For anyone going through this- don't give up!! it took my two cats 6 months for us to finally be able to leave them alone together without fear of them injuring each other. they went from enemies to lovers! it can be done
Thank you so much for this. We’re now at 5 weeks and not making any further progress despite doing everything by the book. They can just about tolerate each other behind a mesh screen but if anyone gets too close they’re screaming and trying to attack each other. Maybe it’s worse because we’re trying to introduce the new cat to 2 residents. So stressful and exhausting but you’ve given me hope.
Thank you. I'm on day 5. It is exhausting trying to be the peacemaker and entertainer. I feel like a single Mom between the both of them. No one has been injured, yet it's a lot of work to do it right. Hoping for better results soon! I was thinking of giving the 2nd new kitten up for adoption if it doesn't improve within the next 2 weeks.
I fostered a momma who birthed 5 kittens in a small bedroom. Kittens just got adopted over Thanksgiving. Talk about empty nest. I miss those little buggers. Now I have to intro momma with my 3 resident cats.
@@Jason.cbr1000rr Hi Jason. It's slow going cause my momma cat gets nervous but she wants to interact. One of my resident cats is a tortoise shell and gets very upset when they see each other. They have all seen eachother and smelled each others areas. It will work out eventually.
Hooray! I have a girl who looks very similar to Ash! She was born feral outside but we trapped her and tamed her as an older kitten and now she’s soooo sweet:)
I REALLY appreciate your videos and insights. I’m a 40 yo combat veteran who recently became a cat dad because the hurricane left some kittens homeless. I thought everything was going wrong until I found you! My new babies are doing wonderful and I’m currently working on a “catio” for Butters and Ricky!
I want to offer hope for those struggling with this. I was here 5 months ago in absolute despair. My resident cat turned into a fighting monster when I brought a kitten home, & I seriously feared having to re-home my kitten. I followed the advice here, really focusing on body language. It went from behind a closed door, to a gate, to very short supervised interaction w/o a gate, to being unsupervised. There was one room that my resident cat was extra possessive of, so I had to go even slower there. But after 5 months, they get along well! They play a lot, & I feel safe leaving them alone. It helped most to remember to take it at my cat’s speed, not my own, & to celebrate even tiny victories in the process.
We are one month in. My partner and I just moved in together therefore, so did our cats. Because I work from home I feel like I’m in the thick of it 24/7. All I want is a forum from people like you that just give reassurance and support ❤ thank you
I'm going into 5 months with 2 failed re-introductions and getting more desperate by the month... Hope you don't mind me asking... if they hiss and do the stare down with the screen door barrier, do we take a step back to no visible contact? Or try again the next day with the screen door barrier? TIA
Yes, and people need to remember that it takes time. It's worth it! My first cat wasn't thrilled when I got my 2nd at first but they got along pretty quickly. It really only took maybe 2 weeks...? They are best friends now. It's been a year of them being together. I just got a new kitten yesterday and my first cat is PISSED. I knew better but introduced him wrong anyway. He was very wiley and came running out of my arms and ran around EVERYWHERE lol. Of course my oldest cat was like, "the nerve!" My 2nd one just really wants to play. The oldest cat was very mad at both me and the 2nd cat. He felt betrayed that the other resident cat wasn't as pissed off about the intruder. The kitten hasn't been to his first vet visit yet so I am keeping him isolated for now until that happens and then we will inch more towards a full introduction.
@@asherqueenI know it's been a while since you posted this issue. What I found was that mine were horrible with the screen, hissing and striking. So I just started feeding them farther away, opened the screen and sat between them but so they could see each other, then slowly got that closer together. But when the new cat is in her room with the screen closed, I still block the visualization with a big piece of cardboard.
I bought 2 automatic litter boxes and kept one plain one. Three floors. The auto introduced me to crystal litter. OMG! It's wonderful! It lasts for at least a month, even with 2 cats, and there is NO smell in my house. I gave a bag to my housekeeper too, she said her aunt's house stinks with her 3 cats. Crystals, no problem. If I did it again I'd ONLY buy the crystal litter.
I usually just buy a plastic box in a color I like for ~5 bucks and that's perfectly fine for my cats. ~20 cm high, a good width and length and you're good to go. The cats prefer them to anything that is sold for cats (litter boxes with hoods, self cleaning bogus etc.) and cleaning them is way easier also as you don't need to open/deattach anything before scooping.
i get those clear plastic storage bins with lids for a few bucks. toss the lid, cut a u shaped slot on one end. and they work perfectly. nothing fancy needed.
Yep. My cats use a $10 large 26" x 20" black all purpose utility tub from the hardware store. It's wide and rectangular so it's easy for them to move in. It's height is low enough to easily step in and tall enough to keep litter in. A similar sized tub on Chewy is $70. No thanks.
I just went through a month of introducing 2 rescue kittens to my 3 adult cats. It is going better than I thought it would. I think it actually helped that the 2 kittens were just interested in playing with each other. My adults would watch them play and now the one kitten, who has such a pleasant/friendly personality is introducing himself to play with the adults. I only have 1 adult cat who avoids them but I'm sure she'll come around eventually.
She’ll either come around and love them or just learn to accept the fact that they’re here to stay and then she’ll proceed to ignore that they exist. If that’s the case it’s way better than having them go at each other’s throats all the time. Good luck!🍀
I had one of my cats for 3 years then moved into an apartment and he was home by himself all day so I decided to adopt another. I know Oliver (a year old at the time) was ok with other cats as he lived with another cat previously but wasn't sure about the new addition (Fagin, at the time) who was a stray before he was taken to the local shelter -they estimated his age as 5 years. I introduced them slowly. Separate rooms until they were aware of each other's presence and scent. Oliver was very curious. I let the Fagin roam the apartment while Oliver was put in the spare room for about 20 mins a couple of times each day to get used to his scent. After 4 days, they met face to face and got along right away. Best buds.
