I got my first cat Noelle who is 1 year old now and decided I wanted another cat to keep her company. I got Marley who is ten years old today! They're both very sweet chill cats so I thought they'd get along. We first tried introducing them briefly by my mom holding Marley and Me holding Noelle. Noelle hissed at Marley so we stopped it their. Marley is now staying in the bathroom with all her things. Noelle will sit by the bathroom door watching her she hissed once. Then Noelle was swiping her paws under the bathroom door and Marley kind of went towards them and hissed. I've read a few posts on introducing cats but it seems like a lpt and I'm overwhelmed. Also i have no crate or gate for some of the steps. Marley is also getting restless being cooped up in the bathroom. Help??
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Introducing New Cat To Resident Cat?
- Thread starter and harry
- Start Date
Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the adoption of Marley. And thanks for adopting an older cat, who sometimes get overlooked.
Very occasionally cats may accept each other without the "proper" introductions, but generally it takes time for 2 cats to learn to accept each other. Hopefully eventually Noelle and Marley will be best buds, but for now, I would do everything you can to make the transition as stress-free as possible. Stressed cats can develop behaviour problems, and you and your family don't want that to happen.
Has Marley had a vet checkup yet? That should be your first step, just to ensure he is healthy.
TCS has several articles on cat introductions which hopefully will be helpful. Good luck.
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
The Multi-cat Household
Very occasionally cats may accept each other without the "proper" introductions, but generally it takes time for 2 cats to learn to accept each other. Hopefully eventually Noelle and Marley will be best buds, but for now, I would do everything you can to make the transition as stress-free as possible. Stressed cats can develop behaviour problems, and you and your family don't want that to happen.
Has Marley had a vet checkup yet? That should be your first step, just to ensure he is healthy.
TCS has several articles on cat introductions which hopefully will be helpful. Good luck.
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
The Multi-cat Household
I can't add a thing to that, but again, thank you for adopting an older cat. They are so often overlooked and live out their lives at shelters.
Patience is the key here. Keep us posted on what is and is not working, and how they are doing!
Patience is the key here. Keep us posted on what is and is not working, and how they are doing!
Time and patience. And never ever bring a cat face to face with a new one. This is how we get bit and scratched, this is how cats become traumatized, and if one is above the other they could see it as a threat.
So right now they are aware of each other. You could swap whatever they each sleep on with the other so they get used to the others scent. You can feed them on opposite sides of the door. I don't know if you said how long they have been separated as of now. But just go slow. When you are ready open the door and let them come to each other. Make sure there are escape routes and places for once cat to jump up off the floor like a cat tree or shelves. Be ready and observe. Don't scold them for hissing or growling, this is how they communicate. They will eventually have to establish dominance too so they may "fight" a little, but as long as there is no bloodshed or one cat quivering in fear under the bed and not eating for days, they need to do this!
So right now they are aware of each other. You could swap whatever they each sleep on with the other so they get used to the others scent. You can feed them on opposite sides of the door. I don't know if you said how long they have been separated as of now. But just go slow. When you are ready open the door and let them come to each other. Make sure there are escape routes and places for once cat to jump up off the floor like a cat tree or shelves. Be ready and observe. Don't scold them for hissing or growling, this is how they communicate. They will eventually have to establish dominance too so they may "fight" a little, but as long as there is no bloodshed or one cat quivering in fear under the bed and not eating for days, they need to do this!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
I have a question... I was playing with Marley (the new cat) and I came out and was going to give Noelle (the resident cat) a treat and Noelle sniffed me and hissed at me. How should I handle this? Is it normal? I'm worried.
A little jealousy perhaps, but its ok. Keep doing this, so your resident cat gets used to the smell. This could take weeks honestly. But all cats are different. Feed them at the same time on opposites sides of a closed door. Swap their bedding with the other.
Bottom line to remember is that cats communicate by vocalizing, which means growling and hissing and meowing and screaming even. Once you are ready to open the door between them expect a lot of this. Let them "talk". As long as there are escape routees, places for one to jump up to get away from the other, and as long as there is no bloodshed or one cat shaking in fear under the bed refusing to eat, let them work it all out. Your stress will affect them. So be calm.
I so agree with
jen
's advice. Remember, sometimes a cat's gotta say what a cat's gotta say! And it almost always sounds far worse than it actually is.
jen
's advice. Remember, sometimes a cat's gotta say what a cat's gotta say! And it almost always sounds far worse than it actually is.
