What can I do to make cats get along?

Question

I have a 8 year old cat. She is a very sweet but stuck up little cat. I got her as a kitten and before then she used to be an ally cat. She is my only pet and I love her to death. Being the only pet, on many occassions she like to get in my kitchen window and hiss and growl at the ally cats that come through my backyard. I really want to get another cat and newborn baby kitten but I am afraid of what "Majestic Veronica" (my cats name) might do to her. At one point I brought a puppy home and she tried to fight the puppy. My dad was worried so he talked me into giving the dog back to the person I got it from. I really want another cat. What can I do in order to get her to get along with the other cat?

Answer 1

Cats are by nature territorial, and not all of them like sharing their home. Never underestimate just how much territory means to a cat. It's the source of love, food and shelter, so if they are worried about holding on to it, they will fight to defend it. Bearing in mind her reaction to the ally cats and the puppy, I think it sounds like Veronica enjoys being an "only child". Cats aged 8+ are medically classed as seniors and rather set in their ways and major changes within the home can be very stressful to them. Too much stress is not good for the health of an older cat.

There is no predicting how any cat will react to a newcomer in the home, but from what you've said about Veronica, I personally wouldn't recommend that you take on another cat. It's better to have one very happy cat, than two stressed ones.

Obviously, you know your cat better than anyone, but if you do decide to go ahead and get another cat, take things very slowly . It can take anything from a couple of weeks to a couple of months for the resident cat to accept a new one depending on their ages and personalities. Sometimes they become good friends, but other times, they merely learn to tolerate each other's presence within the home. The web site below gives advice on how introduce a new cat to your existing one.

http://www.tulsa-animalshelter.org/tips/intro%20cat.htm

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Answer 2

If you do get another cat, it would probably be easier for her to accept a kitten than an adult cat. Be patient, it will probably take @ least a week or 2 for them to become friends. The suggestions you've had about letting them get used to each other gradually & by smell are really good, this has worked for us many times.
Majestic Veronica will probably hiss & growl a *lot* @ the newcomer but this is normal in the beginning & it doesn't mean that the kitten is in any danger. Kittens are usually quite confident that they'll eventually become friends & probably won't be bothered by the hisses or growls. Gradually the hissing will become less & less.
It is especially important that Majestic Veronica doesn't feel that she is being replaced by the newcomer, or that she's less important to you in any way. Don't make a big fuss over the new guy in front of her & give her lots of attention. Don't scold or punish her for growling or hissing but distract her instead. If she likes cat treats, you might want to give both cats treats when they're near each other so they develop good associations about each other.
As for the outside cats, it's probable that Majestic Veronica will always see them as a threat to her territory & she may never stop growling @ them. On the other paw, she might just growl @ certain outside cats & not others, which is what many of our kitties have done. Good luck.

Answer 3

Here are a few things a friend of mine told me to try when we brought a new kitten into the house and they seemed to work pretty well.
Make introductions slowly, confining the new cat to its own room for a couple of weeks. Sniffing and swatting under the door will acquaint the cats. Even after they meet face to face there will be tension or conflict for a few weeks before they settle down. You an also try wiping each cat's fur with a separate towel daily and then place each cat's food dish on top of the other cat's towel. They will associate the scent of the other cat with the positive experience of being fed and hopefully grow tolerant of each other quickly. Make sure each cat has easy access to its own safe hideaway and give equal love and attention.

Answer 4

Tabby isn't a breed - it incredibly is a coat trend. and you do no longer discover kittens of particular breed roaming the streets. So this kitten is in basic terms a "relatives" - no breed in any respect. Persians are very friendly cats and any breed (or non breed) can get alongside with them. i'd think of the sole breeds i does not elect to work out with a Persian would be aggressive, hyperactive hybrids like the Bengals. Persians are far too laid back and passive to placed up with that! the base line is SLOWLY introducing them. shop them in separate rooms with their very own foodstuff, water and muddle. placed an previous tshirt with the recent kitten to get its heady scent on it then share this with the different cat, and vice versa. And with the help of all ability GET THE KITTEN ailment examined formerly permitting it to have interplay along with your cat!

Answer 5

Put them in different rooms for awhile so they get use to each others scent. But even then it may take awhile...

We have a two year old cat, and we got a kitten last november. The two year old cat immediately started wrestling with the poor guy and would always pin him down, and bite him until he cried out. It took about 4 months for the older cat to get use to the change but even now he still attacks him (but I think they're just playing).

Now the younger one is able to stand up for itself, so he sometimes gets the upperhand in them wrestling, but again I think it's just play. Hopefully if you get a new kitten, that's all they will do too.

Answer 6

I have to warn you that there's a possibility she may never accept another pet on her territory. I had a cat who chased away a stray cat we adopted which didn't have an aggressive nature, after we had looked after it for a few years, and the stray cat didn't return. It might be an idea to get another species of animal which the cat won't go after, just so you don't go through the experience of loss we had.

Answer 7

Not much, other than keep them separated until they get used to each others smell. Put one in a carrier at a time so they can see each other but not fight. You can't ever predict how things will turn out. They might eventually be good friends, learn to tolerate each other, or they may fight all the time. Sometimes it takes months for cats to learn to at least live peacefully with each other, sometimes they never will.

Answer 8

theres away female cats greet each other: what they do is walk up to each other, nose to nose, sniffing away, getting the scent of the other cat, trying to recognize it, if she cant, she probly have to accept her, or fight her.

since you have a kitten, shes probly gonna want to swat Vernica in the face. (she probly never smelt another cat before) =\

they'll usualy do there own thing form then on, and please dont try to lock them in a room together for a whole day, thinking the'yll come out friends after that.

Answer 9

Your cat sounds like mine - she fights the strays, little dogs, really any animal that comes to our house (or close to it), very gentle towards humans though. We really wanted onother one and got it - today! He's two yr old male, beautiful. So far they wanted to fight (I was holding the new one) and then the male crawled under the bed. My cat is sleeping between the doors LOL! I can let you know in few days how is it going:-)

Answer 10

cats are solitary animals, unlike dogs which are pack animals. It sounds like your 8 yr old is content being with you and does not have any depression or lonely issues.
My suggestion is not to get another pet...why invite trouble when you do not need it.
good luck