It took my two cats...about 1.5 - 2 months to be able to sit in the same room together without fighting. We followed all your steps, and didn't move on until we were confident both cats were ready. And it worked out fantastically. Now our cats are best friends. A year later, you would think they're litter mates. They cuddle constantly and are very in tune with each other while playing--taking turns, listening to body language, etc. It really is the best case scenario. There was a point where we would have settled for them just not trying to kill each other on sight. Moral of the story is: take your time. Really pay attention to the cats' challenge lines and don't push them. Be happy with very small amounts of progress each day/week.
I introduced our new kitten to our two resident cats (3yo and 5yo) about 4 months ago and followed all the steps. All 3 are able to be in the same room together without fighting and I even catch them grooming each other. However, the other cats will still hiss/growl and beat up the kitten when he tries to play. My resident cats are giving me mixed signals... I'm not sure if they like the kitten or hates him lol. Do you have any suggestions you can provide?
@@farzana3233 Well, I'm far from an expert, and I don't know the whole situation, but I will say a couple of things. 1.) Hissing and growling isn't always a bad thing. That's your cats having a dialogue. "Hey I want to play!" "*hiss* Nope. Not in the mood." "Oh okay nevermind then..." In time they should hopefully get more familiar with each others' body language, learn what each other are comfortable with, etc. Sometimes, growling is even part of the play. They like to pretend to hunt/fight each other. 2.) The only other thing I can think to impart is just always try to make sure that when your first two cats see this new kitten, it's always a positive experience. They always get a treat or something. Something my gf and I did with our two cats early on, was we would have them sit near each other, and as soon as we saw calm body language from both of them (muscles relax), we would click and treat. So they were literally getting a constant stream of treats just for sitting near each other and chilling. We would do this for 5-10 minutes, give them a "jackpot", and then send them back to their own rooms for the day. The idea was this gave them nothing but positive experience with each other, and they would be looking forward to seeing each other again because they know it's going to be a good time. So I don't know if your cats are at the point where theyre all roaming freely or if they're still in separate rooms mostly, but either way, I would say have a clicker ready, and whenever your cats look at each other and seem calm/indifferent, click and treat.
@@Ocarinist_Drew Thank you so much for the tips! All my cats now roam freely because I'm confident they won't hurt the kitten. The kitten loves my male cat (3yo) and is persistent to play and cuddle with him. They will also usually groom each other. The kitten will pounce on him, the resident cat will be annoyed and growl, but the kitten doesn't back down and keep going for more. They do this for a few minutes, then my resident cat gets annoyed and leaves. Is this play or fight?
@@farzana3233 Yeah that sounds like your kitten having a lot of kitten energy and not being fully aware when your other cats want to stop. That's when your older cats will hiss or growl as a way of saying "Okay I'm done. You're annoying me now." That's something I expect will get better over time. The good thing is it sounds like your cats ar every good at communicating and not just going right to violance. Sounds like a healthy relationship to me.
“Two is better than one. Three is better than two” This confirmation that I do need a third cat! I have two 4 year old cats and would love another in the near future 😻
When I first tried to introduce my cats the slow way, they were both very eager to meet (non-aggressively so) and my older cat Luna was over the MOON to have a kitten in her house. After 3 days of their nagging, I relented and went for a 5 minute meetup, and I was surprised it went so well, because I'd been prepared for a long-term battle lol. Sadly Luna passed away from cancer this year, so I've been thinking about getting another cat, and guessing it will probably not go as smoothly this time from all of these stories. But cats really arent solitary animals.
I went to stay with my parents for a while so we had to introduce the girl cats to my boy cat. My sister and I followed literally all the steps perfectly, when it came time for the the door to be cracked open at feeding time and my boy was doing great but the girls were not, my sister's cat pounced on him before we had it open 10 inches for 5 seconds we could not figure out what went wrong. My sister and I back tracked, but really couldn't think of what had happened they were eating on either side of the door with no fuss. The problem? My father was feeding the girls in secret because he didn't believe that what we were doing was going to work. Make sure if you are in a multi person house hold that everyone is playing by the rules
Even though I'm sure it wasn't what your dad was intending, he had created a self-fulfilling prophecy by sabotaging the process. I'm glad you guys were able to figure out what was going wrong and I hope that everyone was able to get along in the end.
Long story short (I'm Irish, this will not be short)...our neighbour got a 4 week old kitten, couldn't or didn't know how to look after him. My sister found him half dead in their garage, brought him around and reluctantly gave him back. We'd go outside to the bin at midnight and we'd find him outside hiding in the bush...we noticed he was semi feral. Contacted neighbour and they said they weren't there for a few days so they put out him out. We took him in unbeknownst to them. Here's were it gets good. We already have a 2 year old rescue female cat. Sad start for her too...thrown in a trash bin at 4 weeks and like him...didn't have siblings or mother for socialisation. First day he's there, she's following after him, hissing and attacking us if we pet her. Then our cat got fierce depressed. She worried me, so we knew he had to go, but he couldn't go back next door....they weren't there. So for the next few days the 2 cats were separated. He was in the sitting room with us during the day and in a bed room at night. After a few days they were reintroduced again. She still hissed at him if he came close, but she wasn't attacking us anymore. Rock on a week later and they're chasing each other around the house. They now sleep together and look for one another to play. Our neighbour has surrendered him to us as they realised they were unable to give him the care he needed. He's now a happy kitten. Vet reckons he's only 10 weeks old...so sad. He had blue eyes when he was given to the neighbours, so was extremely young.
I can't wait! As an aside, I recently convinced a friend to get two kittens instead of one. I listed all the reasons why and included all the work he'd have to do to keep a single cat active and happy and even then it he or she wouldn't enjoy all the health benefits a companion can provide Result: he brought home two little ones and bought one of your books. _THANK YOU SO MUCH_ for your guidance!
