Hello Everyone!
So a little background history: I had seen this younger cat a few times around my neighborhood and in my backyard over the course of a couple weeks. I came home one day to find this cat sitting on my fence and to my surprise, he immediately jumped down and came right to me as if he had been waiting for me all day...all purrs and head rubs, rolling over and---he seemed fairly friendly and to seek out attention/contact. So after a couple days interacting with him in the yard, I lured the newcomer, now named Pluto, into a crate to bring him in. I've had him examined, neutered (as he was intact when I brought him in) and vaccinated. My vet told me she thinks he is at least a year old. It has been 2 months since I took him in and have been having a mix of behavioral issues with him, some of which I wasn't surprised--I mean he was a stray now having to learn to live inside. But I'm not sure how to handle these issues, if I should keep doing what I'm doing or try something else. He does have his own room where I have been keeping him with some toys, a couple resting places, one by a window where he can perch and watch, a litter box and food/water bowls, as I do have a 9yr old female cat named Artemis and their introduction process is one of the issues I'm having. SO, it seems like the more comfortable he becomes in his new environment, the more he is "acting up" so to speak:
Thanks in advance for any advice!!
Shavonne
So a little background history: I had seen this younger cat a few times around my neighborhood and in my backyard over the course of a couple weeks. I came home one day to find this cat sitting on my fence and to my surprise, he immediately jumped down and came right to me as if he had been waiting for me all day...all purrs and head rubs, rolling over and---he seemed fairly friendly and to seek out attention/contact. So after a couple days interacting with him in the yard, I lured the newcomer, now named Pluto, into a crate to bring him in. I've had him examined, neutered (as he was intact when I brought him in) and vaccinated. My vet told me she thinks he is at least a year old. It has been 2 months since I took him in and have been having a mix of behavioral issues with him, some of which I wasn't surprised--I mean he was a stray now having to learn to live inside. But I'm not sure how to handle these issues, if I should keep doing what I'm doing or try something else. He does have his own room where I have been keeping him with some toys, a couple resting places, one by a window where he can perch and watch, a litter box and food/water bowls, as I do have a 9yr old female cat named Artemis and their introduction process is one of the issues I'm having. SO, it seems like the more comfortable he becomes in his new environment, the more he is "acting up" so to speak:
- Pluto has started jumping/biting: he didn't do this during the first 2-3 weeks, but it seems that as he is becoming more comfortable he is getting more bold/aggressive; he will randomly pounce on me attacking my ankles/legs. Or if I'm sitting on the couch he will jump up into my face or jump up to my hands/arms. I have tried ignoring him when he does this as to not "reward" him with my attention but when he latches on and doesn't get a reaction, he just starts to bite harder---I tried hissing or mewing but he also just bites harder. I tried one approach I read that suggested pushing into the bite because it surprises them into letting go but that only worked once. I have read about the toy distraction in "hot spots" but he is so unpredictable and seems to randomly get in this predatory mood there isn't a particular area he strikes..and the distraction attempts only pull him for a second, then the focus is back on me...I have resorted to carrying a spray bottle around while he is out as that seems to be the only thing that gets him to stop biting (though he continues to make other attempts). I try to play with him at least 2x a day for about 20mins---and even then when I see he is still looking for something to do I will turn on this automatic laser pointer. What gets me the most is when he seems calm and comes up to rub and is purring and then next thing I know he jumps up and scratches me, or bites my ankle. Or sometimes I will pet him (always inviting him to come to me because I found/suspected early on that he may have petting over-stimulation bite responses) and I will pet him once or twice and when I go to stand up, he will jump at my hand. but he doesn't always do this and any postural changes only happen right before he jumps so it's difficult to try to predict
- He chases Artemis: over the past 2 months I have only tried to bring the cats together 3x. The first time after I had him for about 2 weeks and they had adjusted to smelling and hearing each other, and only seeing each other through a crack in the door they were even eating with their bowls on opposite sides of the door; Pluto seemed scared when he first saw her and was very cautious--he was playing but always looked back at Artemis (she was watching from the top of her cat tree) then he went to the cat tree and started working his way up toward her. She hissed and growled, clearly showing she didn't want him coming any closer, he backed off at first and then went toward her again, staring and swatted up at her; so I separated them---2 weeks later I tried to bring them back in a reverse situation of bringing Artemis down into the neutral space of the living room, while he was playing and as soon as he saw her, he charged at her. Artemis is a more submissive cat, so she preferred to run than charge back head on. By the time I caught up to them upstairs he had backed her into the spare bedroom and while he wasn't advancing on her he was intently staring, I had to bring in food to get him to walk away from her, I tried to give both of them some of the treat and after he gulped his down he went to eat her share, so I separated them again. And a week later, I tried a 3rd time putting Artemis up on a ledge (Pluto had been out a little earlier that day) and letting Pluto come out and see her up high thinking it may keep him from immediately getting on her. But no such luck, as soon as he realized she was there he jumped up at her and chased her down the stairs where she took refuge under the couch. He laid there just staring at her twitching his tail....she hissed and growled--he kept trying to swipe at her and she yowled at one point so I separated them again
- I'm also trying to teach Pluto not to jump on the counters and directing his attention to appropriate toys (not chewing wires, etc), which seems to be going slowly but surely---but any advice on that will be helpful as well.
Thanks in advance for any advice!!
Shavonne
