Getting a new 2nd cat tomorrow.

[hds7]

So we finally found a second cat that my girlfriend and i both liked, and we had to pick it right away or it would be going somewhere else. I currently have a 6 months old male cat that is getting neutered in a week. this new cat is also a male, 4 1/2 months old, and will be getting neutered on the same date as the other cat (if we can get an appointment).

As both cats are males and they are not yet fixed, but still young, what is the best way to introduce them to each other without any conflicts of violence or of territorial markings?

Cat is coming tomorrow, so i would appreciate any help as soon as possible!

 

[stephanietx]

Read the sticky at the top regarding introductions. The big thing is to keep the newcomer confined arrived until he feels comfortable in your home and he knows you. Also, this will allow you to make sure he has good litter box habits.

 

[white cat lover]

If they're both going in for neutering @ the same time, it might be easier to wait to start any intros until after then. It will likely be less stress for them to have some recovery time after neutering & then meet.

 

[ducman69]

I agree and wouldn't introduce them at all until the new kitty feels safe and secure in his new home and they are both recovered from the surgery. Then just go slow with scent swapping, barrier introductions, etc. Better too slow than too fast, and kitty won't mind (and may very well prefer) being in the safe room for a while to adjust anyway. I think you have a recipe for success though as they are young and both boys which tend to be more mellow.

 

[hds7]

both cats are officially getting fixed next monday. at that time it will have been 8 days that the new cat has been isolated in the other room. from that point, how fast should i allow myself to make switches between towels and toys, because i would like the cats to be fully recovered before meeting. or is it better to leave them roam around right after the fixing, as they will both be weak and may get used to each other in that mood?

im asking a lot of questions, but im just trying to find the best thing to do, without rushing too much although i am envying both of them to be friends...

 

[ducman69]

Your existing boy is so young, I don't think he really has any territorial instincts yet. But while I don't have a lot of personal experience, from everything I have read, a cat that is feeling weak or in pain can be more defensive and hostile than otherwise.

I assume they have already sniffed each other from under the door by now? No growling/hissing? When feeling better, its recommended to get a towel and just rub it all over em especially the scent glands by their mouth and do a scent swap as mentioned. And after a few days you can put a gate up and let em check each other out, and just have some treats available or a toy to distract em with something positive if they get a little grumpy. Some also feed them together by the gate before taking the gate away entirely.

I have a feeling you can set the pace just based on how they react.

 

[stephanietx]

Glad to hear they're both getting fixed at the same time. This will probably help with the intros.

 

[goldenkitty45]

When introducing any new cats, I follow this for the best results:

1. New cat/kitten should be confined to one room with own litter pan, food and water dishes for about a week.

2. In a few days you can switch the new and old cats around - so they can check out each other scents but not meet face to face yet.

3. After about a week, I would put the new cat in a carrier and sit it out in the room for them to meet face to face but not totally physical. Expect some initial hissing or growling at each other.

Before you let them meet physically, trim the nails on both cats and sprinkle them with cornstarch baby powder in their coats so they smell the same. Then supervise them when together. Expect more hissing, growling or chasing for awhile but do not interfer unless they really are physically fighting.

Males tend to bond a lot quicker then females and since both will be neutered, the process will be quicker too.

 

[rad65]

I think you might want to try introductions now, simply because they can be support to each other while they heal and you'll have a hard time keeping them seperated that long anyway

. If the new kitten is rushing the door whenever you open it within the next day or so (as Tails did when I got him) I'd say you could try introductions. With two young kittens, they might not be territorial at all and might become instant best friends. If there are problems, you can always seperate again and have time for them to calm down before the surgery.

 

[hds7]

I have been attempting a few things here and there in the last 3 days I have had them. To begin with, the new cat is very vocally lonely. So my older cat is often roaming around the door when this happens. Very often they will exchange paw swaps from under the door (the little they can reach) but im not sure if this is an aggressive behavior or not. On occasions my older cat will be on his back and rolling around while doing this, so i assume he is playing. However what I will explain next leads me to question this behavior.

