Introducing Cats

[sayen]

Hello!

I'm new to the forums but have read around a bit and thought I'd post to get some opinions/help.

My cousin and I live in a basement suite with my 10 year old spayed cat (Kitty... creative, I know). We decided to adopt a barn cat (Crush... he's orange... get it?!) from my aunty who has had a lot of cats left around her farm recently. He's a young intact male. We got him about two months ago.

My cousin and I have very different opinions on animals, as we are finding out.

I read beforehand on methods of introducing cats but my cousin wouldn't listen well... so we introduced them 'incorrectly'. Kitty is pretty territorial. It USED to be that when she saw him she would charge/stalk him. She got a little better. Sometimes she'll walk within a foot of him without incident. Other times, he'll be looking out the window (remember we're in a basement suite. We have a cat tree leading to the window for them to look out) When he decides to come down, she'll charge him or corner him.

He doesn't fight back. He'll either cower or run to his "safe zone."

I want to reintroduce them. But I would like some help/opinions on the best way to do this. I just started two days ago but what I'm doing is letting Crush have the run of the house during the day, and at night Kitty has the run of the house. I think I read on this site somewhere that using vanilla extract can help since cats are so scent driven. I also have the Feliway spray that I've been spraying around the doors where they are separated.

Just out of curiousity, would neutering Crush help at all? The vet told my cousin that since he's not neutered he'll most likely spray around the house, but my cousin says she hasn't seen him. She doesn't want to neuter him unless she has to.

Sorry for the story! Just wanted to give a good background.

 

[pawsonyourheart]

Hello,

The first thing I would say is that you should get Crush neutered no matter what. This will help you avoid any future behaviour problems with him, as males who are not neutered can become quite territorial, and aggressive, and I can almost guarantee that he will spray around the house in the future if he does not get neutered. I have also read that neutering your cat can increase his lifespan and make him more affectionate, which are two very good reasons to consider neutering him.

As for introducing your cats, I would continue to take it slow. I have been working at the cat sanctuary Paws On Your Heart for decades, and have a lot of experience with successful introductions, so what you are attempting is definitely possible.

Kitty is obviously being very territorial right now because it was her home to begin with, and now that you have brought Crush into the home, she may feel threatened. You do not want to rush the process, or one or both cats can become quite distressed with the situation. I would keep them separated for now, and make sure that you do not put their food or litter in the same area, as they need their own area to feel safe.

You can start introducing them by letting them smell each other from underneath a door. You will want to have one cat on each side of the door, and have you on one side and your cousin on the other side to pet and comfort your cats during the introduction.

When you feel comfortable continuing introductions, you can do so by letting the cats see each other, possibly through a baby gate or a screen door. This will allow the cats to get used to each other without having physical contact.

You can continue the process slowly like this until you are sure that the cats are used to each other, and are ready to be fully integrated together. You had mentioned that you read information about introducing cats before you initially introduced them, so make sure you take that information into consideration during the introduction.

I hope that is somewhat helpful for your situation.

Good luck!

 

[mrblanche]

You should definitely get Crush neutered. It's not "depriving" him of anything; it's saving your house, your sanity, etc. Once he matures, he will have a drive to get out, exposing him to all sorts of dangers, disease, parasites, etc.

If you wait until you smell him spraying, it's too late. And that smell is almost impossible to remove. Unless you don't care about the deposit on your apartment (if you made one), get him fixed ASAP.