I am trying to find the best way of introducing 2 cats. We have a female and her brother went missing a few months ago so in the end decided on a friend for her, still hoping he comes home . He has been here 5 days in a bedroom but has been suffering with a light cold from the refuge. He is on antibiotics etc. The vet said to mix with Gemo would be OK as whilst he is contagious it would be impossible to control such a virus between the two under one roof.
Anyway, they have heard each other, smelt each other and yesterday saw each other yesterday. Both were growling and Gemo tried to come out of the room to get closer. I am unsure when to make the introduction. She was livking her lips a bit when she saw Grany which was a stress thing and Grany had a growl. Should we try and make an introduction now or is it too early? I do not want either coming to harm and because Grany has a cold I know stress can make things worse so don't want him upset as he only came home on Saturday, went to the vets on tuesday and is taking tablets too which is stressful enough. We let him out atm when she is asleep or outside and has been sharing a run at the refuge with other cats sp should be fine and seems a social cat although he does growl with Gemo which would be quite normal for a first meeting.
When I introduce a new cat to the gang I tend to go by the cats themselves, rather than any set timescale. I don't move on to the next stage until everybody is happy at the stage they are at - some cats have taken a couple of months to settle in and one friendly little cat took two days as she was totally non-threatening and everybody seemed to love her on sight! The Cat Chat advice page is very good on the basics:
Yes, Grany the new cat is OK with Gemo but Gemo is nervous of the new cat which is making Grany nervous. He is a very social cat whereas our Gemo is a madame sometimes. Gemo has just chased Grany and had a bit of a spat. Grany being a little unwell, I am not wanting to stress him although he is well and eating, it is just mild symptoms.Never sure when is a good time to put Grany back in his room and let it be for the day.
With intros I always try to end it on a positive note rather than leaving it until everybody looks stressed. Better five short but happy minutes than an hour of exponentially building stress, in my view. I tend to start by feeding them together, so they are distracted and also focused on something other than each other.
I fed them as close as I dare to each other but cannot say it ended on a good note! Poor Grany just wants to be friends and Gemo is up for a bit of a fight. I feel sorry for Grany as he is having to cope with vets, eye drops, tablets etc this week and still manages to give us a huge cuddle after the trauma of it all.
I am now at the stage with our new cat that he is in the whole house all night after a week but not outside yet obviously. The main problem as with all introductions is the problem with the existing cat growling at the new one. The new cat is happy enough but cannot seem to make friends with Gémo. She tollerates sitting near him eating (just) and they have not attacked each other but she just growls at him, bless him. I am not sure whether telling her off is likely to improve the situation or make it worse. He then feels sad as he then doesn't know what to make of her. What is the best plan of action with Gémo? I try playing with them both to distract her but she won't have any of it when he is close by.
To be honest, I suspect they understand each other better than you think. If she's just growling, all she is doing is warning him off and as long as he takes note of that then things stand a good chance of settling down. I wouldn't tell her off for growling, personally.
Thanks for your replies Crewella. It seems that this forum doesn't seem as active as it once was which is a shame. I too am not happy telling Gemo off for growling at Grany as she too has to adapt to change and has lost her brother whom we hope will return very soon. Positive signs this morning as Grany was trying to reassure Gemo that he was friendly and they touched noses and had a sniff which is massive progress. Lets hope it continues the same way.
. He has been here 5 days in a bedroom but has been suffering with a light cold from the refuge. He is on antibiotics etc. The vet said to mix with Gemo would be OK as whilst he is contagious it would be impossible to control such a virus between the two under one roof.
