collapse

* Recent Posts

Re: "Christ Is King" by Yei
[Today at 06:03:12 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by SirPalomides
[Today at 04:12:49 pm]


"Christ Is King" by Altair
[Today at 01:09:34 am]


Re: Cill Shift Schedule by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 11:04:57 pm]


Re: Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 11:21:37 pm]

Author Topic: Pets: How can I get my cats to get along?  (Read 6939 times)

Olivia

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2013
  • Posts: 228
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: How can I get my cats to get along?
« Reply #15 on: February 17, 2014, 07:56:42 pm »
Quote from: veggiewolf;140007
We do corporal cuddling with Moe, because squirting him resulted in trying to drink from the squirt bottle and/or smacking it.

 
I did corporal cuddling with my departed kitty and it worked pretty well.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I separated the kitties and have started slowly reintroducing them. I think it is going well. They still glare at eachother but there is much less growling and hissing. :)

Juniper

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2012
  • Posts: 160
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: How can I get my cats to get along?
« Reply #16 on: February 17, 2014, 08:35:51 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;139941

I've also seen "corporal cuddling" work -- basically, picking the cat up and hugging and kissing him and cooing at him and being excessively "gushy".  You'd think doing that would also discourage the cat from wanting to cuddle at other times, but it doesn't seem to.


My cat hates that. He also doesn't like it when you pick him up and stare directly in his face. He gets rather angry at me I will admit but it gets the point across that whatever he has done is wrong (normally chewing on the furniture). And nope it doesn't dissuade him from wanting picking up/cuddles/love at other times. Just as long as it's on his terms next time!
"I\'ve seen fake gods, and bad gods, and demigods and would-be gods; out of all that, out of that whole pantheon,
 if I believe in one thing... just one thing... I believe in her."

~David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor

victoreia

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Location: Honolulu, HI
  • Posts: 923
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 9
    • View Profile
  • Religion: disorganized something
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: How can I get my cats to get along?
« Reply #17 on: February 18, 2014, 02:55:30 pm »
Quote from: Juniper;140169
My cat hates that. He also doesn't like it when you pick him up and stare directly in his face. He gets rather angry at me I will admit but it gets the point across that whatever he has done is wrong (normally chewing on the furniture). And nope it doesn't dissuade him from wanting picking up/cuddles/love at other times. Just as long as it's on his terms next time!

Prolonged direct eye contact is generally considered a challenge by most cats. (I seem to remember reading that feline staring contests are silent turf wars.....)(but not in those exact words.)
Do. Or do not. There is no try.  --Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

We are star stuff. We are the universe, made manifest. --Ambassador Delenn, Babylon 5

Mind how you go. -- Granny Weatherwax

Nyktipolos

  • Grand Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • *
  • Posts: 1498
  • Total likes: 2
    • View Profile
Re: How can I get my cats to get along?
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2014, 08:05:07 pm »
Quote from: victoreia;140271
Prolonged direct eye contact is generally considered a challenge by most cats. (I seem to remember reading that feline staring contests are silent turf wars.....)(but not in those exact words.)

 
That's pretty much exactly it. It's also one of the reasons why cats will blink at us when they like us: they're trying to show they're not a threat and they trust us in their presence.

(Also that we're not food or that they think we don't view them as food.)

I will sometimes do the "pick up in the air and stare down" thing when my furkid does something *really* bad and he'll scuttle off, then come back a couple of minutes later and then we're good.

I did have a squirt bottle at one point but I had to appropriate it to de-mold my windows, and it's been washed out but I just haven't refilled it with (plain!) water to use. By now he's pretty good with most behaviour (we've had him for four years this fall).
"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." - Sarah Williams
On the Rivers

PerditaPickle

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Aug 2015
  • Location: UK
  • Posts: 2104
  • Country: england
  • Total likes: 641
  • It's all metta - at least, I believe it should be
    • View Profile
    • Portrait of Perpetual Perplexity
  • Religion: Druid-ish
  • Preferred Pronouns: She/her/hers
Re: How can I get my cats to get along?
« Reply #19 on: March 26, 2017, 10:12:56 am »
Quote from: Olivia;139694
I adopted a new kitty two weeks ago and my current kitty is not happy about it. Older kitty constantly hisses and growls at new kitty and new kitty is constantly taunting older kitty.

Reviving an old thread, as I find myself in a similar position to the above.  I've subtitled this post, in an effort to make it a little easier to read & digest.

Background
We have a little 6 year old tortoiseshell female called Toffee, and (having sadly lost my beloved 7 1/2 year old boy Greebo in January) we decided to adopt another kittie so we now have Samson, a strapping 2 year old rescue tabby.    They're both indoor cats.

Attempted introductions
We tried to do introductions as recommended in the various books/websites i.e. keep them in separate rooms for a few days and scent swap etc before attempting to introduce them.  First introductions didn't go so well, so we re-confined them to their respective rooms then tried again the following day, etc.  However, due to the layout of our home this is difficult to keep up for more than a couple of days, plus both kitties decided they'd had enough of their respective rooms and were meowing at and scratching the doors.  So now they're mainly separated at night, only.

Interactions so far: Toffee -> Samson
Toffee (normally very sweet natured) tends to growl & hiss at Samson when he goes near her which is to be expected, but Samson has gotten more & more bold and has now started chasing poor Toffee.  She runs off and usually goes for high ground, but it's reaching the stage where Samson no longer backs off after an incident, and I'm worried what'll happen next.

Interactions so far: Samson -> Toffee
Samson's quite a sweetie in many ways, and loves humans & interaction with us, and to begin with we thought he was just interested in Toffee & wanted to investigate her, but he seems to go into predator mode when she takes flight, and he's not that worried when we tell him off anymore.  This kind of means myself and my husband can't both go out at the same time as someone has to supervise the cats.

