Hi! We adopted a 1 yr old cat that had lived in squaller conditions and almost died from giardia. We were told she lived with 5 other cats. We did a slow introduction to our 2 other cats, 5yr old female and 12yr old male. She went right after my 12yr old cat and he ran and it turned into a fight. Now we cannot let her out of my den where we put a door and some wire fencing unless we put the other two in my bedroom. She has got out and goes right after him. He is not a fighter but very sweet. She charges the gate if my 12yr old male walk by. We have tried so many things but nothing has worked. She doesn't bother the other female since that girl takes no nonsense from her. Should I give up? She is totally in love with me and cries for me. She can see us from the den but wants to be where I am.
Hi NormaJean!
My name is shannen, and I'm a feline behaviorist! I can definetley help with some of the issues you've been experincing.
First, it would be incredibly important to make sure you rule out any health issues with your veterinarian first. Health issues can absolutely cause aggression in cats, so this will be a key first step!
Assuming everything is taken care of health wise,how long have you been keeping them seperated for? This can sometimes take a couple of months before the cats start to become more comfortable with each other, so if you're still in the begining stages, keep up the good work and give it some more time. But, you must ensure that the cats stay fully seperated and they arent given the oppurtunity to move forward until they're completely ready.
It may require more evaluation to determine the type of aggression you're experiencing, but to my best guess, it could be fear aggression.
is she motivated by treats?
