new/old cat adjustment issues

rogueangel · May 25, 2005

Hello All -

It has been one month since I introduced my new kitty (Tessa) to my 2 original kitties (Rogue and Angel). At first Tessa was very scared/mean, hissing and clawing at them if they came ANYWHERE near her. So I did some of the tricks on here to acquaint them. Now, she will let Rogue come up to her, they touch noses every once in awhile, I can definitely see an improvement in her getting used to Rogue. However, Angel would NOT leave Tessa alone the first couple weeks, always kind of "stalking" her, causing her to be defensive. NOW that Tessa is more comfortable with us and her home, SHE is stalking Angel and "harassing" her. She will chase after her until Angel is cornered somewhere and they will both just sit there. I think Angel is scared of her now (Tessa is quite bigger) and I don't know what to do.

They will all eat by eachother, they can all sleep on the same bed usually (although not right next to eachother) - but they don't play together or interact like normal yet. And I can tell they all kind of want to - tessa will always follow wherever the other 2 cats are - she'll lay on the floor and watch them do whatever - but I'm concerned about her scaring Angel.

We took Angel and Rogue's bells off this morning and left Tessas on, to kind of give them an upper hand since Tessa is more aggressive and likely to scratch and hiss than they are - do you think that was a bad idea?
HELP!!!

arlyn · May 25, 2005

Unless they are actually fighting, it sounds to me like they are just settling their pecking order.

We have 6 cats, all brought in at different times, after the initial seperation and slow introductions, I've seen the very same behaviors that you are.
Once everyone is sure of their place in the pecking order, things generally calm down.

If there is actual physical agression, I would seperate and re-introduce again, slowly.

Hissing, stalking, and staring contests are pretty normal.

laureen227 · May 25, 2005

Originally Posted by RogueAngel

Hello All -

It has been one month since I introduced my new kitty (Tessa) to my 2 original kitties (Rogue and Angel). At first Tessa was very scared/mean, hissing and clawing at them if they came ANYWHERE near her. So I did some of the tricks on here to acquaint them. Now, she will let Rogue come up to her, they touch noses every once in awhile, I can definitely see an improvement in her getting used to Rogue. However, Angel would NOT leave Tessa alone the first couple weeks, always kind of "stalking" her, causing her to be defensive. NOW that Tessa is more comfortable with us and her home, SHE is stalking Angel and "harassing" her. She will chase after her until Angel is cornered somewhere and they will both just sit there. I think Angel is scared of her now (Tessa is quite bigger) and I don't know what to do.

They will all eat by eachother, they can all sleep on the same bed usually (although not right next to eachother) - but they don't play together or interact like normal yet. And I can tell they all kind of want to - tessa will always follow wherever the other 2 cats are - she'll lay on the floor and watch them do whatever - but I'm concerned about her scaring Angel.

We took Angel and Rogue's bells off this morning and left Tessas on, to kind of give them an upper hand since Tessa is more aggressive and likely to scratch and hiss than they are - do you think that was a bad idea?
HELP!!!

if it makes you feel any better, it took Pixel at least 3-4 months before she accepted Cable... & another 3-4 before they snuggled together without my presence! just give it time. i didn't worry about Cable being more aggressive because she was so much smaller, i figured she probably couldn't really hurt Pixel (or Mouse when she was with us).

simmyandnunny · May 25, 2005

I think that was a very good idea to just keep Tessa's bell on, lol. Very clever! I don't remember exactly how long it took Nunny to get used to Simmy, but I remember it seeming like forever. I would just be patient. Hearing that they can ALL sleep on the bed together is very encouraging. They've just got to work out their getting used to each other. I feel for you, it's a difficult adjustment. I'd be interested in hearing how they're doing in another month.

Originally Posted by RogueAngel

Hello All -

It has been one month since I introduced my new kitty (Tessa) to my 2 original kitties (Rogue and Angel). At first Tessa was very scared/mean, hissing and clawing at them if they came ANYWHERE near her. So I did some of the tricks on here to acquaint them. Now, she will let Rogue come up to her, they touch noses every once in awhile, I can definitely see an improvement in her getting used to Rogue. However, Angel would NOT leave Tessa alone the first couple weeks, always kind of "stalking" her, causing her to be defensive. NOW that Tessa is more comfortable with us and her home, SHE is stalking Angel and "harassing" her. She will chase after her until Angel is cornered somewhere and they will both just sit there. I think Angel is scared of her now (Tessa is quite bigger) and I don't know what to do.

They will all eat by eachother, they can all sleep on the same bed usually (although not right next to eachother) - but they don't play together or interact like normal yet. And I can tell they all kind of want to - tessa will always follow wherever the other 2 cats are - she'll lay on the floor and watch them do whatever - but I'm concerned about her scaring Angel.

We took Angel and Rogue's bells off this morning and left Tessas on, to kind of give them an upper hand since Tessa is more aggressive and likely to scratch and hiss than they are - do you think that was a bad idea?
HELP!!!

new/old cat adjustment issues

rogueangel

TCS Member

Thread starter

arlyn

TCS Member

laureen227

Darksome Duo!

simmyandnunny

TCS Member

Latest Posts

Connect with us