The two of them have come face to face without confrontation a few times, there have been a few 'nosie sniffs' without hisses/growls.  But then everything seems to go 'pear shaped' again at some stage in the day.

Some of what we've tried so far - joint play sessions
As a viewer of My Cat From Hell, I know the guy on that, Jackson, very often recommends joint play sessions but I tried this and it hasn't helped either.  Toffee absolutely refuses to become involved, as she seems to feel she has to keep eyes on the 'interloper' at all times, and can't relax enough to join in.  Samson will play for a bit and then become all excited (obviously), but then he will suddenly go for little Toffee, which of course terrifies her even more.

Some of what we've tried so far - catnip
A few people have suggested catnip, but Toffee's one of those cats who doesn't really seem to react to the stuff, whereas with Samson it seems to excite him even more, rather than relaxing him!

Our environment, etc
~ They have separate litter trays, plus a third as a spare, each in separate rooms.
~ They've separate food & water bowls, again in separate rooms, currently.
~ There's four scratching posts, and two scratching pads, plus many toys.
~ There's also a bowl of cat grass, which I move to different locations around the place now and again to ensure 'equitable' access, as there's only one right now.
~ Samson has a fleecy 'igloo' which came with him from the rescue place, and Toffee has various different cushions etc (which Samson has absolutely no problem utilising).
I try to groom each cat at least once a day if I can manage it, and also try to sit & pet each one at least once a day too.

Further measures I plan to take
~ I am waiting on a Feliway plug in, ordered online (it's one of the new range, called Feli-Friends, apparently specially formulated to ease tensions etc).
~ I still need to trim Samson's claws a little.
~ I think I will also order a couple of waterpistols, so we can discourage 'bad' behaviour without having to get up & cross the room.
~ I may also order a new cat scratching tree, with high platforms (but have yet to discuss this with my husband).

My question/s
What more can I do, apart from give it time?  (I know I need to give it more time, it's only been a few weeks, but at some stage fairly soon my husband and I are going to need to go out together at the same time and I'm worried an injury or injuries will occur).
Anyone know of anything really effective that I've not already tried?

TL;DR
Does anyone know of any really effective ways to get cats who are strangers to accept one another?
« Last Edit: March 26, 2017, 10:22:26 am by Pickle »
“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.” – The Buddha
(From the Metta Sutta)

My Portrait of Perpetual Perplexity blog

victoreia

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Location: Honolulu, HI
  • Posts: 923
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 9
    • View Profile
  • Religion: disorganized something
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: How can I get my cats to get along?
« Reply #20 on: March 26, 2017, 05:27:37 pm »
Quote from: Pickle;204196
Reviving an old thread, as I find myself in a similar position to the above.  I've subtitled this post, in an effort to make it a little easier to read & digest.

Background
We have a little 6 year old tortoiseshell female called Toffee, and (having sadly lost my beloved 7 1/2 year old boy Greebo in January) we decided to adopt another kittie so we now have Samson, a strapping 2 year old rescue tabby.    They're both indoor cats.
{snip}

My question/s
What more can I do, apart from give it time?  (I know I need to give it more time, it's only been a few weeks, but at some stage fairly soon my husband and I are going to need to go out together at the same time and I'm worried an injury or injuries will occur).
Anyone know of anything really effective that I've not already tried?

TL;DR
Does anyone know of any really effective ways to get cats who are strangers to accept one another?

 
It sounds like you're doing everything I'd suggest. It does take time, and sometimes the cats involved just don't get along no matter what you do. (That happened with my Ezri and Lily: Lily would chase Ezri for no reason, and Ezri would be hyper-vigilant whenever she saw Lily.) The only thing I can suggest is, if they really don't accept each other, segregate them when you have to leave them alone. It's not fair to the one cat, but is definitely less stressful than constant harassment by the other cat.
Do. Or do not. There is no try.  --Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

We are star stuff. We are the universe, made manifest. --Ambassador Delenn, Babylon 5

Mind how you go. -- Granny Weatherwax

Tags:
 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
1 Replies
3686 Views
Last post December 25, 2011, 02:13:37 am
by Nomad of Nowhere
6 Replies
1542 Views
Last post January 06, 2012, 10:10:46 am
by entwife
14 Replies
2687 Views
Last post August 31, 2013, 10:08:02 pm
by beachglass
13 Replies
2870 Views
Last post May 14, 2020, 08:52:57 pm
by Kaio
5 Replies
1522 Views
Last post September 01, 2020, 10:28:32 am
by SunflowerP

* Who's Online

  • Dot Guests: 184
  • Dot Hidden: 0
  • Dot Users: 3
  • Dot Users Online:

* Please Donate!

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

* Shop & Support TC

The links below are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links you will go to the listed shopping site with The Cauldron's affiliate code. Any purchases you make during your visit will earn TC a tiny percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.

* In Memoriam

Chavi (2006)
Elspeth (2010)
Marilyn (2013)

* Cauldron Staff

Host:
Sunflower

Message Board Staff
Board Coordinator:
Darkhawk

Assistant Board Coordinator:
Aster Breo

Senior Staff:
Aisling, Allaya, Jenett, Sefiru

Staff:
Ashmire, EclecticWheel, HarpingHawke, Kylara, PerditaPickle, rocquelaire

Discord Chat Staff
Chat Coordinator:
Morag

'Up All Night' Coordinator:
Altair

Cauldron Council:
Bob, Catja, Chatelaine, Emma-Eldritch, Fausta, Jubes, Kelly, LyricFox, Phouka, Sperran, Star, Steve, Tana

Site Administrator:
Randall

SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal