Cat intros...should I keep separating when I hear growling?

[chloe92us]

View attachment 177096 Photos of their typical positions since the dust ups. Max on bed, Skye in the hall at the door (he always lays here, even before Max).

 

[chloe92us]

I should also add that It was Skye's fur that I found all over the floor the day they must have gotten in a brawl, unless it's possible to lose a handful of fur playing, which I highly doubt, but Skye is a long haired ragdoll.

 

[calicosrspecial]

How did they interact by the door before when Max was sleeping in the master?

Do they tend to sleep all night/stay put or do they start roaming around at some point?

Great that you have play sessions in the master. Will be their confidence.

Great that the rebounded quickly after the first recent encounter (with Skye on the bed and Max by the the nightstand).

Was it possible that Skye wasn't defending the door but was just hanging out by the door and Max wanted to get out? You mentioned Skye was by that doorway before Max came. Choke points are always problematic and sometimes it can just be a bad encounter.

If they can be in there together during the day and most nights is it possible it was just an unfortunate encounter? The fact they seemed to rebound fairly quickly is a good sign. Skye wasn't injured (though a lot of hair was out) so Max knew the boundary.

Where does Skye sleep when your husband and Max are in the master?

Skye is going into the master since the most recent dustups, correct? Acting normal? No hiding, no avoiding Max or areas of the house?

Are they together during the day now and then only separated at night?

Please step up play with them. Feed them together if possible. If you see any funny looks etc please distract in the most positive way as possible (play, food or call their name in a calm confident voice).

I would like to build Skye's confidence a bit more especially in the master and maybe your son's room.

I'll wait to hear the answers to the above questions. I am thinking it was a one off thing (and not too serious) but I need to understand more. We don't want to rush things and create problems but we want to continue building on the positives you have seen over the past few weeks.

 

[chloe92us]

4 MONTH UPDATE: Frienemies! Most of the time they get along. They are always in the same area together; if Skye is napping in the dining room, Max is too. If one is on the cat tree, the other is sleeping on the base of it. They eat together, share boxes, watch birds together. But they have gotten into a few fur-flying brawls! I think we are dealing with two male cats, who are closely suited, and are still trying to figure out who top cat is. If they've had a "bad day", then we separate them at night. We don't consider taking Max back to the shelter anymore, but there is definitely not 100% peace yet. I think Max is attempting to overthrow the king, and Skye had his ass whooped a few times. There's never any blood, but a lot of Skye's fur flying! I'll update in another month!

 

[calicosrspecial]

Thank you very much for the update.

A lot of positives. I don't like fur flying BUT they know the line, the limit. And they don't seem to cross it (real serious fighting) AND they spend a lot of good time together.

Hang in there. If you do see them about to get into it just try to distract with play or calling their name in a firm but calm and confident voice and then give treats or something. Anything to turn a potential negative into a positive.

Please keep building their confidence playing with them and feeding after. And just keep up the great work you are doing, you are doing great.

Cats do have dustups but always watch how they act after the incident. If they rebound quickly (no hiding, no avoiding etc) then it wasn't too bad. Play does help a lot to build confidence as a confident cat is less likely to attack or be attacked.

Great job with them!! Keep up the great work!!