How long?

As you may know we just took in a cat last Friday. Of course its upset our current cats and there has been nothing but hissings and growls at the new cat.

We've been using positive reinforcement when our cats do walk by Whitey without stopping to hiss or do anything.

However, even though we REALLY like Whitey, we're concerned that maybe a 4th cat is just too many for our 3 girls. It would be heartbreaking for us if we did have to give up Whitey, as he's basically the coolest cat we've ever met. Very playful, even tempured (has not hissed ONCE at our cats) and very social.

However my question really is how long do we give our girls a chance to adjust? Is a week too short? Would a month be too long and overstressful? I am crossing my fingers that thing do get a little more calm. Plus like I said, it would be a difficult decision and I'm hoping that it doesn't have to come to it.

Thanks!

Hi, had lots of cats introduced to others, and it seems inevitable that they act hostile for 10 days, then neutral for a day or two, and then more or less get along, though I wouldn't expect them to be bosom buddies. If one or more of yours end up becoming actual friends, that's great, but it may not happen. Whitey may feel a bit strange being the new guy ... to a bunch of females, and may be torn between behaving and trying to dominate (I know you said the girls are the ones hissing, but I anticipate Whitey eventually trying to take over too). I bet the girls are a little afraid of him, not just because he's new, but because he's a male, and so they're getting the jump on him before he can do it to them. Give them another week and things should cool down though.

Thanks so much! I get a little antsy because my boyfriend is expecting things to calm down less then a week..sometimes his anxiety reflects onto me. I don't really care if the cats are not friends, I just will be glad when the hissing is over with!

right now Whitey is all settled in. I think he's trying to play with the other cats, but they're not ready yet.

Thanks for the reassurance though!

I tried to introduce other cats here, and was told by the experts (vets and an animal behaviorist) not to give up until I'd tried it for six months, so I think a week is really far too short to expect much progress.

My 2 cats have taken over a year to get used to each other and they still are not "friends" but actually have sat next to each other on the couch!

I'm sure Patches will calm down soon enough. She'll just hiss when a cat is in her face.

Luna on the other hand is quite weary of other cats. It took us, yes, probably 6 months when we first introduced our cats together to get use to other cats. But that was when she was seeking out Beauty to deal with her frustrations. She'll still randomly swat at Patches or Beauty, but there aren't any hisses anymore. So we see that as "better".