My girlfriend works at a vet clinic, and a cat that has been there for a few months (Pekoe) needed a home, so i said i would foster her for the week and see how she got along with my other cat (Zeus). Both are fixed females, and they are both roughly a year old.

Now, backstory on Zeus: she is insanely energetic, very badly behaved, and doesn't like being held. she's not mean, she just does lots of things she knows she isn't supposed to.

Pekoe is a gentle, calm, loving kitty who got along with all the other animals at the clinic.

my fear was that Zeus would tear Pekoe to pieces, but the exact opposite happened. Suddenly, Zeus is very calm, cuddly, and very curious about Pekoe, and wants to sniff her and get to know her. Pekoe, on the other hand, will outright attack Zeus if she gets within a few feet. They can't even be in the same room or Pekoe will growl herself silly, and if they make eye contact Pekoe hisses at Zeus.

I am utterly confused by this behavior, given their behaviors before they met each other. i definitely don't think it's a territory thing, because my apartment is obviously Zeus's turf, but she is welcoming, whereas Pekoe is freaking out.

i don't know what to do! they've been in separate rooms for two days, with the occasional attempt made by me to acquaint them, and Pekoe still wants to tear Zeus's head off as soon as she comes near, even though she's not being invasive at all.

any recommendations? or perhaps explanations why Pekoe is freaking out and Zeus isn't?

 

It is a dominance thing. Let them be and they will slowly come together.

 

What you need to do is put the new kitty in an isolated room - like a spare room or bathroom (with an extra food and water bowl) - and then let Zeus and new kitty interact through the bottom crack of the door. Do this for a few days and once in a while open the door and see how they get along. It'll take time, but they just need to adjust to each other!

 

This is the same suggestion I was going to make. keep them separated and slowly, week by week, introduce one to the other gradually. Monitor as much of the interaction as you can so you can curb dominance issues.

 

Yep, some cats just hate each other. Eventually after a few fights, they'll come to an understanding.

 

the issue is that my roomate didnt want another cat because Zeus is such a handful, but he's away until saturday i think, and i was hoping to show him that two cats wouldn't be a disaster. so basically, if Pekoe doesn't smarten up in two days, she's going back to the clinic.

 

Yeah I am having the same trouble with my cuddly Chloe. At least thats how she was until we brought Trinket home. So now Chloe is down in Va. for another month or so. Introducing new kittehs can be tough.

 

Get an axe.

 

I got a new cat a while ago and she actually made my old, old, very old cat a lot more social. After ten years, she dared to come out from under the bed. So, we really didn't have a problem with them, it was just awkward for a few weeks. Both of mine are fixed females too.

 

lawlz

 

This happened with ours for a couple of months. The older cat would growl whenever the other cat was in the room. In the end, they got along great. It's just a matter of Pekoe getting over her insecurities. One day you'll walk in and they'll be sitting next to each other like the best of friends.

 

If things start heading south...

 

Like everybody said already, it takes time. Go slow with them. Things will work out.

 

I read about that somewhere before and thought it was a neat idea.

 

odd i think out of the many cats( I live in the desert and they where outdoor cats) ive had think ive only had once that two of my cats didnt get along

I have a 2yr old male and 3 month old kitten male they get along besides the occasional rough housing but besides that there calm and loving odd the things animals do in the animal world

I would go with the separation one has to establish dominance once that happen they should be ok but females can be little catty at time

good luck

 

When one cat attack the other, shoot it with a water gun. Guns solves problems.

 

And if the separation thing doesn't work it's time for a fight to the death, cat style.

 

There's also a product called Feliway (Home - Feliway) which mimics natural cat pheremones, and having the cats smell familiar to eachother is something I've heard helping them get along initially. It might be worth considering.

 

It is! I fostered kittens and adult cats for quite a long time, it's always worked. It just takes some separation and getting used to through a peaceful barrier (aka a door) so they can sniff each other and accept each other.