Hello
I have decided to join this cat forum because I am having some troubles introducing my new kitten to my resident cat. I am female, in my 20's, and I am married.
My resident cat is 10 years old, female, orange and white, named Marmalade.
My kitten is 5 months, 2 weeks old, male, silver tabby with some white patches, named Odo.
Before getting the new kitten, about 10 days ago, we knew that we'd be in for a rough introduction because Marmalade is a bit aggressive with me, but we went for it anyways.
The only available kitten at the shelter, when we went, was labelled as fearful, because he used to be feral. We knew that this would make it extra difficult, but we had fallen in love with him.
We have kept them apart, Odo in a separate room with all the essentials. In the first week, Marmalade was hissing through the door at him. We moved her bowls of food and water to just outside the door, so she would get used to him. I cracked open the door and put a weight behind it so that neither cat could get through, but just see each other. Marmalade was outside, hissing, and then lunged at the door. We decided to go back a step, and just have the door closed. We started swapping them, so that they could experience each others scent and territory without seeing each other. They were both freaked out at first, but after a few days of this, they both seem to have relaxed a bit.
So, today, I decided to have the door open a bit, so they could see but not access each other. I sat with Marmalade, giving them both treats that they could only access by being close to the door. There was no hissing or growling, they ate all the treats, and then stared at eachother for about 30 mins through the door. I thought "Awesome, I'm making progress!", so I opened the door to let Odo out, when Marmalade was just down the hall. He came out, looked at her, and froze. She stared at him, crouched down, and then chased him down, where she attacked him, and drew blood. I'm taking Odo to the vet now, but I'm just feeling really stupid about going too fast, and worrying about possibly having ruined their relationship.
I would appreciate advice, or stories about your difficult cats and how it worked out in the end. Thank you
I have decided to join this cat forum because I am having some troubles introducing my new kitten to my resident cat. I am female, in my 20's, and I am married.
My resident cat is 10 years old, female, orange and white, named Marmalade.
My kitten is 5 months, 2 weeks old, male, silver tabby with some white patches, named Odo.
Before getting the new kitten, about 10 days ago, we knew that we'd be in for a rough introduction because Marmalade is a bit aggressive with me, but we went for it anyways.
The only available kitten at the shelter, when we went, was labelled as fearful, because he used to be feral. We knew that this would make it extra difficult, but we had fallen in love with him.
We have kept them apart, Odo in a separate room with all the essentials. In the first week, Marmalade was hissing through the door at him. We moved her bowls of food and water to just outside the door, so she would get used to him. I cracked open the door and put a weight behind it so that neither cat could get through, but just see each other. Marmalade was outside, hissing, and then lunged at the door. We decided to go back a step, and just have the door closed. We started swapping them, so that they could experience each others scent and territory without seeing each other. They were both freaked out at first, but after a few days of this, they both seem to have relaxed a bit.
So, today, I decided to have the door open a bit, so they could see but not access each other. I sat with Marmalade, giving them both treats that they could only access by being close to the door. There was no hissing or growling, they ate all the treats, and then stared at eachother for about 30 mins through the door. I thought "Awesome, I'm making progress!", so I opened the door to let Odo out, when Marmalade was just down the hall. He came out, looked at her, and froze. She stared at him, crouched down, and then chased him down, where she attacked him, and drew blood. I'm taking Odo to the vet now, but I'm just feeling really stupid about going too fast, and worrying about possibly having ruined their relationship.
I would appreciate advice, or stories about your difficult cats and how it worked out in the end. Thank you