Now I realize this question may be asked often. And I have searched high and low and done some homework on this issue. But just as not every cat is like the other, not every situation is either.
This may be alot to read, but please help!
My wife and I got a young female cat back in 2011. She was found roaming a parking lot of an industrial park, but she adapted well to being an indoor cat. Her name is Luna and she has lived peacefully for the past few years. About 3 weeks ago we decided to get another cat, a companion for us but also for Luna. We ended up adopting a male of about the same age as Luna (2 years). His name is Kaygee. We got him at a local animal shelter and he was fine around other cats. Very lovable, likes to play, easy going.
Here is a summary of the situation as it is now.
We have a new cat that is trying to establish dominance over our old cat.
Shame on us, without doing much research ahead of time we brought Kaygee home to the house totally unprepared for what was in store. I told my wife to put the new cat in the bedroom and let him get settled in but she insisted on letting the two cats meet face to face. So we let him out of the carrier and my resident cat Luna proceeded to jump to higher ground where she would his and growl wildly. We expected this, but a friend told us to let them figure things out. Luna would not attach Kaygee but she would not give up her position either.
Kaygee would ignore her for the most part, but he would like to keep sitting closer and closer to her until finally he pounced on her trying to swat at her, then chasing her under the bed. (This still goes on to this day). It seems like kaygee is trying to challenge her territory. We are not sure how to handle those encounters.
So after a few hours of tension, I finally read online the proper way to introduce cats. So i put the new cat in the bedroom and closed the door. Luna (old cat) stayed in the main house. I put out towels for them to lay on, rubbed it on them, and then swapped the towels through out the day to inter-mix thier scents. For a few mornings we would feed them by the door. Luna would still growl and his at him from behind the door.
We did this for a few days, and then we tried the baby gates. We put up baby gates and played with them on both sides of the gate. Things were going ok, however Luna was much more nervous about Kaygee and would not settle down.
For the two weeks, we would swap spaces every few days. Kaygee would stay in the bedroom for a few days, Luna in the rest of the house....then we would flip them for a few days. Our idea was maybe this would make it so neither cat had territory over the house and the scents would intermix better.
Finally, when they were acting a bit calmer, we decided to let them be face to face. So far it has been going well, Kaygee will stay away from Luna for awhile,but then he will eventually work his way closer and closer, encroaching on her turff, until finally a battle will ensue. Luna loves to sit on the computer desk, sometimes kaygee will go after her tail from underneath, this will start a brawl between them from above and below the desk.
We are not sure if we should let them "fight" or not. They dont seem to be hurting each other. Kaygee just chases Luna around batting at her. She bats back at him, but no fur is flying or super loud screaming. Its getting harder to keep them apart because every day Kaygee tries harder and harder to get out of the bedroom, or into the bedroom (depending on where he is staying for the night). He wakes us up with his scratching and banging at the door and has even ruined our carpet by scratching at it.
Thank you for reading, any advice is much appreciated!
This may be alot to read, but please help!
My wife and I got a young female cat back in 2011. She was found roaming a parking lot of an industrial park, but she adapted well to being an indoor cat. Her name is Luna and she has lived peacefully for the past few years. About 3 weeks ago we decided to get another cat, a companion for us but also for Luna. We ended up adopting a male of about the same age as Luna (2 years). His name is Kaygee. We got him at a local animal shelter and he was fine around other cats. Very lovable, likes to play, easy going.
Here is a summary of the situation as it is now.
We have a new cat that is trying to establish dominance over our old cat.
Shame on us, without doing much research ahead of time we brought Kaygee home to the house totally unprepared for what was in store. I told my wife to put the new cat in the bedroom and let him get settled in but she insisted on letting the two cats meet face to face. So we let him out of the carrier and my resident cat Luna proceeded to jump to higher ground where she would his and growl wildly. We expected this, but a friend told us to let them figure things out. Luna would not attach Kaygee but she would not give up her position either.
Kaygee would ignore her for the most part, but he would like to keep sitting closer and closer to her until finally he pounced on her trying to swat at her, then chasing her under the bed. (This still goes on to this day). It seems like kaygee is trying to challenge her territory. We are not sure how to handle those encounters.
So after a few hours of tension, I finally read online the proper way to introduce cats. So i put the new cat in the bedroom and closed the door. Luna (old cat) stayed in the main house. I put out towels for them to lay on, rubbed it on them, and then swapped the towels through out the day to inter-mix thier scents. For a few mornings we would feed them by the door. Luna would still growl and his at him from behind the door.
We did this for a few days, and then we tried the baby gates. We put up baby gates and played with them on both sides of the gate. Things were going ok, however Luna was much more nervous about Kaygee and would not settle down.
For the two weeks, we would swap spaces every few days. Kaygee would stay in the bedroom for a few days, Luna in the rest of the house....then we would flip them for a few days. Our idea was maybe this would make it so neither cat had territory over the house and the scents would intermix better.
Finally, when they were acting a bit calmer, we decided to let them be face to face. So far it has been going well, Kaygee will stay away from Luna for awhile,but then he will eventually work his way closer and closer, encroaching on her turff, until finally a battle will ensue. Luna loves to sit on the computer desk, sometimes kaygee will go after her tail from underneath, this will start a brawl between them from above and below the desk.
We are not sure if we should let them "fight" or not. They dont seem to be hurting each other. Kaygee just chases Luna around batting at her. She bats back at him, but no fur is flying or super loud screaming. Its getting harder to keep them apart because every day Kaygee tries harder and harder to get out of the bedroom, or into the bedroom (depending on where he is staying for the night). He wakes us up with his scratching and banging at the door and has even ruined our carpet by scratching at it.
Thank you for reading, any advice is much appreciated!
