My grandmother just went into a home and we decided to take care of her cat. Bendu is almost two and very sweet with people. We have four cats at home already and when we got him we introduced him very slowly - first too the house then one cat at time etc..
Anyway, from what i read in books etc it seems as if the old cats should growl. But it's the other way around! Bendu just sits in a corner and growls and hisses if the other cats comes within five feet of him. And the old cats are terrified of him, they sometimes whine a bit at him but otherwise they keep away. They aren't trying to protect their territory as we thought they would. He's not letting them eat or drink!!
But when we're in the room he starts purring and comes out of his corner but he still hisses at the others at the same time. We've tried calming him down but he won't stop growling.
I have no idea what to do!! Help, please?????
Help? please?
Re: Help? please?
How long has it been since you aquired the new kitty?
I'm assuming the male is neutered and your other cats spayed/neutered as well?
Please read Feline Introductions, then read This post for tips on how to encourage them to acclimate. Even though your situation seems to involve only one cat who is uncomfortable, the links and tips apply to them all.
Another thing you could do, is provide one room for him, with his toys, litterbox, food and water dishes and a blanket or kitty bed, and leave the door to that room OPEN. This allows him to feel this room is his safe haven. Then, let one kitty into the room, watch their reactions and don't interfere unless there is obvious biting or scratching. Hissing is normal, don't interfere when they hiss. Stay in a corner of the room to observe and supervise, and speak softly to the cats. Then after about a half hour or so, take the other kitty out of the room and leave the male kitty alone. After about an hour or two, do the same thing with another cat, and so on and so on. This allows the male to be introduced to one cat at a time AND allows him to learn that it is safe to share the same space with one cat in HIS established room. With consistency on your part, the more he is exposed to sharing the same room with one cat, start allowing TWO cats into the room with him, and so on. This takes time, all introductions take time, you can't expect it will happen overnight, sometimes it can take months for some cats to acclimate.
Once he feels safe with one or two cats in HIS safe room, he will be more comfortable to venture out and explore the house, and feel more comfortable with the other cats. Eventually, the cats will be able to share the same spaces together, the same feeding area, and so on, comfortably.
At this point, you should have two feeding stations. Whenever there is any sign of intimidation of one or more cats against another and their food dishes, two feeding stations ensure that all the cats are comfortable when eating. Food is like a comfort measure for cats, and if they are intimidated near their food dishes, if you don't nip this in the bud in the beginning, it may never resolve. Keep the two feeding stations in seperate areas of the house at this point, and when the cats learn to acclimate to one another, eventually they will be able to share one feeding station. You have to play it by ear, observe their behaviors etc.
This also applies to litterboxes, make sure you have more than one litterbox and that they are in seperate areas.
Actively engage yourself in spending time with them with all of them in the same space. Playtime sessions are a good way to do that, explained in the second link.
I'm assuming the male is neutered and your other cats spayed/neutered as well?
Please read Feline Introductions, then read This post for tips on how to encourage them to acclimate. Even though your situation seems to involve only one cat who is uncomfortable, the links and tips apply to them all.
Another thing you could do, is provide one room for him, with his toys, litterbox, food and water dishes and a blanket or kitty bed, and leave the door to that room OPEN. This allows him to feel this room is his safe haven. Then, let one kitty into the room, watch their reactions and don't interfere unless there is obvious biting or scratching. Hissing is normal, don't interfere when they hiss. Stay in a corner of the room to observe and supervise, and speak softly to the cats. Then after about a half hour or so, take the other kitty out of the room and leave the male kitty alone. After about an hour or two, do the same thing with another cat, and so on and so on. This allows the male to be introduced to one cat at a time AND allows him to learn that it is safe to share the same space with one cat in HIS established room. With consistency on your part, the more he is exposed to sharing the same room with one cat, start allowing TWO cats into the room with him, and so on. This takes time, all introductions take time, you can't expect it will happen overnight, sometimes it can take months for some cats to acclimate.
Once he feels safe with one or two cats in HIS safe room, he will be more comfortable to venture out and explore the house, and feel more comfortable with the other cats. Eventually, the cats will be able to share the same spaces together, the same feeding area, and so on, comfortably.
At this point, you should have two feeding stations. Whenever there is any sign of intimidation of one or more cats against another and their food dishes, two feeding stations ensure that all the cats are comfortable when eating. Food is like a comfort measure for cats, and if they are intimidated near their food dishes, if you don't nip this in the bud in the beginning, it may never resolve. Keep the two feeding stations in seperate areas of the house at this point, and when the cats learn to acclimate to one another, eventually they will be able to share one feeding station. You have to play it by ear, observe their behaviors etc.
This also applies to litterboxes, make sure you have more than one litterbox and that they are in seperate areas.
Actively engage yourself in spending time with them with all of them in the same space. Playtime sessions are a good way to do that, explained in the second link.
..........Traci
Re: Help? please?
Thanks a lot for your help and advice!! The links helped as well. 