Cat intros

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Gothgranny
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Cat intros

Post by Gothgranny »

Oh dear.... just added 2 young (less than a year old) moggie boys to our family 4 days ago. My two Ragdoll girls (11 years old, sisters) are showing their displeasure by staying out in the garden from morning to night time when we physically bring them in, apart for quickly coming in a couple of times for food. They haven't actually seen the boys yet as they're confined to the box room upstairs, but obviously they can smell them and refuse to even go upstairs now. I know it's early days yet, but do things improve with time? I miss my girls sharing my bed ... :(
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Jacks
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Re: Cat intros

Post by Jacks »

Things will improve in time if you take a hand and break the unhelpful pattern of hiding from the newcomers. Have the boys been neutered? Four days isn't long, in the scheme of things, but you will need to get them familiarised with the scents, so that they can start to work out their relationships. Not easy for two 11 year olds who have always had their smells dominant to smell other cats on their territory.

Do your girls use a litter box? If so, keep them in and don't let them vote with their feet - until they get used to the newcomers. You will need to do scent-swapping and start actively (but safely) introducing the two newbies to your girls. There is lots of advice on this site about managing hierarchies and bonding.


Good luck!
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Crewella
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Re: Cat intros

Post by Crewella »

I agree with Jacks' post, and this is the link to the Cat Chat help page, which will also lead you to the 'bonding room' page.:

http://www.catchat.org/hierarchies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Gothgranny
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Re: Cat intros

Post by Gothgranny »

Thanks for your replies. To answer your queries yes, all 4 are neutered, and the girls have 2 kitty litters indoors. Will not keep them in tho, I think that will stress them even more, plus they cannot go far as the garden is secure. It's now day 8, and things are improving slightly... the girls have come back to the bedroom - but will not go round the corner where the box room is, which is to be expected as the smell from the boys' room is quite strong. I've let the boys out a couple of times to explore the house (with the girls safely locked in the bedroom) and ... so far so good, some quizzing stares from the girls but no hissing, in fact they seemed not bothered at all by the new smells. Next step will be to feed them by the box room door then we shall see what happens. I'm in no rush, wanna take it slowly & steady. I've read a lot of info on this, now what I'd like to know from people who had to do this is how long did it take? 2 weeks? 3 weeks or longer? Ideally I'd like to introduce them properly within 4 weeks, and allow the boys out in the garden. Do you think it's too early? Thanx :)
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Jacks
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Re: Cat intros

Post by Jacks »

Sounds like you're doing all the right things. If the garden is secure, that is wonderful. It's a cat lover's dream! As for how long it takes - as things seem to have improved quite quickly you may be looking at about 4 weeks, but every cat relationship is different. I introduced a kitten to a kitten and in 3 days they were play-pals. Introduced a mature cat, and it took 5-6 weeks for one of the kittens to adjust and stop being frightened. Introduced a mature boy (well his story is very different as he was roaming the neighbourhood) and a year and half later they get along, but I keep him separate at night as he and one girl are 'iffy'... Introduced another mature cat and it was 46 weeks before the two mature girls actually LIKED each other - no nasty business, just continued intimidation and non-acceptance (no friendly sniffing or passing each other without wariness, some hissing and unfriendly chasing). For me, totally integration is when they obviously accept the others as family members, everyone has a pecking-order, and they greet each other in a friendly way when they meet. So I had to be very patient for that with the mature females, but it did come in time!

You're right not to rush things, you're right to move towards feeding in proximity. Sounds like you'll have a peaceful household pretty soon - especially if you're not bothered about the odd posturing and passive-aggressive games...

As for letting them out - if your garden is secure I would think 4 weeks would be okay - especially if there is comparative acceptance between the two camps. Again though there's no problem with delaying it.

Some may think me crazy but my first kitten (who was a true feral) was recommended to be kept permanently indoors by the vet as she was so skitty with other humans and could run off (my garden isn't secure). I kept her indoors for 10 months then noticed subtle changes in her behaviour and knew she was ready to greet the wider world and explore where she was born (at the end of our garden, in a garage roof-space). She never strays more than one garden on either side and is a complete poppet. The 5th kitty (the second mature female) I didn't let out until she and the dominant female had resolved their issues (so 46 weeks; because of her issues and history) and now she pops in and out as happy as Larry and 'madam' boss cat welcomes her lovingly when she returns.

I'm sure you'll get very different stories from other people - all cats are different, and though we can follow all the right procedures, their stories are not always the same x
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Re: Cat intros

Post by Gothgranny »

Well, it's now 3 and a half weeks, and the four have finally met in the living room last Friday. At first, it didn't go too bad, there was a lot of suspicious looks from my girls who were sat at the top of their cat tree and looking down at the new boys. They were too busy exploring the room to bother the girls, even though one of them (Eddy) tried to climb the tree and was welcomed with a hiss from Luna and after a while decided not to pursue the climb. The day after, Luna decided to come down the tree and the two boys were walking towards her, not aggressively but just being friendly & trying to sniff her, but she wasn't having any of it and was hissing at Eddie (the bolshiest of the two). He would not back off and kept stalking her, and had to be physically shifted by myself. Today, the problem intensified and Luna hissed and growled and shouted, but Eddy still wouldn't back off. We were just short of a full-blown fight. Hubby managed to pick up Eddy and Luna naffed off outside. While all of this is going on, her sister Stella's gone outside straight away, she just doesn't want the aggro.

Am I right in thinking this is quite normal? And do I let nature take its course and let them fight it off, or should I just keep them separated for a while longer? Also, do you think that I should wait until they're settled with each other before I let the boys out for the first time? Or shall I let them out anyway? Thanks for your advice!
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Re: Cat intros

Post by Gothgranny »

Over a month down the line, Eddy's gone back to the rescue and got rehomed almost straightaway (YAY!). Meanwhile, the once-sweet and quiet Ozzy has turned into a very rough-playing kitten who loves to rugby-tackle the old girls! They obviously hate it but for some reason they don't retaliate, they just run away. They will avoid him if they can, even though they'll feed together. I feel sorry for poor Ozzy because he so desperately wants to play, but no-one wants to play with him, even next-door tabby who's about the same age, is scared of him! Jacks I keep on re-reading your post because the situation is exactly as you described, continued intimidation and non-acceptance :(
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Jacks
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Re: Cat intros

Post by Jacks »

Hi Gothgranny,

Sorry to hear you hand to send Eddy back to the rescue, but it sounds like it worked out well for him. Sounds like Ozzy, without the dominant Eddy, is trying to experiment with his own authority and find his feet. If there are no actual scraps and your two girls are indoors again where they belong, I would just give it time. However little Ozzy will need things to play with and interest him. He obviously wants a good chase, as youngsters do, and maybe in time one of your girls might join in. The fact that they don't retaliate or seem overtly bothered suggests to me that they see him as an over-enthusiastic child rather than a threat, which Eddy presented.

It's been three months I know but it sounds like progress has been made, particularly if they are eating together. Encourage togetherness with feeding treats together and make sure you get some ping-pong balls for Ozzy to play football with, a laser pen to give him wild chasing opportunities, and leave a few boxes with scrunched paper lying around (like Amazon delivery boxes) for him to charge into and play with. He needs stimulation and interest in his home. Ozzy will have bags of energy but not a great deal of sense - like a teenager - but that's no reason why he can't be a happy kitten.

Has he been allowed out yet, and what is he like outside?
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