Cat advice needed (long)

[indysteel]

DH and I decided a number of weeks ago to adopt a stray that we'd otherwise been caring for outside. She's a one year old spayed female. We have two other cats, Henry (12) and Izzy (2). We have tried to follow the conventional advice when it comes to introducing a new cat. At first, the new cat, Matilda, was housed in one of our basement rooms. Henry and Izzy new "something" was there and they sniffed us a lot after our visits with Matilda. From there, we allowed the cats to see one another a number of times through a screen door. Those interactions mostly went okay with a minimum of hissing and growling. Frankly, neither Henry nor Matilda were all that interested. Izzy was the only one of the three who seemed obsessed with the Matilda's presence.

From there, we allowed some supervised visits. At first, it didn't go all that badly because Izzy was too nervous to get all that close. Mostly, Matilda just played while Izzy hung out in the corner of the room. But when she finally got some nerve up, it rapidly went downhill. She lunges/chases/attacks at Matilda every chance she gets. We've intervened rather quickly thanks to a water bottle, so nothing has gotten out of hand, but it's still scary.

At that point in the process, Matilda had to undergo dental surgery as she's chipped a tooth on something and it had to be extracted. We kept her in an upstairs bedroom and stopped the daily visits because I didn't want to risk a fight. In the meantime, we got two Feliway diffusers for the main area of the house. One has been going for almost a week, the other for just a couple of days. So far, Izzy seems no different, and she charged at Matilda yesterday again.

I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I've never really had a difficult cat integration before so while I've been a multiple cat owner for a long time, this is the first really difficult introduction I've had to navigate. It's made all the more stressful because we otherwise have no takers for Matilda, and we've grown to really love her since she first showed up in April.

If anybody has any suggestions or words of wisdom, I'd really appreciate them. I know, sadly, that there's a chance that our home is just not the best place for her. I don't know where that leaves us though.

[Veronica]

More time.

How do you know Izzie is not trying to play with Matilda? My cat Cassie has this blood curdling cry when she wants to beat up on Tucker. But she really is just playing.

Veronica

[indysteel]

More time.

How do you know Izzie is not trying to play with Matilda? My cat Cassie has this blood curdling cry when she wants to beat up on Tucker. But she really is just playing.

Veronica

I'm used to Izzy's body language and vocalizations when she "attacks" Henry during play. This is very different and seemingly quite aggressive. Even if it's not intended such, Matilda is reacting to it aggressively herself.

But I agree that more time is needed. I just don't know what baby steps to take during that time. As it stands right now, we take Matilda downstairs and let her sit on the couch with us. If we let her down onto the floor, it takes only a minute or two for an attack to ensue.

[Veronica]

I hope someone chimes in with some good advice for you. I know how much you care about your fur babies. I've been lucky in how all my pets have adapted to each other - even my "rotten" Rottweiler who just seemed to understand that the bedroom was for cats only, unless there was a thunderstorm.

Veronica

[indysteel]

I hope someone chimes in with some good advice for you. I know how much you care about your fur babies. I've been lucky in how all my pets have adapted to each other - even my "rotten" Rottweiler who just seemed to understand that the bedroom was for cats only, unless there was a thunderstorm.

Veronica

Thanks, V. I sure do care about my fur babies. I never really wanted kids, but my cats provide an outlet for my maternal side. Plus, they're just so darn entertaining. Our house wouldn't be the same without them.

I just wish Izzy could channel the now-departed Sophie. She was so mellow when it came to other animals. She and Henry were best buddies, and I think he and Matilda could be friends if we could just get Izzy to simmer down.

[Veronica]

I am digging being on summer vacation because I can watch my two. Tucker chooses the oddest places to sleep - front paws in one of Thom's slippers? Cassie likes my pillow. They follow me around when they're not napping. Plus I'm getting some quality time with the "ferals". The Curlies and Gray Kitty do like their petting.

Hopefully, Izzie and Matilda will work it out. Maybe they just need to have a good spat.

Veronica