, and made the bed. It took like a week to dry, so we swapped the thick towles out every two days. We had to soak the mattress just once each time it happened, but the couch took three applications of enzyme cleaner. We used GALLONS of it. We purchased this product: http://www.nokout.com, though Anti-Icky Poo also seems to have great results, and it's also available at http://www.catfaeries.com

Poor Stanley is scared. Patience, time, and attention are going to be your best friends for helping him. With time, the scent swapping may also help. And providing positive reinforcement to Marley any time he walks by and ignores Stanley or any time Marley just sniffs at Stanley without batting at him should also result in lots of "good kitty" praise from the family.

Cats are not necessarily social animals, and returning Stanley for a new cat may not necessarily result in a cat that Marley is going to like.

We have six rescued ferals. After a couple of years, it was so apparent Lazlo, our first rescue, would have been just fine as an alone kitty. Now - the next five and all the fosters inbetween weren't for Lazlo's benefit. They were homeless animals that needed to be cared for, so as we told each of them when we brought in a new cat, they were homeless once and just had to deal with it. But my point is, Marley may not need a buddy, and I think that instead of "returning" Stanely, you should work with him to help him feel loved and safe in your home - or, at the very least, the room he's picked out to feel safe in.


Laurie
 
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rachpreach

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well i took stanley to the vet and he doesnt have a UTI. The vet said that since when he pees in inappropriate spots and its alot of pee, its because where he pees he is scared to find his litter box. When I would take him into the living room, he would pee on the couch because he was scared of making a run for it to his room. The vet said I should keep stanley in his room for a longer period of time and then slowly introduce him. I do have to admit that I was rushing the process of becoming a "happy family". Its only been two weeks since Ive had stanley, so I know he needs more time to adjust. I feel bad for rushing this process, and I feel guilty of putting Stanley in a situation where he was too scared to use his litter box. Im not getting rid of my Stanley, he is one of the best cats Ive ever had. Thanks yall for your help and advice.

So, im going to keep stanley in my room with no other animals for a while. I will use a towel to trade scents between the two cats. But what do I do after that?
 
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rachpreach

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how many feliway difussors would i need for a 1100sq foot apartment?
 

ldg

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No, they don't always work. They sometimes work for some cats.

I think keeping him separated for longer is the best idea. Do you have a guest room? Because if Marley is used to sleeping in your room at night, keeping him locked out might result in other stress issues. ????

That said - whether it's a guest room or your bedroom, I'd do the scent swapping for a week before starting anything else. But I'd guage how Stanley's doing - if he's comfortable moving about in the room, playing, eating, drinking, using the litter box - then I'd open the door and put a baby gate up while you're in the room. They're big enough to jump over, that's why I'd only do it while you're in the room - that way if Marley jumps in, you can monitor things. If he jumps in, I'd greet him and be all excited - maybe have a new toy ready for the occassion. A new wand toy would be great - get him playing for a few minutes - like the issue isn't Stanley at all. I'd only give it 15 - 20 minutes - and then I'd play with Stanley. If Marley gets pissy, put him out of the room and close the door. Go love on Marley or play with him.

The idea is to get the kitties to associate good things (food and treats) with each other. Then to help them think that their being together is a total party, lots of fun.... but at the same time, to provide enough alone time with each kitty that they feel loved, and that they get plenty of play time to relieve stress.

Also, this is also expensive, but it does work. It's called Cat Attract litter. If you have any more problems with Stanley's peeing outside the box, I'd consider finding a way to afford it.


Laurie
 

ldg

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Oh - another scent trick to try. They first day you're going to let them meet each other in the same room again, dab a little vanilly under their nose and at the base of their tails. Sometimes this helps, though the scent swapping should be doing its work over time....

Laurie
 
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rachpreach

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marley usually doesnt sleep in my room at night so thats not an issue. Your ideas sound great. When stanley is in his room(my room) he is great, very relaxed and comfortable. Ill do the techniques you talked about. Ill let you know how it works.

also, what is cat attract litter?
 
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