I am rather new to this forum, but I have been reading it since I took in a stray (possibly born in a feral colony but not sure) female cat about 6 weeks ago. I posted one message about introducing the new kitty to my two older (15 and 17 years) cats. I was nervous about their reactions, jealousy, etc. Here is how I introduced them: first week completely isolated, second week supervised visits throughout the house when we home but isolated when we slept, during the third/fourth week she was isolated in her room with a screen door only when we were at work. In the fifth week we let her have access to the whole house at all times. I bought three feliway plug-ins and sprayed the entire house during her first week out of isolation.
I expected the hissing, growling and all the other stuff, but what I did not expect is how hyper the new girl is now that she is exposed to my other kitties and the whole house. She is very hyperactive, scratches/bites (not too hard but hard enough) when petting her or playing and is aggressive towards the other two and sometimes us. She runs around all the time despite two good play sessions a day. I am convinced she will bolt out the door at the first opportunity. She can be very sweet and loving at limited times, but is constantly restless. Her greatest display of affection is lots of head butting and licking your hands/face (when she finally calms down). Occasionally she sits next to me and purrs. The vet estimates that she is about 13 months old. I have had cats all my life and have never seen one so hyperactive. It is interfering with the whole household. I think the other cats would come to accept her if she just sat still and was calm once in a while. My husband dislikes her completely.
The one thing I noticed is that the problem got worse when she was allowed free access 24/7. When more isolated, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t notice her extreme behavior as much. When I first found her she was so sick that she was completely docile and very affectionate.
My vet suggested a product (in addition to the Feliway) called “Composure†which is mixed in with wet food twice a day. Has anyone had luck with this? Do you have any hints for calming her down? I really want this to work. She is a beautiful, smart girl (we think she is flame point Siamese). The vet also suggested isolating her again with the screen door. I feel bad about doing that, but will if it helps.
Thanks,
Mokitty
I expected the hissing, growling and all the other stuff, but what I did not expect is how hyper the new girl is now that she is exposed to my other kitties and the whole house. She is very hyperactive, scratches/bites (not too hard but hard enough) when petting her or playing and is aggressive towards the other two and sometimes us. She runs around all the time despite two good play sessions a day. I am convinced she will bolt out the door at the first opportunity. She can be very sweet and loving at limited times, but is constantly restless. Her greatest display of affection is lots of head butting and licking your hands/face (when she finally calms down). Occasionally she sits next to me and purrs. The vet estimates that she is about 13 months old. I have had cats all my life and have never seen one so hyperactive. It is interfering with the whole household. I think the other cats would come to accept her if she just sat still and was calm once in a while. My husband dislikes her completely.
The one thing I noticed is that the problem got worse when she was allowed free access 24/7. When more isolated, I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t notice her extreme behavior as much. When I first found her she was so sick that she was completely docile and very affectionate.
My vet suggested a product (in addition to the Feliway) called “Composure†which is mixed in with wet food twice a day. Has anyone had luck with this? Do you have any hints for calming her down? I really want this to work. She is a beautiful, smart girl (we think she is flame point Siamese). The vet also suggested isolating her again with the screen door. I feel bad about doing that, but will if it helps.
Thanks,
Mokitty