Trying to integrate a 3rd cat into my home; could use a few suggestions to deal with territorial beh

Hi everyone,

I've been reading through some of the posts here to add to tips I've already gathered from around the web for introducing cats.  It sounds like a lot of the regular posters here have multi-cat households so I'm hoping for some additional advice.  

I recently rescued a cat from a community park where she had been dumped off at a feral cat colony.  I have no idea how long she'd been there; she was thin and foraging for food in a garbage can, but she didn't seem particularly "feralized".  She ran right over to me, meowing, purring, and rubbing against my legs.  I took her home with me that evening and got her in to see my vet the next morning.  She was given a clean bill of health so I had her vaccinated and spayed.  My vet estimated her age at around 2 years.  I've named her Natalie.

She's been with me for ~7 weeks now and I'm still having some issues getting her integrated with my 2 other cats.  She's definitely territorial and quite reactive to anything that startles or agitates her.

My resident cats (both neutered males):

Vinnie:  6 years old and very curious about Natalie.  He's very good natured, happy-go-lucky and goofy.  He would have made friends with her on day one, if she had allowed it.  He frequently hangs outside the door to her room and always wants to watch her when I've got the door open and baby gates stacked to keep them separated.

Chauncey: ~12 years old and currently in chronic renal failure mode.  He's been doing very well with supportive care, but he is a little bit frail at this point so I'm very protective of him.  He has so far mostly chosen to stay away from the part of the house where Natalie currently lives.  He has seen her a few times (with mutual hissing involved), but I haven't yet tried to force him to be actively involved in the introduction process.

Natalie is set up in a spare bedroom.  She has a cat tree in front of a nice window, tall scratch post, toys, as well as her own litter box and food/water bowls.  When I'm home in the evening, I let her out of her room for 1-2 hours.  She sometimes stays in that general part of the house with stacked baby gates separating 2 spare bedrooms and a guest bathroom from my living room and kitchen.  This set up allows the boys to have the main part of the house, but they can see her through the baby gates.  A few times a week, I shut the boys in my bedroom and let Natalie have access to the main part of the house.   I try to make sure that all three cats get personalized play time and attention every day.  

I started the introduction phase out with her totally isolated behind a closed door for the first week and then gradually started letting her and Vinnie see each other by cracking open the door.  Around week 3 I graduated to using the stacked baby gates.  I've done the scent transfer thing; rubbing everyone down with small towels and leaving them in each other's spaces.  I've also got a feliway diffuser running on Natalie's side of the house.

I feel like I've done a decent job of following the cat introduction guidelines, but 7 weeks in, I don't feel comfortable letting Natalie have direct access to either of the boys because she does still hiss and charge at Vinnie through the baby gates.  She's agressively chased him the few times that I have let them be in the same room to sort of 'test the water'.  She is at the point now where she will sometimes just ignore him when he's watching from his side of the baby gates, but if he approaches the gates too closely or starts meowing, she still charges at him.  When she charges him, he does tend to run and I worry that she may grow conditioned to view him as prey.  I reward her with a few crunchy treats when she does walk past the gates and ignores him.  I'm not sure if his insistence on watching her from a few feet beyond the gate is a positive or negative thing as far as the introductions go.  He pretty much camps out there when she's out of her room.  He also will only let me be on her side of the gates for so long before he starts meowing at me for attention (which can incite a reaction from her).  

I continue to ensure exposure between her and Vinnie in the hopes that she'll start to chill out with him soon.  I'm not sure how to bring Chauncey into the mix.  He knows she's there, and chooses to avoid her.  At some point, he needs to properly 'meet' her if I'm ever ready to let her have full run of the house.  At the moment, I figure just getting her and Vinnie on the same page would be major victory and then I'll have to deal with Chauncey, but I was hoping someone would have suggestions for how to handle him with Natalie.

If anyone has any tips or suggestions to throw my way, I would greatly appreciate it!  I know that 7 weeks isn't necessarily a long time in cat world, but it is sort of stressful to live in a divided household.  I feel bad that Natalie spends so much of her day locked away from the world, but I work full time so I have to balance free time between her and the boys.  

Thanks a bunch for reading this, and sorry its so long!!

Thank you so much for saving her. It sounds like she has found a great home.

Keep trying to associate the other cat(s) with good things (play and food). Anytime they see each other and have a positive experience (food or play) and there is no chase, stare etc it is a positive. We want to have more and more positive interactions that we can build on. The more encounters we have without an incident the more confident and secure they will feel and it will be less likely they will have a negative encounter.

