Reintroducing My Two Cats

Hello all!

About 2 weeks ago I had posted about how my Cat that had gone to the vet's office to have teeth pulled was suffering the hostility of my other cat (Loki) when he returned home. I am pleased to report that after 10 days in seclusion, Cat is doing well and actually seems to be bored and wanting to move to other parts of the house.

I was planning on following Lotsocats' advice to the tee regarding introducing the two of them. The isolated cat's smell has been shared with Loki by playing with Cat on a towel and then sharing it with Loki.

For the past two days, we have allowed visual sightings of each other. Things are calm for a few moments and then Cat reverts to his absolute terror and dives under the bed. Because I've not even been able to get them actually in the same room, I've not had a chance to give them treats. Loki has not (yet) displayed any aggression and for that I am grateful but it seems almost as if the problem has shifted to Cat being terrified.

Would the Feliway diffuser help? Are there other ideas? Much to my husband's dismay, Cat and Loki will remain isolated a few more days and I was planning on continuing the "sightings." Thanks for any advice.

Do you have a specific perfume that you wear all the time? If you do, then mist your hands slightly, dry them in the air and rub the chests and the backs of both cats to neutralize their smell. The Feliway Comfort Zone is very effective in eliminating stress as well. It is also helpful to take two cat toys and a long string, and tie one toy on each end. Put one toy in the room where the cat is being isolated, run the string along the floor and under the door, then close the door so you have a toy on each end of the door. Once one cat starts playing with the toy, the other will dive for the toy that is moving in his room. They meet at the crack under the door, sniff and growl and play and get reaccustomed to each other that way as well.

Hissy,

Sorry for the delay in responding to your suggestion, I have been out of town on business. I tried the perfume route earlier in this process but with no luck. Oh well, I'll try again. The idea of two cat toys on a string sounds like sheer genius to me!! That one will be immediately tried. What a great idea.

How much hissing should I expect? The non-isolated one just starts his gaping mouth open hiss, and I've never had cats hiss around me before.

Thanks again.

I think what you are describing is not a hiss, but a special way to smell the air. When cats smell interesting things (like a female in heat or something smelly like human sweat or perfume) they will open their mouths in a kind of grimace and inhale so the air goes into a special sensory gland at the back of their throats (I think I am describing this correctly). It is a very funny looking expression, but it is not at all a sign of aggression. Thus, chances are that Loki was making this face in response to the perfume rather than in response to Cat.

The amount of hissing will vary from one set of cats to another. Several of my cats never hissed when introduced, but I have another who hisses whenever one of the others comes too close and then after a few minutes he will go sniff the one he just hissed at!

So...no advice here...just keep doing what you are doing. You are on the right track!