Complex reintroduction in 6 cat household

I need your help! We were a 7 cat household until April 2013 when oldest cat (20) died. Current population: 3 cats are 9 year old siblings we've had since 10 weeks old (1 female, 2 males). 1 is 3 year old torti female stray we've had for 2 years. 1 cat is 2 year old male stray we've had for 1and 1/2 years. The last is a 2 year old male stray we've had for 10 months. All are neutered/spayed. All see vet every year for annual physical and shots. All are indoor cats. All have been cleared of any underlying medical problems.

There are 8 litter boxes that are cleaned 2x/day and Feliway diffusers. We have a split-level house; cats sit on window sills and watch the birds (and occasional outdoor cats that jump the fence into our yard).

Peace used to reign in the house, but no more.

Since death of the top cat, there has been a power struggle and some redirected aggression that has gradually increased to the point of crisis. Unfortunately we both work during the day and it took my husband and me a LONG time to figure out what was going on.

Bottom line is the urination and spraying around the house and 3 of the males jockeying for top position. We just isolated 2 of the males into two separate rooms yesterday. This has taken away all of the stress from the other 4 (the 3 siblings and the torti)--they are peacefully coexisting and the 1 male sibling is top cat.

My BIG question is how do I go about reintroducting the 2 male cats we currently have separated to the other 4? Do we do one cat at a time or both at the same time? I know it will take a lot of time and patience. I just don't know how to do multiple-cat reintroductions. This isn't reintroducing 1 cat to the others--it's reintroducing 2 cats.

Please help!  Thank you.

This one is going to be tricky.  Do the two isolated ones get along or are they fighting too?

If they do get along, is there any way you can put the two cats in one room and start from there?  Maybe isolate them in there for a week or so, then start introductions from there.

If not, maybe you can put screen doors or stacked baby gates on the doors of each room and allow the non-isolated cats to interact with them that way.

Good luck.  Cats really do not adjust well to change.  The oldest cat must have been a powerful presence to cause all this hubbub.

Hi, Ondine. Thanks for replying and helping me sort this out. You are right, this will be tricky :-(

We tried putting them (Tony and Joe) in the same room at first but Tony (15 lb. big black cat), ran under a piece of furniture and wouldn't come out, so we put him up in my bedroom. Joe (15 lb. orange tiger) is in another bedroom. They are the sweetest, affectionate guys but when Boo (20 year old, 18 lb. big black) died in April, the pecking order was--and is--still being shuffled. They do not fight all the time, in fact many times they were all in the livingroom sleeping. It's like a switch gets flipped at times and they go at it. Can't isolate the trigger

Funny thing is, David (one of the 3 siblings who is small and all of 9 lbs) seems to be top cat and will not back down for Joe. Tony gets in the mix and then usually resorts to aggression towards the girls. Joseph resorts to spraying and Tony attacks the girls (one of whom urinates and sprays from stress).

So, there you have it. Right now we have peace in the house. The 4 cats (3 siblings and the torti--2 boys and 2 girls) are getting along. I think it might be easier to reintroduce Tony--he seems less of a threat to the current top cat, David.  (But right now, I'm not sure of ANYTHING, lol.)

You suggested to give it a week before we begin reintroducing. SHould we use the screen door method with one cat first and then begin doing the same with the other cat the next week?  Thanks, Debbie.

I think reintroducing one at a time is a good idea.  We tried introducing multiple cats all at once and it was a disaster.  We've learned our lesson so when we try to integrate the last two, it will be one at a time.

I would put the screen door up on both rooms.  The non-isolated cats will be able to interact with both Tony and Joe at the same time and it may give you an idea as to who is the actual source of trouble.  It sounds like David is tossing his weight around.  As the youngster, he may have been kept in check by Boo and is now feeling his oats.  It will definitely help when you can identify the trigger(s).

This may not be what you want to hear but we have a cat, Teresa, with her own room.  She absolutely will not associate with any of our other cats except her brother (he's the cat in my avatar)  He will move between her room and the rest of the house, although he seldom stays with her more than half an hour.  (She's a tortie  ).

Our other four cats are NOT allowed in there.  One will venture in but only when he's in a mood and wants to aggravate her.  I swear he likes it when she pitches a fit!

