Awhile ago, one of my cats, Rosebud, disappeared without a trace and we haven't seen her since. We asked the neighbors, posted signs, and went to the animal shelter with no luck. I find it likely that we forgot her in the back yard one night and from there, only God knows what happened. It's strange that she vanished because she's incapable of getting over our fence because she was declawed front and back before we even got her and she has always been very delicate. My other cat, Leo, who is the alpha cat, has been going crazy.
Anyway, my family recently lost hope and decided they wanted a new cat. Rather than getting a kitten, they decided to adopt an unwanted full-grown cat from one of my brother's friends. She is very friendly and playful, as is my resident cat, Leo. They have meet each other once before, when we babysat the newcomer for awhile, which was months ago. It was a far from pleasing introduction. At first, they looked at each other with curiosity, but when Leo got closer, the newcomer hissed, Leo hissed back and ran away and held a grudge and acted strange the whole time she was here. However, this time, the newcomer is here to stay.
Today is day one. I have the new cat shut in my room with its own food, water, and litter. The newcomer has become familiar with my room once again and no longer hides under my bed. It didn't take long at all for Leo to recognize her scent and vice-versa. I was shocked because once Leo smelled her on me, he hissed and growled at me and avoided me for a short period of time. The newcomer hissed even more, but did not become avoidant.
I understand that hissing at the scent of strange cats is normal, but is it a bad sign that Leo hissed at me? Also, how should I go about introducing them at first, as Leo is slightly territorial and can be aggressive. Another thing I should mention, when we had Rosebud, Leo would often bathe her, even if she did not approve, which would sometimes result in skirmishes and I can imagine he'll eventually try to do the same to the newcomer. Tips please?
Anyway, my family recently lost hope and decided they wanted a new cat. Rather than getting a kitten, they decided to adopt an unwanted full-grown cat from one of my brother's friends. She is very friendly and playful, as is my resident cat, Leo. They have meet each other once before, when we babysat the newcomer for awhile, which was months ago. It was a far from pleasing introduction. At first, they looked at each other with curiosity, but when Leo got closer, the newcomer hissed, Leo hissed back and ran away and held a grudge and acted strange the whole time she was here. However, this time, the newcomer is here to stay.
Today is day one. I have the new cat shut in my room with its own food, water, and litter. The newcomer has become familiar with my room once again and no longer hides under my bed. It didn't take long at all for Leo to recognize her scent and vice-versa. I was shocked because once Leo smelled her on me, he hissed and growled at me and avoided me for a short period of time. The newcomer hissed even more, but did not become avoidant.
I understand that hissing at the scent of strange cats is normal, but is it a bad sign that Leo hissed at me? Also, how should I go about introducing them at first, as Leo is slightly territorial and can be aggressive. Another thing I should mention, when we had Rosebud, Leo would often bathe her, even if she did not approve, which would sometimes result in skirmishes and I can imagine he'll eventually try to do the same to the newcomer. Tips please?