@@HumanOptimization There's more to the story. In a different case that would be a possibility but my friend just lost one of his three elderly cats. No matter the type or amount of gentle guidance and insight I attempted to provide, he was determined to fill the emptiness with a fresh start. Imho, it's a _:::terrible:::_ idea to bring a kitten's crazy young energy into a home that's settled but grief, naivety and lets be real, selfishness, can make an otherwise intelligent, rational person blind as a bat. I had to be content with the compromise he made. Could you imagine the chaos a kitten would create if she only had two old felines to spend time with? Can you imagine how miserable one or both of the elderly cat's last years would be? And poor kitten! She wouldn't understand why no one wanted to jump off the walls alongside her. Hopefully, they'll all get along if/when they negotiate territory and energy boundaries. I'm also hoping he does a deep dive into JG's book and the numerous other resources I've found to be beneficial in my own household. He has a LOT of feline family work ahead of him! No dogs allowed. 😋
@@Cookiekeks Your comment stood out so I'm returning to it for a sec. I'm a guardian to an only, too. I adopted her when she was three and now she's three and a half so it was recent. She grew up alone so I don't feel bad beyond the fact that she missed out during those essential bonding years. Starting fresh like my the friend I spoke about above, I would have done it differently. As it stands, I plan to expand my family in a couple years so (hopefully) she'll be able to spend the rest of her life in a happy brother/sister union. Meantime, we're building a very close, loving bond that is, I dare say, mutual and imho, providing a solid foundation is priority #1. Priority #2 or #3 is adding to a nourishing, healthy home. I betcha you're doing a great job. Your kitty doesn't know the difference right now but please consider a carefully chosen second and/or third animal so they can grow together the rest of their lives and if not, do the best you can to give him or her the best version of a feline life as possible. Everything we do for a fur baby counts. 💛🐱💛
Cats need more than a week to adjust . Imagine getting a new roommate that you didn’t know, didn’t vet, and all of a sudden he’s using your bathroom, sleeping in your bed and stealing time away from your boyfriend… Exactly… I always give new cats 2 weeks of smell adjustment.. that is, they are in a room by Themselves, but the other kitties can smell the new join. Then they get another week of visual.. if all goes well, we introduce the others one at a time with us managing mad minimizing the forced time together. I was able to introduce a kitty that the shelter said “can’t be with other cats”, but after 1 year, she now seeks out our other two kitties…
This is reassuring! I just took in a stray kitten less than a week ago and my first cat refuses to eat meals when he can see the kitten's room, although he will eat treats if I hand feed him and sit in between him and the door so he's focused on me and not the door. Swapping their toys/cat trees is going well, and he will play within sight of the kitten's room. I think I just need to give my first cat more time to get used to the idea that there is a new thing in the house.
@@nabihahossain7627 I use two baby gates to separate the kitties.. one on the bottom of a doorway and the other I turn upside down and place above it. So it’s like a tall baby gate door.. patience is key and don’t rush the relationship!!
I rescued a cat and after I brought her home my other male cat was SO MAD I couldn’t even look at him, he would hiss at me. I had to keep them separated for 3 months and thought it would never work out. Then I moved into a new apartment and after I did there were no more problems with them getting along. In fact, they’re now so bonded they’re like a married couple!!
One thing you can also do, to help the cats feel at ease, is to play a loop, of a cat purring. Cats purr, when they feel safe, and it’ll help them feel safe, around each other. I used that to tame my cat, who was a feral, when she was given to me. It took less than a day. I’m somewhat of a cat whisperer, myself, and I love using cat body language, with every cat I see, to let them know I love them 🥰🥰🥰
Have you tried any of Jackson’s products. I just ordered the bully solution and I hope it helps. I have 3 females and the last one that was added is a real bully. I have tried everything but so far my other 2 cats are afraid of her.
Hey Jay, I can relate to the difficulty of having your bedroom door be the barrier. You're trying to open the door as little as possible, tripping over a gate while trying to keep the cats from jumping it, etc. Just going to get your phone or handbag or whatever becomes a stressful ordeal. The resident cat resents their favorite territory being taken away, and the new cat just wants out of there.
Yes it's a big challenge. Hard to decide what to do though. I think in this case Feisty needs more play, I think that's the most important part. I'm also not sure how bothered the other cat is by her hunting attempts. A few hisses now and then is not the end of the world. As long they are not really stressed out we shouldn't worry too much. I don't think Feisty is hunting the whole day.
Yeah! It took four months of Jackson Galaxy magic, but our old cat and new kitty finally decided they are best buds instead of mortal enemies. I’m sure it took as long as it did because we kept trying to rush things. (Seriously hated having a screen door in the middle of our house, but yeah, it was necessary.) The cats roam the house looking for each other, zoom together, eat together, and they just fell asleep together. (Okay, not quite together, but on the same bed.) They are so much fun.
Cats have their own attitudes like us, some cats may never accept other cats but only tolerate them! I should know, I have six cats now! They don’t always like each other but they tolerate their presence I guess because of me. 🤔🤔🤔
@@melissabrown9179 I know what you mean, I started with one back on October 2016 now I have six! Plus the feral cats I feed and take care of…..It’s amazing how that happened! All my cats I rescued and didn’t want to see them back on the streets so I just took them in, and two just walked in my door and decided to stay! Lol…
when seeing the video, i thought this was my story… two cats, sometimes they get on ignoring one another and then out of nowhere my bengal mix attacks my little fluffy one. i took your advise and now after 2 hours of taking him for a walk, interactive playtime, him dragging his sniffing carpet through the house and licking food out of his kong for almost 20 min i have both cats for the first time in weeks sleeping in the same room next to one another. i am so happy i could cry. i have the feeling i finally found the missing piece. let’s hope it will continue like this! thank you so much jackson!
I had what I thought was a stray come up to me today and he was just the friendliest thing. Most of the cats in my neighborhood are feral, so it kinda surprised me. I ended up taking him to the shelter and both myself and the lady there were stoked when he had a chip! Turns out he had been adopted out of that shelter, so they had all his records. About 45 minutes later I get a call saying that the tearful reunion between family and pet would not be happening, and they didn't want him back. ... So now I've watched all your videos on cat introductions and have come to this one in order to learn how to introduce him to my cat the right way. That was his second adoption out of the shelter and I refuse to let there be a 3rd (other than to me, for forever).
