Older Cat Doing A 180 In Behavior?

[kittymommy3]

My husband and I have three cats, all males. We have Nova, a 1 1/2 year old tabby male who is very large and part bobcat (yes, part bobcat) but he has always been very friendly, sociable and loving towards us and is very protective of our 2 month old son and is your typical lazy lap cat. Our second cat, Leo, is is a 5 month old orange tabby (domestic medium hair) who is very playful and active and all around adorable. Those two get along very well, playing together, sleeping together, eating together, everything they do is together. Today we adopted another older kitten, Mercury, just over 4 months old, who is part Egyptian Mau and part Siamese and is EXTREMELY friendly and sociable. When they were introduced he immediately ran up to Nova and Leo and wanted to snuggle and rub faces and clean them but Leo hissed and ran off (and later began following him suspiciously around the house) and Nova swatted him away (no blood was shed, Nova had to be declawed for medical reasons). They are all completely vetted and neutered with perfect bills of health.

We gently introduced them through our sliding glass door, let the new kitten explore a little while our other two played outside, then switched them to let our first two in and let the new one out. All was well, our oldest cat, Nova, displayed the same signs as when we had adopted Nova. Looked a bit agitated and giving out low little rumbling growls, while Leo didn't really seem to care to much but was curious as to what the new smell was. Then when we introduced the new kitten (which is when the above incident happened), Nova did a complete 180. He ignores me and my husband, going so far as to give us glares and bare his teeth if we call his name. He is even hissing at Leo, who he was previously best friends with. This didn't happen when we adopted Leo, things were a little tense at that time and they would emit low rumbling growls and mostly ignore each other and then overnight they started sleeping and playing together and never did he ignore my husband and I nor did he act so angrily towards us. We are a little worried about his reaction to the new addition, is this normal? Why is his reaction to the new kitten so different than his reaction to Leo? He also seems to tolerate my husband more than me, which really isn't to surprising since he has always been my husbands cat more so than me. Leo is showing the signs that Nova did at their introduction (low growls, avoidance, warning looks), so I'm not to worried about him, especially since he still lets us pick him up and cuddle and give him belly scratches without fuss.

 

Any advice?

 

[tammyp]

Sounds like the reaction is one of uncertainty.  Cats don't really like change and need to be supported through it.  This is why we always go slow with new cat additions - how many days did you keep the new one separate in his own room?  Did you do scent swapping and the host of lead up activities to acclimate your resident cats to the newbie?  WIth a new kitten, they will just about always want to bundle in there and make friends...proper introductions are not for the kitten's benefit, they are for the resident cats'.  These cats are having their territory 'invaded' by a new cat, and their sources of food and love might dwindle too (in their minds)...so it's scary.  And they might be miffed with mum and dad.

So, not sure if you did proper intros - if not, go back and start again.  If you did, and this is happening, then its reassurance, reassurance, and creating an environment where there is an uber supply of all good things.  You may need to 'go back and start again' in some smaller measures, eg: to give your resident cats the attention they are missing (or are scared they are missing), put newbie in his room for a few hours with toys etc, and give all your attention, play and love to the other two. This might even need to become a regular fixture, so the worried/unsure cats get their human fix (perhaps for just 30mins - you will notice as they get more ok with the change, the amount of time they need just for them will reduce).

Sounds like you have a lovely mix of cats there, and wishing you happy families soon!

 

[kittymommy3]

 
Sounds like the reaction is one of uncertainty.  Cats don't really like change and need to be supported through it.  This is why we always go slow with new cat additions - how many days did you keep the new one separate in his own room?  Did you do scent swapping and the host of lead up activities to acclimate your resident cats to the newbie?  WIth a new kitten, they will just about always want to bundle in there and make friends...proper introductions are not for the kitten's benefit, they are for the resident cats'.  These cats are having their territory 'invaded' by a new cat, and their sources of food and love might dwindle too (in their minds)...so it's scary.  And they might be miffed with mum and dad.

So, not sure if you did proper intros - if not, go back and start again.  If you did, and this is happening, then its reassurance, reassurance, and creating an environment where there is an uber supply of all good things.  You may need to 'go back and start again' in some smaller measures, eg: to give your resident cats the attention they are missing (or are scared they are missing), put newbie in his room for a few hours with toys etc, and give all your attention, play and love to the other two. This might even need to become a regular fixture, so the worried/unsure cats get their human fix (perhaps for just 30mins - you will notice as they get more ok with the change, the amount of time they need just for them will reduce).

Sounds like you have a lovely mix of cats there, and wishing you happy families soon!

We have had him for only a day, but he was originally our neighbors cat who has become unable to care for him due to his age. We would take his favorite blanket to our cats and do the scent swap with them and that went on for about a week, we also did it with each of their favorite toys. We have him in our master bathroom at the moment with his own supplies and toys but Nova refuses to go upstairs (where he is) and is still rather standoffish and doesn't want to socialize at all :/ 

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I think he needs time to accept the newbie in the house.  You've done well to start the scent swapping before you brought him home; but I would step back a bit with the process.  Keep them separated but keep scent swapping and just go a bit slower with the intros.  For reference; this article will explain the order to do things that we usually recommend: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats.  It can take a while for some kitties to adjust; that's perfectly normal.  Please keep us updated and ask if you have more questions too! 

 

[kittymommy3]

 
I think he needs time to accept the newbie in the house.  You've done well to start the scent swapping before you brought him home; but I would step back a bit with the process.  Keep them separated but keep scent swapping and just go a bit slower with the intros.  For reference; this article will explain the order to do things that we usually recommend: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats.  It can take a while for some kitties to adjust; that's perfectly normal.  Please keep us updated and ask if you have more questions too! 

Thank you, we have decided to continue with the scent swapping already and we are hoping it will help. Nova still emits low growls, even to Leo but it is a teeny bit better than before. He is currently on the couch with my husband though when Leo tried to cuddle with my husband Nova hissed at him to make him go away and it is his behavior towards Leo that is really troubling me the most aside from his reaction to the new addition since I know most of those behaviors toward new additions are normal. He has begun treating Leo similarly to how he was treating Mercury, though a bit less drastic.