I agree with BetsyGee, though, about the actual introductions.  Once you are ready for them to be in the same room(s) with the others, choose one and intro him only.  Once he's integrated again, you can work on the other one.  Keep in mind, this is probably going to take a few weeks to months.

That IS a good idea, Ondine, to have the non-isolated cats being able to interact with the other two.

Thanks, Ondine and Betsygee. We have to resist the impulse to reintroduce too soon (my husband thinks it should happen in only a couple of days!) I agree on the weeks to months. With the holidays coming and 2 children coming home from out-of-town for a few days, it will complicate things even further.

We can certainly get an extra screen door and put it on both doors simultaneously. Then when it seems time (don't know how I will be able to tell, though), we can introduce one at a time.  Thank you!

If the visiting kids will be using the rooms, each of the cats will have opportunities for extra alone time with a human.  That will probably be good for them, although I would definitely encourage the kids to interact with the other cats, too.

God bless you all for your patience!

cghqbc said:

 
Thanks, Ondine and Betsygee. We have to resist the impulse to reintroduce too soon (my husband thinks it should happen in only a couple of days!) I agree on the weeks to months. With the holidays coming and 2 children coming home from out-of-town for a few days, it will complicate things even further.

We can certainly get an extra screen door and put it on both doors simultaneously. Then when it seems time (don't know how I will be able to tell, though), we can introduce one at a time.  Thank you!

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Slow and steady is the key, I think.  It's now been 8 months and we still have two of the new cats not integrated.  I was in a panic in the beginning, just wanting one big happy cat family and to get all the fighting and shuffling of cats and people between different rooms over with.  I'm still hopeful, but I've come to realize it may never happen with at least one of the 'new' cats--and whatever happens, it's going to be on their schedule, not mine.        

We have moved things around so that Tony is in our office (couch, window) and Joe is in the back bedroom next to the office (window, bed). Our daughter & her husband will have the front bedroom. We told them what we're going through and asked them not to bring their 2 cats down with them from Massachusetts (rescue cats) like they used to. They fully understand. (Although they will have the scent of their cats on them--but what can you do, right?)

It is amazing that in less than 24 hours, the 3 siblings (9 years old) and our torti (3 years old) are all laying together with me on the bed in the 3rd floor bedroom. Very calm, although very cautious when they go down the steps to the other rooms.

Ondine and Betsygee, you both have been a lifeline to me with your advice and encouragement! I just had vocal cord surgery Nov.1st and can't talk yet. I'm sure the stress of the cats not hearing my voice adds to their (and my) frustration. Cats can't read a white board, lol ;-)

The big thing you've gotten across to me and my husband is that this is going to take TIME, and even then, there is no guarantee the reintroductions will work. Perhaps as you say, the two young boys, Tony and Joe, will have to live out their lives in separate rooms the way they are right now. I don't like the idea-- maybe I'm jumping to conclusions too early--but rehomeing is not an option I want to explore at all.

Couple of questions for you both:

-  would you wait until the beginning of December to try the screen doors (or) even wait until after Christmas?

- have either of you tried any of those calming drops on the market (e.g., floral essence)?

Thank you for everything and please let me know anything else either of you have experienced or if an idea pops into your minds. I am more than open. May God bless you both!

If you think the activity level will be too high over the holidays, I'd wait.  When you do start using them, start when there will be a few quiet days and someone will be home to monitor things.  It was really great that your daughter understood about bringing her cats.  Give her kudos for me.  That might have sent everyone over the edge!

I have used the Composure Treats with great effectiveness (our Alpha male can be  bully sometimes and these really chill him out).  They are available on Amazon.

Several people here have also used Spirit Essences (I think they get put in the water bowl).  I've heard good things about them too.  A Feliway plug-in or two would probably be a good investment, too, right now.

And I can sympathize with your voice problems.  I've had thyroid surgery twice and had no voice for a few days.  Thought I would go nuts!

Good idea. We can wait it out until end of December. I have off from work the week between Christmas and New Year, so that would give me time to monitor. Am I clear that you said it would be O.K. to put both screen doors up at the same time (or) just one screen door, one-cat-at-a-time?

I do have 3 Feliway diffusers (one on each level) and I spray Feliway in the former spraying spots 2x a day. I should have stock in the company for how much I'm using lately! I've had 2 diffusers in the house for months, but I guess that wasn't enough with 6 cats. I will check out the Composure Treats on Amazon.

