Confused cat?

[christinacat]

Ok, so Mr. Wiskers seems to have confused purring with growling. He will let me pet him, and he really enjoys it - but he growls through the entire thing, eventually hissing and trying to swat me. He growls when he is eating catnip, he growls when I walk by him. He seems to like growling.

My other cat Bradley, met him this morning by accident (this is Mr. Wiskers' second day in our home). Bradley is a British Blue and she really is smart! She saw him first and stopped dead in her tracks staring at him. He turned and saw her - guess what, he immediately began growling. Bradley (by far the smaller of the two) backed him under a table, then she laid down flat on the floor, ears pinned back and she started to growl at him too. Isn't lying flat a submissive posture? I did not immediately put him back in his room - he had slipped out with me - but I sent Bradley upstairs. She of course found her way down again and the next thing I know she has him pinned in a corner, but again lying flat with ears down.

Mr. Wiskers is back in his room now and I am not going to let them meet tomorrow. We all need a break, but Bradley has literally MOVED downstairs and sits at his door

, he on the otherhand just keeps growling.

What are these two cats doing? Where is this behaviour heading? And most important why does Mr. Wiskers growl and growl and growl (he has a Feliway deffuser in his room).

 

[yayi]

Well, if it's only his 2nd day, I am not surprised. Mr. Wiskers is probably still adjusting to his new home.
Your Bradley's reaction is also very normal. She was there first and so she is the boss and Wiskers seems to acknowledge it.

Read through the stickies on introducing cats. Their suggestions will help ease the tension between your cats.

 

[nurseangel]

Be patient...this could take a while.

It took Daisy a few weeks to settle in and months to really adjust. She was so mean to Speck that he didn't know quite what to make of this snarling, spitting, unfriendly creature that kept trying to separate his head from his body. He was so happy to have a new friend; she hated us all equally. My friend at work kept reminding me that she didn't ask to be brought into our home. But now Daisy and Speck play nice (though she is still rougher than him) and they have fun together. And she has grown to like me and love DH.

 

[christinacat]

Now we are at the staring and occasional growling stage. The two cats sit about 10 feet apart (with me in the middle and off to the side) and just stare at each other for as long as I can stand sitting there. They occasionally blink and growl at each other. This must me 'getting to know you' type stuff. Nevertheless, there is nothing really happening. This is only the second time they have met face to face, although they have been sniffing each other out under the door for a few days now.

I was planning to do the switching blankets thing on Sunday (the end of Mr. Wiskers' first week in the house). Anyone have any ideas about the 'food on both sides of the door' thing. Can I do those two things simultaneously or should I just wait another week? It really is harder on me than Mr. Wiskers keeping him locked in a room (with Bradley mewing outside whenever she realizes that I am there).

 

[christinacat]

This is just an update on the "getting to know you" experiences between Bradley and Mr. Wiskers.

They are still not the best of friends (it has after all only been one week). They are however, both immensely interested in each other, unfortunately I'm not sure that it is a positive interest at this point. I've allowed Bradley into Mr. Wiskers' room. She is very very careful and moves around very slowly, she will not allow Mr. Wiskers to make a move of any kind without growling and trying to pounce on him. I have started to stay very close to her. Whenever, Mr. Wiskers moves and she starts to pounce I hold on to her, making it difficult for her to move, then I start petting her and speaking her name softly. This only partially calms her agitation.
I have placed an old wooden type of child gate across Mr. Wiskers' door, rather than close the door on him and making any kind of interaction impossible. They tend not to have too much to do with each other through the gate. If I am downstairs in Mr. Wiskers' room, Bradley will come downstairs and sit about 4 feet back from the gate and just stare at him, still hissing whenever he makes a move, so he just sits down too. They sit there for extended periods of time. I know Bradley is frightened by him and I know he is annoyed by her (constant growling and hissing), but I really hope that over time they will begin to be fast friends.

 

[otto]

A week is a very short time, and it sounds like it is going very well.

 

[christinacat]

Major new developments last night. Some time during the night Bradley figured out how to get over the fence (it is at least 2 1/2 ft. tall and there is nothing around it to climb on). They were just sitting, one on the bed and one on the desk, the scene can only be described as a Mexican Stand-off.

So, I've removed the gate, kind of pointless, and have allowed Mr. Wiskers run of the house. He moved ever so slowly through the house with Bradley staying a safe distance behind him.

