Dear Miss Behavin’: I just adopted a new cat a few days ago, and my older female cat keeps hissing and growling at him. How can I help them to get along better?
Reply: It’s quite understandable that your older female cat might be a little peeved that there is a new animal in the home.
If you recently adopted the cat a few days ago, it might be that your female cat is requiring a little more time to adjust to her new roomate. Try keeping them separate for the first few weeks, preferably behind a baby gate or x-pen or even seclude the new cat in his own room.
The next steps in the introduction are crucial to take slowly and may benefit from reevaluating whether you need to go back a few steps in the process. Try to give your female cat a day or two to decompress from the stress of the initial introduction. This might help with making the next few steps easier. Once your female cat is no longer hissing or growling, let her explore just outside where the new cat is secluded. You can try feeding both cats a few treats or enticing wet food, with a door or baby gate between them. That gets them yummy rewards in each other’s presence, without having to feel intimidated.
Then try swapping some of their toys, bedding, or even wipe a small towel along their back to capture their scent; helping the cats to identify the other cat by smell, again without feeling threatened by their presence. If both cats seem comfortable then try opening the bedroom door slightly and let them paw at each other, or through the baby gate, incorporating their sense of touch. Once their feelings are amicable, swap each cat and let them explore each other’s resting areas for some time. The slower the introduction, the more likely the two cats will be forever friends instead of enemies.