Keep building all of the cats confidence via play, food, getting them to go high, and love. The more confident they are the less likely they will attack or be attacked.

7 weeks is not a long time especially when a cat came from a tough existence. We do not know how Natalie was in her new colony or even if she was accepted. We really want her to feel secure and confident. If she is and your other cats are they should be able to get along.

If you see Natalie starting to focus on Vinnie (or Chauncey at some point) keep distracting with food/treats or play. When she knows that she is not at risk and that she is taken care of and loved she should be more accepting.

Given the personalities of your boys it sounds like you will have success. But it is still a bit early. It just depends on how their past was.

Keep up the scent swapping as well and at some point down the road I would do some site swapping. It is really more art than science on when it is best to get them together. I always err on the side of caution as a dust up can set things back. But the more times they are on opposite sides of the gate and there is no hissing, swatting, chasing, etc it will help build security and good feelings between the two. 

It sounds to me like you are doing the right things and doing them well. I think just give it time, don't rush it. And please keep the stress down as much as possible as cats can take on our stress which can cause problems. I am sure Natalie is loving life now and is fine and is willing to be in the current situation until the right time.

I hope this helps and please ask anything anytime. I would try to build on the positives and try to minimize any negative encounters before getting them physically together.

I am happy to help along the way. Thanks again for all you are doing for your cats.

Thanks so much for the relpy CalicosRSpecial!  I was a little worried that the length of my post would be off-putting for most people to want to read.  I wanted to include all pertinent information, but I definitely got a little long-winded!  Thanks for taking the time to slog through the whole thing. 

Natalie has been pretty good the past few days.  She sometimes gives Vinnie a stare down through the baby gates, but she seems a little less intent on charging.  I do realize that trying to rush anything with her will likely set back any progress, so I don't intend to attempt further direct contact between them any time soon.  I'll keep rewarding good behavior and playing a lot with her to help her feel more comfortable in her new home.

I have a few additional questions: 

1. Do you recommend that I play with Vinnie in front of Natalie (on his side of the baby gates)?  So far I haven't because I've worried that seeing him run and jump might agitate her.  I've been playing with him each day in various parts of the house, but only when Natalie is in her room with the door closed.  I live alone, and can't count on consistently having someone over to help so that both cats can play at the same time...  My gut feeling is to keep doing what I've been doing, but I'm open to suggestion.

2. Any suggestions for involving Chauncey more in the mix?  I've let him do what he feels comfortable with so far, and he mostly chooses to stay on the other side of the house when Natalie is out and the baby gates are up.  He certainly knows that she's there, but so far they've only actually seen each other about 4 or 5 times in the 7 weeks that she's been at my house.  I rub him down with a towel every day for scent swapping so she does have some awareness of him.

I haven't done much site swapping with the cats yet, other than letting her explore the main part of the house when the boys are shut in my bedroom.  Life will be hectic for the Christmas holidays as some family is visiting from out of town, but I'll see if I can start swapping spaces for them a little more after the new year.

Thanks again for the suggestions and encouraging remarks.  I do appreciate it!!

You are welcome, the length of the post was fine. The more information the better it is too understand the situation.

I would keep feeding them and letting them have visual contact a little more each day. And to watch their reactions. If Natalie starts to stare and looks to be focused on Vinnie then distract her with food or play. But it is great that she is getting less intent on charging him. The more she sees that he is not a threat and the more her confidence is built the better it will be for them to get along.

I wouldn't play with Vinnie in front of Natalie at this time, your instinct is correct. We want her to feel the most comfortable and she could feel a bit uneasy. I would play with her with the baby gates in place. Watch how Vinnie reacts to this. If he starts getting funny then we want to pull back,

I have personally found that the existing cats tend to have a tougher time adjusting than the new cat. So I don't want to underestimate the potential for trouble from the existing cats. But so far it sounds like maybe your guys will not be too much trouble but something we need to keep in the back of our mind.

I would let Chauncey do his thing and keep doing the scent swapping and associating the scents with good things (love, food, anything he and they enjoy). Make sure the scent swapping goes both ways.

I wouldn't yet do the site swapping but at some point seeing how they progress it can be done. Maybe late Jan but let's see how things are going.

The key really is to associate the other cat(s) with good things and to have any encounter as positive as possible whether it is through scent or site. And to build everyone's confidence through play, food, height and love, whatever is possible.

Always try to stay as calm and confident around the cats as possible. Cats can take on our emotions so try to always be calm abnd confident around them.

Please let me know how things are going and feel free to ask anything. I am confident you know what to do and have to desire to do it. That is a lot of what is needed and your boys seem good. It may take a little time and there will be ups and downs but it should work. Thank you so much for all you are doing.

