So two weeks ago I adopted a cat--he's approx. 5 months old and incredibly loving to people. When I adopted him he was at a satellite location with another cat about the same age as him. The shelter knew very little of his history, other than that he was a stray.
According to all of the records and information I could get, he's had chronic diarrhea since he was found--which I've been able to help by adjusting his diet (thank goodness). No one communicated to me that this was an issue until after I adopted him.
My current cat, who is 2 years old, is incredibly social with other animals. I started off by putting the new cat in his own room with everything he needed, then I let them smell each other through the door.
After a couple of days, I let them out together and gave them their favorite treats. They seemed okay with this. The new cat definitely stalked old cat a bit, but old cat just ignored him, which worked okay. I would keep them separated whenever I wasn't home and keep an eye on them when I was. Then one night, when I had decided to let my guard down and not watch them, the new cat attacked old cat and pulled out big wads of his hair. From then on, new cat wanted to chase and attack old cat, and old cat would hide behind me growling.
I have since separated them--with new cat living in his room. I take new cat out in his cat carrier so they can interact--old cat has done well to get over having his hair pulled out and hisses and growls less and less at new cat. But new cat pounces his front paws against the walls of his cat carrier whenever old cat comes close to scare old cat away. New cat huffs and hisses and whenever he gets the chance tries to barge out of his room so he can chase old cat, who curiously watches me enter in and out. New cat also has turned to bite me when I have stopped him from chasing old cat.
I've reverted back to this very controlled system of new cat staying in his room and his cat carrier for the last week and a half and have seen zero improvements in new cats behavior. I don't really know what to do. I've poured a lot of money into new cat because of his health condition that the shelter failed to tell me about and they've done very little to help. Now, on top of that, new cat seems determined to chase and hurt old cat, who wants nothing more than to hide behind me.
I don't really know what to do. I got new cat hoping to get a companion for old cat, who is an indoor only cat and is home by himself while I work. How long should I give new cat, to see if maybe he can stop wanting to attack old cat?
According to all of the records and information I could get, he's had chronic diarrhea since he was found--which I've been able to help by adjusting his diet (thank goodness). No one communicated to me that this was an issue until after I adopted him.
My current cat, who is 2 years old, is incredibly social with other animals. I started off by putting the new cat in his own room with everything he needed, then I let them smell each other through the door.
After a couple of days, I let them out together and gave them their favorite treats. They seemed okay with this. The new cat definitely stalked old cat a bit, but old cat just ignored him, which worked okay. I would keep them separated whenever I wasn't home and keep an eye on them when I was. Then one night, when I had decided to let my guard down and not watch them, the new cat attacked old cat and pulled out big wads of his hair. From then on, new cat wanted to chase and attack old cat, and old cat would hide behind me growling.
I have since separated them--with new cat living in his room. I take new cat out in his cat carrier so they can interact--old cat has done well to get over having his hair pulled out and hisses and growls less and less at new cat. But new cat pounces his front paws against the walls of his cat carrier whenever old cat comes close to scare old cat away. New cat huffs and hisses and whenever he gets the chance tries to barge out of his room so he can chase old cat, who curiously watches me enter in and out. New cat also has turned to bite me when I have stopped him from chasing old cat.
I've reverted back to this very controlled system of new cat staying in his room and his cat carrier for the last week and a half and have seen zero improvements in new cats behavior. I don't really know what to do. I've poured a lot of money into new cat because of his health condition that the shelter failed to tell me about and they've done very little to help. Now, on top of that, new cat seems determined to chase and hurt old cat, who wants nothing more than to hide behind me.
I don't really know what to do. I got new cat hoping to get a companion for old cat, who is an indoor only cat and is home by himself while I work. How long should I give new cat, to see if maybe he can stop wanting to attack old cat?