Thank you for being his safe place and loving him. So many stories at the rescues and shelters about people who don't want their adopted animal kids. Sometimes, though, the animals are better off... as long as they have a safe place to go while they're waiting for a new, permanent home, like a GOOD shelter, or a rescue. And sometimes the people who act like such flakes when they bring their animals in are the same who had been "passionately in love" with the animal not too long before. It makes you so annoyed, so...beyond just frustrated, because there is no thought process that these people had ever entertained about the implications of adopting what is, basically, a dependent child. It was like they were shrugging off last month's boring boyfriend and finding the next distraction in their lives...a new direction...aaargh. Very different from people who had genuinely traumatic situations (forced to move and can't take the animals, elderly person goes to nursing home or dies, sudden severe pet allergies popping up in the home from a family member, etc.). Among others, I've happily loved senior animals who lost their loving anchor and happily given them their retirement homes...it was a privilege.
My daughter had a stray come to eat at her house for a few months. Stray saw the two inside cats and felt safe. Daughter took Stray to the vet who found her chip and contacted the elderly owner. Cat had snuck out 8 months before.
@@lorileewhitbord8260 i wish i was. it turned out he had severe cat aggression, to the point he would ignore food and toys if he heard the other cat. it ended with me having a breakdown after her very nearly killed my other cat. at least i was able to give the shelter the information that the original owners who dumped him outside mid winter decided they didnt want to provide. i did my best, i have the physical and emotional scars to prove it, but i still feel wretched i couldnt do more.
Not sure who needs to hear this essay but listen to every tip from Jackson and keep going! (I needed to hear that before!) We are now on week 7.. yup.. and ours are still separate when we’re not around to supervise them but we’ve made such incredible progress. Day 1 my 4 year old cat attacked me non-stop at just the smell of the adopted kitten in the house in our spare room.. she hid, refused to eat, attacked everyone, it was scary and I thought we’d ruined her life and she’d hate us forever, it was awful honestly but keep on going, each step took 1-2 weeks for us but we knew our older cat needed us to go at her pace and eventually she was ready for the next step (new kitten unfazed by anything, he’s amazing) but honestly sometimes we thought we’d never move past a certain step as she was so freaked out by him but suddenly she’d just adjust each time and now we’re here- they play together, they sleep next to each other, eat together- everything. They still occasionally play and get too rough and my older cat will hiss and get annoyed and the kitten won’t get the hint 😅 (hence why we don’t leave them alone together just yet as I sometimes have to step in to de-escalate and remove him for a short period) I’ve also found alone time with our resident cat helped her feel loved and not excluded and gives her time to rest too as he’s full on and she’s still adjusting.. Don’t give up!!! Adopting him was the best choice we ever made and he’s worth every minute of this very long but rewarding process!
Thank youuu!!! It’s so reassuring to hear this! Me and my bf brought home two little girls (3 months old) two weeks ago and my resident cat Yuki (8 yo) took it PERSONALLY BAD, the babies are separeted in the spare bedroom while Yuki can roam freely in the house and big balcony, we swap toys and do site swapping, eating meals together near the door without vision contact as well but boy she’s mad! She’s hissing at us, growling no stop and youling when she get to smell the babies odour. I’m quite demotivated because she was a complete lap cat, always stuck to me and super loving and now she’s so stressed that I can barely pet her. It’s gonna take a long long loooong time for her to adjust. Meanwhile the girls couldn’t care less about her noisy complaint 24/7 and just wanna play. Please can you give us an update?
@@mellabi2886 don’t worry, this was exactly our situation! ❤️ Morris (kitten) is 1 y/o next month and I can honestly say they are really good together now! They don’t cuddle or groom each other yet but they play, sniff, share food and toys, sleep next to each other on the sofa and are completely relaxed around one another. Bonnie (my adult cat) has fully gone back to her old lap cat ways and loves us again and she actually is more gentle towards him and is the one that goes to groom him, he’s still very over excited and kitten-like and every time she does show him affection, he pounces on her to play (which she doesn’t always love..) we still have the odd situation where he plays too much/hard she lets out a little hiss but in the 8 months we’ve had him- neither of them have ever had scratch on them so, a win I think! He’s been neutered which helped but I think once he’s out the kitten phase they’ll get even closer. Have hope!! Just be super patient with your older cat as they’re the ones having to adapt, I think we were at over 2 months by the time we could leave ours alone together (which was horrible because everyone else seemed to be able to do it so much quicker but don’t let that dishearten you!) and not worry about them, just remember in the long run how much nicer this will be for all of them and you’ll get through it ❤️ let me know how you get on!!!
@@Morbon2222 omg I could cry! Cannot wait to see them play together and to have her back to normal. Thank you again, I’ll update every week so that anyone in my situation can see the progresses too. ❤️
Oh this is reassuring. It’s weeks three and my resident cat and new cat had a big fight. No blood drawn but a fight. I feel so hopeless because the resident cat is always hissing now. Them separately are so lovely and as soon as they come together it’s bad. I am starting this process all over again. I cried so much over this but I’m hoping with some patience it will work out.
Feisty is bored. Sparkle is older and more sedate. Doesn't have to do with introduction, has to do with *PLAY WITH YOUR CAT!* Love and Light to you Jackson, Thank you for all your videos!
Jackson's brilliance (and his team's) are in the details. I love how we're watching digital recordings on a streaming platform, but there's static, ffwd, rwd, sounds and visuals etc. As an 80's/90's kid I love this. Keep it up man!
I got my kitty, Juliet about 4 months ago, she was almost 6 months old. Romeo is about one year older. I have kept them apart for 2 months, but they wanted to play together behind the door as soon as I get them together one of them starts the chasing game, Juliet likes to tease Romeo and Romeo bites Juliet on her nick and vice versa. I have to separate them immediately. They are good together when I play with both of them or when I feed them. Most of the time I have to keep them separated. :(
I realised I’m rushing the introductions after watching this video. Going to slow down and start from the beginning. I also picked up that I need to wear out my aggressor. Thanks for these videos.
