Need Help Now !!!! My new cat hisses and growls!!

Hello, I posted amessage here yesterday regarding introducing cats to each other. Please refer to the previous message for background informaiton.

Now, I brough MM home. But the other cat, GG, keeps on hissing and growling. I am so scared. So I have kept GG in the bedroom while MM is wondering around in the house. I brought some blanket and stuffs that have MM's scent into the bedroom. When GG approaches those stuffs, he hisses and growls. On the other hand, MM is very friendly and cann't wait to see GG.

What should I do??????? GG is also hiding underneath the bed. It really tears my heart to GG acting in such way. I really want GG to know that I still love him as always.

Thanks for your help. Jean

Jean,

Hissing and growling is known as posturing, and it is entirely normal when two cats meet for the first time. The dominant one will usually be the one hissing and growling. The warning signs that indicated a battle is nearing are:

growling and hissing while the:

ears are flattened
eyes are slitted
tail is twitching really slow
the cat is in a crouched position
the teeth are bared

Those are the warning signs that means you best have a heavy blanket to throw over two cats who will be fighting in a matter of minutes.
Use the vanilla extract trick, to make them smell the same, and that will help.

Hi Hissy...

I don't have vanilla extra at home. I have tried to brush both of them using the same brush. Hopefully that will make them smell a like.

I have now opened the door and there are seeing each other, but with a big distance. GG is still hissing and growling. He is now walking around in the house. He does not bare teeth when he growls. But when he sits on the floor under the chair, he squats down. I don't know whether that is the same as crunching...

MM is now hiding under the bed....

Gosh, it is more difficult than I thought.

Thanks for being there for me though.

Jean

Patience will be your best bet...They will either hate each other or love each other, but they will definately get use to each other eventually...HTH

CatsRGr8t,

Thanks for your advice. I do hope for the positive outcome. MM is now hiding under my blanket, while GG is waling around in the house.

Jean

Jean

since this was a question about cat behavior I moved it to the proper forum. I'm sure it won't be long before you're one big happy family!

airprincess,

I am sorry that I posted it at the wrong forum. Sorry for the inconvenience.

GG is now sitting on top of the cabinets in the kitchen while MM is walking around in the house as usual. GG is the new cat. Is that a normal behaviour for GG to hide? How long does it take for GG to come down and greet MM?

*sign*...

Jean

Jean,

It really does just take time and patience. They will come around, they are on their timetable, not yours- and there's the problem. You want and expect them to act like you wish they would, and they have to find their way to live with each other on their terms.

thanks Hissy...

i guess i have no control over this. oh well, at least they are not fighting to each other now.

jean

It actually sound as if they are getting along fairly well. This may be over in a few days... Do they have extra litter boxes and food dishes? I know how stressful this is...just hang in there!

Dragonlady..

you think they are getting along very well?????

well, here is the update. GG finally comes down from the top of the cabinet and went to his food dish. While GG was eating, MM was standing about less than a feet away watching him eat. After GG was finishing eating, MM started hissing and growling. GG of course hissed and growled back.. then both headed towarded different direction.

Now, MM is hiding under the bed while GG is hiding in the closet.

So, what does everybody think? It is my first time introducing two adult cats to each other. I am so stressed out now.

Jean

sometimes cats hit right off right away(which is very unusual) but sometimes it may take a week or 2 or even months for them to totally get use to each other....Good Luck though and just let them do it on their own terms....Your first cat needs to make sure that your new kitty isn't a threat to him...
The first few days after we got Fluffy, Rocky hissed at her all the time,,but it was funny because he followed her everywhere she went and she was soo intimidated by him we would have to put him in the garage for a little while(he likes it out there anyway)so she could tour the house without having to be followed everywhere.....the first week, she slept in the main bathroom so Rocky could at least relax for the night....then on week 2, it was like a match made in Heaven.all cats do this on their own timing...so, just keep an eye on them, and let them do it their way..

Jean-

It is actually going quite well! I had one fella one time that lived up in our rafters for a year, before he decided to come down and join the gang.

So you left food for him up there for him?? He is adorable!!

Yep- Franklin ate up on the rafters for a year. I won't go into where he decided his litterbox was!

Point is, he came down one day and joined in the group as easy as could be. We tried everything we could think of, then just resorted to ignoring him- that worked!

He has the sweetest most precious little face.....aww Frankie!! I am so glad you decided to come out of that rafter..

I've still got two that live in the basement ceiling. They have been here a year, and they do come down when the basement door is closed and no one is there but me or DH, but never both, and when Samwise is around (he came with them). Orville loves Sam, Wilbur ignores Sam. They are very timid with the rest of the cats around here. Sam was the Alpha cat in their old home, and not scared of nothin', he came up out of the basement after only 3 or 4 days. and my 30 lb siamese is the alpha cat here, so Sam and Tzing-Tzing growl and his at each other at least once a day -- but the rest of the time they ignore each other. Every body else either sleep together or ignore each other -- depending on the day of the week or the phases of the moon.


As long as there is no blood shed or fur flying let them work it out.

Jude

thank you all for the encouraging advice.

this is the update: GG and MM are still hissing and growling to each other. But there is always about a feet of distance between the two. MM at times would go up to GG to see what he is doing. Most of the time, they are sitting at each end of the room.

Hopefully they will get along well with each other soon.

Jean

Only hissing and growling is good. It's screaming and fur flying that gets me scaired silly. Make sure to talk to your cats and let them know that the other cat is staying and you still love them bunches and that won't ever change.

I will be sitting my kitties down and letting them know we are adding a kitty and they will need to be gentle and make her feel at home. She is only going to be 12 weeks old and will have to learn alot from them. I hope the intro's go well.

I am still learning every day after introducing my kitten Maestro to Buster in January. Buster still growls at Maestro and will go after him if he is too cheeky - he loves to sneak up on her and follow her about. I have found that they really rely on routine for a sense of stability and security. I keep them separate at night and I always feed them at the same times and in the same order (Buster first). I also have made sure that they each have spots of their own where they feel safe and secure. It's been almost 5 months and the road has been a little bumpy. They're not fabulous friends but they have an understand of where they stand with each other and I'm sure they will continue to settle. It's hard to be patient though, huh!

Good luck!

Stephigee