Newbie to Animalicious--Cat Problems -- Having to keep them seperated

[Dianabanana12]

So,

First of all let me start by saying OMG I can not believe this is my first time noticing that there is an Animalicious forum on TPF!! I was SO excited when I found this last night!! I am usually in the Louis Vuitton & Christian Louboutin Forum... This is awesome!! And I finally can ask for opinions! (THIS MIGHT BE LONG SO I APPOLOGIZE AHEAD OF TIME!!)

So now to my HUGE and heartbreaking problem .... I have a my beautiful "baby" Leo, an orange tabby, I have had since I was 19 (I am 25 now) he is spoiled and I love him to death. Had him since he was old enough to leave his mommy, he is a sweetie but doesn't really like people too much other than myself and my aunt.

One day, I was at my boyfriends house and a cute little black kitty came up to me and started rolling around rubbing up against me purring and licking me, I instantly fell in love, started talking to my boyfriends family and the neighbors and come to find out she is a stray and the neighbors take turns feeding her but she has no where to call home, after that I knew there was no way I could leave her there, but also knew my cat wouldn't appreciate it. So I took her home called around, no one could take her (of my friends) so I decided, I have to find a way to make it work and keep my new baby. I brought her home kept her away from my cat and googled all the right ways to introduce them. The second day I had her at my house, I took her to the vet she was 100% healthy, my biggest concern was FIV because of my cat who is FIV free, vet estimated her to be 9-10 months old

I did EVERYTHING I thought was right, from separating them, slowly introducing them with each others scent (rubbing a sock against one and putting it with the other, letting them smell each other through doors, I even spent 100 on a cat tent and put one of them inside and one outside to come by giving them treats when they were good) during this whole process there was NO hissing EVER. So a month and a half into doing all this daily, I put them together in a room, my mom accidentally opened the door, which i wanted close and all hell broke loose, my cat, leo ran around the house like a crazed cat and the new kitty (princess aka creeper) ran right after him jumping on his back, hissing and screaming started...I was so freaked out, i grabbed her not caring what harm she would do to me and separated them, did what i was doing before and tried again a few weeks later, again, all hell broke loose, but 10 times worse, bitting hissing cat hair in chunks flying everywhere, it was bad!

In the meantime, I am lucky to live in a large house (with my mom and aunt, yes I still live at home and love it lol!) so we have three floors, which includes a huge furnished basement. I would keep one cat in the basement, while the other roamed the house, then switch back and forth. Usually my cat leo stays in my room with his litter box and is content, while princess roams the house, then I put princess in the basement and leo roams the house. This happens over and over and over again throughout the day.

When I am at work, princess is in the basement, with the door open (weather permitting) which leads to the outdoor enclosure I had built, which she loves, and the basement is huge and furnished so she loves it and is content. Then when I get home Leo goes in my room, sleeps and princess comes up.

As you can imagine, this is NOT ideal, I have had her for about a year now. I do this in the middle of the night sometimes, when one scratches on the door for several minutes to be let out, I switch them off.

Other things to note:
-They each have separate areas for food and separate litter boxes
-Both cats have been fixed/ neutered
-Leo (older cat is male tabby approx. 6 y/o) Princess (new cat is just under 9 months old and a black cat, not sure type?)
-Leo has a peeing problem, for about 4 years now, he tends to pee anywhere he wants, yet also pees in his litter box which is cleaned every day, took him to the vet no UTI or anything health related, just behavioral
-My life is hell and stressfull and I am loosing hours and hours of sleep and its brekaing my hear because I just want my babies to be happy together

PLEASE HELP ME Any tips or advice, what would you do, what should i do, has this happened to anyone?!

 

[Dianabanana12]

The best pics I have on this computer now! But these are my babies

 

[poopsie]

Welcome!
What beautiful babies you have.
I have multiple cats in a rather small area, but am fortunate as they can go outdoors safely here. Since they were all strays who just wandered in they were already outdoor savvy. I also enclosed my patio so that is another option. But what I have found is that a cat, like water, seeks its own level. Those that get along/tolerate each other hang out. Those that don't simply find another part of the house to hang out in.
There are some threads here that address some of the problems that you mention.

http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/introducing-old-cat-to-new-cat-733116.html

http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/too-late-change-behavioral-problems-4-yrs-old-745576.html
http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/i-need-some-kitty-encouragement-748145-2.html


there seems to be a rash (no pun intended) of potty problems right now. Maybe all the pets have spring fever!

