Our cat is attacking our new kitty!

[katladyd]

My boyfriend and I have three cats, two live at my apartment and one lives at his house. Buddy, Tony's cat, was given to him on his last birthday by me after we lost our 21-year-old cat to kidney failure.
Well, Buddy is turning into a very agressive cat. He has been fixed, so it's ot that, it's just that he can be, well, vicious at times. Last night, when I wouldn't give him some of my ham, he leapt at me and actually clawed me from behind!
As if this wasn't enough, Tony rescued a real cute little girl kitty from the Humane Society today. She had a micro chip and they called her owners three times, but they never called back. My boyfriend fell in love with her, she's a greyish tabby that is a total love bug! But here's the problem. Buddy attacked her when they were introduced. He didn't hiss and start a fight, he ATTACKED her! He even attacked Tony when he tried to break them up. Now she is in one of the bathrooms and seems content, so I'm not worried about her, I concerned about Buddy's attitude. We love him dearly and want to make this work, but this is the worst case of cat aggression I have ever witnessed. We need to get Buddy settled down, but the question is, how? Tony said he is going to talk to his vet, but I respect the people here and so I am asking, "Does anyone have any ideas on how to settle this overly aggressive cat down?"

[Freedom]

Introducing a new cat / kitten into an established household takes time. I done it in as short as 4 days, as long as 4.5 weeks. You need to go slowly.


Do NOT worry you can still work on things.

1. Be realistic. You can NOT make the cats best buddies. You CAN insist they live together with no fights. Set your sights properly and you won't be disappointed.

2. The cats will work out a hierarchy themselves. One WILL be dominant and it may not be the one you think or want to be dominant. Let them work it out. Keep a squirt bottle of water handy and interfere in any fights which get out of hand. Tussles, hissing, snarling are all normal as they scope each other out.

3. Start by keeping them separated -- different bedrooms with the door closed. This means you need water and litter box in each place. Do NOT let them be together unsupervised until you are comfortable they tolerate each other.

4. Let one out to be with you; return it to it's room and let other one out. Each needs time to get used to the other's scent. Let them sniff each other at the door bottom. After a day or so, swap their beds to they get each other's scent "in the face" so to speak.

5. I have 11 cats. I have introduced kittens and adults to cats living here. T So be patient and do NOT force them on each other. Let them progress at their own pace.

6. When you feed them, feed cat 1 first. When you pet them, pet cat 1 first. When you talk to them ALWAYS say cat's name to they get used to hearing the other cat's name.

7. Remember, cat 2 has to also learn the new home, sights, scents, routines, and adapt to YOU.

It CAN be done. There are MANY multiple cat homes. Just let things work slowly, and you will be happily listening to purrs in stereo in no time!

[katladyd]

Thank you very much for your response, Freedom. I have my two cats living in my apartment, and believe me, it took some time before my orangey and Siamese boys didn't want to fight each other! It took close to six weeks, but now they sleep right next to each other happily. I know it can be done, but this is different! I thought Buddy was going to kill her! He is a very aggressive cat, anyways. He will attack us with his claws when he doesn't get his way. We discipline him and he is slowly getting better, but this was just a vicious attack on another cat. We are doing as you have suggested and hoping for the best. Thank you again for your response!

[Coda'sMommy]

I'm so sorry to hear that Buddy is so aggressive. I hope things work out for you and I wish I had some advice for you, but unfortunately I've never had an aggressive cat like him in my life. Again, I really hope things work out.

[GILL]

I agree with FREEDOM, We have had intro's as fast as just a couple of minutes and others seem to go on for ever.
Example:
Precious hissed at every body and no one bothered her, now she's fine.
Penny got along with every one
Bailey after 2 years has made peace with every one except Chessie, these two will hiss and fight every chance they get.
We keep squirt bottles all over the house, I am no more than an arms length from one at any time. They all know that I yell once then some one is going to be wet.
I have been known to chase down an offender, none like that. They know that some one is in big trouble.
So it takes time but for the most part things usually settle down.
Good luck and have a little patience

[katladyd]

We are keeping them seperated for now. They take turns being out and about in the house while the other is locked in the bedroom. Last night, Buddy was sitting by the door of the bedroom, trying to hear her or see her through the crack under the door. Maybe he is starting to get curious about her. We are going to put her in a large, plastic, cat carrier this weekend and put her in the living room. Buddy has to get used to her because we told him than neither of them are going anywhere. We love them both. Yeah, we do have a squirt bottle for him, anyways. He is slowly learning that he can't bite or scratch anyone or anything. He is just 10 months old, so there is hope. He is fixed, so that isn't the problem. I guess he is just an agressive cat. She, on the other hand, is a love bug and can think of nothing better than being in your arms. What do you call a cat who is a mixture of Grey Tabby and Tortoise Shell in color? We call it a Torby. Her name is Mau Mau because she is so vocal and sweet.

[katladyd]

We put the little girl out in the cat carrier and put her in the living room. Buddy was in no way aggressive this time! He walked around the carrier and sniffed her, they both trilled to each other and touched paws through the bars. It was such a change in attitude! They are in the living room now, she's in the cat carrier and he's still trilling and being very curious and friendly. I guess our next move would be to let her out of the carrier in the next day or so and see what happens. Any ideas anyone?

[Medusa]

I can't really improve on what anyone here has already said but I do want to add that in no way leave them alone together until much time has passed and you see that they're friends or that they'll at least tolerate each other. My RB Peeka hated my Pidge for years. Yours is just a kitten and can't really defend itself against a full grown cat. It sounds as though things will work out more quickly than you think, though, judging from your last post but you can never be too careful in this type of situation. Good luck and I do hope that things will calm down for you right away. :)

[Killer Kitten]

You can also try spiking their drinking water with some Rescue Remedy. It's available in health food stores.

Just four drops in a smallish water bowl, more if the bowl is bigger. It's a natural remedy and very safe, I've even used it on liver shunt cats with no problems.

[katladyd]

Medusa, we would never leave them alone together for quite some time, that is unthinkable! We've introduced new cats to each other before, but Buddy's visciousness was on another level! I do think you have a point about a kitten defending itself against a grown cat, I introduced my Siamese to my Orangey when Ming was just a kitten, and I did not leave them alone for a good two months. In this instance, Buddy is the kitten and Mau Mau is six years old and half his size, but I have considered the fact that once she is out of the cat carrier, she could be the aggressive one. We will wait and see. It was good to see them interact with no hissing or aggression, though.

[katladyd]

Our babies are now sharing the house! No fights, no puffed tails, nada. Freedom, you are correct once more. We decided to let them work it out, and the little girl, Mau Mau, is Alpha Cat. She is all of 7 pounds and Buddy weighs about 15, yet she can back him into a corner with just a look! He follows her around and lets her set the pace, it's so funny. He wants to play with her very badly and she just gives him this annoyed look. We are still not letting them be alone together when we are not home, not yet. But they seem to be sharing the house very nicely. I want to thank all of you for your advice! You have helped us make this transition very painlessly.:)