<p>Anybody had much look bringing a new, ten year old cat into the home of an old one? I got suckered into adopting a male, older cat whose owner had died. He was alone in his apartment for about a month while the landlord was cleaning the place, and did not socialize with the landlord at all. I brought him home two weeks ago today.</p>
<p>I already have a 15 year old, female cat at home. Tiny thing, about 6 pounds. New one is more than double that in weight and size.</p>
<p>Plan was to keep new cat in bathroom for awhile, but he escaped and ran into the basement. I did not see him for several days, but then he decided I was his best friend in the world and wants to snuggle all the time. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, older cat is possessive of the house and me, and won’t tolerate the new cat. She terrorizes the poor thing. She hadn’t been in the basement for months but now goes down and eats his food, or stays at the top of the stairs to prevent him from coming up. If I try to have the new cat upstairs in the main house, she attacks him, but he is afraid to fight back. I have to pull her off of him, and he (and I) have some pretty deep scratches.</p>
<p>This morning I let him have run of the house and closed the old cat up in the bathroom. </p>
<p>Any suggestions for getting them to tolerate each other? She is furious, and he is terrified.</p>
<p>Cats are territorial animals. I think in order to be successful you’ll need to find a place in the house where the new cat feels safe and can establish a territory he can retreat to without the other cat taking over. Maybe a bedroom or bed/bath combo. Feed the new cat in this one place and keep the door closed. Let him get comfortable in this room without having to worry about the other cat invading. Let the original cat have the rest of the house.</p>
<p>Eventually, you may be able to let the new cat out to explore while you are there for short periods of time at first, and then longer. They may adjust to this set-up if the new cat has a safe place to retreat to, and the old cat knows she won’t be displaced. It’s hard to say how long it might take for them to really get used to each other, and they may never share the house without conflict. Cats are not that flexible by nature, older ones even less so.
Good luck!</p>
<p>I would also keep them apart. Let them smell each other under the door. Then let them see each other across a baby gate. Let them eat nose to nose, but separated by the gate. Each cat gets his own plate, plenty of food for both. Then let them be together. As noted, though, have plenty of places the new cat can go hide or be by himself. </p>
<p>I don’t have advice on how long it will take. Maybe a week apart and then a week separated by the gate? </p>
<p>Good luck. I have done cat introductions and sometimes they go well and sometimes not so well. Eventually the cats learn to coexist if not be friends. You did a kind thing taking in that new cat. </p>
<p>Patience, patience, patience. I introduced a kitten to two older cats and we are still working it - more or less. One of the older cats hated the kitten and now they are friends. It took six-to-eight months, I kid you not. We even had a vet visit for an abscessed bite at the beginning. Now the two play a bit each day, which has been good for my old lady cat. The other older cat will never make friends with the younger one but the two have established boundaries and somewhat of a routine.</p>
<p>Am I sorry I brought the younger one home? Not for a minute (anymore - ha). I just decided that I would win the battle by refusing to give it up. </p>
<p>We “introduced” a two year old almost cat to our home which had a 15 year old cat. It was suggested that we provide a separate spot for the newbie which we did. We tried to introduce them little by little. It was actually not a pleasant time. After six months, they decided to lead a peaceful coexistence. Thank goodness.</p>
<p>Try rubbing each cat with the same scented dryer sheet so they will smell the same, then reintroduce them in a controlled setting (for example, a small bathroom with no places to hide.) You can also try putting them both in cat carriers and let them just sit in the same room, inside their carriers for a while. Do this for a while each day for about a week, and then try letting them out together.</p>
<p>Separate food, separate litter boxes, figure they’ll accommodate over time. And the terrorizing is sometimes just a way of saying, “I’m going to do this until you stand up to me.” And then the balance of power shifts and they work it out. </p>
<p>I had intended to keep them separated, but new cat escaped from the bathroom on the first day when I went in to feed him, and ran into the basement where he successfully hid from me for 4 days. That has worked for us in the past, but this guy was too quick for me. </p>
<p>Darn old female is really showing some temper! I think that when my daughter and her cats moved out in October she thought she finally had the place to herself. It would be funny if I didn’t worry so much about the new cat, who refuses to fight back. </p>
<p>I’m thinking of getting a squirt gun to spray her when she attacks him,so that it seems like he is fighting back.</p>
<p>The person who talked me into taking him owes me big time. I tried to get her to advertise for a new tenant by listing the apartment as “two bedrooms, one bathroom, one cat”… Her advice to me was to go buy some pot because the cat is used to getting high. He really has been through a lot of trauma, poor guy. REALLY a snuggle bug.</p>
<p>God bless you for taking in this kitty. It will be hard, but you won’t regret it. I find that females are the most territorial, especially calicos. Believe me, it will be worth the effort. You did a good thing.</p>
<p>I’d never chance rubbing a scented dryer sheet on a cat! Allergies are common, some cats just hate perfumed scents and they could ingest heaven-knows what when grooming their fur.