We live in a small apt now. We used to have 4 cats in a house, then 3 of them passed away. We had one cat in a small apt for a while until we got a cat for my son. They used to not get along for a really long time! (One was a kitten then a teenager for a while) I started introducing these concepts a few years later... They really enjoy kitty treats so I always try to get them to play then give them treats together. Our older cat has started playing PLAYING with our other cat. This cat rarely even played with other cats at all before and now she gets a wild hair and plays! I love to see it! These steps do work and the boil and simmer, play, eat, love method really does work and can fix cat relationships that are already bad!
You have no idea how much I've wanted more stuff on cat introductions! I binged the entire My Cat from Hell series to see if I could find an episode with cats in a similar situation. It's been a little over a year in my case, and the only issue now is that the "new" cat can only roam the living room when the other one is sleeping or going to sleep. If she's wide awake and sees her walk in, she'll chase into the hallway.
I am now restarting this process bc 2 resident cats are stressing the new one out. We have had the new one since May. My youngest cat stalks the new one daily. So I am restarting this whole process again and it will be slow. So now the new one is in the extra room and we will start this over again and I am fine with that.
It sucks bc an incident happened and now I have to start this process all over. My daughter had the new one and could not take it bc she would not do the work so I have her now.
Looking forward to this! Was able to rescue a little white feral cat last month (Vet estimates she is 3 years old). She’s such an angel (named her Precious), except when she howls at our 5 year old black cat (Oh❣️Oh) through the sunroom screen. Bought Feliway (phernome) from Vet last week, which has silenced the hisses. Next week we try physical presence introductions. Have watched (&, re-watched) Jackson’s videos, and welcome the chance to learn anything that will ease the stress for “the girls”. Hoping they are on their way to becoming buddies.
I think we rush the "becoming buddies." I think the first thing we have to do is to reassure the cats of their own space because that is what they need and try to capture and then defend from one another.
@@onwardsandupwards7397 Thanks, that’s a reassuring comment. Some seem so quick! I just won’t take the risk until all howls & hisses are gone. Gratefully, Vet is walking us through week by week according to our girl’s behaviour & comfort.
We’re now in our 4th month & still needing to do the “exchange program”. They are both so cuddly & sweet on their own but pretty scary when near each other. Continuing 2 Feliway and now Precious is on a low dose of fluoxetine (Prozac). That has calmed her a bit but still howls & hisses when she is anywhere near Oh Oh & the big stare down is scary. Never dreamed we’d be going through this still but of course love them both so much, will continue for as long as it takes.
@@user-mp4zs2by9m I think that you should allow each cat his/her own territory without access to the other cat. It took about a year for my cats to tolerate each other's presence but there is still territory that is precious that each cat wants left alone. I respect that boundary that my cats give me.
Omg this is exactly what I needed today . I decided to take care of my friends cat for 2 weeks . And my 9 month old is not ready to be friend with her at any cost . I am keeping them both in separate rooms for now and swapping places . But I really wish they could get along . Thanks to Jackson 😍
@@tardisdance1236 I thought the same . But I guess it would be nice if they got along . I don’t have to keep them both in separate rooms and both of them are curious to know what’s happening outside the door .
Aysha, cats don't like to visit. I know it may be necessary sometimes, but I would keep them separate the whole time. I don't know if that's right or not. But cats don't like to visit. Just my humble opinion.
I've got 5 cats (all rescues) & their introductions were short but VERY successful! I do every once & awhile foster kittens but I keep them separate. I also have a German Shepherd (rescue) & he accepts them all! I soooooo LOVE my fur babies they're just purrrrrfect😸😻
I feel like the slow introduction is really good for people who aren’t super familiar with cats and reading their body language. Or for cats who have a hard time with other cats... but like, same, I separate them for like 2-3 days. My cats get a long really well.
Ordered one of your coffee mugs for my partner as a stocking stuffer. He LOVES your show. We watched every season to educate ourselves after 2 strays adopted us. Anyway, I wish you had a “cat daddy” coffee mug! It’s so perfect! Thanks for all your helpful content! You’re the best!!
@@theRealestBarbieD same, I've learned so much from his videos and genuinely have noticed an improved quality of life in my cat thanks to him. My cat is so much happier, it makes me so happy knowing how to connect with my little fur ball.
It took me 5 weeks to let my 2 cats finally come face to face. I was so nervous but it all happened by accident when my kitten jumped over the separator into my other big fat cat's area. I was relieved to find them together without any harm😂😅.
You are so right about play. Play redirects in a non-threatening way helps a nervous cats to interact with it's humans in a fun way which is step to gainning trust. You just have to find something that interests the cat and bring them closer to you but still gives them space to move forward or back as they feel safe to.
I come in here because I am on tearbreak trying to introduce two cats, we're so close to give up. And this ending, saying "YOU CAN DO IT" actually almost made me cry. TY I'm gonna lay a new gameplan and try again!
Hey how are your cats doing today? Are they used to each other’s presence ? I’m still in week 2 and my resident cat is screaming and hissing and following my new poor cat
@@bushraalshehri9846 It took us a month and a week, where they were in diffrent rooms. We switced rooms, baskets and us. The last 14 days we had the big one (the 'problem') in leash my BF would pet and feed him snacks. While I played with the little one in the opposite corner. We would feed them on opposite sides of the door, and eventually open the door fully while they where eating. And closing when one was finishing. Eventually the past few days we tired the door (i recommend a screendoor or hinge) the doors with a gap. So they always could seek the other. The kitten got out anyway tho, my old boy hissed and did a little jump forward, and the kitten rolled onto it's back. It's been two weeks now, they still have times where we help regulate (the kitten wanna play ALL the time) but mostly he knows how to read the elder one now. And the elder one knows the little one is actually kinda fun. But my advice. Don't rush! It took us over a month before letting them in same room to go together. But it was worth it!