Mr. Wiskers is still growling whenever I come near him, as if to tell me that Bradley is not being friendly. She growls and hisses every once in awhile.

They have not managed to actually have a 'cat fight' because whenever tempers seem to be about to flare, I intervene.

They might just make it - meaning that they will at least definitely be able to live in the same house together.

 

[otto]

It really does sound like it is going well. At some point you may have to let them fight it out a bit, though. It doesn't necessarily mean they will hurt each other, but they will have to work out their hierarchy.

And do keep in mind that play can often look like fighting, but really it is just play!

 

[christinacat]

Thanks otto, that might just be what is missing.

Bradley refuses to allow Mr. Wiskers upstairs. I've been shouting at her about it, but maybe they have to work this out themselves. She wanders all around his room and even uses his litter and checks out his food. He seems fine about it, sitting quietly watching her. The only problems occur if Mr. Wiskers tries to come upstairs or if I'm downstairs, I think they are both growling to try to tell me something, because they look at me growl and then look back and continue to growl at the other one.

This must be very difficult for Mr. Wiskers now, because he has been upstairs and knows how many more windows and nice places to sit there are here then downstairs (my basement is only half finished right now).

I'm not going to interfer tomorrow and see what happens, also I have not closed Mr. Wiskers' door so who knows what will happen over night.

I am wondering about another idea I had, what if I bring Mr. Wiskers up into the bedroom. Bradley is used to sleeping either there or in the livingroom, so this would be a deliberate move (slight?) on my part.

Or I thought I might just not let her into THAT room and see how she likes it, I'm just not sure that cats understand that kind of attitude.

 

[otto]

I wouldn't try to force the issue in anyway. Just let them work it out under your supervision. It's been what, not even two weeks? It can take months for cats to adjust, but there are things you can do to help.

Do you have feliway plug ins going?

Do you have enough high places for both of them

Engaging one in play while the other is around to watch can help get them forgetting about each other and focusing on what they think is fun instead.

Using the Vanilla Trick can also help, as can intermingling smells. Rub a towel on one cat then the other, back and forth between cats, so their smells are on each other.

Rub a towel on one cat and put it under the other cat's food dish, do that for both cats, so they associate the other cat's smell with good things.

Smell is everything to a cat.

 

[christinacat]

We had a very interesting day today, with a few changes in behaviour.

There were two discernable cat fights while I had my morning coffee (uninterrupted by me).

Then I decided to do laundry today to keep Mr. Wiskers company downstairs. However what happened was that Bradley went to sleep in Mr. Wiskers' room in a basket that Mr. Wiskers does not use. So, Mr. Wiskers spent the day upstairs wandering around while I worked and Bradley slept. Until, I decided that I could finally vaccuum the room, so she went upstairs. He came back downstairs and for awhile all was peaceful. I rested a bit upstairs with Bradley lying beside me. Mr. Wiskers came upstairs, saw that she was with me and proceeded to just lie and rub against the carpet, he also demolished one of her toys (Bradley likes toys with feathers - to play with, Mr. Wiskers likes toys with feathers so he can eat the feathers). I owe Bradley a new feather-tailed mouse.

After a few minutes Mr. Wiskers went back downstairs. Late in the evening, as has become my habit, I went downstairs to sit with Mr. Wiskers for awhile. Bradley came downstairs and there was very little growling, she went straight for the basket she had spent the day in, Mr. Wiskers took a spot in a neat double-decker basket that came with him. We sat downstairs for several hours, while I listened to my podcasts. Bradley became more and more brave. She got up and went over to his food bowl and helped herself to a meal. He sat and watched her, she begain to walk quickly about the room.

Nothing happened so she went back to her basket.

After I came back upstairs, there was a bit of growling, I don't know what went on - but I do think we are making progress.

I'll try the rubbing towels thing, but I've been mixing smells with toys and blankets. Yes, there is a Feliwell defuser in Mr. Wiskers' room.

This will be the third Sunday Night that Mr. Wiskers has spent with us.

 

[otto]

That's terrific news!!!

 

[christinacat]

Update on Mr. Wiskers and Bradley. I was away most of the day today and when I got home, I got a definite 'we' attitude from both of them. There has not been a single growl!

They are still not sleeping together, Mr. Wiskers spends most of his time downstairs in his room, although he does not have to and Bradley sleeps upstairs on the couch.

It hasn't even been three full weeks! I'm very glad, the reason I got the second cat was so that Bradley wouldn't be alone so much - I believe it is going to work out!