Last chance for cat harmony! HELP!

[Dearlouise]

I need some solid advice regarding behavioural issues... the twist in the story is that it is re-integrating a cat of mine back into the family. Please read on if you think you may be able to help!

Previously; I was living with 5 cat-babies living in a 3-bed house with a large garden. Cats were all house-cats unless I did supervised back garden time. Randomly about 7 years into having the 'perfect cat family' my only boy cat, Madison, started attacking/chasing Leela, the most timid of the girls. He didn't do it *every* time he saw her, but it would be at least a couple of times a day. I would reprimand him by sternly shouting 'No' and spraying him with water, but it didn't seem to bother him. Eventually it led to Leela essentially living upstairs, refusing to come downstairs as there were less places for her to hide if Madison were to chase her. Life continued like this for some time. I would often lock Madison away for periods to give her some 'worry free' time.

I eventually met someone & moved in with them... who had a dog. Knowing that introductions would take some time and would involve the cats being locked away for periods, I didn't think it was fair to Leela to be locked in a room with Madison who could chase her. So Leela stayed at my old house, my sister moved into that house with her 2 cats (who were lovely) thinking she would be better placed there. Initially introductions went well there, she already had 1 boy and 1 girl cat... the boy cat became (& still is) besotted with Leela, they get on really well... however the girl cat, Lily, hated her more and more by the day! I got involved with the attempts to get them to like each other, once I had Leela in my arms, sitting in a chair, Lily was on the other side of the room being comforted by my sister - as soon as Lily saw Leela in my arms she ran across the room and launched herself at Leela, near my face, attacking her! I had cuts everywhere. I imagine Leela was traumatised - even I couldn't protect her.

I didn't live with the boyfriend for long, but didn't want to kick my sister out of my old house, so I moved into the annexe - which was essentially one big studio bungalow while I decided where I wanted to live. Not having multiple rooms, it didn't seem fair to have Leela back in that environment. But it wasn't ideal where she was living either - as the general routine was that for half the day evil Lily would be locked away whilst Leela/boy cat have the run of the house, then the other half Leela would be locked away allowing evil Lily/boy cat to have the run of the house.

Speed up a year, to now, I've just got a small (1 bedroom) house near my work. With this "new environment" I was hoping and praying that this could be a fresh start for the cat-family! To re-integrate Leela back into my fold... I'm hoping that Madison may have forgotten about the hate from a few years ago... however he is a really angsty boy. He hates other cats... he fights through windows/doors if he even sees other cats! I thought with the 'new house' for all of them, it might be a level playing field... no-one 'owns' the space... it's not as if Leela would be moving into 'their' space.

Based on the fact this really is the last chance I have to make a harmonious living environment for them all, I don't know what strategy to take to give it the best shot at working! The house has a decent sized conservatory with big glass doors, so hopefully that will be a great help for introductions.

Some ideas have been floating around;

- I initially thought about introducing Leela to just the 3 girls... wait until they're happy, then introduce Madison. As it wouldn't be 4 against 1... it would be just Madison to worry about eventually.

- Or move Leela in first, so she's confident in the space, it has her smell everywhere, then move in the other cats 1 by 1? Madison last?

- I went to a meerkat sanctuary where new meerkats are introduced into the group at various times for various reasons, they're a lot like cats in the sense they get territorial. They ensure they get along by rubbing menthol rub on ALL of them... so they all smell weird, but they all smell the same! They can't work out who is who and who came from where. By the time it wears off, they all smell the same, meaning a happy family. I could try this?!

I'm really eager to get your thoughts on what to do. This has to work!!! Please help!!!

[Jacks]

Dearlouise, I really admire your dedication to your kitties and your caring attempts to bring them a happy home. I have had 5 cats for the last two years and am now introducing a 6th - a second male. I have 4 girls and a male currently, and the male has a thing against my smallest cat and like your Leela he chases my Lara when he can. However, she is pretty resilient and she normally escapes him and the incidents are, in time, getting less.

So I compl4etely understand what you mean about cat management! It's a shame poor Leela ran foul of the resident Queen in her second household - especially as the male there liked her. Unfortunately it didn't sound like that threesome was ever going to work.

So back to your household - reading between the lines, your other 4 have been together throughout this time? In which case have they all been peaceable with each other? I ask because you've also said that Madison doesn't like other cats. It the latter is the case, I would think you could try reintroducing Leela with her sisters, without Madison, and then reintroducing Madison, but if that fails you're looking at either re-homing Leela or Madison or living with disharmony. I think the decision then will have to be based on41) whether Leela can cope with the bullying, if it happens, or whether it's really bad for her welfare, and 2) which of the permutations of 4 seems to best suit most of the cats, so that they have a good quality of life.

Unfortunately nothing will probably be easy, and relationships take a while to sort out - so I'm thinking maybe you could put a name down for a place on a local rescue in case things really don't work out - most have a waiting list I believe to take cats who aren't in imminent danger - you can always cancel the place if things go well. Just a thought.

In the meantime, I wish you all the best with whatever option you choose to go for. At the moment I've had 6th cat free in the house for 2 weeks and there are some fraught feelings but I'm monitoring when he's around and he spends the night in a 'safe room' where he has his breakfast as well, and he seems to be used to that now and likes not having to worry about the other cats for a period. They, of course like the freedom of not having to watch out for him. The first male lives in the kitchen area at night - so that my Lara can get a peaceful night. He's done this ever since I got him (he'd been a wild male in the neighbourhood for years before I trapped him, had him neutered and he eventually moved in. He's used to coming in for his late night supper and staying in his 'special area' overnight. Cats can get used to all sorts of things if it gives them space and confidence and it's their routine.

All the best, and I hope you get some other advice.