Introductions

My poor crew has kinda been through the ringer with stress these last few weeks. Sprout's intros went amazingly well, considering we had to do the super-fast-forward process because Adam was residing in my only workable "isolation" room. After just a couple weeks now, though, Sprout is playing and grooming with the other kitties like he's been here all along.

Adam, on the other hand.... I decided to introduce him to the family this weekend, mostly at the prodding of my DH who was tired of being climbed all over by a lonely kitty every time DH went to bed or to the bathroom. Since Adam's been here for several weeks, all the kitties were aware of him and we've had plenty of opportunities to share scents, etc. Feliway diffusers had been running for several days. So I let him out of the bedroom and followed him around.

LOTS of hissing and growling!!! Adam has managed to make enemies with just about every cat in the house, even my very laid-back Raggie boys. (I think this is the first time I've actually seen Bastian hiss!) I expected Adam and Delilah to have a bit more hostility, since they probably know each other from the great outdoors, but those two mostly do a good job of keeping their distance.

However, Adam and Blue seem to completely HATE each other. I've still been keeping him seperated at night when I can't supervise, but DH decided to let him out of the bathroom this morning when he left very early for work. I woke up to what sounded like MEGA CAT FIGHT under my bed! After much shouting on my part, Blue finally ran out and they both seem to be uninjured, thank God. I seperated Adam for the rest of the morning, and I just let him out again now to roam around a bit.

The biggest points of contention seem to be my bedroom and the cat tree. I think Adam maybe considers my bedroom to be "his", since he's never seen another cat back there in the weeks he's been locked in there. Blue, of course, disagrees, since my pillow was her bed every night of her life until Adam came along. The cat tree... Well, I just think we need to buy another cat tree or two!

So far, I have not noticed any spraying!!! *knocks on wood* I have never had a cat that sprayed inside before. Is it something that I would definitely not miss because of the smell, or is it something that could go on for awhile without me knowing?

What do you think my next steps should be? Should I just keep seperating Adam when I can't supervise and hope they work things out, or should I back up a step and make him bedroom kitty again for awhile? I think I followed all the intro prep recommendations, except the vanilla trick - I have to go buy some vanilla!

Thanks for reading - sorry this was such a novel!

Well, he's back in the bedroom for tonight. It seems to be Blue who is causing most of the problems. Adam was out in the living room this evening, and I saw Blue go after him and chase him down the hall into my bedroom. Adam dove right under the bed, and it looked like Blue was going to go in after him until I clapped my hands at her. I will give them some time to cool off, then try again. Hopefully they just need a little time to get more used to each other.

Feliway & Rescue Remedy are my next suggestions.

If he has claimed your bedroom as his territory, is it possible to have everyone trade places for a few hours to mix scents. That way when you switch back the scents are stronger and all over yet no one there to fight. Not sure if that makes much sense. Hope things settle down soon.

I would maybe confine him at night for a little while longer. Also, if you have the ability, adding some territory might help (another cat tree, or just another good sitting spot helps).

When my two were scuffling a bit, I was able to diffuse it by providing more vertical territory (perches, etc). I also think this is quite possibly a phase and they just need to duke it out to some extent until they figure out where Adam fits in their group. If that's the case, you just need to make sure everyone is safe, but I don't think you can break up every fight.

Originally Posted by JellyBella

I would maybe confine him at night for a little while longer. Also, if you have the ability, adding some territory might help (another cat tree, or just another good sitting spot helps).

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I agree, "saftey zones" have worked very well for my friends, and the cat tree...something to call his own...is a great idea.

Best of Luck

Update: Things seem to be settling down a bit now. There is still a hissing match each time Adam and Blue happen to pass each other in the hallway, but she's not going after him anymore, thank goodness. Blue has her place on my pillow back at night now, too, so maybe that is satisfying her. I hope they continue to get along better. Thanks for the advice!