Integrating Multiple Cats into a New Home

[jamie mccoy]

My boyfriend and I recently moved in together with our cats.  We each had two cats prior to moving in and we are having some problems getting the harmony in our new home.  We've been living here for about three weeks.  One of my cats (Gordon) is overly playful (which weirds some of the other cats out) and the other of my cats (Dexter) is displaying some pretty startling aggressive behavior.  One of the boyfriend's cats (Bella) is really reserved but will fight back when provoked while his other cat (Nittany) has been engaging in some startling aggressive behavior as well.  Primarily, the fighting is between Dexter and Nittany, however we've had fighting to a lesser degree between Dexter and Bella as well as Bella and Gordon.  We've been keeping them separate and have tried letting them out.  We've tried small trial periods in a small well controlled environment (they don't fight here) but we aren't sure how long to make these or how to increase the time.  The cats all seem pretty well adjusted to the new home by now; its each other that we're worried about. 

Its also worth noting that Dexter starting to display signs of IBS last week.  I brought him to the vet several times and he was prescribed medication which has helped.  He is currently on Xanax, but I really dislike giving this to him unless he really seems stressed out and I don't think this will help him adjust to the other cats, and may make him a victim of injury which concerns me also. 

I'm in desperate need of help.  All of our attempts just seem to be making things worse rather than better and we really don't know what to do.  Any advice would be helpful!

 

[jamie mccoy]

Please give me your advice!  The boyfriend is blaming my Dexter and its causing a lot of stress in our home.  Dexter attacked Nittany about two weeks ago and the fur was flying.  It was awful.  There were no serious injuries but there were scratches and missing patches of fur.  Since then Nittany has been terrified of Dexter and either cowers away, completely avoiding him, or attacks him unprovoked, probably as a defensive measure.  We have been keeping them in separate rooms and spending half an hour in a third room with supervised visitations and they are largely uneventful, though Dexter does have a problem with getting in the other cat's personal space, seemingly unintentionally but who knows.  We can't live like this forever.  We need some idea of what we are doing wrong and how to rectify the situation.  I'm so angry that it seems like we've ruined their chances of being able to live in harmony and we somehow managed this in a few short days.  Does ANYBODY have any suggestions?  I don't want to have to move out again already and I refuse to give my cat away. 

 

[jamie mccoy]

Tonight's half hour was more eventful.  The fearful cat came out of this safe corner and neither cat attacked but there was some hissing and growling.  We gave them treats and lots of petting and verbal praise for reinforcement for this good behavior.  Though this situation is still far from fixed I feel this was promising but I still would be so appreciative of anybody who can offer advice.  Lord knows I'm not the only one who has had to deal with a bully cat but the other threads I read were quite different.  Thanks!

 

[jamie mccoy]

I'm still hoping that someone on this site has some advice!  I'm drawing a blank and haven't had a response!

 

[jamie mccoy]

Well, this is a disappointment...

 

[txcatmom]

Sorry nobody has chimed in yet.  One of the things I like about this forum is how active it is, but this one may have gotten overlooked somehow.

It sounds like you are doing so many of the right things....supervised visits and keeping them separate at other times, giving treats for peaceful behavior.  It really takes time but it sounds like you are on the right track.

Have you heard of or tried calming products?  There are calming sprays you can buy at PetSmart and I spray those around the house (not on the cat) a couple of times per day when there is a change (house guests or a new cat.)  I also use a diffuser (feliway brand) that plugs into the wall.  I think the diffuser helps with general peacefulness, but I see a more immediate calming effect with the sprays.  Good luck.

 

[otto]

I'm so sorry you are having this problem. Hope you are still checking in.

Give it time. A month is a very short time for cats to adjust to such monumental changes.

Install feliway plug in diffusers. Make sure you have enough elevated space for four cats. Make sure you have enough litter boxes (at least five)

Continue to keep them separate when you are not home and continue supervised introductions when you are.

It is extremely important that the humans do not show stress. This will make things much much worse, as cats are emotional barometers and will react to any fighting between you and him.

Smell is everything to a cat. Rotate the separate rooms to help exchange smells. Meaning, keep your cats in the room for a few days, while his cats have the run of the house, then take your cats out and put his cats in. Do this every few days.

When you are doing the supervised integrations, try the vanilla trick. Put a dot of cooking vanilla (NOT perfume) on the chin and root of tail of all four cats. This makes them all smell the same, leveling the playing field.

Tell the boyfriend to relax. Cats are very territorial and don't handle change easily. A month is a very very short time. You need to give it a lot more time. Don't forget the feliway diffusers!

 

[txcatmom]

By the way, the feliway diffusers are much more affordable ordered online than buying in the stores.  We order them (and the refills) from amazon.  I find the spray to be affordable in the store and they are often on sale.  Some say feliway brand spray is best, but we have had good experience with the "off brands", Natures Miracle calming spray and Pet Organics.

 

[catleesi]

Ok, I know this will sound crazy but Yankee Candle sells a scent call Buttercream. This candle helps calm my cats! I have 10 cats and every time I light this candle in my bedroom all but one will run into there and they all fall asleep on my bed. This happened every time! Even one cat that messes with my oldest cat will cuddle up with her!
I don't know if this helps but I hope so. Good luck! [emoji]128570[/emoji]