Hi Guys! I need help! My 2 Girls won't get along!!!

[tcarsley]

Thanks for all the welcomes and advice! I have never been in a forum before. Meeting all of you confirms my belief that cat people are the kindest people.

Below are the requested pictures of my babies. Gigi is my new troublemaker and Lulu is her scared and chubby sister. I included a picture of my Giggles in his basket. I lost him in June. He was my heart. He was 18 years old and I still miss him terribly!

GIGI


LULU


GIGGLES 1987-2005

 

[jen]

heh wow Lulu LOOKS terrified in the picture! It is kind of funny...

when they come together now do they still attack each other or just hiss and growl? cats do this and sometimes they swipe a bit too. if there is no blood being drawn sometimes you just have to let them duke it out and decide who is alpha kitty in the home. if you try this out, don't bring one to the other. wait til a day when you have a lot of time and just open the door that is seperating them. let them meet, if they run to each other to fight then this whole thing won't work yet. have a blanket handy and throw it over then if this happens.

if they keep their distance and just growl and hiss then let them go. still have the blanket handy just in case but let them go up to each other. they can rumble a bit but like I said, as long as no blood is being drawn.

My cats do this occationally, sounds like they are killing each other, one will just scream until the other gets off and goes away. Other times they will happily play and attack right back and it is no big deal.

 

[tcarsley]

I hate to sound stupid, but I am really confused. I have read all the threads about introducing the cats. However, since I have tried all these other things that didn't work and they have actually met, I am not sure what to stop or start with and how long before I introduce them again. All the threads are addressing cats that have never met.

Since I have been putting Gigi in a carrier for an hour each day, should I continue? I have actually started rubbing them with towels and switching them periodically today. I just feel like I am in information overload and would love some input on this mess.

Has anyone ever seperated them after introducing them and found themselves in this mess? I feel like I messed up with rushing them the first time and don't want to screw it up again!

I have included pictures of Lulu and Gigi below!


GIGI

LULU

 

[tcarsley]

God Jen, I am such a chicken! I hate the noise and am terrified of another altercation. I have been putting Gigi in a carrier for about an hour and making Lulu look at her. Lulu growls and hisses, but Gigi just sits in the carrier and meows once in a while. Yesterday she took a bath in the carrier while Lulu hisses at her. I thought Gigi was getting pretty comfortable, so I carried her out to show Lulu. She was tried to jump out of my arms and head right for her. Lulu is a big chicken and Gigi can be a tough little cookie. She can be a real cuddler, but she'll even give me a hiss and a swipe if my timing is off.

I just don't want to do the wrong thing. I think I pushed them too soon last time and it blew up.

Help!

Originally Posted by Jen

heh wow Lulu LOOKS terrified in the picture! It is kind of funny...

when they come together now do they still attack each other or just hiss and growl? cats do this and sometimes they swipe a bit too. if there is no blood being drawn sometimes you just have to let them duke it out and decide who is alpha kitty in the home. if you try this out, don't bring one to the other. wait til a day when you have a lot of time and just open the door that is seperating them. let them meet, if they run to each other to fight then this whole thing won't work yet. have a blanket handy and throw it over then if this happens.

if they keep their distance and just growl and hiss then let them go. still have the blanket handy just in case but let them go up to each other. they can rumble a bit but like I said, as long as no blood is being drawn.

My cats do this occationally, sounds like they are killing each other, one will just scream until the other gets off and goes away. Other times they will happily play and attack right back and it is no big deal.

 

[hissy]

Originally Posted by tcarsley

Hi Guys!

You all seem so wonderful! I really hope someone can help! My cats are my kids! I lost my sweet baby Giggles in June. He was 18 years old and died of complications from seizures and cardiomyopathy. He was a miracle baby! He lived 3 years longer than the doctors thought. I miss him terribly!

