Rescued cat behavior issues

tipo

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Hello

We found Chaplin (Ragdoll mix) in front of our house, and he was very skinny, and extremely dirty. We took him in our home, bathed him and fed him. After no luck finding an original owner, we took him to the Vet where he had an examination, along with current shots, and neutering. Since we had another cat at home, Watson who is a 2 yrs. old Maine Coon, we followed all the tips before introducing them. Things started out promising, as they were even sleeping with us in the same room at some points. But now Chaplin has begun to bully Watson. If Chaplin sees Watson leaving the bedroom, he will chase him back to his cat perch and many times take a little bite at his rear. Watson seemed to except Chaplin and trust him until he started playing too rough and attacking him, now Watson is very timid around him and Chaplin is taking advantage of that. We knew not to expect them to be best of friends right away, or maybe even ever, but we don't want there to be any bullying that keeps Watson from feeling comfortable to walk around the house like before. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

dandila

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How old is Chaplin?  Is Watson a lap cat?  You need to start introductions again and don't leave them together unsupervised.  You said you followed all the tips before introducing them...how did you go about that and how long have you had Chaplin?

Sorry for all of the questions but introductions can be complicated with a lot of variables.  Both Chaplin and Watson need to know, without a doubt, that Watson is the number 1 cat.
 
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tipo

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Chaplin is 3 yrs. old

Watson is not a lap cat, but he sleeps with us in our bed.

We got Chaplin from Vet.hospital on 6th of June, and kept him in our guest room for 4 days before introducing him to Watson. Chaplin had his own bowl, litter system, toys, bed, everything what he would need in his room. The first 4 nights my husband and I alternated sleeping with Chaplin, because we couldn't leave him alone at night after all what he'd been through. He was also crying a lot during these first nights.

While Chaplin lived in his room, Watson heard that there is another cat here, but was ok with that. We used a rag and rubbed one cat then another, and we did that for a week, before going to the next stage. Then we let them see each other through a half opened door. Then while they were looking at each other we proposed them food, and toys. Eventually they felt pretty comfortable to eat and play in each other presence. Chaplin's character is more confident, while Watson is a timid cat, even the wind scares him a bit. Chaplin seems to be taking advantage of Watson's weakness. Watson as of even today, after many attacks from Chaplin still trusted him, and seemed comfortable around him, until Chaplin once again went after him for no reason.
We recently bought some natural calming spray for Chaplin as suggested by a vet. But it doesn't seem to be doing much.

As much as I don't like Chaplin biting me or my husband, our main concern is Watson's mental and physical condition, as he is a very gentle cat.

Thank you for all your help.
 

dandila

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My heart breaks for these cats (mine included) because they are such creatures of habit.  They are lost when we make them go through these changes.  I don't think you need to be too concerned yet.  You're only a month in to the process.  The part that is concerning is Chaplin biting Watson.  Is he doing any real damage?

I have introduced to spayed females in my house in the last month.  One is a timid 19 year old lady cat and the other is a confident 2 year old young lady who suffered through declawing prior to me finding her.  The declawed one sometimes seems overly defensive and the 19 year old is all about avoidance.   My 19 year old (whom I've had since she was a kitten) prefers to stay in our master bedroom during the day and sleeps with us at night.  She is perfectly happy to come out twice a day to eat and take her medicine while getting some serious petting from my husband.  The new declawed girl is very good about staying across the room from where this takes place.  So my two aren't really confronting each other and both seem happy with the arrangement.

When Chaplin misbehaves by biting or rough housing with Watson tell him no in a firm tone and put him in a room of his own with water and a litter box.  This requires you to be diligent about watching them every second they are together.  You could try a group play session to see if you can direct some of Chaplin's energy in a positive direction.  Also have some treats handy so when things go well you end the session with a positive reward and their associations with each other are always positive.  I think Chaplin will soon realize that if he takes advantage of his brother"s timidity he is going to have to play alone for awhile and will understand that you do not approve of his behavior.  Be sure to give plenty of praise to both of them if nothing noteworthy happens.

I'm hoping someone else with lots of experience will come along and give us their opinion of your problem.  Hang in there and good luck.
 
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