Jackson, I find your advice very similar to my training as a foster mother. Children react the same way AND the same techniques you use with cats works for children. I see boil and simmer and body language to interpret what’s happening and provide ways for each to diffuse and move on. I’m not talking teenagers here ! I’m an emergency foster mother for birth to 7 year olds.
Perfect timing! We adopted a couple of kittens (4 months and 6 months) last month. (Two kittens are easier than one - if they can play with each other, they're less needy and less destructive!) We've been keeping them separated from the rest of the animals in the house while dealing with some lingering health issues from when they were in the shelter, but we'll be ready to start moving into introductions soon. For the past month, they've been living in the master bedroom and bathroom. Our older cats, a pair of 13 year olds, have the run of the rest of the house, including a cat door onto the enclosed porch (where the dog can't go). This is a great reminder of the things to watch as we move into the next step of introducing "the babies" to the rest of the family.
I’m getting a second female kitty soon and I’ve been watching these videos like crazy to make sure my resident cat gets along with her. They both are very affectionate and playful and adapt very easily, but I’ve been told he has had issues with litter box guarding in the past. That being said, his old owner had 5+ male cats and only 4 litter boxes. I am scattering 4 litter boxes around my home hoping he won’t feel like he has to protect them when the little lady comes around. I’ll also be following these rules for introductions them as well! I’ve always been more of a dog person, so I’m learning so much from your vids! Thanks so much for this free but super helpful information!
I’ve just done an introduction with our new 12 week kitten to our 4 year old resident cat and I can’t believe how well it’s gone they’re literally best friends in less that two weeks. Thank you Jackson I can’t believe how well your tips have paid off I thought it would take us months not weeks. 🥰
I work at a shelter and I tell new adopters all the time that it's the patience and TIME that makes it work out. I use my cats as an example. We were so cautious with them and spend 3 weeks before they were left alone in the house, after success at each steps before that. They still play rough for fun but they can also never even walk past each other without grooming each other. They fall asleep together all the time and get very sad when they're separated for meals [prescription diets 😭]. They're so happy together and it's all up to giving cats time to be confident together and to understand each other
Thank you Jackson. I just started the introduction process and my resident cat is NOT HAPPY. New cat is having a blast and is ready to meet my resident but the feeling is reciprocated. Still lots of hissing and adapting to scents. I’m feeling pretty guilty though… hopefully my resident cat will be okay in a couple of days so we can move to step 2. Wish me luck!
I hope u got good news🥹 i got a new sherazi kitten and I’m stressed of the hessing and hate energy bcs the new kitten is playful and my resident kitten is lazy ragdoll 😂🥲 and they’re both clingy to me I’m in trouble lol
@@hamsahms598 I do have good news! Supervised visit went better than expected and they now drive me crazy together. At first, new kitten was scared because my resident cat wanted to play but she’s much bigger than new cat. It took them like a month for new cat to realize resident cat didn’t want to hurt her 😅. They play a lot now, sleep nearby, and even eat from the same bowl sometimes. They don’t love each other dearly yet I think, but I know they’ve become good friends. I do have to separate them from time to time when play becomes hissing or when resident cat gets too rough. Other than that, they worked things out. The whole process from getting the new cat and me feeling comfortable leaving them alone took about 4 weeks. Hope this help and don’t give up!
@@vanessariveroyoga thanks sweetie I’m so happy for you 😍❤️ and I’m keeping my hopes up they are in the phase where “running after each other in the house” is a habit 😂
I love this ! It's great I never had to introduce cats before because my cats in the past grew up together as a baby, but I realized that when I have to bring in a new cat in the house I had to do a proper introduction. Thanks to you and your amazing TH-cam channel
jacksonnnn ! You are a god send 😢 i was about to give up on an adoption after no progress for many days - today i tried the simmer and boil ( supervised play which exhausted them and then feed time together and it worked like magic !!!! ) Both babies hung out without a barrier without attacking each other - cant tell u how relieved i am - i was in tears for the whole week 😢😢😢
Oh, Thank You! We’re at six weeks & working the “exchange program” a few times a day, otherwise separated by screen door. Vet guiding us week by week wanting to ensure slow progress vs having to re-start. Longing for the day they will peacefully co-exist ~ hopefully be good companions & play buddies. I needed to hear it took someone else months! How are they doing now?
@@user-mp4zs2by9m Took about 2-3 months before we felt completely safe to leave the kitten out without us being around, after she was big enough that she did her thing. We supervised as much as we could, and we played with her and the others constantly. The distraction would help, followed by plenty of shared treats. For a little while, the introduction process actually caused tension between two others that used to be friendly but after some time everything has been worked out. It's been about a year and a half and I'd say the ones that wanted to make friends did, and those who don't just leave each other to be. We have 5 members in our furry family now.
this is a great reassurance. we adopted a cat a few days ago, and we have two very impatient kids ( and one impatient husband😂) who are starting to question my ( i.e. your) strategy... phew. patience, patience, patience! and some "work"on our side as well. we turned around our painfully shy and traumatized cat with your help and i am positive, it will work out this time as well ❤ thank you!
I have been an emotional wreck introducing two strays to my three cats, thank you so much for saying this can be done! I needed that encouragement! Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I have a big house and I love cats but I want to do it properly! ❤ Thank you!!!
We've had intros take as little as a few days and as long as a year. We go by the body language and vocalizations of the cats and/or kittens. Current intro is a calico girl cat who was 4 in August to our 2 boys who were 7 at the beginning of June. They are also twice her size. We adopted her as her previous people could not keep her due to chronic illness. Going on 10 months and the situation is mostly peaceful.
An important point that wasn't mentioned is that you should never have just one litterbox for two cats - you should have two at least and a lot of cat experts think you also need an extra one on top of that.
Makes me glad that my two cats were still kittens when I introduced them. Wicket is only a year older than Puck. They bonded very quickly over play and learning how to be cats, and now Puck is Wicket's "Emotional Support Sibling". He helps her burn off the excess energy before she gets too overstimulated, and helps her manage her anxiety issues. She has become a much calmer cat since we got him.
