I think many of you know that I have three adult female cats -- Cassidy, Delaney, and Emory -- as well as a newly adopted male kitten named Finnegan. I adopted Finn the day after Thanksgiving when he was between 7 and 8 weeks old and he has been in quarantine the majority of that time due to the fact that he had an upper respiratory infection and a concurrent eye infection when I brought him home. At the time, I did get him tested for FeLV/FIV (he was negative) as well as vaccinated and de-wormed. I had gotten the okay to begin introductions weeks ago, but I decided to wait for a second negative FeLV/FIV test...just to be sure. At his last vet appointment, about 10 days ago, he was negative again and after giving him a day to relax after having received his last round of kitten vaccines, I started introducing him to my resident kitties.
Before I even begin, let me state that I plugged in a couple of Feliway diffusers about 2 weeks ago. And, since my adults (and the kitten) all have the herpes virus, I've increased (per my vet) the dose of Lysine I give them to help their immune system handle the stress of introductions. And, most importantly, I have taken all of my kitties to the vet for check-ups prior to even considering introducing them to one another.
The first day, I switched the adult cats' beds with the kitten's beds. The second day, I did the same. And, then, the third day, I allowed the adults to sniff the door to the room where the kitten is being quarantined (there was previously a baby gate blocking them from that area of the house). Since they seemed to be reacting normally, on the fourth day, I decided to bring them all downstairs into the finished basement to meet on neutral territory. I brought Finnegan down and played with him a bit to ensure that he would be relatively calm when meeting the others and then, one-by-one, brought the other cats down to meet the baby. Finnegan showed no fear whatsoever and seemed to want the company of the adult cats. He and Cassidy got along from the get go. They immediately were grooming one another -- it was so cute! Emory, while standoffish, didn't seem to be overly concerned about the kitten and after issuing a few hisses, went about her own business. But, Delaney...Delaney did not approve of the kitten in the slightest. She was hissing, growling, and lashing out at me and her surroundings. I immediately removed her and then spent some individual time with her -- petting her, soothingly talking to her, and reassuring her that everything was okay. I then did the same with the kitten as he was a bit scared. And, once everyone was settled, I gave it another full 24 hours before even considering reintroducing them.
The fifth day, I again switched out their bedding and also allowed the kitten to roam the house while the other cats went into "his" room for a while to get accustomed to his scent. On day 6, I again brought kitten down to the basement and did cat-by-cat introductions. Cassidy and Emory seemed okay with him aside from a quick hiss when they got startled, but Delaney again became very agitated. I repeated the same thing on the 7th and 8th day and by Wednesday (day 9), Delaney had relaxed and was able to be in the same room with the kitten without freaking out. I even brought out a new toy and they both played -- individually, but with the other closely watching. And, aside from a couple of growls or hisses in the beginning, they appeared to begin to accept one another. So, with the introductions underway, I decided to allow all of the cats to interact with Finnegan yesterday (still in a neutral territory). But, things absolutely did not go well.
Delaney was again hissing, growling, and being aggressive -- but, this time, not only to just Finnegan, but to the other cats as well. This, in turn, got Cassidy riled and she became scared to the point where she hid under the sofa (she is normally a very confident cat and does not typically hide or back down). Emory was hissing as well, but she is mild-mannered and aloof -- she is not one to be aggressive. I moved Finn back into his room and the other cats calmed down almost immediately. But, at this point, I'm freaking out a bit. What if the other cats never accept Finnegan? I'm obviously ensuring that everyone is safe and will not risk their health, but I do want to continue with introductions. Cassidy and Delaney took to Emory relatively easily, but this is an entirely different situation. Is there something I am doing wrong? Can I be doing something else to make this a less stressful even for all concerned?
I'm not willing to give up on the introductions and I am willing to be patient and take things very slowly, but I guess I could just use some support and advice. And, maybe even some vibes that they all learn to accept one another
.
Just please let me know that there's hope yet...
Before I even begin, let me state that I plugged in a couple of Feliway diffusers about 2 weeks ago. And, since my adults (and the kitten) all have the herpes virus, I've increased (per my vet) the dose of Lysine I give them to help their immune system handle the stress of introductions. And, most importantly, I have taken all of my kitties to the vet for check-ups prior to even considering introducing them to one another.
The first day, I switched the adult cats' beds with the kitten's beds. The second day, I did the same. And, then, the third day, I allowed the adults to sniff the door to the room where the kitten is being quarantined (there was previously a baby gate blocking them from that area of the house). Since they seemed to be reacting normally, on the fourth day, I decided to bring them all downstairs into the finished basement to meet on neutral territory. I brought Finnegan down and played with him a bit to ensure that he would be relatively calm when meeting the others and then, one-by-one, brought the other cats down to meet the baby. Finnegan showed no fear whatsoever and seemed to want the company of the adult cats. He and Cassidy got along from the get go. They immediately were grooming one another -- it was so cute! Emory, while standoffish, didn't seem to be overly concerned about the kitten and after issuing a few hisses, went about her own business. But, Delaney...Delaney did not approve of the kitten in the slightest. She was hissing, growling, and lashing out at me and her surroundings. I immediately removed her and then spent some individual time with her -- petting her, soothingly talking to her, and reassuring her that everything was okay. I then did the same with the kitten as he was a bit scared. And, once everyone was settled, I gave it another full 24 hours before even considering reintroducing them.
The fifth day, I again switched out their bedding and also allowed the kitten to roam the house while the other cats went into "his" room for a while to get accustomed to his scent. On day 6, I again brought kitten down to the basement and did cat-by-cat introductions. Cassidy and Emory seemed okay with him aside from a quick hiss when they got startled, but Delaney again became very agitated. I repeated the same thing on the 7th and 8th day and by Wednesday (day 9), Delaney had relaxed and was able to be in the same room with the kitten without freaking out. I even brought out a new toy and they both played -- individually, but with the other closely watching. And, aside from a couple of growls or hisses in the beginning, they appeared to begin to accept one another. So, with the introductions underway, I decided to allow all of the cats to interact with Finnegan yesterday (still in a neutral territory). But, things absolutely did not go well.
Delaney was again hissing, growling, and being aggressive -- but, this time, not only to just Finnegan, but to the other cats as well. This, in turn, got Cassidy riled and she became scared to the point where she hid under the sofa (she is normally a very confident cat and does not typically hide or back down). Emory was hissing as well, but she is mild-mannered and aloof -- she is not one to be aggressive. I moved Finn back into his room and the other cats calmed down almost immediately. But, at this point, I'm freaking out a bit. What if the other cats never accept Finnegan? I'm obviously ensuring that everyone is safe and will not risk their health, but I do want to continue with introductions. Cassidy and Delaney took to Emory relatively easily, but this is an entirely different situation. Is there something I am doing wrong? Can I be doing something else to make this a less stressful even for all concerned?
I'm not willing to give up on the introductions and I am willing to be patient and take things very slowly, but I guess I could just use some support and advice. And, maybe even some vibes that they all learn to accept one another
.Just please let me know that there's hope yet...