Thanks for the additional advice and encouragement, Calicos. I will keep doing what I've been doing with mutual scent swapping, nightly personalized play time, and positive rewards for good behavior. I'll also just let Chauncey proceed at his own pace.

Natalie has actually been really good the past 2 days. There have been no hissing/charging incidents with Vinnie. I haven't even noticed her giving him the stare down. I feel very heartened by this but I don't expect it to suddenly be completely smooth sailing. I'm still going to take things nice and slow. Your advice about promoting positive associations and trying to minimize anything that could lead to a negative interaction makes a lot of sense.

Thanks so much for the support. It really does help!

I hope you continue to have good luck with integration. I have 2 cats who they still don't get along well. the young wants to play all the time and charges at the older cat. So I have to distract the younger cat to keep the peace.

You are welcome.

There are always ups and downs but I am confident you have the will and the knowledge to succeed. So far it is a great sign she is not charging him etc for the past two days. Keep building on those positives and building her confidence. When she realizes he is not a threat and that she does not miss out on anything she should accept. We could at some point have to deal with the boys but so far no indication of any issues. But they can crop up. Just take things slowly and keep doing what you are doing. Stay calm and confident around them. You are increasing the odds of success by your efforts. 

I will be with you every step and am happy to help. Have a Merry Christmas and feel free to ask anything anytime.

Wow!  You're doing an excellent job of introducing Natalie!  I would say it just needs time, patience, and love; BUT having said that, I have to share this:  My baby Su was feral when we found one another.  I had a sick cat in CRF in the house at the time, so fortunately, because we had acreage with outbuildings including a very nice 12x12 cabin, I put her in there, introducing her to first one, then another of our "barn cats" who had come with us from an urban location where they were "community cats" and so were happy with one another and with human contact.  When our CRF girl passed, I brought the baby inside.  She came in swinging, so to speak, and has only ever bonded to me.

When our newest family member, a very sweet, affectionate, playful spayed mancat of 9, joined us last August, Baby Su (who's 12) seemed very intrigued with him, talking back and forth with him and playing chasing games with him.  I thought she'd fallen in love and was VERY happy she'd actually be enjoying a relationship with another cat.  Unfortunately, it was not to be.  Some unknown dynamic(s) between them changed; he now seems prey-driven and chases her.  She spends almost all her time under the bed.  She's back to being bonded only to me.  It's very discouraging.  Again, hopefully time will help, but at this point I don't know.  

Really hope Natalie has better luck integrating into your family! and again, you're doing a GREAT job. 

Tarasgirl06,

I see you have a lot of posts so I am guessing you know a lot about cats. But if there is anyway I can help your Su please let me know. It breaks my heart to think of her hiding under beds. I think she needs her confidence built up. Feel free to contact me if you think you need any ideas.

I was literally conceived, born, and raised with/around cats, so yes, I guess I know a little bit about them  .  We're of the same tribe, truly, and I speak "cat" better than "human".  I've tried feliway and interactive play.  She is starting to spend time not under the bed now, so I'm hoping and praying this will lead to her becoming more confident again.  It's so bizarre, because she's a largish cat and well able to defend herself.  And Elvis is NOT mean.  He loves to play and chase, and since he's even bigger, I guess she sees him as a threat, though it didn't start out that way.  Any suggestions would be gratefully received!  Thank you!

Hi guys,

I've been busy with visiting family over the holidays and never had much free time to check back on the forum over the past few weeks.  I hope that both Tarasgirl06 and foxxycat will be able to overcome their own feline integration issues.  I guess if nothing else, there is some comfort in coming to the forum and realizing that you are not alone in whatever challenges come along with trying to establish a happy, peaceful home when it comes to multiple cats!

Natalie is doing well.  I am still taking baby steps with the whole integration process. I've been following CalicosRspecial's advice and not trying to rush things at all.  Natalie has an established routine where she comes out into the main part of the house each evening for about an hour.  The boys are shut in my room during her free time.  Then I put her back on her side of the house with the baby gates in place and let the boys out of my room so that they can all see each other.  After about 30 minutes of "baby gate" time, I put her back in her room for the night.  She gets a little bedtime treat that she really likes before I shut her door and she's always willing to go back into her room.   

I haven't seen her hiss or lunge at Vinnie in almost 2 weeks.  He also now feels more comfortable walking past the baby gates when she's right there. He's even played a little bit within sight of her a few times and she hasn't reacted negatively.  She sometimes watches him fairly intently but seems much more relaxed than she was a few weeks ago and I'm quick to reward her with a few crunchy treats when she shows no reaction to him walking past on his side of the gates.  They do also regularly play 'footsies' under her door when she's shut in her room. 

