HELP! Second cat is not getting along with old cat.

My brother and his wife just had a baby and asked me to take care of their 5 year old male cat for a few days. We have a 10 year old female cat that she got from the shelter. We were hoping that they would get along but it has been anything but friendly.

Right now I have male cat locked in a seperate room with all his stuff. They both seem depressed and very upset.

What should I do?

cats rarely get along from the get-go. you're doing the right thing, keeping them separated. depending on how long the new cat will be there you might try some things like switching out cats and spaces, so they can get used to each others' scent without actually running into each other, and supervised visits (short at first, longer later). you can get feliway spray at petco, it can help in these territorial disputes

Lots of people try the "keep them separated" route. I do the opposite, but supervise to make sure nobody gets hurt and make sure you give each one of them lots of extra attention individually

if it's just for a few days, there's probably not much point worrying about it. cats do eventually get used to each other, but a few days is a mighty speedy transition for them. as far as separating them or not, just do whichever one leads to a quieter household. the cats aren't going to love this experience no matter what, but you might as well get some sleep.

i'd err on the side of keeping your own cat happy, since the visiting cat will be happy when it gets home, and you don't need your cat resentful for all time.

This is normal cat behavior!

If they are going to be together for a long time, you can try putting tuna juice on them. This never worked much for me. Usually you just have to give them time to get used to each other.

filmlover44 wrote:

If they are going to be together for a long time, you can try putting tuna juice on them. This never worked much for me.

Not surprised. They'll lick it off themselves, not each other.

If you are going to be having both cats for a while the suggestion to keep them separated in the beginning is the correct approach, also I have had great results with the feliway spray and the plug in difuser. Keep in mind some cats will NEVER get along with other cats and may always fight or will learn to co-exist. The introduction process for cats is a very slow one and can take sometimes a few weeks or longer. Be patient with them and make them both comfortable in each area, the less stressed they are the easier the introductin can be. Another trick is when you pet one let the other one smell your hand or clothing, this is a great way to slowly get them used to the scents before you swap areas.

Pick up a copy of "Cat Vs. Cat". It's a great resource book for this kind of thing.