Introducing cats to each other

[karkel59]

I have a 3 year old female ( fixed ) that have had since she was 5 weeks old ( she has feline herpes also ) Now we have rescued a male cat had him fixed ( 3 weeks ago ) we are trying to get them to like or at least put up with each other...the female male cat hisses, growls and snorts and throws a fit...we have been keeping them apart and have the male on porch and they see each other thru the glass door which we open a crack so they can smell each other and even sticks their paws thru...it's been three weeks and they hate each other...or at least the female hates him.....HELP

 

[margd]

There is a protocol for introducing two cats that is almost always successful - the trick is to be patient.  It can take weeks, even months before they happily co-exist.  Check out this article for more information:
[article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article]
Two things that might help you are scent swapping and gradually having them eat closer and closer together.  (This is all in the article above.)

It sounds like Resident Cat is having most of the issues which probably means she is feeling her territory threatened by New Cat.  You might invest in a Feliway Diffuser or some Composure treats to lower her anxiety levels.  Feliway is a spray or diffuser product based on pheromones that cats emit when they are happy while Composure comes in treat or liquid form and contains ingredients known to reduce anxiety.  Feliway is a bit pricey - Amazon is said to have the cheapest prices.  They don't work on every cat but many people here have had very good luck with them.

Here's hoping for a peaceful household in the very near future!  And congratulations on your new boy.  

 

[kooms]

 
There is a protocol for introducing two cats that is almost always successful - the trick is to be patient.  It can take weeks, even months before they happily co-exist.  Check out this article for more information:
[article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article]
Two things that might help you are scent swapping and gradually having them eat closer and closer together.  (This is all in the article above.)

It sounds like Resident Cat is having most of the issues which probably means she is feeling her territory threatened by New Cat.  You might invest in a Feliway Diffuser or some Composure treats to lower her anxiety levels.  Feliway is a spray or diffuser product based on pheromones that cats emit when they are happy while Composure comes in treat or liquid form and contains ingredients known to reduce anxiety.  Feliway is a bit pricey - Amazon is said to have the cheapest prices.  They don't work on every cat but many people here have had very good luck with them.

Here's hoping for a peaceful household in the very near future!  And congratulations on your new boy.  

Another idea is calming collars. There are some (I think Sentry is one popular brand) available at pet stores, though the best prices are online. There are also some herbal collars www. calmingcollars. com (take out the spaces) that are supposed to last longer than the commercial ones. I haven't tried any (yet) but have heard successful stories about both kinds.