So this is my first time posting in a forum like this. In fact, I stumbled across this website when I was looking for tips on acclimating cats, specifically acclimating a stray to a home with one cat and two dogs.
So here goes (I’ll try to make it short and sweet):
Coworkers of mine discovered a friendly cat last week. She was extremely emaciated, but also extremely friendly and requires minimal coaxing. Friday we took her to a vet to discover she is around 4 and already fixed, with negative body fat.
We kept her in the store and fed her and gave her a litter box.
I decided to take her home on Sunday, but was worried about Aurora, my cat at home. While aurora has been around her brother, she has not been around any other cats, and I was afraid of how she would react.
I brought her home Sunday and put the two cats in the bathroom together because I had not known how to introduce the two as I never had to do so before (I thought it was like dogs). The stray hissed and growled at aurora. Of course, aurora seemed more curious than anything.
I then read tips and watched the Jackson Galaxy video (not sure if that’s his name), and immediately made an area for the stray. I closed off my walk in closet for her and let aurora have the run of the house.
She slept for most of the duration of Sunday and Monday. On Monday, I did as I saw from the video and fed the two of them on either side of the barrier. The barrier had about an inch of a gap from the carpet (a normal amount of space a door would have). The two were poking paws underneath without incident. It wasn’t until the stray, whom we named raja, looked under and saw that it was another cat. She lunged at the barrier and scared off aurora. I believe I instinctively tried to hold her, which I received several deep bites and scratches (which are being treated with antibiotics currently). She stayed in attack mode for about 30 minutes.
Two days later, she hissed at the garbage trucks outside and the dogs outside the room. Last night, aurora must have gotten too close to her barrier because raja tried to get out again.
It’s currently the end of day 5 and I’m unsure of what to do. I realize the process takes a while and that it cannot be rushed, however, aurora is becoming afraid to come into the room now. In response, we’re moving raja’s safe space to a room down the hallway (I feel that putting her so closely in aurora’s quarters was a mistake to begin with).
Right now, I’m nervous that raja will not get along with any of the animals. She’s becoming healthier and gaining weight, and I’m hoping that has something to do with her aggression (feeling unhealthy and vulnerable and taking medication).
So I was hoping if anyone had any tips? I’m going to try the sock trick now as well.
So here goes (I’ll try to make it short and sweet):
Coworkers of mine discovered a friendly cat last week. She was extremely emaciated, but also extremely friendly and requires minimal coaxing. Friday we took her to a vet to discover she is around 4 and already fixed, with negative body fat.
We kept her in the store and fed her and gave her a litter box.
I decided to take her home on Sunday, but was worried about Aurora, my cat at home. While aurora has been around her brother, she has not been around any other cats, and I was afraid of how she would react.
I brought her home Sunday and put the two cats in the bathroom together because I had not known how to introduce the two as I never had to do so before (I thought it was like dogs). The stray hissed and growled at aurora. Of course, aurora seemed more curious than anything.
I then read tips and watched the Jackson Galaxy video (not sure if that’s his name), and immediately made an area for the stray. I closed off my walk in closet for her and let aurora have the run of the house.
She slept for most of the duration of Sunday and Monday. On Monday, I did as I saw from the video and fed the two of them on either side of the barrier. The barrier had about an inch of a gap from the carpet (a normal amount of space a door would have). The two were poking paws underneath without incident. It wasn’t until the stray, whom we named raja, looked under and saw that it was another cat. She lunged at the barrier and scared off aurora. I believe I instinctively tried to hold her, which I received several deep bites and scratches (which are being treated with antibiotics currently). She stayed in attack mode for about 30 minutes.
Two days later, she hissed at the garbage trucks outside and the dogs outside the room. Last night, aurora must have gotten too close to her barrier because raja tried to get out again.
It’s currently the end of day 5 and I’m unsure of what to do. I realize the process takes a while and that it cannot be rushed, however, aurora is becoming afraid to come into the room now. In response, we’re moving raja’s safe space to a room down the hallway (I feel that putting her so closely in aurora’s quarters was a mistake to begin with).
Right now, I’m nervous that raja will not get along with any of the animals. She’s becoming healthier and gaining weight, and I’m hoping that has something to do with her aggression (feeling unhealthy and vulnerable and taking medication).
So I was hoping if anyone had any tips? I’m going to try the sock trick now as well.
