Cat One vs. Cat Two

I've had my big yella fella Goldmine for six years, and I just got my tiny tuxedo girl two months ago. Of course, Goldmine wasn't too happy with the coming of Dixie. He hissed at her all the time, at first. After about a week or so, he got pretty used to her and grew to like her--or so I thought.

Now he stalks Dixie constantly, and she's scared to death of him. I feel like I'm not even allowed to pet her because he will get insanely jealous. I figure either I messed up in introducing them, or they just have conflicting personalities. Any ideas?

This is a good one for Hissy! She's the expert on Cat introductions!

Hi Dana,

I moved you to Behavior so others who have gone through this can also chime in.

I think at this point, I would try the vanilla extract trick. Take some vanilla extract and dab a little under both cats' chins, between their shoulder blades and on the base of their tail. This tip was originally brought to my attention by Amy Shojai a cat author, lecturer and cat expert. You are trying for a sameness of scent on both the cats to get rid of the threat of the other scent.

I would also invest in a feliway plug-in room mister. You can order one over the Internet or at any good pet supply store. They really help calm down the aggressive tendencies in cats.

Good luck!