New kitty, help!

browneyedsquirrel

Recently a friend had to find a home for her cat that she's had for 10 years because of issues with a roommate. I offered to take the cat in for a while until things were sorted out or for as long as necessary.

I already have a cat......


you can see where this is going.


My cat (Marble) is only 2 years old and seems to be taking very well to the new cat. The new cat (Baby) is 12 years old and wants nothing to do with Marble.

Marble seems in no way threatened by a new cat coming in to her home. In fact, she only seems to want to get to know the other cat and has made several submissive gestures to the older cat such as exposing her belly and not hissing but making more of a pitiful mew as she slowly approaches.

The other cat just stays still but growls and hisses the whole time. Once Marble finally inches close enough, of course the older cat takes a swipe and they end up in a bit of a fight.

I've tried separating the two, but my cat still has her front claws and keeps trying to claw up the carpet by the door to get into/out of the room and I haven't found anything to stop her as of yet.

Also note that Marble has all her claws, Baby has her front declawed.

I do have separate food bowls and litter boxes for each cat.

So how do I help them to acclimate to each other? Obviously it's more of an issue for the older cat, but I don't want any hurt kitties. Will they just establish their boundaries after a few bouts or.....?

FF

I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's pretty typical behavior from what I've seen. Eventually, either Baby will become more tolerant of Marble, or Marble will learn to leave Baby alone. Catnip toys sometimes help. One for each.

Also, it's important that they both get equal attention. Try not to let them think that you're favoring one cat over the other.

As for Marble's claws, you can trim them, if you're careful. You can also get (I forget their names) these little acrylic covers that go over the cat's claws. When your cat is scratching by the door, try to distract it with either a little squirt of water or a sharp noise. make sure it knows that it's not ok to scratch the floor.

Ferdy

From previous experience, I would say that after a while they will become acclimatised to each other. I have seen cats who hate each other initially ending up very companionable with each other, given enough time. However, Baby may just eventually learn to tolerate Marble, or Marble will learn to leave Baby alone, and while they may not get on like best friends, that would be more desirable than your current situation.

Do they have separate sleeping areas or beds? I presume they do as you mention they have separate food and litter. There could be a minor squabble over who gets the comfiest spot.

If you're worried about your carpet, try putting something over the area Marble keeps clawing - cats are notorious for hating tinfoil but we use a cheap board like MDF. Unsightly, and probably not the best option (other than picking her up every time she does it) ...but she will probably stop once Baby is no longer the "new cat" and they have both settled into the idea of living with each other.

I shouldn't worry about the fights - with Marble being so submissive I don't think she would be likely to use her claws even if Baby does start the fight. We stop ours from fighting by making a sudden fairly loud noise - such as banging a table, clapping & standing up, or saying "NO!". This should cause them to break apart and calm down. In my opinion, separating them might make them more likely to fight when they meet each other again - for them to get used to each other they should be left to their own devices.

Good luck!

browneyedsquirrel

Well so far things have been....better I suppose.

Marble has spent a lot of time just laying nearish Baby (who is hiding under the bed).

She'll lie on the outskirts of the bed and keep a submissive position, like laying completely on her back or side with her belly exposed.

Marble has stopped inching near her so much so that helps, seems to be content to just lie and observe.

I'm just nervous about how they will get along tomorrow when I leave for work.

I won't be around to "teach" Marble not to claw by the door if I do separate them, so I'll see if I can't find something to deter her.

Also, yes, I've trimmed her claws, made sure to do that as soon as I knew Baby was coming to stay. Luckily she's pretty tolerant of me trimming them.

It's good to know that this is pretty normal though. I was worried a lot at first.

onceling

To deal with clawing at the carpet, I recommend either tin foil taped to the door or tape, neither of which the cat will enjoy clawing.

To introduce cats to each other, its a good idea to keep them separated and exchange bedding or other things with scent on them each day until the new cat is familiar to the old cat.

If you can separate them (perhaps with the tape over the door of the confinement room) I still recommend doing so, even at this stage. Then, they spend time together for gradually increasing periods of time only while you are home.

You can just press on, its unlikely that the cats will die while you're out or something, but if you can, do take it back a step, cats get stressed when their space is invaded. Giving them some space has better chances of long term friendliness.

Be aware that its not always the cat at fault that you think. I can't tell of course but do think about it. Staring, in particular is quite a strong signal, as is the position of the tail and it's movement. Just because Marble isn't actively growling, swishing the tail or staring directly at the other cat can be aggressive behavior. It sounds from the postures that you described (rolling over, submissive, etc) its not Marble being difficult but do keep this in mind. Try to be 100% not taking sides, you don't want either cat to feel favored, especially if you might accidentally be rewarding poor behavior.