Introducing adult cats
Discussion
Posting this on behalf of my parents as they would like a bit of help.
In August last year we went on a family holiday to Kefalonia and stayed in a villa. There were a number of stray cats (anyone who has been to Greece will know how many there are) in the area. One cat in particular really took to my Father. He was a young boy, on the thin side, with a number of sores on his neck and greasey, matted fur. His home was in the scrubland next to our apartment. One evening we joked that him and my Mum should adopt the cat; his response was "If you organise it, I'll pay for it".
Research brought up the charity, Animal Rescue Kefalonia. We contacted them and 2 days later the newly named Stavros was collected and started his journey to the UK.
He arrived on our shores in the middle of September and my parents drove down to collect him and to start the process of introducing him to their house. This is where the problems started.
My parents already have 2 grown up female cats (George and Polly, sisters) who aren't particularly friendly with the local felines. Stavros spent the first week in his own room adjusting to regular feedings and a bit of stability in his life. The first meeting between the cats was done with Stavros in a cage and George and Polly being held about 6 feet away by my parents. There was the usual wailing and hissing.
Over the next week they were introduced more, eating in the same room with Stavros in his cage, through the French windows while George and Polly were in the garden, those sort of things. The hissing and wiling didn't reduce.
All the while they've been living in separate parts of the house but being allowed to roam while the other cat(s) is/are locked up so they're all very familiar with each others smell. My parents have also been swapping their bedding over.
There have been a couple of altercations, the biggest being when I visited. I opened up George and Polly's room and before I could stop her Polly charged down the stairs to see my parents without knowing Stavros was out in the house. He leaped on her and a brief scuffle ensued before Polly did a runner. He cave her a nasty cut on her side which resulted in a bout of tablets and then a general anesthetic to repair the damage.
We're now 6 months down the line and they still aren't living together. My father is introducing them more by having Stavros on a lead around George and Polly, after a while they calm down a bit but then out of the blue Stavros will lunge at them. My Father has received a lot of resistance from my Mother as they thinks this is all stressing the girls out; she would rather they just remain separate.
Has anyone any experience or advice that I could pass onto my parents when I next see them?
Obligatory images:
Pissed off Polly post surgery
Stavros in his most common state
In August last year we went on a family holiday to Kefalonia and stayed in a villa. There were a number of stray cats (anyone who has been to Greece will know how many there are) in the area. One cat in particular really took to my Father. He was a young boy, on the thin side, with a number of sores on his neck and greasey, matted fur. His home was in the scrubland next to our apartment. One evening we joked that him and my Mum should adopt the cat; his response was "If you organise it, I'll pay for it".
Research brought up the charity, Animal Rescue Kefalonia. We contacted them and 2 days later the newly named Stavros was collected and started his journey to the UK.
He arrived on our shores in the middle of September and my parents drove down to collect him and to start the process of introducing him to their house. This is where the problems started.
My parents already have 2 grown up female cats (George and Polly, sisters) who aren't particularly friendly with the local felines. Stavros spent the first week in his own room adjusting to regular feedings and a bit of stability in his life. The first meeting between the cats was done with Stavros in a cage and George and Polly being held about 6 feet away by my parents. There was the usual wailing and hissing.
Over the next week they were introduced more, eating in the same room with Stavros in his cage, through the French windows while George and Polly were in the garden, those sort of things. The hissing and wiling didn't reduce.
All the while they've been living in separate parts of the house but being allowed to roam while the other cat(s) is/are locked up so they're all very familiar with each others smell. My parents have also been swapping their bedding over.
There have been a couple of altercations, the biggest being when I visited. I opened up George and Polly's room and before I could stop her Polly charged down the stairs to see my parents without knowing Stavros was out in the house. He leaped on her and a brief scuffle ensued before Polly did a runner. He cave her a nasty cut on her side which resulted in a bout of tablets and then a general anesthetic to repair the damage.
We're now 6 months down the line and they still aren't living together. My father is introducing them more by having Stavros on a lead around George and Polly, after a while they calm down a bit but then out of the blue Stavros will lunge at them. My Father has received a lot of resistance from my Mother as they thinks this is all stressing the girls out; she would rather they just remain separate.
Has anyone any experience or advice that I could pass onto my parents when I next see them?
Obligatory images:
Pissed off Polly post surgery
Stavros in his most common state
It can take a long time to introduce cats. You will have to be patient.
Info here: https://icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-happy...
I would speak to your vet and get their advice. One of mine was prescribed amitriptyline for a while to take the edge off his aggression.
Info here: https://icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-happy...
I would speak to your vet and get their advice. One of mine was prescribed amitriptyline for a while to take the edge off his aggression.
spangle82 said:
Im sorry to hear this but it just proves that cats are not like dogs.
The kindest thing would be to get Stavros rehomed to a house with no other cats, and let your others return to peace.
The kindest thing would be to get Stavros rehomed to a house with no other cats, and let your others return to peace.
Mobile Chicane said:
It can take a long time to introduce cats. You will have to be patient.
Info here: https://icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-happy...
I would speak to your vet and get their advice. One of mine was prescribed amitriptyline for a while to take the edge off his aggression.
2 very different answers, thank you for both. Naturally, my parents are reluctant to give Stavros having brought him so far and, essentially, given him a life. They are looking to persist for at least a year.Info here: https://icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-happy...
I would speak to your vet and get their advice. One of mine was prescribed amitriptyline for a while to take the edge off his aggression.
I've passed the amitriptyline information over to my parents, their vet hadn't mentioned it so will bring it up at the next visit.
Thanks guys!
We adopted two female cats together, supposedly from the same home, probably related.
They don't get on all that well. They'll eat together, and they'll sleep in the same room, but there's usually hissing when they get too close (outside of feeding time), they occasional lashing paw and one of them has a thing for seeing any cat through the French doors.
But at the same time, we've seen them chase other cats off the patio and we think they work together to hold their territory on the street!
I guess what I'm trying to say is, throw two of them together and let them work it out. It might just be a quick flash in the pan, obviously anything more and you'll need to step in quickly.
They don't get on all that well. They'll eat together, and they'll sleep in the same room, but there's usually hissing when they get too close (outside of feeding time), they occasional lashing paw and one of them has a thing for seeing any cat through the French doors.
But at the same time, we've seen them chase other cats off the patio and we think they work together to hold their territory on the street!
I guess what I'm trying to say is, throw two of them together and let them work it out. It might just be a quick flash in the pan, obviously anything more and you'll need to step in quickly.
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