Anyway, that just left me and Lulu. Lulu is 14, fat and happy. Well that is until Gigi found her way into my heart and our home. When I went to the Goodwill to drop off some clothing, this adorable kitty was walking around the parking lot. There was a litterbox and food outside. The lady told me that the owners of the flower shop were going to have to get rid of her in 2 days. Evidently, she lived in the shop and it was closing down. So, I picked her up and took her to the vet to get checked out and brought her home. She is 7 years old, really sweet and cuddly to people and not even a flea on her. Luckily she is the picture of health. That is the last positive part of the story.

I am having real problems getting them to like each other. I seperated them for about 1 or 2 weeks and then put them together. I seperated them at night, after being woken up by a couple cat fights. It was all verbal for a while, until it started getting progressively more physical. I noticed that Lulu would drip drops of urine on the table when Gigi just walked by. One day, Gigi chased her up on a table and they started rolling around, knocking things over and screaming. I seperated them immediately until the next day. Then, I did something really stupid! I put Lulu in the carrier and put her in the room with Gigi. This is Lulu's home and she was the one that was scared. Gigi attacked the carrier and the screams were horrible. When I opened up the carrier in another room, Lulu was soaked! She was so scared, she had urinated all over herself. I felt terrible! You can't imagine how upsetting it was. I felt like I had let her down.

After consulting my vet and my sister (who has about 20 cats from rescue), I followed their advice and seperated them again for a good while before starting the introduction all over again. That was 2 months ago. Here's where the trouble begins. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and have been rotating them every day. Each one gets to sleep with me every other night and spends the day with me every other day. There is A/C, TV, food and a litter box in each room. I spend equal time with both. Gigi has really settled in, but Lulu is still terrified. Today I held Gigi in my arms and brought her in the room to show Lulu. It wasn't so bad. So, I tried it again later tonight and they both went crazy! This has been gong on for 3 months and I am at my wits end!

Gigi & Lulu will live here forever! I don't believe in things not working out. I could never give her away. I believe that once you adopt a baby, they are yours till the day they die. I am going to make this happen, but I NEED HELP!

PLEASE! PLEASE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT!!!

Hi and welcome to the website. I read your post and feel for you and your cats. You need to create balance for these cats and right now, they do not have that, because you are moving them every day. You need to start over from scratch and divide your home. One cat on one side, one cat on the other. No one sleeps with you until they both can, that is important, because it sounds like you have a very aggressive alpha cat that would not take kindly to sharing your space.

Invest in several comfort zone room diffusers and plug them in - one in each section. Try and make the barrier between them see through. By that I mean, construct a temporary door out of chicken wire, so that the cats can see each other, but not get at each other.

Make sure they do not share anything, not bowls, litter pans, toys, beds nothing. Give each cat a cat condo in their area. But leave them in their area for awhile, or you are going to have one ill 14 year old cat. Don't carry either one of them in your arms in the presence of the other, make sure any interaction you have with them, they are on the ground.

It is going to take time, because initially it went badly. I would also take GiGi to the vet to be sure she is healthy. It would be great if they lived forever, but they are a temporary house guest with us and all we can do is our best for them while they are here.

 

[hissy]

You had two posts on the same subject so I merged them. Less confusing that way-

 

[carolpetunia]

I'm not sure this can help at this point, but just in case: If I understood you correctly, you said you had put Lulu in a carrier and let Gigi, the new kitty, walk loose in her presence. I think that may have been a mistake, since Lulu has seniority in the house.

When I brought my Pearl home to join Clyde, who had been my only kitty for his whole 18-month life, I was careful always to make him feel like Top Cat. In introducing them, I confined Pearl, not Clyde. I always fed Clyde first and Pearl second. I always greeted Clyde first, hugged him first, everything first, so he wouldn't have any reason to resent her. I think this helped him feel better about having her around.

Do you have birdfeeders around your house? I find cats seem to forget their interpersonal problems when they're both focused on a common stimulus. If you can get some birds to come entertain them, they might forget to fight! :-)

 

[tcarsley]

Thanks! I started on one forum and was referred to the other. You are right! It was getting confusing for me!

