Integrating cats in a non miserable fashion
September 3, 2020 7:55 AM Subscribe
The cat in this post has been neutered and is now residing in a spare room in our house. He is unhappy and I don't blame him. But we need some plan for integrating him with our other two (male, neutered) cats. Help?
The new cat has been a free roaming stray in our neighborhood for several years. He is an abandoned former pet and not feral. The goal is to not necessarily make him into a house cat, but to teach him that our house is home base and he can come here when it's freezing cold out.
Right now, though, the weather is really nice and he's been confined since Saturday, first at the vet and then in the room after we brought him home Monday. He wants out. Last night he got very stressed and peed outside the box. We have a feliway plug in which seems to help. We try to play with him, which he's not interested in. We have the window open, which he enjoys.
The reason we're not just letting him back outside right away is that his mouth is a disaster and he needs to go back in a few weeks for several extractions. He's also fiv positive, if that matters. And, as stated above, we'd like for him to stay long enough to make this his home base.
We've been scent swapping. Today I'd like to let the cats trade places and explore rooms without coming face to face. I'd like to introduce everyone for a few minutes to hours on Saturday so the new cat at least has more space and something to occupy his mind.
My spouse thinks this is too soon. The vet told him new cat would have testosterone circulating for at least a week after his surgery, so spouse wants to wait at least till Monday before changing anything. I'm trying to factor in the new cat's mental health. By confining him are we going to make him not want to come back?
I should also mention that one of our existing cats is chill and sweet; the other one, though, is a different story.
I realize there are no perfect solutions here, but I'd love to hear from people who have had similar situations, particularly with recently neutered male cats. How soon is too soon to integrate him? How do we train him to associate us with happiness rather than making him feel like he's in prison? Any good ways to make the transition to letting him outdoors while ensuring he wants to return?
I've integrated cats before but this situation is new and unfun. Any advice would be appreciated!
The new cat has been a free roaming stray in our neighborhood for several years. He is an abandoned former pet and not feral. The goal is to not necessarily make him into a house cat, but to teach him that our house is home base and he can come here when it's freezing cold out.
Right now, though, the weather is really nice and he's been confined since Saturday, first at the vet and then in the room after we brought him home Monday. He wants out. Last night he got very stressed and peed outside the box. We have a feliway plug in which seems to help. We try to play with him, which he's not interested in. We have the window open, which he enjoys.
The reason we're not just letting him back outside right away is that his mouth is a disaster and he needs to go back in a few weeks for several extractions. He's also fiv positive, if that matters. And, as stated above, we'd like for him to stay long enough to make this his home base.
We've been scent swapping. Today I'd like to let the cats trade places and explore rooms without coming face to face. I'd like to introduce everyone for a few minutes to hours on Saturday so the new cat at least has more space and something to occupy his mind.
My spouse thinks this is too soon. The vet told him new cat would have testosterone circulating for at least a week after his surgery, so spouse wants to wait at least till Monday before changing anything. I'm trying to factor in the new cat's mental health. By confining him are we going to make him not want to come back?
I should also mention that one of our existing cats is chill and sweet; the other one, though, is a different story.
I realize there are no perfect solutions here, but I'd love to hear from people who have had similar situations, particularly with recently neutered male cats. How soon is too soon to integrate him? How do we train him to associate us with happiness rather than making him feel like he's in prison? Any good ways to make the transition to letting him outdoors while ensuring he wants to return?
I've integrated cats before but this situation is new and unfun. Any advice would be appreciated!
Are there things in the spare bedroom for enrichment? Cat tree, toys, etc. Oddly, in addition to the scent swapping, you can take some of his poops and put it in the other cats' litter box, and take some of their poops and put that in his litter box. This seemed to work like magic when one of my roommates brought a new cat into the house.
There is also cat attract cat litter to get the cat to go in the box. And calming treats to ease his nerves.
Thanks for taking care of him and taking him in.
posted by poppunkcat at 8:23 AM on September 3, 2020
There is also cat attract cat litter to get the cat to go in the box. And calming treats to ease his nerves.
Thanks for taking care of him and taking him in.
posted by poppunkcat at 8:23 AM on September 3, 2020
Are you playing with him? In my experience, nothing makes a cat happier or more quickly a fan of you than frequent fun sessions of chase-the-prey on the floor. If he accidentally nips your hand (he shouldn't), squeak loudly and stop playing (never swat him or intimidate him).
A shoelace is a really good toy for this. Don't make him leap up or stretch up for it, just drag it quickly on the ground.
Going through the first bits of "Clicker Training for Cats" will make him surprisingly happy, too, especially if he likes treats. The whole thing is essentially fancy ways of giving him treats while giving him a sense of control and communication. He will probably seriously adore the process.
posted by amtho at 8:25 AM on September 3, 2020
A shoelace is a really good toy for this. Don't make him leap up or stretch up for it, just drag it quickly on the ground.
Going through the first bits of "Clicker Training for Cats" will make him surprisingly happy, too, especially if he likes treats. The whole thing is essentially fancy ways of giving him treats while giving him a sense of control and communication. He will probably seriously adore the process.
posted by amtho at 8:25 AM on September 3, 2020
Maybe an outdoor cat enclosure so he can spend some monitored time outside?
posted by Anonymouse1618 at 9:06 AM on September 3, 2020
posted by Anonymouse1618 at 9:06 AM on September 3, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks everybody. Treats are a good idea: our own cats are not treat motivated so hadn't thought of that. We have tried playing with a multitude of toys; he is not interested. We have an outdoor enclosure that is the main getaway for our hyper cat; at times when the new cat was still a stray he and our cat would lay on either side of the enclosure, which is maybe hopeful?
posted by cat friend at 9:13 AM on September 3, 2020
posted by cat friend at 9:13 AM on September 3, 2020
If his teeth are hurting he may not be able to be in a great mood.
posted by emjaybee at 8:45 PM on September 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by emjaybee at 8:45 PM on September 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have seen great results with pheromone collars, and they specifically advertise as useful for adjusting to new homes.
posted by aniola at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2020
posted by aniola at 1:11 PM on September 5, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cat friend at 8:03 AM on September 3, 2020