New Older Cat Stressed Out

[MichaelB]

My wife and I have a 1 year old tabby cat, Delilah, we got at 6 months old. From a foster home with 2 dogs and a bunch of cats. Shes loved us since she got used to the home. Last week was vacation to my wife’s family and we intended to bring back her old cat Callie, who is 7 yrs old. I dont know her breed right now, but have attached a photo. She is mainly grey, but has a few light brown spots.
It was a 14 hr drive to and from wifes family. We gave Callie a pill prescribed by the vet to keep her sedated for the drive. When we got home, we put her in her carrier and put it on the floor so Delilah could see her. Delilah hissed and ran off.
Delilah has calmed down and now wants to see Callie, but Callie is still stressed out and wants nothing to do with the new home or little Delilah. She is constantly growling even when Delilah is downstairs way away from her. We gave her a small portion of the sedation pill so she (and my wife and I) could sleep tonight. I dont want to use another sedation pill as I feel it creates a message in her brain that we just want to drug her. She is currently in a separate room, with litter box food and water and treats and her old toys. My wife is sleeping with her so she has some company while I sleep with Delilah in our bed. Any advice on where to go from here would be greatly appreciated. Callie means the world to my wife, and I really want this to work for everyone.

 

[tabbytom]

MichaelB, Delilah and Callie, on behalf of The Catsite community, a warm

to you all.

Glad that you’ve joined the site and I think it’s too sudden for Delilah to meet Callie. That’s could explain the behavior.
But it’ll be best if you post this question here to get more help to your questions Cat Behavior and to find out what breed Callie is, post some photos here in Describing Cats - What Does My Cat Look Like?

Feel free to ask questions and post them under the appropriate forum headings and do check out the many informative articles we have here Articles | The Cat Site

Do post photos of your kitties here as well for us to see.

Enjoy your stay and see ya around

 

[Freedom]

Cats in general do not approve of change - unless of course, it is THEIR doing.

The best thing to help in this situation: confine the cat to one room for about a week. In there she should have food, water, litter box, toys, maybe a climber or scratcher. Go in and visit regularly, but always on a schedule; sitting and reading aloud is a good idea. This allows the cat to adjust to all the new sounds, smells, and routines. And this limits the new sights, to help reduce input overload.

It is important that you do this on a schedule, not just randomly! Cats adore routine so they can anticipate, expect, and not be shocked / surprised.

After a week of this, the kitty should have calmed down quite a bit. From there you decide whether to just open the door, or to start the visits being random rather than routine.

My Mandy lives in ONE bedroom. The door is open, she is free to roam the house; she has NO desire to leave her safe zone. We've lived here over 2 years, now! Some cats, they are quirky lol.

I took in Emma, my aunt's cat, when auntie died. It took Emma 3 weeks to adjust. First, she was grieving: missing her huMom, her home, her routines, things she had known and settled in with. Then she had to adjust to all the new stuff here: sights, sounds, smells, routines. She went from being an only 'child' all her life to living with 7 other cats and 5 dogs. Talk about change! At one point I realized she was not eating and I had to hand feed her for about 4 days. It takes time for felines to adapt to change.

 

[rubysmama]

Welcome to The Cat Site. Good advice posted above.

There's also some articles on the site that may have more info.

Here's the link to the one on introducing cats: How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

There's lots others here: Cat Behavior | The Cat Site

Good luck.

 

[MichaelB]

Update Day 2: Delilah will continually come to the door of the room in which Callie is hiding. Callie hid under a catbox lid for her catbox we got. So we stuck her bed in there and its her “cave”. Everytime Delilah comes to the door Callie will hiss first.
Ive trued scent swapping by trading out Callie’s bed for Delilahs, however Callie hisses at Delilahs bed. Delilah however being a kitten still, isnt really bothered. I can pet Delilah and then pet Callie without an issue and vice versa. However much to my wifes dismay, she can’t pet Callie then pet Delilah. She gets hissed at.