 

[Dianabanana12]

Welcome!
What beautiful babies you have.
I have multiple cats in a rather small area, but am fortunate as they can go outdoors safely here. Since they were all strays who just wandered in they were already outdoor savvy. I also enclosed my patio so that is another option. But what I have found is that a cat, like water, seeks its own level. Those that get along/tolerate each other hang out. Those that don't simply find another part of the house to hang out in.
There are some threads here that address some of the problems that you mention.

http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/introducing-old-cat-to-new-cat-733116.html

http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/too-late-change-behavioral-problems-4-yrs-old-745576.html
http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/i-need-some-kitty-encouragement-748145-2.html


there seems to be a rash (no pun intended) of potty problems right now. Maybe all the pets have spring fever!

Hi,

Thanks, I did a search and read through all of those, but I am just not sure what to do, I wish they would just go to their own seperate corners and hang out if they cant tolerate each other, but i dont know what to do. Should I put them together and let them fight?! I dont want my baby leo, who is the less dominate one from what I have seen, to get hurt, princess has really sharp nails and a mean bite :X

 

[poopsie]

Well, you can either trim her claws or try those claw caps. i have never used them, but I suppose they would dull the sharpness. As for the biting maybe a soft 'cone of shame' around her neck would prevent her from getting her teeth involved.

 

[Dianabanana12]

Well, you can either trim her claws or try those claw caps. i have never used them, but I suppose they would dull the sharpness. As for the biting maybe a soft 'cone of shame' around her neck would prevent her from getting her teeth involved.

OMG the cone idea is genius I didnt even think of that!! That way they could be together without killing each other, temporarily at least.... See this is the advice i needed lol thanks!!!!

 

[ILuvShopping]

sometimes i think you just need to let them duke it out and get that aggressive energy over with. they're definitely not going come to liking each other if they can't spend time in the same area.
just supervise them, take precautions for the claws.... and hopefully at some point they'll come around

 

[ILuvShopping]

wanted to add. when i had dotcom, he was the oldest (around 5) of my cats when i brought in meeko a few years ago. he was NOT HAPPY. i had two other cats and he was never that angry when they came into the picture. it was bizarre. he got mad at me, mad at the other cats, and he seriously went and lived in my basement for two weeks. he was the type of cat that would always greet me at the door.. always wanted attention and the moment i bought a new cat in he wanted nothing to do with anyone. he started hanging out in the rafters of my basement... it was so weird.

BUT.... the moment 2 weeks came around he started to loosen up... he was coming up from the basement more... letting me get near him... becoming more tolerable of meeko.... and gradually it got better and better until life was normal again.

 

[Dianabanana12]

sometimes i think you just need to let them duke it out and get that aggressive energy over with. they're definitely not going come to liking each other if they can't spend time in the same area.
just supervise them, take precautions for the claws.... and hopefully at some point they'll come around

Ugh I know, I feel like I need someone else in the room with me to calm me down, because I get really nervous, I know it might sound dumb, But like my knees literally feel week and i start shaking and sweating lol I am SO scared that one of them will hurt the other, more so the little girl princess hurting leo, hes so skiddish and a baby. I tried to see what they do, and what it is is she seems to be okay with him but she gets super hyper and runs after him and wants to jump on his back for some reason thats all she does and it freaks him the hell out ....so he starts hissing at her, then that makes her start hissing at him, then they growl and cry it sounds BRUTAL it sounds worse than it may look until you see hair flying .... Ugh I dont know. I am really thinking of getting a cat therapist or whatever you wan to call them, they are just so much per hour! .... It just breaks my heart and its been a year and its so hard keeping them seperated. I feel like I am the problem! I am making it worse by letting it go on for so long huh

 

[Lyanna Stark]

I have the exact same problem as you. We've lived with it for 2 years, switching them to and from rooms. It's the same war cries and hissing and fur flying when they meet each other and we carry them to switch rooms if the other is not secured now. Luckily I do have many doors and partitions in my home too. They growl when they see each other.

I do clip both their nails to minimise the damage. One of them had their ear sliced open in a fray once. No serious harm, but the damage is permanent. (Just cosmetic, don't worry.)

Last week, I rescued a bird. Surprisingly, the 2 of them sat quietly and watched the bird together. They were fascinated by it I guess, as they are domestic cats and never allowed out. Too bad I had to release the bird the next day.

Here's a potentially hair brained idea. Buy a pet for your cats. I don't want to take care of birds or hamsters as I don't want the commitment. But I'm going to try them with guppies when I have time to visit an aquarium shop. But of course get something that you will be committed to love as much as your cats. Basically, what I am trying to say is, introducing another animal would potentially change the dynamics of the relationships of your cats.