Quote Originally Posted by Zac and Zoe's Mum
I want them both to feel loved and secure, and I really want Zoe to stop hissing at poor Snowy!
Congratulations on your new addition, and taking in a rescue kitty!

I bet you KNOW how to make them feel loved and secure. Just feed them, snuggle, pet, brush, chin rubs, all that wonderful stuff which goes along with owning a kitty.

When they both feel loved and secure, they will know they live in harmony together.

What you can NOT do is make them be best friends, or buddies. That is up to them.

Zoe's hissing at him can last from 3 days to 3 weeks. It takes each cat in their own time to adjust to a new arrival. They also need to set heirarchy, and leadership roles. Generally, cats in a wild colony live in a matriarchal society, so Zoe is making it clear to him that SHE is the queen of this little colony!

Providing quiet time for each cat, places they can go without the other one in the face, that is all a wonderful way to introduce them. Don't force them in each other's face, let them reach that all on their own. And Snow has SO much to adapt to just now, not "just" Zoe, but new humans, new home, new foods, sights, smells and routines. Not a surprise that sometimes he jsut wants to hide under the bed and get some rest! It can be overwhleming to them initially. He is young and will get acclimated quite quickly.

You may want to keep a water squirt bottle handy. At some point, depending on Snow's personality, he may challenge her a bit. As long as they are just hissing, no need for you to intervene. And even a tussle won't need interrupting, they need to work things out between them. Only stop them if it is getting too serious.

Sit back and watch the fun of these 2 personalities interacting!