On the 2nd day, I attempted to rush things a little. I exchanged blankets. The new cat seemed to pay no attention to the older cats blanket in his room, but the older cat seemed to avoid the new cats blanket as much as possible. I even put treats on it, and it took him a while before finally getting them, and after they were eaten, he stayed away from it.

Later that night, while my girlfriend was over, we wanted to see what would happen if they would meet. At first my older cat was a bit cautious of approaching him, but as soon as the new cat started to wander off, my new cat ran after him and smelled his behind. This was followed a loud hiss, which he are unsure from which cat it came, and right away i put the new cat back in the room.

On three occasions now I have allowed the new cat to roam the house a little, to get used to the other rooms, while i locked my older cat away in my own room, in which he spends most of his time anyway. I closed the room where my older cats litter is, just to not have any mixing of urine. Upon the first roaming, the new cat walked by the food bowls, and gave a hiss (this is the same spot where the previously mentioned hiss happened, perhaps it has something to do with it) but he was alone this time. My older cat would get very uneasy while in the room alone, so i limit the time i allow the new kitty out. Now this is where it gets rough... When i let my old cat back out, he proceeds to attacking the newer cat from under the door, and on the first time let out a loud sort of violent meow.

Currently they are "going at it" under the door, as i just tried it again. Even when i spend time in the closed room with the new cat, my older cat meows from behind the door.

The operation is in another 5 days. Am I doing anything wrong? Or do I have to ignore this behavior? Im thinking about trying to spend the night with the new cat, as i feel i dont spend enough time with him, but i wouldnt want to make my older cat any more jealous than he seems to be.

 

[hds7]

update since my above post last night.

this morning the new cat wanted to come out so bad, i decided to try a meeting again. at first it was much less aggressive, and my older cat just vigorously following the new one around, at occasions exchanging paw swaps. at this point i wasnt sure if it was playing or fighting, but their ears werent down.

after maybe 10 minutes, the newer cat started eating my older cats food. after this, my older cat seemed quiet, but i think he was only planning. he jumped he a couple of times, each time the new cat rolled on his back, with his ears down, i guess he was showing defeat. at every occurrence of these little attacks, i just yelled out my older cats name, at which point he backed off. and from there on, whenever he felt the desire to jump him again, he looked to see where i was before he proceeded in his plan.

about halfway in this meeting, i took each cat and cut its claws, just in case anything was to happen. about a half hour into the meeting, they were simply going at it too often, though they were not making any noises initially while fighting, at the end my older cat was breathing heavily, and thats when i brought the new kitty back in his room.

from reading around this seems like normal behavior. should i keep doing these small time meetings a few times a day or what? is my older cat just being a bully?

 

[ducman69]

Sounds like normal play to me.

Ears back by itself doesn't mean anything. Buttercup always does that when wrestling or pouncing, even just w/ light bites on my arm if she's super frisky.

Mine love to paw at each other under doors, its a game.

You'd notice aggression when eyes get big, dilated, and locked at one another with little movement and a lot of tension in the muscles, possible back arching and poofing up, followed by low growling, up to hissing.

Butt is a sensitive area, so a little hiss seems normal until they trust each other more. I wouldn't be worried.

 

[hds7]

They seem to be great friends already, just after 2 days! The only thing however is that when they wrestle, my older cat bites the newer cat too hard once in a while and wont let go of him until we interfere. what warns us that this is happening is when the new cat whines or weeps or makes hurting noises. but even after we separate them, a minute later they are back to playing together. they are constantly together and are practically inseparable, like best friends.

do we need to stop this behavior? and if so how do we do so?

 

[ducman69]

I would just remain cool and separate them when it happens, and see if they work it out on their own. Its only been a couple days, and it sounds like the other cat isn't injured and there is no blood.

 

[rad65]

You should hear the hack, moans, groans, and whimpers that emanate from my cat when he's wrestling with my kitten. I always thought they were being too rough, but there was never any blood and they kept fight-playing with no incident every time. Your older cat hasn't had a playmate, so it will take a little while for him to get the perfect grip without pinching too hard. Cats learn through trial and error the same as most animals.