This video was extremely helpful!! My story looks similar to fam #3. I went into this vid blind And I left with a lot of really great knowledge. I’m glad I clicked. 😸
I love the way you teach. Just adopted a 1 year old and introduced him into our household with an existing 18 month old and I am learning that I am on the right track and I need to be patient with their introductions.
“With one bedroom you can have 12 cats!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I agree!! I noticed that these cats seem very relaxed and comfortable around each other and just need time
Love your love for cats completely ❤️. I have a Bombay cat , five years old, and he is such a chill cat..i never thought i would be a cat person, but here i am.. he's my wing man for sure. I haven't had a pet in 35 years a parrot for 3 years and later a cockatiel..keep up the great work greatly appreciate your channel.
When I introduced my youngest cat to the first one what did not help me were my family members not listening to me, trying to let them "fight it out" and thus making me angry and anxious with everything. It ended up taking almost a year to see the cats unbothered with eachother!
I followed all your advice and my 9.5 year old male cat has accepted the 12 week old male kitten! After 1 week of not seeing each other and switching some toys around and then letting them explore each others places, food either side of the door, they met. My older cat was not impressed at first, but there has been NO fighting and the kitten now follows the older cat around and copies him (going into open cupboards etc) and they nap right next to each other, no cuddling or grooming yet, but I hope that does happen eventually :)
Jackson, I lived in a huge house 🏠 with my Mom, Grandma, Sister, brother-in-law and nephew. Together, we had 5 cats- two males, Moonshine and Edward (Edward belonged to my brother-in-law) and three females - Charlotte (my sister’s cat), Chiara (my cat) and Stella (my Mom’s cat). Believe it or not, they got along awesome and were a cute little pack. We slowly introduced the cats together when a new one was added. Moonshine was top cat and the others respected that, no fights. My cat wants to be top cat, but she knew her place in the herd. We were very lucky. Also, sometimes we have them all tuna in the kitchen together- they associate good things together
I took it slow for 2-3 months for intros. Worked great. I think whoever had our older boys as babies before they were adoptable age really socialized them well too, which helps. They didn't really care that there were interlopers. lol
Thanks Jackson for your help with understanding cats. I only have one but I have learned from you to provide good playtime for my high energy boy. I've been getting toys as I can afford them and have learned what he likes most. He loves hunting. He is an indoor cat. Thank you! ♥️
We tried doing the step by step. Then our senior cat decided it was cruel keeping the new kitten alone and decided to break him out XD So to save our door, we did. He went to our bed and slept and everything was fine XD
Same . My welder cat just jumped the baby gate when we were introducing them visually . By the end of the day of the visual part she jumped to meet the new kitten 🤷♀️ And the new kitten was climbing up the gate to go to my cat anyway 😂 They are playing a bit rough and the kitten hissed sometimes rarely when my welder cat was to REALLY play and chases him too abruptly, but my elder girl she also grooms the new kitten and they use each other’s litter boxes and eat from each other bowls , the sleep in the same room/ both in the sofa with us watching telly . Not all the time , they are still adjusting , but we can see it going better and better 🤷♀️ After they actually met they still spent the first two nights apart when we couldn’t supervise , and also when we couldn’t be home for a bit they stayed separated . But now they are spending the night just fine . So I planned a two weeks introduction but need up being a one week one, I mean I don’t think I have to reintroduce them now even if they play. Bit rough ? They do take turns anyway and if it’s too much they would just let the other I’m at know !
@@jflifeon6932 aww thats too cute! Yeah it's fine even if they are roughhousing a bit, my senior and now youngster does so too, it's just how they like to play, wrestlers XD If our senior forgets hes not a teeny kitty and is too much we just go "ahem" and hes like "oh right".The youngster takes pauses during play to ensure its still play (which is good as our third cat is teeeeeny)
@@crazymissdaisy yeah we go like “ no or ehm “ too! The only thing is that at night I can’t really see what they are doing so I hope they regulate them self as the 11 weeks old is a tu y one ! An my 1y and half one she is not that big , he probably Gonna grow bigger ! But she is still bigger than him !😂 What do you do if you have to leave them alone ? Do you keep them separate or just leave them be ?
@@jflifeon6932 Well we had Laban for 2 years now, so they are best buddies but in the beginning, we separated like the first 2 weeks when alone and then let them handle, and no issues happened so far. Also once the kitten gets around the 8-9 month mark they tend to calm down in terms of playtime and isnt as intense and unrelenting XD
Love your videos! I have 14 feral born or rescues, all altered. The newest is a 25lb Maine coon that I'm pretty sure was raised by I'll mannered dogs. He's perfect inside, ,looks away and lays down when another cat growls at him, like a dog would. Outside, he's like a wild dog chasing any and all cats he sees and also chases cars. He's been fun getting to know.
This video has been really helpful! I have 3 cats who have been together for a couple years now, and every so often, usually at night, they will fight. I don't play with them often (I forget), and one of them is very bad at "talking cat", so I imagine that that also plays into it. It's a good reminder for me to try and get it out of their system before bedtime. I guess I really can only blame myself since they bring me their toys when they want to play... 😅
Oh, the timing and the reassurance. Thank you, Jackson! We surprise rescued (and by rescued I mean, "from the jaws of death, the vet didn't think he'd live through the night") an age-unknown kitten a month and a half ago. He's regained his health and healed up from his two surgeries just fine, but my gosh is he a high-strung, anxious lil teenager. I don't blame him, honestly. Because he's an escape artist, he's "met" the other two cats, both of whom are seniors, a few times. It didn't go well any of those times and we've been doing the best we can following the steps, but every time we think we've made progress, it turns out to be too soon to let the cats see each other, they get in fights (and by fights I mean basically what was happening with Feisty and Sparkle), and makes everyone feel like we're back at square one. It's super demoralizing, but honestly... if the answer is that we DO go back to square one every time the cats get into a chase, then it really hasn't been a month and half that we've been working on introducing everyone. It's only been since the last hiss. And that makes me feel a little better about how "slow" things seem to be going.
i'm thinking of getting my cat a buddy either in the next few weeks or after christmas (you know, shelters filling up with gifted animals) so this should be interesting :D
@ J H. So thoughtful to be mindful of the precious little “gifted” ones that end up back in shelters. These Angels deserve better & sounds like one will come to know that with you. So great!
