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Introducing Cats
Hey there! I have been dealing with a mild introduction issue and wanted some confirmation/insight on said issue.
Essentially, our resident kitty Franky (neutered male, 1 year 4 months old), is having trouble respecting our new cats boundaries. Our new cat Misty (spayed female, 1 year 6 months), is already super acclimated to our home after being here for just one week. (We’ve been swapping rooms to scent swap and allow her to explore the full space without the Frank being there to bother her)
Franky seems to always get dialated pupils and constantly pounces, pins and gently bites the back of Misty’s neck. Sometimes she’ll fight back, walk away, then come back for more (which is playing) – other times he will be too rough and cause her to hiss. Most of the time he will pause for a moment, but then sometimes he will just keep going. No tufts of fur, blood, or anything like that – just seems like he has too strong of a hunter instinct.
It’s weird because one time they ate food at the same time out of the same bowl with no issues, so like what? And Misty seems to not be afraid of him which is great, but I’m just so confused why Franky isn’t learning the boundaries.
Also, we have a screen door separating their separate rooms + a real door when time for decompression comes – and they have been eating from each side right in front of each others noses with no hissing or growling at all.
Am I just trying to rush the process, should I let them hash it out under supervision, give Franky anti-anxiety meds? I just feel so bad for Misty because she wants to be in the main space but Franky just keeps being mean with no self control…
Please any advice would be great, I attached some photos of them.
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2 Replies
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Hi Higgins
Congratulations on your new addition!
Firstly, I want to say they are doing well during their first week of introductions. I am currently introducing a new kitten, pictured here, to my three resident cats. One of my younger cats is territorial and has been attacking the kitten. It’s been a month, and we are making very slow progress, so I feel it’s early days for your household.
I would advise against them eating from the same bowl, as this can lead to food aggression later. Instead, try tossing them treats, like freeze-dried food, in different directions. This way, they will be busy scavenging and less reactive to each other. I also recommend avoiding feeding them behind a separated door, as cats are solitary hunters and feeders; playing with feather teasers or long rods with toys is a much better activity to keep them both engaged positively.
Regarding Franky, he is a young male kitty; the behavior of pinning and gently biting the back of Misty’s neck could indicate either play or mild dominance. This will require further observation to determine if it’s just rough play or a sign of confidence. You can read more about how to tell which cat is dominant at https://cats.com/how-to-tell-which-cat-is-dominant.
I started clicker training with cues like “Sit” and “Stay” to manage the chasing and attacks. I highly recommend you also introduce clicker training, even teaching the “Go to Mat” cue.
Decompressing is very important for Franky and Misty, and continued supervision is important. Cats don’t just hash it out and do need our involvement. Multiple small supervised sessions daily are better than one long one once a day.
Lastly, I feel it’s too early for anti-anxiety meds; this process can take weeks to months.
I hope that helps
Melina
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It sounds like Franky is overstimulated during play and hasn’t quite learned how to read Misty’s social cues yet, even though they are doing great with scent swapping and eating near each other. Since you’re already using a screen door and separate rooms for decompression, you might want to try redirecting Franky’s high energy onto a wand toy <i data-path-to-node=”0″ data-index-in-node=”345″>before he fixates on Misty, burning off that hunter drive so he doesn’t target her.
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