Is It Normal For Cat Introductions To Backslide?

[alisad1981]

I adopted a 4 yr old male cat last Tuesday and named him Bosco. I have an 11 yr old resident cat named Elmo. I put Bosco in my bedroom for a couple days, and on Friday I switched them. I was letting them look at each other through a baby gate a few times per day while they were separated. There was a little bit of hissing, but nobody attacked the gate or anything, so last Saturday I started letting them out together with supervision. They were tolerating each other, if not friendly quite yet. They would walk within a couple feet of each other without any hissing, and one time I think Bosco tried to play with Elmo.

So everything was progressing nicely, but this morning they had a screaming, growling, tumbling fight. It started in the bedroom, and I was in the living room, so I'm not sure exactly what happened. Maybe Bosco tried to play with Elmo again, and he wasn't having it. Is this normal in cat introductions? And should I go back to square one? Bosco is safely in the bedroom now.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Yes, fairly normal, cats take all sorts of methods of working things out
I don't think you need to back to square one. Just keep an eye on things during the next meeting.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, it is normal. They are learning about each other’s boundaries and it is pretty easy for a play session to turn into a real fight. I would give each time to cool down and then let them interact and see what happens.

 

[Shane Kent]

People can be one step forward and two steps backwards at times. Cats are no different. Take your time and don't rush it you should expect at least 5 to 6 weeks of tension between them and should put the new cat in a room. You should not let the new cat have the run of the house right away and should gradually over weeks introduce it. There are articles on introducing kitties. You can go to the Article section of the site and search "Introduction" there are lots of great articles that will help you.

Take your time and don't try forcing it. Don't get stressed by it either, they can pick up on your anxiety. Cats are very beautifully complex little creatures. The link below should be a good start.

You, Your Cat And Stress

That is in the Article section there is a lot of helpful advice on cat introductions. I hope it doesn't take you several weeks but expect it to so if it takes less you will be pleasantly surprised All the best to you and both your kitties.

 

[1 bruce 1]

People can be one step forward and two steps backwards at times. Cats are no different. Take your time and don't rush it you should expect at least 5 to 6 weeks of tension between them and should put the new cat in a room. You should not let the new cat have the run of the house right away and should gradually over weeks introduce it. There are articles on introducing kitties. You can go to the Article section of the site and search "Introduction" there are lots of great articles that will help you.

Take your time and don't try forcing it. Don't get stressed by it either, they can pick up on your anxiety. Cats are very beautifully complex little creatures. The link below should be a good start.

You, Your Cat And Stress

That is in the Article section there is a lot of helpful advice on cat introductions. I hope it doesn't take you several weeks but expect it to so if it takes less you will be pleasantly surprised All the best to you and both your kitties.

With two adults it might take awhile but it can be done, and is done easily every day all over the world.
Since you ( A alisad1981 ) didn't see what happened, I'd think going back to square one might be over kill, and potentially create MORE tension between them immediately post-argument. Keep them safe, but don't create this "forbidden fruit" thing.
But going back to square two or three might be a good solution. Let them mingle but only if you're 100% on top of them so you can see exactly what happens and who is instigating whom and take it from there. Block off some time during the day when you can ignore things like TV, phones, family members, etc., and can literally follow them around wherever they go, and observe.
Is Elmo bonded to you, when you speak to him in a nice, sweet voice does he respond with looking at you, relaxing (his body), blinking at you, etc.? If so, use it, if you see tension, talk a little. It's done good things here, a mad resident cat that is tense around a new kid usually relaxes a little when we say their name nicely and say something like "it's OK buddy, don't worry", etc.
It also goes without saying cats are intuitive, they read us like a book, we can't hide our emotions because they're smarter than that, etc....so when you follow them around, be observant but don't hover over them, tense, expecting a fight.
I made that bad mistake once when I brought home a dog that was a little bit cocky, was OK with all the other dogs, and introduced him to the Top Dog (aside from me ) and was nervous about how they would clash. The intros were through a fence, but I swear my Old Guy met this cocky little turd, glanced at me and noticed how tense I was, and attempted to attack. Later on I would walk around a little, say things like "you're OK" and just observe. If I didn't like what I saw, they were split up.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I adopted a 4 yr old male cat last Tuesday and named him Bosco. I have an 11 yr old resident cat named Elmo. I put Bosco in my bedroom for a couple days, and on Friday I switched them. I was letting them look at each other through a baby gate a few times per day while they were separated. There was a little bit of hissing, but nobody attacked the gate or anything, so last Saturday I started letting them out together with supervision. They were tolerating each other, if not friendly quite yet. They would walk within a couple feet of each other without any hissing, and one time I think Bosco tried to play with Elmo.

So everything was progressing nicely, but this morning they had a screaming, growling, tumbling fight. It started in the bedroom, and I was in the living room, so I'm not sure exactly what happened. Maybe Bosco tried to play with Elmo again, and he wasn't having it. Is this normal in cat introductions? And should I go back to square one? Bosco is safely in the bedroom now.

I stupidly forgot to ask this in my original reply, but when you head them fighting and ran in and saw it was a screaming, growling, tumbling fight, what did it take to break it up? Did they disengage when you spoke or yelled/shouted, clapped your hands, or was it intense enough that you had to physically separate, and how did they act after they were separated (if they had time to be in the same room with one another?) How did they act individually after the fight (did anyone act terrified, slinking around with big, dilated eyes, or was everyone "normal" acting)?

 

[alisad1981]

I stupidly forgot to ask this in my original reply, but when you head them fighting and ran in and saw it was a screaming, growling, tumbling fight, what did it take to break it up? Did they disengage when you spoke or yelled/shouted, clapped your hands, or was it intense enough that you had to physically separate, and how did they act after they were separated (if they had time to be in the same room with one another?) How did they act individually after the fight (did anyone act terrified, slinking around with big, dilated eyes, or was everyone "normal" acting)?

Bosco was chasing Elmo. I yelled and clapped my hands, then Bosco paused and Elmo kept running. I carefully grabbed Bosco and put him in the bedroom for a couple hours. When I opened the door to let him out, Elmo ran in, found Bosco in the closet, and they sniffed noses. Bosco has chased Elmo a couple more times, so I think he's trying to play. If he really didn't like Elmo, then he'd probably attack him every time he saw him. I'm feeling better now!

 

[Furballsmom]

.Good for you!