HELP! Resident Cat & New Cat: 2 Issues

sophiaroyale

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Adopted an adult female cat from my vet 2 years ago. She was skittish and hid at first but didn't take overtly long before she became affectionate. She's (Sophia) now a "lap cat" and sleeps on our bed every night. On Christmas Eve we adopted an 8-mo. male kitty (Boots). Adorable. Caged with his brother, raised in the shelter, he had to be scruffed to get taken from his cage but eventually, while laying in my BF's lap where the shelter person had put him, allowed himself to be petted and relaxed over the course of the 90 minutes we spent with him. My BF was actually able to carry him through the whole shelter back to his cage. (We couldn't take him home that day as we were going out of town for the holidays).

Since bringing Boots home on the 28th and putting him in his own room with litterbox, food, water, toys, we've spent time with him so he could get used to us. We kept Sophia out of the mix. Boots will not allow us to touch him. We can pet him if he's under a bed or table (where he feels safe) but even then will often shrink back. Having read numerous threads, I now know to just leave him be and let him come to us in his own time. Be patient with me: I'm learning.


Right or wrong, when they became aware of each other (scent? sound?), we allowed them to meet face-to-face. Boots wants to be friends. He tried to approach Sophia but she hissed, spat, growled. A couple of times she attacked him! and he ran like hell either to a hiding place or back to his room. I've kept them apart since.

We are unsure what to do now. The suggestions about trading scents can't be done completely as Boots won't allow us to touch him yet. We have rubbed Sophia with his towel (which didn't make her day) but there isn't going to be any rubbing of him with her's, that's for sure. Plus - he's got no problem with her! He WANTS to be friends. I don't want to spray Sophia if she growls or hisses at Boots as I don't want to alienate Sophia from my affections. And it can't make her feel any warmer toward Boots.

When and how do I allow them face to face time? I'm afraid if I do now, with the nasty way Sophia is behaving, Boots is never going to get comfortable in his new home. At the same time, I didn't bring home a new cat so I could have 2 cats living completely separate lives from one another. They don't have to become the best of buddies. I'd settle for them being able to co-exist amicably in the same room even if they don't interact.

So:
1) resident cat is hissing at, spitting at, growling and has attacked (twice) new cat

2) new cat is scared of the humans but wants to make friends with resident cat

Thank you!
 

aswient

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I also had the same situation, I had 2 resident cats and I took two feral cats (they were 4 months old) from my back yard. I got an animal rescue group to trap them for me and kept them. I had to keep the two ferals in my bedroom, what I did was I put up a baby gate and left my door open for a few days. They would not let me touch them either they did not want to be near humans at all, they spent most of their time hissing and spitting at me and only came out from under the bed when I wasn't in the room. I fed them all so that the resident cats and ferals could see each other. One of my resident cats was very interested in them but my femal cat was not. When I had them out there was spitting and hissing and swatting but eventually they got use to each other. My male resident cat made friends with them my female cat to this day just tolerates, not much hissing and growling from her now, but she doesn't really go too near them either. But there is peace now. They all co-exist. As a matter of fact since then I've added more cats to the mix. Eventually the all accept each other with time and patience. Good luck.
 
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