(Hopefully temporary) cat being aggressive and territorial to other cats

Hey all!

I have a crapload of cats in my house (11), but surprisingly enough, they all get along. 7 of them are a mother and litter of six kittens that I decided to keep, barring any unforeseen issues in the immediate future. But turns out I ended up with a different issue, not revolving around the 11 cats that are already here.

I came home from work about two weeks ago, and there was a very friendly stray on my back porch. I swore to myself I wasn't taking in any of the local strays (there are a lot of them around here), but this little girl not only looked scrawny and hungry, she was also in heat and looked to have mated already! Since I had already arranged for those 7 recently-acquired to get fixed, I managed to get her in for a spay surgery as well, five days after I took her in. I'm calling her Alys, until I can find her a home.

The problem -- if she has an owner, I have not been able to find them, and I cannot find a shelter willing to take her anytime soon (soonest they said was October), not even with me offering to foster her. All my attempts to find her a home myself failed; considering I failed at getting anyone to adopt adorable little kittens, I somewhat expected this. I did almost find her a home, but the person said they planned to declaw and I couldn't talk her out of it, so I refused to let her go.

It wouldn't be so bad having this new kitty around except for two things:

1. She loves, LOVES people. I tried to keep her separated from my other cats, like every other cat I've ever taken in, but after two days, I couldn't stand the constant howling to be let out. She wants to be with me (or any other person) 24/7 and follows me everywhere I go in the house.

2. Number 1 is only a problem because... she HATES other cats. She's constantly picking fights with my other cats, and she won't let my other cats near me. And when she does leave me for whatever reason, she's usually out picking fights with my other cats.

Anyone have any suggestions? Here are the options I've thought of and the things I've tried:

1. Trying to take her to a shelter. I talked to four; three said no openings, the other refused to take cats from outside their county. Honestly, it's just so frustrating that I have been doing so much to try to help cats in my area, paid to get her spayed and vaccines with my own money before kittens truly had a chance to develop, and I can't get any of the shelters to help ME help them.

2. Finding her a home myself. Haven't had any takers in the past two weeks, and considering I wasn't able to find acceptable homes for six kittens during a three month period either, I'm not optimistic. I'm still trying though!

3. Asking someone else to take her in, at least temporarily, to give my cats a break. Couldn't find anyone willing to do that either, unfortunately.

4. Putting her back outside. I would feel absolutely terrible about this, but considering she came from the outside, she'd probably do okay? I wouldn't be able to put out food for her without worsening my problems with stray cats appearing, but I would be willing to let her back in at night or whatever if she knew to scratch or meow. I'd also be very nervous about having an indoor-outdoor cat (especially in a city area with traffic), worried about her getting FIV or FeLV or heartworms after I already determined she was negative, and her getting fleas. Just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

5. Separating her from the other cats. She was very upset when I tried that the first time when she was new to the house, and now that she's familiar with the rest of the house, I fear that her reaction will just be worse. The only way I could separate her and keep her happy is to keep her with me and lock the rest of the cats out of whatever room I'm in, and that's not fair to my actual cats, who also love and deserve attention from me.

6. Feliway diffusers. Already have them; I think she's immune, haha.

7. Drugs? I haven't talked to a vet about her territoriality and aggression toward other cats, but is there something that a vet might be able to give her to get her to chill out a little, and if so, would it be wrong to do so? If she is going to have to be here for awhile, I think I have to look into some other solution because I don't think the current status quo is sustainable.

I want to help Alys, I really do, but I don't want the lives of the rest of my cats to suffer. She is a very sweet kitty and would make an absolutely amazing cat for someone who doesn't have 11 other cats for her to freak out about; she's so friendly and loves people, including total strangers! I know my house is exactly the wrong home for her, but at this point, I'm stumped as to how to find the right home for her or how to mitigate the current situation.

Thanks!

Cataria,

Thank you so much for your caring for the cats.

I can sympathize, I take care of a feral colony and have cats the indoor cats (all ferals). So I know the emotions you are going through and struggling with. I would lvoe to have them all indoors but it is not feasible and I can't find homes for the ferals even though they are friendly and loving etc.

One quick thing, please make sure that any shelter that may take her is a truly no kill shelter.

Here is what I would try:

I would have her in one room away from everyone else and start going through the introduction process. I would try to spend time with her playing, feeding, and giving her love. I would get comfy bedding and a cat tree or trees so she can go high and look out of any or every window possible. I would start some scent swapping fairly soon. I am sure she will be unhappy for a while and want to be with you but if you can spend a fair amount of time playing with her and try to tire her out that could be helpful. I would slowly go through the introduction process and not rush it. I am guessing she was somebody's cat and not a true feral. I think that might actually make it take a little longer for her to integrate.

I would continue trying to find her a home during this process and just maybe she will start to understand she is part of a family and that you are not only hers and that maybe she will start to accept the others. But the process is key and building her confidence and trust is key. They need to know they will have access to food and nice places to hang out and sleep and also get their love.

It is a balancing act and it is not easy but even a little less play and love with the existing cats in the grand scheme of things (saving another life) is probably acceptable until Alys can be found a new home. I find when I bring in a new cat the existing cats get less of my attention but play together more. They tend to be more resilient then we give them credit but the caretaker does feel guilty I will admit.

It is a hard situation and I am not sure what the best solution is but this is what I would do (and have done but I only had 5 existing cats).

I hope others weigh in as well.

Thanks again for caring so much.

It really sounds like Alys wants and needs to be an only cat. The best option for you both is going to be to keep searching for a suitable home for her where she can have her human all to herself. In the meantime, it's very possible that anxiety is fuelling at least some of this behaviour, so Composure is definitely worth a go....and I would always try that before moving onto medication. [article="32680"][/article][article="30312"][/article][article="30316"][/article]