You are doing good. Keep it doing, but try them keep occupied when they see each other. Treats / play. Don't let them focus on themselves. You might try to play with one cat then let the other one in. And occupy it with another toy / fishing rod.
Keep these sessions short, and always end on high note. Instantly step in and separate in signs of aggression / hissing /growling. Give treats and pet them in their rooms. Continue making good associations.
When you feed them give them bowls slightly close to door / separate with cardboard and for shot time lift it up... Let them see each other while eating - higher chance of associating each other with good food.
Jackson Galaxy has great "how to" on this issue and he greatly explains the whole feeding / cardboard thing
Thanks a lot ! I’ve been trying to play with them when they see eachother but they seem to be more interested in eachother than any toy. I did give them a treat while they were side by side and they had no issues.
I’m trying to go super slow so that it doesn’t turn south real quick. Also bought an enclosed playpen to see how they would do with seeing eachother (with one cat in the playpen and the other outside of it).
I’m praying this goes well and they end up best buddies.
Good luck. Males are slightly easier going. Got 3 females, first two got to the point of beeing "roommates" in like 2 months. No aggression, no love, very light play / chasing. Still kinda stuck at this point, not complaining tbh. Slightly better after 3 years.
Got new female 3 months ago and gets along with the playful one, but still kinda don't like the second one. but at least they started to respect and ignore each other.
I have an update ! I bought an enclosed playpen and let them meet eachother like that. Every 20 mins I swapped them around. Eventually we let them interact with no barriers but made sure we supervised them in case their body language got tense. They playfully chased eachother around for about an hour and then we separated them again for the night. This morning I let them out together again and they played for hours. I even fed them together with no barrier. They don’t hate eachother but they don’t 100% love eachother… yet I found them laying on the floor a foot apart. I think they will be best buddies.
https://preview.redd.it/zuymp6jg6gkc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58dcb16dc05630f4ccafab1d7567defec1384f90
I'm so happy! Mainly the laying part. That means they accepted each other in space and don't try to force other one from their personal space / territory .
Keep going slowly, but i have a feeling that in no time, they will be unhappy / meowing when you separate them.
If chasing is from both sides it's great sign too.
I'm really happy because I see where this is going and how i felt when i successfully introduced my cats :) My tip is no more than 1 week till you will leave them unsupervised.
Sorry for not being very helpful but to me you seem like you're doing a great job! They don't seem necessarily hateful to each other in this vid, maybe just playing around a bit, so it's probably normal. With time they will surely like each other :) good luck!
Sounds about right. No airplane ears, no growling or hissing. The tuxedo one even stops for a second for some grooming. They may not yet like each other, but they don't appear to hate each each other either. Looks like setting boundaries and testing each other to see where they stand.
Cats really love to reach through and under doors to bat at what's on the other side. By keeping the door cracked, you are encouraging them a little bit.
The situation they're in, they both know that the other cat cannot get to them, so it's safe to act tough. It's kind of like a human talking trash online. :)
I'd try opening the door wider, but be ready to close it again. If they know that they can actually reach each other, they may be less aggressive.
Yep.
You are doing good. Keep it doing, but try them keep occupied when they see each other. Treats / play. Don't let them focus on themselves. You might try to play with one cat then let the other one in. And occupy it with another toy / fishing rod. Keep these sessions short, and always end on high note. Instantly step in and separate in signs of aggression / hissing /growling. Give treats and pet them in their rooms. Continue making good associations. When you feed them give them bowls slightly close to door / separate with cardboard and for shot time lift it up... Let them see each other while eating - higher chance of associating each other with good food. Jackson Galaxy has great "how to" on this issue and he greatly explains the whole feeding / cardboard thing
Thanks a lot ! I’ve been trying to play with them when they see eachother but they seem to be more interested in eachother than any toy. I did give them a treat while they were side by side and they had no issues. I’m trying to go super slow so that it doesn’t turn south real quick. Also bought an enclosed playpen to see how they would do with seeing eachother (with one cat in the playpen and the other outside of it). I’m praying this goes well and they end up best buddies.
Good luck. Males are slightly easier going. Got 3 females, first two got to the point of beeing "roommates" in like 2 months. No aggression, no love, very light play / chasing. Still kinda stuck at this point, not complaining tbh. Slightly better after 3 years. Got new female 3 months ago and gets along with the playful one, but still kinda don't like the second one. but at least they started to respect and ignore each other.
I have an update ! I bought an enclosed playpen and let them meet eachother like that. Every 20 mins I swapped them around. Eventually we let them interact with no barriers but made sure we supervised them in case their body language got tense. They playfully chased eachother around for about an hour and then we separated them again for the night. This morning I let them out together again and they played for hours. I even fed them together with no barrier. They don’t hate eachother but they don’t 100% love eachother… yet I found them laying on the floor a foot apart. I think they will be best buddies. https://preview.redd.it/zuymp6jg6gkc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58dcb16dc05630f4ccafab1d7567defec1384f90
I'm so happy! Mainly the laying part. That means they accepted each other in space and don't try to force other one from their personal space / territory . Keep going slowly, but i have a feeling that in no time, they will be unhappy / meowing when you separate them. If chasing is from both sides it's great sign too. I'm really happy because I see where this is going and how i felt when i successfully introduced my cats :) My tip is no more than 1 week till you will leave them unsupervised.
Sorry for not being very helpful but to me you seem like you're doing a great job! They don't seem necessarily hateful to each other in this vid, maybe just playing around a bit, so it's probably normal. With time they will surely like each other :) good luck!
Sounds about right. No airplane ears, no growling or hissing. The tuxedo one even stops for a second for some grooming. They may not yet like each other, but they don't appear to hate each each other either. Looks like setting boundaries and testing each other to see where they stand.
Yes, that’s normal. The cats will bat at each other to establish dominance, set boundaries, and play.
Cats really love to reach through and under doors to bat at what's on the other side. By keeping the door cracked, you are encouraging them a little bit. The situation they're in, they both know that the other cat cannot get to them, so it's safe to act tough. It's kind of like a human talking trash online. :) I'd try opening the door wider, but be ready to close it again. If they know that they can actually reach each other, they may be less aggressive.