Wow, you do know what it's like not to have a voice. I see surgeon tomorrow and perhaps I can begin to talk a little tomorrow. Can't wait to greet the cats by name; just have to watch I don't over do it.  Thanks again!

I would put both doors up at the same time.  Good luck tomorrow!

Thanks! Just thought I'd tell you what just happened. Remember I said all 4 were peacefully sleeping on the bed with me a couple of hours ago? Well, I just fed them about 1/2 hour ago and about 10 minutes ago I saw the female sibling chasing the torti and screaming at her. After I calmed down that episode, the one male sibling was sparring with the sibling female (the one who 5 minutes before chased the torti).

I have NO IDEA what's going on with them! Could it be that they know the other two are behind the other doors and they're still agitated and are turning on each other? (BTW, I had just sprayed the Feliway 15 minutes before these two episodes.) UGH!

Hmm. Do you think there might be a cat outside that is winding them up? This behavior sounds a little like displaced aggression.

Yes, there was a neighborhood cat in the yard twice today! Jumped the fence and sat under the white pine waiting for birds. My husband chased him away and sprayed "Liquid Fence" dog and cat repellant which I guess didn't work on this outdoor cat. The second time he saw the outdoor cat, he got chicken wire and surrounded the tree so the cat has no hiding place. Should we keep the shades down all day while we're at work? Our cats can still get behind them if they want to but it might be a deterrent.

Also, could this displaced aggression happen a few hours after the cat-in-the-yard sighting? Don't know much about it.  Thanks, Ondine for working with me!

Oh boy, that's exactly what happened with us--at the same time we were trying to introduce new cats in the house, a neighborhood cat decided to start coming around, too.  Our resident cats had strange cats coming at them from all directions.  Everybody kind of went crazy.  I think keeping the blinds down is a good idea. 

I agree, very cool that your daughter understood about not bringing her cats!  

I still use Feliway diffusers which I think help.  I don't think the homeopathic drops I tried helped but it's tough to really know, we had so many things going on at once.  I have used a Thundershirt on Jake.  The first time I put it on him, I was amazed.  He just laid down on the floor, didn't bother our other cats at all. I only left him out about 15 minutes and then put him back in his room.  The second time I brought him out in it, I probably left him out too long.  Everything was going fine and I should have put him away while things were going good.  He did end up going after Rico but the fight wasn't nearly as severe as it had been previously.  So that might be something to try.  

Yes, it could happen later.  No telling how they'll react when they get wound up.  I have one cat who used to hide when the neighborhood cat sauntered into our yard.  Then she'd attack anyone who came near her hideout, no matter how long she'd been there.  It was like she had this attack in her and it had to get out!

Since we put the neighborhood cat in the enclosure, his very presence keeps other cats out of our yard.  He's a tough one, too tough to try bringing inside.  Hence, the enclosure.  Now he and our inside cats talk to one another through the dining room windows.  The enclosure is about 25 feet from the house.  I'm not sure if its because he can't get close to the house or not but everyone inside is OK with him now.

Other than keeping the cat away or getting between-the-windows blinds, sounds like you may have to deal with the issue on occasion.  Not fun.

Hi Ondine and Betsygee: Wow, I didn't know they made Thundershirts for cats. My sister has one for her Samoyed and it helps during thunderstorms. Thanks for the info. Did you successfully reintroduce Jake or are you still working on it?

I didn't realize that our indoor cats can react to a yard intruder hours later. I am learning more and more about cat behavior--the hard way!! What is an enclosure? We have a chain link fence around the entire backyard with 8 foot arborvitae in front of it. How would we put up an enclosure? Does tha cat jump the fence and the enclosure only lets the intruder get so far? So sorry if I am dense :-(

Another question for you two: It's now been over 24 hours since Joe and Tony have been separated from the other 4 and they are in their own rooms. Joe is pretty laid back and usually doesn't get upset and cry. Tony, on the other hand meows/cries periodically throughout the night and day. I spent a lot of time with him this afternoon, cuddling and playing with him and using the computer in the office--he's crying even more. (I thought it would settle him but seems to have the opposite effect.) Do you think as time goes on he will settle in a little more? Very few hours of sleep. Guess you have both been there....

The surgeon cleared me to go back to work on Wednesday and I can talk for 10 minutes a day. I came home and actually greeted each cat by name. After 10 days of not talking, it felt so good