Anti-social Adult Female Cat

[KittyKay]

So I currently have 5 cats. I originally had three female cats that are about a year and a half old. They get along great.
I adopted a foster kitten a few months ago (6 month male) and he likes to play fight with them but they don’t seem to mind him too much.
The problem started when I adopted an adult female cat (3 years old) about 4 months ago. I’ve primarily kept her in one room the whole time I’ve had her because my other female cats are extremely aggressive towards her. They will chase her into corners or under the bed and hiss. She’s a very sweet cat but she seems to have anxiety issues? I feel terrible for keeping her locked away in one room.

I guess my question is: how can I get them to socialize without being aggressive?

 

[sabian]

This is a tough one to be honest since all 3 females are aggressive toward her. I'm just wondering how the male cat is towards her. In my experience females are a little more aggressive toward other cats anyway. Maybe she just needs to build her confidence up. The other 3 females may sense her lack of confidence and anxiety and basically are just going to bully her. I don't think it's going to be a quick fix and will take time. Will the new cat let you hold her or sit in your lap?

 

[margd]

Shades of a middle school girl's clique! Poor little New Cat.

Have you gone through an introduction process yet? Here's an article that explains it quite well:How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide It basically involves scent swapping and gradually getting cats used to each other by slowly increasing the amount of contact they have.

Is there a ring-leader among the three Resident cats? I'm wondering if you try letting New Cat have some limited time with one Resident cat at a time if you might find that one or two of the cats are not that hostile to New Cat. If that is the case, you could try territory swapping, in which different Resident Cats would stay in the room while New Cat was out with one or more of the others.

I'm not sure that New Cat is anti-social or inherently anxious so much as scared of being bullied. It's hard to know at this point because she has to be on constant alert when she is out of the room. Because she feels insecure, it's important to give her a lot of one-on-one attention when she is in the room. Playing with her is one way to do that, another is to just talk softly to her and stroke her, if she lets you.

Patience is key here.

Sending good-luck vibes for a happy resolution!

 

[sabian]

Shades of a middle school girl's clique! Poor little New Cat.

That's kinda what ran through my mind too!

 

[KittyKay]

Thank you both!
The male cat is still a kitten and he just wants to play with Sarabi (the 3 year old “new cat”). They hang out some but anytime he tries to get close to her (even to cuddle) she responds aggressively.
I’ve been letting the least aggressive female cat chill with Sarabi some. They will cuddle on opposite sides of the bed as long as there aren’t any sudden movements. I will definitely read the article posted.
Sarabi loves cuddles and is super chatty. She came from a shelter with little known about her. I think she may have been an outdoor cat/ only cat before.

 

[KittyKay]

This is Sarabi

 

[margd]

What a gorgeous girl! I'm glad to hear that Sarabi (great name, btw) is managing to coexist with two of your other cats, even she likes to keep her distance. The fact that she and one of your other females can manage to stay peacefully on the bed is a very good sign.

It occurred to me that she may never have been around four cats before and might be feeling overwhelmed, especially if she is getting used to living inside for the first time in her life. That may be one reason why she rebuffs the male kitten's attempts to cuddle or play. Some cats just can't handle kitten energy though, and she may be one of them. As he grows older and less rambunctious, she'll hopefully warm up to him a bit more.
Sarabi does look like she's enjoying at least one aspect of indoor life and that is luxuriating like royalty on the sheets.