I've continued the scent swapping with small towels and I make sure each cat gets personalized attention from me every day.

I'm still holding off on letting them have any direct contact for 2 reasons:

1. Natalie was so possessive of her territory and resources when I first got her, that I'm still concerned about letting Vinnie have access to her "space".  While she's come a long way with accepting him in close proximity on his side of the gates, I am not confident that she won't aggressively chase him if he tries to go in her room. 

2. Chauncey (my old man with CRF) still mostly chooses to stay away from the whole situation.  I'm letting him do what he feels comfortable with. He and Natalie are still only actually getting a look at each other about once a week (scent-wise, there should be a decent familiarity established by now).  He does come over closer to her door a little more frequently these days when he knows that she's shut away, but he's definitely not seeking any contact at this point.

We sort of have a workable routine in place although I look forward to a day when my house doesn't need to be segregated.  One of the main issues I have at the moment is that Vinnie is growing impatient with being shut in my room each evening.  If I try to leave him in there for over an hour, he'll start yowling and scratching at the door, and sometimes he tries to evade me if he thinks I'm going to put him in there.  He also shows a lot of interest in Natalie's room when I feed her in the mornings.  I've had to keep really close tabs on him so he doesn't get any bright ideas to try and bolt into her room while I'm taking her food in (and I know he's thought about it!).  I encourage him being within view when I take her breakfast in so that they can see each other with that positive association of food. 

So that's where things currently stand.  I welcome any additional encouragement or suggestions for moving things along. 

Happy New Year to all!

Happy New Year.

Good job, it sounds like you are making progress.

When Natalie starts watching Vinnie "intently" feel free to distract her with treats or play (anything she likes). It will help in associating him with good things (like food and play).

Please keep up the scent swapping and again trying to associate the other cat(s) scents with good things.

When Natalie is exploring I would try to get her to play in the new areas. We want to build her confidence in the new areas (as that is where they'll be meeting) as a confident cat is less likely to go after another cat. And after Natalie is back in her room after exploring then have Vinnie play in the area that Natalie was just playing in. After play then feed a treat as well. Her scent will still be around and having him play there will build his confidence.

It sounds like Vinnie is ready but that Natalie still has a little ways to go. Just keep up what you are doing. We'll see how Natalie and Vinnie interact with the gate and maybe in a week or 2 if they are behaving we can then try to get them together when Natalie is exploring. Maybe Vinnie can be out with her and see how they interact. But we want to be ready to distract if there is too much focus or a chase is about to start. I always like to make sure they can be distracted fairly easily with the gate in place before they get together without barriers.

I always try to minimize any negative encounters. I always try to make every encounter as positive as possible. And try to associate the cats with good things.

Chauncey is going to be a bit more challenging so we have to continue to help him feel comfortable before they can all be together.

But I think you are doing really well. Keep up the great work and please let us know how we can help. We'll be here for you the whole way.

We had a minor incident this evening.

I had Natalie's bedtime treat ready and took the baby gates down to put her away for the night. She is highly food motivated and usually heads straight for her room when she sees the treat packet in my hand. Tonight she came out into the living room, rather than going to her room as I was securing the gates against the wall. Vinnie was laying on the back of the couch a few feet away. The cats made eye contact and Natalie immediately ran over to the couch and swatted at him. He beat a hasty treat in the opposite direction and she started to move around the side of the couch to follow him. I was able to distract her by rather sharply calling her name and waving the treat packet in her face. Her love of food won out and she went willingly to her room.

This all happened within the space of a few seconds. She didn't hiss, growl or puff up when she saw Vinnie on the couch, but she did intently lock her attention on him and immediately ran towards him. Luckily I was able to distract her before the situation escalated. This came on the heels of our usual routine in which she and Vinnie had been hanging out on either side of the baby gates and I was giving her treats each time Vinnie walked past and she didn't react to him.

Vinnie isn't usually in such close proximity when I put Natalie to bed, and she typically ignores him when food is involved, so I'd loosened my vigilance during the bedtime process.

Vinnie is none the worse for wear. I gave him some extra attention after I put Natalie to bed and he was his typical goofy self. I wish he would have stood his ground when she swatted at him. I think that might have helped diffuse the situation, but even though he's not a particularly timid cat, he's definitely more likely to run from any hint of altercation rather than face it head on.

I guess this is a definitive confirmation that Natalie is not yet ready to be a full fledged member of the family. Sigh. I'll re-implement a stricter bedtime routine to ensure the cats stay separated...