There are a lot of Jackson Galaxy watchers von here- you can tell from the advice about feeding the cats near and in sight range of each other! While it’s more difficult to introduce older cats, it can be done with patience and love. I’m so glad that you took the furry guy in and gave him a loving home- hang in there, try not to overreact if they mix things up, and please keep us posted on the progress!</p>
<p>I second what Montegut said - you are are a kitty saint. </p>
<p>Our dog’s wet fur worked in our case as a “dryer sheet”. When our calico threw a hissy fit and would not recognize her “sister” after she had visited the vet, Mr B grabbed them one by one and rubbed them against the dog’s stinky back. It worked like magic! The hissing stopped, and in a couple of hours both kitties were BFFs again. Of course, they stunk, but of the two evils… :)</p>
<p>The vet thing is always stunning: they hiss at the offender and then it’s over, often after a period of hiding somewhere. We don’t bother intervening. I view it kind of like the vacuum: they run, hide and come out when they feel like it. </p>
<p>Yeah, the vet… The problem was not just the hissing and hiding. That they can do for as long as they want. I agree with Montegut about calicos being feisty - ours was a stereotypical one and quite aggressive towards her adopted “sis” after vet visits. </p>
<p>Cats are so weird. That’s all I can say. I remember your stinky dog story on another thread. Hilarious. I would love to see those cats trying to get the dog smell off.</p>
<p>If your basement has a door I’d let newbie stay down there for a while. Especially if the door has a peek thru under it. Give them a week or two like that. Then gradually up it. BE careful of looking as if you are favoring the new kitty…that will NOT endear him. </p>
<p>When I introduced a cat-friendly male dog to my male cat the cat was the biggest issue. Kitty was very aggressive with the dog. It took about two months. At times I had the cat in a cat carrier up high so he could watch the dog “safely.” Then I sat between them with a baby gate for an hour a day petting one on each side. A year later cat walks under dogs belly and tries to get him to play chase. </p>
<p>Bless you, KKmama. It can be a challenge to introduce cats, especially if they’re older, especially is there’s a calico involved. Tortoiseshell are the same way. They both have what Jackson Galaxy calls “tortitude.”</p>
<p>Separation and very gradual re-introduction under supervision, and tons of patience. Look at some of Jackson’s material and videos. If you can, catch some episodes of his show "My Cat From Hell. "</p>
<p>Agree that you shouldn’t use a dryer sheet. Get something that smells like you – a t-shirt maybe – rub that on one cat and leave it with the other one. </p>
<p>I kept new cat isolated in bedroom with the door closed. After a few days, I fed the cats with their food bowls just on either side of the closed door. Then I took old washcloths and wiped down each cat with one really good and place one cat’s “smell” cloth under the other cat’s bowl. Did that for a couple of days. That was it. I opened the door and allowed the new cat to proceed as he wanted. They were fine.</p>
<p>Who knew calicos could be so feisty? Well apparently, several of you here—LOL! I use to have the sweetest calico kitten, whom H and I adopted before we got married. She was a package deal, along with her male litter mate, an orange tabby. I guess we avoided a lot of headaches by virtue of them having known each other from the start. They were definitely besties. </p>
<p>What I remember very fondly is the way they would gallop up and down the hallway in the middle of the night, sounding like a herd of elephants. How in the world did two three pound kittens manage to sound so loud? It seemed then that, even in cats, certain behaviors seemed sex linked. Miss Kitty (can you tell I was raised watching Gun Smoke?) was the most most dainty and affectionate girl, while her brother Josh was “all boy”. He was rough and tumble, and had the bad habit of climbing my husbands bare legs first thing in the morning. :)</p>
<p>We haven’t had cats in a very long time, but finally, I’ve put a deposited down on a male seal-mitted Ragdoll kitten. He’ll be ready for pick up on June 20th, at the age of twelve weeks. I’m beyond excited to once again have a baby around here. He’ll be the only pet in the house, though, so I won’t have to deal with the OP’s problem. ( I wish you the best of luck KKmama. Sounds like you’ve been given some excellent advice, which I’ll keep in mind should I find myself wanting to add to our household’s feline population.) I was a bit concerned about how the cat and my brother’s thirteen year old Polish Lowland Sheepdog would get along, as I’ve often hosted this canine nephew in my home when my brother had to go out of town. Unfortunately, my brother had to make the sad decision to euthanize him just this week after the vet found a baseball sized tumor, along with in-progress organ shut down. So sad…he will be sorely missed.</p>
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I agree with Montegut about calicos being feisty - ours was a stereotypical one and quite aggressive towards her adopted “sis” after vet visits. </p>