Quote:
Originally Posted by bunnit
To help ease the introductions, I have had the new cat with her own room "safe room" to live in while she gets familiar with the scents etc of the home.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by bunnit
We have been letting her out periodically to explore and socialize. This frequently results in aggressive behaviours from the new cat towards the resident ones.
|
Exactly what sort of behaviour would that be? Hissing, growling, swatting, chasing, full out fur-flying fighting...? What are the circumstances prior to these incidents (like where do they tend to occur, what were the cats doing, etc)?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bunnit
This I am almost positive stems from territory issues.
|
Maybe, or maybe newbie cat (what's her name, by the way?) is just scared and considers the best defense to be a good offense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bunnit
My question is: Is there a way to start to contribute to controlling this behaviour so that the other cats are not completely terrified? I want to get the new cat out of the safe room and into the family as soon as possible.
|
Some things to try:
Feliway diffusers in the main areas that the cats hang out. This is a synthetic pheromone that helps give cats a sense of peace and calm.
More vertical space, if you don't have enough. This can be in the form of a tall cat condo or two, some shelving, window hammocks, etc. Increasing the amount of vertical territory can help increase the cats' confidence and make them feel more comfortable.
Letting the cats see each other without physical contact. So if there's a way to prop the door to new kitty's safe room open an inch or 2 without risk of her getting out, maybe she'll get more accustomed to the other cats presence. If you can give everybody really tasty treats while they're in each other's sights, they may start to associate positive things with each other. Playing with wand or fishing-rod style feather toys can also help with this, as long as it isn't too frantic.
I really wouldn't try to hurry this process though. You need to go at a pace that fits the cats, and that may take some time.