Will my cats ever co-exist peacefully???

Hello! About a week ago I brought a 2 year old cat to my home where I already own another 2 year old cat. (Both females, fixed).

I understand it is a gradual process to introduce cats to each other. The new cat is confined to one room. Both have adjusted and seem comfortable with each others' scents, and now I am starting to allow supervised visits between the cats.

The new cat is able to wonder around and focus on looking around, however the resident cat doesn't do much else but watch the new cat. Aggressive behaviour is usually displayed first by the resident cat. (The new cat is used to having cats around as it was kept in a cage with other cats at the animal shelter.)The cats eventually come to a stare-down, both assume a crouching position, then the growling and hissing begins, and eventually a brawl. I have a spray bottle handy for when an actual fight happens, however I am wondering if I should be sparying the cats at the first sign of aggrissive behaviour, i.e the stare-downs and also the hissing?

Is this whole thing off to a bad start? Did I allow visits too soon? Should the two cats be separated, without any visits, for a longer period of time before re-introducing?

I have the option of separating the cats where they can see each other through glass. Will this help in the adjustment process? They still attempt to "attack" each other through the window.

Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks for the help!

I would go slow. My Meeko hated Coco and was 2 when they met. They are best friends now. Sasha did not like Oreo when I got her last year and they are fine now.
You just need to go slow.

I'd put the new cat back in the room and start doing playtimes near the door with each cat (separately of course) so they associate the scent of the other cat wth enjoyable activities. I'd also suggest, if you haven't already, to invest in Feliway diffusers. I personally haven't had any experience with them but I've heard from members on here that they work well in calming down cats. Also, I'd suggest not using the spray bottle with your cats, because if it gets in their ears it can cause damage!

It sometimes takes months for them to get fully integrated. Don't give up yet, go slow....things often work out.

onyx has been in our home for over a year now and sid and zoe still get testy around him. they tolerate him, and will even sleep on the bed on floor only feet or inches away from him, but they're definitely not bosom buddies. hissing and growling still happen from time to time, but i rarely have to seperate them. sometimes, patience and time are the only things that will do any good, and some cats will just always be on edge around each other. treating each of your babies equally, in time, affection, playtime, toys, food, etc and not forcing either cat to deal with the other sooner than they want to are pretty much the only routes to go.

good luck

Don't worry, it has only been a week and from my experience, that is pretty early for cats to start getting along. It took about 3 months before our cats started to act civilized towards one another.

My suggestions are to continue keeping them separate unless supervised, and to break things up the moment you see aggression forming. I don't think I would use the spray bottle, just shoo them back to their zones. The spray bottle might make them more aggressive, or associate the other cat with something unpleasant.

The three things that worked best for us was 1) a pretty long separation period (it was about a month). 2) Positive reinforcement. The minute the supervised visits started, we gave them plenty of treats. They learned that visit times with the other kitty = treats! 3) Getting a big cat tree (5 feet tall or more). There's a lot of territorial tension going on when a new cat arrives because Newcat wants some territory and Residentcat wants to fiercely defend his/her own. We introduced a neutral territory where the kitties could learn to hang out together. the top of the tree is also a good place for kitties to escape if they are feeling stressed out by the other cat.

Hope this helps! Best of luck. From what I've seen on this board, 99% of the time these things work out and you'll wonder why you never got a second cat earlier.