Cat Reintroduction Setbacks

[madamk]

Hi all--

I have had my cats Bonnie and Clyde for about 12 years. I added Bella about 2 years ago, and I did things all wrong, so we've decided to do a reintroduction to try to improve their relationships.

Bella has been sequestered on our second floor (where our bedroom is), while Bonnie and Clyde get the main floor and basement. This has been the situation for about 6 months. We've spent the last couple of months trying a reintroduction, and have had a couple of setbacks.

First, when there was first some fighting among cats, Bella (despite being a third her size) beat the tar out of Bonnie. When we try to switch spaces, Bonnie refuses to go into Bella's room. We brought her up there to try to feed her treats and get her calmed down, and she actually peed she was so scared (she did not look like she was marking). We are able to switch spaces with Clyde, but we need to get Bonnie up there too. Thoughts about how to do this appropriately without traumatizing her and ruining our carpet?

Second, we've been having a hard time gauging when things are going to go downhill. So far, we have only let Bella and Clyde share space while we feed them tuna. We try to let them set the pace, and today, they surprised me by being so calm.  Then suddenly, Bella got frightened and ran into her room-- Clyde chased her and I found him hissing at her under the bed.  I get very nervous that he might hurt her (because she is so tiny) and I know that having it end this way is really bad for progress. I was supervising very closely, but the situation went bad so quickly I couldn't even shake my rattle can to distract them. Any suggestions for how I might know when it's time to end the session, and any ideas for how I can stop a confrontation once it starts?

It's been a frustrating process, and I really hate these setbacks!

Madam K

 

[red top rescue]

Here are a few articles you might want to read plus a video.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

and a video: 
I know Jackson always has them on opposite sides of a door when they first start eating together.  I think you may have to do this.  That way if she runs, he can't chase her.  His chasing behavior needs to be diverted, like with a toy or something as they show in the video.

 

[madamk]

They had been doing great with a door previously, and we had graduated to having them look at each other through a cracked door while they eat. Bella seemed pretty comfortable and came out on her own. Things were great for about 5 minutes before she freaked out. I've read all the articles and watched the videos, but the don't really address my questions.

 

[ert1988]

I agree that the introduction process needs to start over again (as frustrating as that is). Bad associations have developed to the point that you can't even let them swap rooms, so feeding on the other side of a shut door will help repair this. I recently learned the hard way that setbacks can happen even when I followed the books and everyone SEEMED fine (at the time).
As far as predicting when something will happen, look for body language: ears back, large eyes with dilated pupils, posturing, slinking, twitching tail, and crouching are the cues I look for. If they are intensely staring at each other that is also a sign.

 

[ert1988]

Also, in addition to Feliway, look into Bach's Rescue Remedy for pets. Read reviews to see if it's right for you, but I'm finding that it's helping my two females get along (although their issues are less severe compared to your kitties). When I first tried Bachs, I thought it was a joke, but after using it a few times a day with wet food or tuna, I believe it helps them.