Animal Welfare Professionals

How long is normal for our current cat to stop hissing and scratching at our new adopted cat. We kept them in separate rooms the first two night, exchanged scents w/ socks and shirts and let them meet for about 20 minutes. Current cat is NOT having it. Newly adopted cat was curious and playful at first but then got kinda pissed and and swatted. Also, new cat is spraying EVERYWHERE 

It can take months for cats to co habitate, the new cat should be kept separate in a room by themselves for at least a full week. Exchanging scents & also swapping rooms so the resident car can check out the new cats room without the cat in it. Then snow introduction & if they fight, then back into the room goes the new cat. Of course you have to go into the room to spend time with the new cat. Start feeding the resident cat a piece of tuna right by the door so he can smell the new cat & get treated for it. There are times yoully never get them to love eachother but theyll adjust to knowing thst they have to live together. Don't forget you'll need 3 litterboxes to help with aversion when they live together.

Hi! This is advice from Maddie's Pet Assistant. Hope it helps!

It’s common for cats to adjust slowly to other cats. Continue to implement positive measures to help them gain confidence in their new environment and build trust with the people and animals.

Here are some helpful tips:

• Use positive reinforcement for introductions as long as necessary. Follow the instructions in the links below.
• At first, keep a visual barrier between them for short sessions and keep them as calm as possible. When the animals begin to relax, start to increase the time they spend near each other.
• Next, advance to barrier-free visits. If problems arise that cannot be corrected quickly and easily, resume the use of a barrier. 
• Once your cats have had several, relaxed, barrier-free meetings, you may begin very short unsupervised visits, gradually allowing them more time together.

Note that a medical problem, such as pain or illness, may be the cause of your cat’s fearful behavior. Make sure he/she is eating and drinking, urinating, and defecating, and consider taking your cat to a veterinarian to rule out any medical reason behind this behavior

If you feel at any time your cat’s behavior around your resident cat is worsening, please seek the help of a qualified cat behaviorist or trainer who uses rewards to get results, or your veterinarian.

Additional information:

• Cat Behavior Associates: How to Introduce a Second Cat
• Humane Society of the United States: Introducing Your New Cat to Other Pets
• San Francisco SPCA: Cat - Introducing Cats

Additional information:

• Best Friends Animal Society: Introducing Cats to Each Other
• PetMD: How to Introduce Cats
• Tree House Humane Society: Introducing a New Cat to Resident Cats

For the majority of my adopters, it wouldn't be the hissing that would be the major roadblock, but the spraying.  My experience is that most adopters draw the line at spraying.  I think it's important that all rescues keep in mind that not all adoptions work out, and that's not a failure on anyone's part.  Most of the time when an adopted cat is returned, we've learned something vital about it's personality that will help ensure the next placement is a good fit.  Both cats are expressing that they're not happy or comfortable, and I believe that's an important message to hear and acknowledge.

@@Terri I think we’ve just come to that realization unfortunately. When’s he’s with us and the current cat isn’t around, he’s great. And the spraying stopped about halfway through his second day. But we just tried a to have the two of them in the living room and new cat went straight after current cat and we had to beak them up. I think we found they both don’t really like sharing a space 

You can use a cat cage for your new members, which will make it easier for other members to accept. Cat cage training is a good way.