2 Cats with Problems

I have 2 cats who need to get along quickly, or else I may have to put one of my cats down. I'll start off with the details of the cats and their problems 


Cat #1: He is almost 17 years old. Not a very talkative cat. Seems like he has arthritis in his front paws (at minimum, probably in more places). He limps up & down stairs. Lived with no other cats for practically his entire life 

Cat #2: She is almost 2 years old. Very talkative, meows at you like it's a conversation. Very athletic. Sweetest cat in the world.Generally gets along with other animals better. 

Their problem: Cat #2 recently moved into Cat #1's house. When they first moved in together (about 3 weeks ago) Cat #2 wasn't aggressive at all with Cat #1, in fact very playful. Cat #1, was never playful back, and never allowed the other cat to get close to him. Cat #1 was always hissing and growling at Cat #2. Now, a few weeks into the relationship, cat #1 has stayed the same, but Cat #2 has become much more aggressive. Now, whenever Cat #1 goes into the litter box/food & water room, cat #2 will follow him and not let him eat, drink, or defecate. This room is in the basement, and whenever Cat #1 goes down there, Cat #2 will antagonize him. Cat #2 will follow around Cat #1, especially at night. Cat #2 has started swinging her paws at Cat #1. 

At first it just seemed like Cat #1 hated the other, but now they both hate each other. Can anyone give me help on how to get them to get along, and quick?

Things I have done: 
Given them 2 litterboxes 
2 separate places for food & water 
Tried using towels to get them used to each other's scent.

The problem is that you didn't properly introduce the cats.  THe poor 17 year old resident cat was blindsided.  Cats are very territorial and you brought a new one in and just plopped it down.  Cats are not pack animals like dogs.  They may get along well with other cats, but they also prefer solitude.  You need to do proper introductions.  I hope that you will not put your cat down because they cannot get along.  There are lots of things you can do, but none of them are a quick fix.  They take time, patience, more time and more patience.

See this thread for a similar problem and answer I provided.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/294498/new-cat-in-the-household-being-a-threat-to-2-older-cats

Also for litter boxes, the golden rule is one box per cat plus one extra.  I would add a 3rd box.  Your older cat needs a safe place.

Have the cats been to the vet recently?  There might be something the vet can do to help the older cat with arthritis.

The cats are not bad, they are being cats.  I would separate them completely and allow the older cat some solitude.  Play with the young cat to tire her out.  Lots of food rewards for good behavior.

ShadowsRescue said:

 
The problem is that you didn't properly introduce the cats.  THe poor 17 year old resident cat was blindsided.  Cats are very territorial and you brought a new one in and just plopped it down.  Cats are not pack animals like dogs.  They may get along well with other cats, but they also prefer solitude.  You need to do proper introductions.  I hope that you will not put your cat down because they cannot get along.  There are lots of things you can do, but none of them are a quick fix.  They take time, patience, more time and more patience.

See this thread for a similar problem and answer I provided.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/294498/new-cat-in-the-household-being-a-threat-to-2-older-cats

Also for litter boxes, the golden rule is one box per cat plus one extra.  I would add a 3rd box.  Your older cat needs a safe place.

Have the cats been to the vet recently?  There might be something the vet can do to help the older cat with arthritis.

The cats are not bad, they are being cats.  I would separate them completely and allow the older cat some solitude.  Play with the young cat to tire her out.  Lots of food rewards for good behavior.

Click to expand...

I agree with all of this.  When it comes to introducing cats; patience is essential. I agree with separating them and give them a break and then start the introductions over.  ShadowsRescue has some great links in her post in the link above.  

Good luck! 

Thank you for the help. Will try your suggestions and update on the progress

If it comes down to it (if you try proper introductions and they just plain don't like each other), does the older cat have a favorite room he can stay in most of the time? I've always ended up with elderly cats getting their own room if they start getting cranky with the young whipper-snappers. That way they can have their own food/water dishes, litterbox, bed, etc. without the young cats co-opting everything. If it's your bedroom he may be happy sleeping with you and not feel the need to come out to socialize further, if it's a totally separate room you would probably have to pick out a time to put the younger cat in a different room so he could come out for a while every day.

It would better than putting him down at least!