I agree, it is pretty minor. AND it is VERY GOOD that she got distracted by the food. 

And that she didn't have her tail puffed up or she didn't hiss and growl.

Keep working on doing what you are doing and try to work on building their confidence (through play and food).

I am so glad that Vinnie is "no worse for the wear". That is a good sign.

When we do have them together we can use food to distract her and that will be very helpful. 

I am not too worried, Natalie is probably not ready yet but I think we learned some things from this.

Keep up the good work and feel free to ask anything anytime. We're happy to help.

You are very welcome.

I am here for you anytime. I am happy to help.

Keep up the good work.

Just a quick update.  I know that with cats it can be one step forward, 2 steps back...

The past few days, Vinnie has been acting more wary and skittish around Natalie when she's on her side of the baby gates.  He hasn't been playing with her under her door as he was previously doing.  He doesn't watch her from a few feet away anymore and seems hesitant to walk past her to move from the living room into the kitchen (where his food is kept). 

I'm not sure what changed for him.  The two had that minor swatting incident about a week ago, but there has been no direct contact at all between them since and he didn't seem majorly phased by it at the time.  I've kept to the regular nightly routine for everyone.  Natalie is acting the same towards him when she's sees him through the gate; she watches him somewhat intently but hasn't hissed/growled/charged and is easily distracted by treats. 

Vinnie likes to move freely between the living room and kitchen when I'm home in the evening.  He's still doing that, but he now sort of nervously sprints past Natalie and the baby gates rather than walking calmly past as he was doing a week ago. 

Don't know if there is anything different I should be doing.  I'm still trying to make sure everyone gets personal attention and some play time each night.  I haven't tried to force Vinnie to approach Natalie but I pet and praise him when he does.  He's not at all treat motivated so I can't bribe him that way...

Chauncey continues to mostly be a non-participant in the proceedings. 

I welcome any additional suggestions.  Hopefully we'll get over this little bump in the road quickly.

Hmmmmmmm, it could still be from the incident. Maybe something else.

I wish food was a motivator. Is there any food he REALLY loves? I use warm chicken thigh meat and it tends to work for cats. BUT it is a lot of work. Cold chicken can work as well. But anything he loves I would try if possible. 

I would try to use play if that can work. Usually play will let them forget everything around them. And please try to continue scent swapping combined with anything he enjoys.

Can you maneuver something high (like a stable cat tree or something) that is a bit of a distance away from Natalie's room that he could go up in and look into her room but not able to use it to jump into her room? Height tends to build confidence. It can be a long way away from the room but with visual contact.

Other than that let's monitor and keep up with what you are doing. Hopefully he warms up again.

Also, please keep working to build Natalie's confidence. The more confident she is the less likely she will be afraid of Vinnie and Chauncey and the more likely she will accept them.

With Chauncey it is going to be a slow process. I don't want to force him. I am hopefully we can get Vinnie and Natalie and then work on Chauncey.

One step at a time. Hopefully others have some ideas as well. Please let me know if things improve.

It sounds as if you are doing all the right things.  Love and patience are key.  Sometimes, just like with people, it takes cats awhile to regain their confidence after being intimidated, or after a "spat". 

Thanks guys!  You are awesome to offer advice!

CalicosRSpecial, Vinnie is so weird with treats!  He loves his dry kibble and I've been trying to use that as a motivator to walk past Natalie.  I pour a little bit of fresh kibble into his bowl and then pet him while he eats (he always likes it when I do that  ). 

He will occasionally eat some crunchy cat treats but half the time he ignores them (I've tried all the common brands).  I've tried the freeze dried stuff and the bonito flakes and cat milk and the soft chewy treats.  He's unimpressed.  Sometimes he will eat a little bit of turkey or chicken meat or tuna, but he's totally hit or miss with all of it!  He doesn't really like canned cat food either.

I'll keep enticing him with petting sessions while he eats.  I'm also going to bring a big cardboard box back into the house that was a big hit with him over the holidays.  Its in the garage, but I kept on purpose for him to occasionally play in.  He enjoyed jumping in that a few weeks ago and didn't care if Natalie was watching.  I'll see how he reacts to it now.

I have continued the daily scent swapping.  I'll try to up his play time a little bit and see if that helps.  He's definitely over being locked in my room for the hour that Natalie has run of the house.  He'll frequently start yowling and pawing at the door before her 'free time' session is over.  Luckily, she doesn't seem to get upset by that but does seem to prefer moving to the far side of the room once he starts up.

I'll continue to hang in there and be patient.

Thanks again for the support!