New Cat Doesn't Get Along With Existing Cat

[chin3108]

My daughter was living with her sister for a period of time and adopted an 8 month old female cat that is now 2. Her sister also had a male cat (10 years old) and they got along fine (the occasional wrestling, but no hissing/growling/fighting). The male cat has a laid back attitude and didn't mind the new cat. The 2 year old female is now at my house with my 8 year old female cat who is also laid back and doesn't mind the new cat. However, the new cat is not getting along with my cat. We did the introduction and took their cues that seemed to go well after about a week of separations/switching rooms, etc. Things were going well enough, but now after 2 1/2 months, the 2 year old is seriously chasing and spitting and attacking the 8 year old. We started again with the separation and reintroduction.

It's been 2 weeks and the new cat will stop eating when I lift the blanket to show them each other between the gate and stare down and growl at the older cat. When we try to play with them in the same room, that lasts at most 3 minutes and the new cat loses interest in play and starts to go after the older cat. I am able to get the older cat out of the room quick enough so no fight starts.

Can anyone tell me if this is normal and if it'll get better? We are going to keep trying the play time interaction and hope this works.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[JennKitty]

Maybe keep the 2 cats in a different room, and let them eat in the same room. They should get used to another later. Give both of them the same amount of affection and play time. Hope you have a Purrrrrrrrfect day!

 

[JennKitty]

This is very normal for 2 cats to not get along

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It is pretty normal, enough so that we have an article about it! All sorts of things can trigger this in cats who previously got along, some who got along very well.

How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

Yes, it can be fixed, but it is sometimes a very slow process. I've known it to take several weeks, occasionally months, before there is harmony again. Remember, DO NOT PUSH THIS. You can only go as fast as the most hesitant cat is willing to go!

 

[chin3108]

Maybe keep the 2 cats in a different room, and let them eat in the same room. They should get used to another later. Give both of them the same amount of affection and play time. Hope you have a Purrrrrrrrfect day!

 

[KarenKat]

This seems pretty normal to me as well ... I hear adult cats are harder to introduce than an adult cat and a kitten. When we introduced Olive to our two resident cats, it was around 6 or 7 months until the tension and chasing stopped. Even now, when our buy Trin is grumpy he chases Olive around the room and tries to whack her in the face.

Olive and Gohan don't get along well, and even now 9 months later there is still hissing and chasing once in a while. Just give them time, and continue to go at their pace as Mamanyt1953 suggested.

Sometimes you have to let the "fight" start because the cats need to understand the other one's boundaries. This can seem scary, because the hissing/growling/spitting can be loud and sounds like someone is being hurt. But as long as there is no blood, flying fur, and both cats are eating/drinking/litterboxing normally and not hiding then it's going well. Keep faith, and keep at it!

 

[RufusGizmo]

yes, it takes a long time for some. we are still introducing two new kittens (although they are a year old now) to our two older cats, and while things are much better there is still growling and hissing once in awhile even after 10 months. sometimes it seems like it will never get better, but just hang in there and it will!

 

[danteshuman]

It might also be that you have 2 cats claiming to be queen and only one throne. So they are going to squabble a bit until they determine who is the top cat. Unforgently that needs to be settled between them.

Expect things to go slow.

I would suggest catifying your place as much as possible. The more litter boxes/food bowls/cat trees and cat shelves their are the less one cat can guard it all. So there will be less fights. I would also suggest doing positive things when the cats are together (food, play, more food.) Hopefully they will eventually learn good things happen around each other.