Have you ever had trouble with a new cat?

I have four boys and two girls (one inside, one outside), and it's been an interesting ride so far. The two oldest boys (brothers) we got two years ago, so they were all that was in the house. Just a few months ago, we rescued to kittens (also brothers). The big boys were NOT impressed at first. They hissed and growled at them when we first started to acclimate them. It went away very soon. The kittens weren't fearful of the hissing or growling once they got used to it, so they began to harass the older cats. Eventually, they became friendly with one another. We have an outdoor cat that use to come in every now and then, and all four have never had a problem with her. They play with her and seem to like her a lot. The newest cat we brought home is also a girl. She's inside all the time. We were careful to introduce them slowly, but there is still some serious tension between all cats.

When the boys are away from her, they're just as loving s they always are. We have some of the most cuddly cats on this earth. The female is also very cuddly when she's without the four boys. Prior to getting her, she lived with another cat (female) who wasn't very friendly, so it might just be that she favors bonds to humans, but this tension is both ways. It doesn't explain my boys behaviors, is what I mean. All cats are fixed also. The only thing I can think of is that she's not as young as the baby boys were when they came in, and she's not use to being around cats that are as friendly as my boys are (to humans and other cats).

Has anyone ever had a similar problem?

 

I think they just need to get used to each other. As long as they aren't fighting or hurting each other it should be okay. If they start attacking or showing severe aggression then I would worry about separating them or taking them to a completely neutral area. You could also do like the cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy suggests, have them eat on opposite sides of a door so they smell each others scents and they get used to each other being there.
My mom had a cat for 20 years and whenever a new kitten would come in there would be the I'm-the-queen-bee-phase where they would all learn their place. We've never had a problem introducing cats, it's our dog that's the problem. The kittens would get swatted on the head and hissed/growled at. We have a weird cat hierarchy in our house. The oldest cat is sort of the boss. After my mom's cat, Mitzy, passed away it moved to Mac. Before Mac passed away though, Dusty started being rebellious and if they weren't fed fast enough Dusty would bop Mac over the head and growling would ensue. After Mac though, everything's kind of settled down. Dusty and Sassy play fight but they're mom and son, so I don't think they need a "hierarchy." We did try to take in a stray and Sassy was taking care of it and Dusty was kind of "whatever man." Some dogs got the poor baby before we could assimilate him and let him know he was ours. I wonder if the dynamic would have changed any if he had been able to stay...

 

I've been lucky with most of the cats I've had in the past getting along. But a few years ago, I tried to take in a kitten and Delores was not having it. She was nasty to the little guy and 4 months of trying to get them used to each other didn't help. So my downstairs neighbor at the time, Mr. Rosenblum was kind enough to take in the kitten. If I had not found another home for the kitten, I would have continued trying to make them get along because once I take in a pet, they're my responsibility and I don't put them back out on the street.

 

I'm sorry to hear that about the stray. Thank you for responding. I feel a lot better. It's just taken so much longer for the boys to get used to the girl than it did for the older ones to get used to the younger ones, but I'll certainly given them more time. I may also try the Jackson Galaxy suggestion. There isn't any harm being done right now. One of the younger boys chases her around sometimes, but he's very playful. She just doesn't always see it that way. Sometimes she does play back though, so that probably makes him think that it's okay.

With any luck, time will help a lot with the tension. I know it's gotten better. It's not constant growling and hissing by all parties, so that's a good thing. I'll just keep an eye on them to be sure that things don't take a bad turn.

 

Yeah, this is the first time I've had cats that don't get along. The four boys get along just fine (and they even get along with the outdoor female cat). Their personalities haven't changed, and that's what I'm really relieved about. We were worried it would change the entire dynamic, but it's almost like having four indoor cats sometimes and one other times. Like, I'll have the four running around me, but then they'll be sleeping and she'll come to get attention. It's an okay situation, I just wished they all got along and the little guy wouldn't harass her. No one has gotten hurt, and I feel like the relationship has gotten better. It just seems much slower. Sorry to hear about the kitten, but I am really glad he got a new home! That's pretty great. And I would definitely not put any of these guys on the street. I love them all dearly.

 

It bothers me less now, but thank you. As long as they aren't hurting each other I think you're in a good place. Hopefully she'll see that he's just playing and come out of her shell. Let us know how everything's coming along! It'll be a relief for you after they've settled down and there is cat harmony

 

Cats have personalities just like humans do. Sometimes there's just certain things/people/animals that they just don't like! In my experience, it's always taken time. Be patient with them, let them have as much of their own space as possible, and things will get better. Most cats will adjust to almost any circumstance if you give them the chance.

 

How long have you had the newest one? It sounds like you may just need to give it time. They may never all get along together, but some of that tension should let up with time.

 

We had Gemma (female) for nearly a year from a kitten when we brought Rosco home (a male kitten). There's probably 11 month and 8 lb difference between the two. Gemma sniffed, hissed, and ran when Rosco first arrived. She didn't care for him at all. We kept Rosco in a separate room for 2 or 3 days and let them play together during the day. I still put Rosco in his own room when we sleep because he's a night time player and keeps us awake trying to play with Gemma who wants to sleep at my feet.

My real problem is not the cats getting along. Its more like Gemma (the resident cat) being angry with me for bringing Rosco home. She growls, snips, bats at me when I try to pet or cuddle with her. The only real chance I get is when she's half asleep or in a deep sleep. She doesn't want to engage in much play time with me either. We use to play cat and mouse, hide and seek, and chase. Any ideas on how to win her back?

 

Not really, I once had some troubles with a new kitten I had adopted... back when I was just a kid, he was so anti social, in the end just ran away. I think that cat wasn't supposed to be a pet at all, he didn't seem to like to be pet or anything like that. He took the first opportunity to leave, lol. After that I had the sweetest cat ever though.

 

A similar thing happened to me when I brought my younger cat home. At the time I had two others. The older male cat got along with the kitten just fine. They now are inseparable. However my female cat would hiss at the poor kitten. I actually thought she would be nurturing when I brought it home but she still doesn't like it. The younger kitten who has now grown up finds pleasure in constantly harassing her, I guess he is used to her always hissing.

 

My two cats get along for the most part. They do have times when they fight but I alway compare it to having two boys. They are going to fight and bother each now and then.

 

I had a black tabby that was named Blackie (what else?) After she was about one year old, I decided she needed a cat friend, so I adopted a beautiful ragdoll and named her Heather. Heather was about two at the time and because she was a rescue I had no information on her prior owner(s) or history. She seemed docile and sweet.

When I brought her into my apartment, the first thing she did is find the bedroom and hide under the bed. Whimpering! I never even got a chance to show her where the litter box was in my bathroom. After a few hours of trying to coax her to come out, I got a little freaked out. She was terrified. My body was crammed underneath the bed and I tried to get as close as I could to grab her and give her some lovin'. But, she was determined to not budge.

She was directly under the center of the king-size bed, so this was definitely a problem. My arms weren't long enough to move her.

She stayed there all day and all night, not budging. Sometime during the day, I left the apartment to go get groceries. When I came back three hours later, she still hadn't moved! But... when I started unpacking my groceries in the kitchen, lo and behold, who do I see come wandering in to where I was with a curious look on her face? Yes, it was Heather. Blackie came into the kitchen to see what was going on and the two of them became dear friends from that moment on.

 

That's lovely! I'm glad to hear that she came around in the end

 

New *anything* can be trouble in a home. Cats are certainly no exception. Some cats just take more time than others to assimilate into your family.