Originally Posted by hissy

You had two posts on the same subject so I merged them. Less confusing that way-

 

[tcarsley]

Thanks! I will follow any advice you have to give. Based on what I have read, you are the ultimate expert.

Let me respond to some of your instructions and concerns. Gigi has been to the vet twice already. She is the epitomy of health. I took her the day I adopted her and then 1 week later with a bladder infection. I have a running line of credit at my vet!

They NEVER share bowls, litter boxes or toys. So, I am okay with all of those issues. However, you are right, Gigi is definitely an alpha cat with an attitude. My problem lies in the fact that I live in a small one bedroom apartment. Therefore, if I seperate them and never switch rooms, the same cat will be sleeping with me every night. Right now, one cat gets the bathroom & bedroom, while the other gets the living room, dining room and kitchen. This is a big problem. I went online today to check out the room diffusers and am going to order them tomorrow. Should I get one for each room or does one take care of the whole apartment? They have been seperated for 2 months, since the fight and haven't seen each other until I started with the carrier about a 1 1/2 weeks ago. I can do the chicken wire thing, but I'm not sure when to even start this. I appreciate your advice and will wait until I hear from you before I move either cat again. I am just not sure how to handle this. I have had cats for over 20 years and introduced them without a hitch. This is unbelievable to me. I have never felt more stupid and helpless!

Thanks again for your help! I don't know what I would do without you. I am at my wits end and as I stated before getting rid of Gigi is not an option for me!

Originally Posted by hissy

Hi and welcome to the website. I read your post and feel for you and your cats. You need to create balance for these cats and right now, they do not have that, because you are moving them every day. You need to start over from scratch and divide your home. One cat on one side, one cat on the other. No one sleeps with you until they both can, that is important, because it sounds like you have a very aggressive alpha cat that would not take kindly to sharing your space.
Invest in several comfort zone room diffusers and plug them in - one in each section. Try and make the barrier between them see through. By that I mean, construct a temporary door out of chicken wire, so that the cats can see each other, but not get at each other.

Make sure they do not share anything, not bowls, litter pans, toys, beds nothing. Give each cat a cat condo in their area. But leave them in their area for awhile, or you are going to have one ill 14 year old cat. Don't carry either one of them in your arms in the presence of the other, make sure any interaction you have with them, they are on the ground.

It is going to take time, because initially it went badly. I would also take GiGi to the vet to be sure she is healthy. It would be great if they lived forever, but they are a temporary house guest with us and all we can do is our best for them while they are here.

 

[tcarsley]

Hi Carol!

Thanks for the note! You are right! I blew it! I knew I shouldn't have put Lulu in the carrier, but I thought she would feel protected by the confined space, since Gigi was so agressive towards her. I was wrong in a big way! That's why I seperated them and am starting over. Thank god for Hissy. She responded right after you and gave me some great instructions to start. (See her note on the thread.) I usually do all the things you did and have integrated cats in the past, with no problems. However, Gigi is a very agressive alpha cat and Lulu is a big sissy. So, you see the problem. This is unbelievable!

Anyway, thanks again for the note and I'll keep ya posted.

Terri

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

I'm not sure this can help at this point, but just in case: If I understood you correctly, you said you had put Lulu in a carrier and let Gigi, the new kitty, walk loose in her presence. I think that may have been a mistake, since Lulu has seniority in the house.

When I brought my Pearl home to join Clyde, who had been my only kitty for his whole 18-month life, I was careful always to make him feel like Top Cat. In introducing them, I confined Pearl, not Clyde. I always fed Clyde first and Pearl second. I always greeted Clyde first, hugged him first, everything first, so he wouldn't have any reason to resent her. I think this helped him feel better about having her around.

Do you have birdfeeders around your house? I find cats seem to forget their interpersonal problems when they're both focused on a common stimulus. If you can get some birds to come entertain them, they might forget to fight! :-)