help my new cat is attacking other cats

kaliet

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I don't know what to do. I have a cat that I adopted from a shelter but she can not get along with the two cats I have. She attacks the other two and now they are scared to death of her. The new one is definitly the aggressor. My two hide behind the headboard of my daughters bed in a cubby and the new one goes back there and attacks them then leaves and sits out side it for a while waiting for them. Last week one of my cats spent three days under the couch. every time he showed his face he was chased back in. This has been going on for weeks now. They must be separated at all times. My two cats out during the day and the new one out at night. I called my vet and her suggestions were call a behaviorist ( which is not cheap ), use valium on the new cat for a while, or just give it up and take the cat back to the shelter. I dont't know what to do. Just the sound of the cat meowing sends my cats running.
 

hissy

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First off take the newcomer and put that cat in a room by itself. This newcomer sounds like she needs more time, and you need to get them adjusted to each other gradually instead of all at once.

I deal with introducing ferals and strays to my home all the time. Here is an article I wrote about the subject.

Introduction
 
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kaliet

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She was separated from them for about a month when we first got her. She was very sick and we took her to our vet and we took care of her.One thing I left out of the first post was the reason we adopted her. She was sooo friendly towards us. But it seems that as friendly as she is to people (all people) she is that aggressive to other animals. We have two dogs also and she does not like them either but she is tolerating them.
 

jcat

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This isn't any help, I know, but there are plenty of cats that won't tolerate other cats. We have one. He's great with adults and teenagers, loves dogs, and will even tolerate rabbits and ferrets. He doesn't like young children, and he flips out when he sees another cat, even when he's not on his own territory (visits to the vets' have to be carefully arranged, or he has to wait in the car). We don't have an explanation for it. He was 10 weeks old when we got him, was one of five kittens, and had some contact to three adult cats other than his mother. When he was four months old, we took in a 6-week-old orphaned kitten, which we kept separated until he'd had his shots, and gradually introduced them. JC attacked and badly injured him at the first opportunity, and we rehomed the kitten. A neighbor's cat who had visited and mothered him now gives our house a wide berth, because he became very aggressive towards her. Although he was neutered at six months, JC diligently marks the perimeter of our property when I take him outside for his daily walk. Do you have any family members, friends or acquaintances who might be willing to take in a friendly cat that prefers to be an "only cat"?
 
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kaliet

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I had to sign papers when I adopted her that if it did not work out then she was to go back to the shelter. I don't want to see her end up back in the small cage at Petsmart again waiting to be choosen again. We have all become attached and I don't know what will happen if I find her a home.
 

jcat

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Maybe you should separate her again, and restart the whole introduction process after 4 - 6 weeks. A lot of people swear by "Dr. Bach's Floral Remedies". I haven't tried them, but maybe it would be worth an attempt. Apparently you'd have to give your resident cats one remedy (or a combination thereof) to make them more assertive, and your newcomer another to make her more receptive. Sorry - all the information I have is in German, but you could try Google: "Dr. Bach" or "floral remedies", or the like. The Feliway disperser might also help, as it's supposed to create an environment where the cats feel secure. Good luck, and let us know if any progress is made!
 

lotsocats

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As you will see in the threads I gave in my other post -- and as Hissy said, it is possible that you can start completely over and make it work this time. Please immediately separate the cats and follow the advice in Hissy's article and in the threads I linked above.
 

muzzy

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Hi, I am new and I like the idea of perfume to get the cats to "accept" each other to a point. I have a 13 year old, deaf cat who is the aggressive one. My new 5 1/2 yr. old is loveable and just does not want to stand up for himself. He runs and hides. Course, he gives all the warnings of hissing, growing, etc., but the older one just can't hear any of it - so he just stalks. I assume the taste of the perfume won't harm the cats versus using vanilla.
I will let you know as I want them to be able to eventually be able to get a long without total supervision. They can sit in our laps at night an just look at each other without a problem, but it is the same level that does Shadow (the 13 yr old) in!
 

cattilac

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I have 13 cats that have been rescued and adopted by me. There are some that do not like another cat. I have three cats that always stay inside and the other 10 have a sunroom and a pet door that leads to a 40x40 foot Catio. There is a mother cat that had four kittens and I decided to keep the whole family. Well one of the siblings started attacking two of his siblings. I started him on Prozac and it has helped quite a bit. If you watch, "My Cat From Hell", with Jackson Galaxy, he will give some very good tips on how to get your attacking cat to get along with the others. Good luck!
 

nhamm

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First off take the newcomer and put that cat in a room by itself. This newcomer sounds like she needs more time, and you need to get them adjusted to each other gradually instead of all at once.

I deal with introducing ferals and strays to my home all the time. Here is an article I wrote about the subject.

Introduction
hi,
my husbands mother's sister has recently brought us a cat that she had roaming around her house. she lives in a wooded area and there was another cat that hung around with this cat that we now call Glenna. My husband's sister also found newborn kittens after she brought Glenna to us, but instead of bringing them here she brought them to the shelter, which was not what i wanted anyways, Now Glenna is home with my husband's mother, and she also has three other cats its a pretty decent sized house for four cats. We have kept her in her own room for about two months now and have a see-through door now attached to the room so they can all see each other. We have tried letting her roam around the house with the others, but it ends with her attacking one or more of them and it gets really bad. my cats are so scared of her and i hate seeing this happen i would like them all to tolerate each other if nothing else. His mother refuses to let her go back to the woods or to a shelter. PLEASE HELP! or if you know anyone else that could help i would greatly appreciate it!!
 
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