We can only HOPE that these soon to be Christmas present kittys that don't work out get taken back to the shelter and not tossed on the street. People: don't gift precious furbabies with out much beforehand thought and planning. Those sweet furbabies deserve a safe & happy life 😻
Any time around Christmas is a good time, the main idea is lightening the load for shelters. Just like if you want a kitten, maybe wait for kitten season
If you're looking for screen-door solutions, we were able to cobble together a really robust one with wire-mesh compost grids and zipties. You can also use clothespins to clip a blanket or cardboard to it for keeping other kitties out of view.
I had a very unique experience with introducing my two cats. I got them only a few months apart. Corona, named after the virus because I adopted her during the lockdown in May of 2020 and Rogan, named after Joe Rogan. Corona was 5 weeks when I got her. She was born on the streets. Rogan, I got when he was already a year old from a small, mom and pop pet food store. Corona was about 6 months old when I adopted Rogan. I introduced them as per Jackson Galaxy’s guidance. I kept Rogan in one bedroom and Corona in another for a couple days. I let them both out to the main part of the house one at a time and independently. Corona would just sit by the door Rogan was behind and growl. Then, walk around the whole house growling and hissing without even seeing him. Rogan was reaching under the door meowing trying to interact. He never growls or hisses. I named him after Joe Rogan for a reason. He’s a big softie. Lol. Just by happenstance, Corona went into her first heat and everything changed. Rogan was neutered when I got him so I didn’t worry about her getting pregnant at all and, on top of that, they are both inside cats only. It was hilarious watching her entire attitude change toward him. She went from running and hiding, hissing and growling to meowing, rolling on her back and following Rogan all around the house. He would just play with her and groom her. I let them bond during her first heat and all was content permanently after that. I got her spayed the very next month and they’re friends still today. If it wasn’t for her heat, I do believe it would have taken much, much, much longer. Although, I did get her by the time she was 5 weeks, she still acts feral at times. She is a huge scaredy-cat. Rogan, he’s still just so easygoing and chill. Nothing scares him. He is such an emotionally balanced cat. He’s great with my autistic son. He will play fetch like a dog. My friends do call him cat-dog because he doesn’t act much like a cat. Lol. I’d love to know more about what his first year of life was like before I got him. If it’s true about the theory that what cats experience in the first 9 weeks of their lives shape who they are and will become, I gather his life was pretty good. So blessed to have found him.
This is good to know! I had my boy for almost four years now. He was a lonely cat, me and my hubby could tell. So we got a new cat. Day two she accidentally ran out of the room and he attacked her. It was horrifying. I thought they would never get along after that. It’s been about three weeks now and I haven’t had them see each other… until she got into heat. (We took her from someone who hadn’t got her spayed. She’s getting spayed this March). Now he’s so enticed with her, and she’s not as scared. We haven’t had them interact with the doors open. But with the crack of the door, he sniffs her and doesn’t growl or hiss. And she just sits back and watches him desperately trying to get close to her. I never thought this would happen! And he’s also neutered. Reading your comment just gave me some hope. I really thought he’d never be able to get along with her as he seems excessively dominant. Hopefully this progress will continue even after she gets spayed.
@@RedPhilosophy let them interact close up while she’s in heat. After she’s not, they should be best buds. After I got my female spayed, she and my other cat are best friends. She wouldn’t even give him a chance before. Lol. She was all growls and hisses. Now, it’s all love and kisses.
One thing I found that helped was having a gate between the two cats, and playing with them at the same time. Used a string, & eventually had them each playing with one side of it. It turned from "new animal DANGER!!!" into "oh! new playmate!!". Once they both figured that out, it went really smooth. And keeping the gate between them made each feel safe that they wouldn't be suddenly attacked.
@@sbkmarkel It was a makeshift gate I made myself & put in the doorway of the room I kept the new kitten in. We had leftover wire fencing from the backyard & I wrapped that around some 2x4s, making sure no sharp wire points were left. Took maybe an hour to make, but already had everything on hand. The room was really large & the boys would take turns staying the night with him, but we would put our older cat in another room occasionally to let the kitten explore the rest of the house. Oh! And we never left them alone when using the gate, just to make sure nothing happened like a claw getting caught
With respect to Mr. Galaxy and his belief that all cats are community animals, he has NEVER met my current cat. There isn't even a stray passing by on the street she won't chase away! Thank you for the videos.
Will there also be a video about how to introduce a cat and a dog (in the scenario when a dog enters a home where the cat already lives) Does it already exist? Been looking for it, but couldn't find it!
it took my older guy multiple weeks before i could see he was ready to be in the same room as our new kitten and even then it was a game of me distracting the kitten with a flirt pole and my older guy watching carefully for about a month lol :) they are finally starting sniff, play, and make loving eyes at one another during hang outs... im so happy for them, my older kitty has been in such a good mood and i couldnt have done it without your intro technique!!!
It’s very reassuring that I’ve been doing something right. My two cats introduction was defiantly screwed up and there’s not a way to have one locked back up in a room now since the newer one has already explored most of the house. They’re getting to the point of toleration and I have been intersecting stare downs and redirecting the resident cat when she starts to get too close to the new one. For more context the newer cat is my cat, he’s a big guy who’s easily anxious but has been around other cats and gotten along with all others before. The resident cat is my partners. I moved in with him and his cat who has been the only cat in this house since her sister died when they were kittens. She’s been a little territorial, but her body language is more curious and excited to play and meet the new cat. The problem is that my cat has never been the newcomer before and is on edge a lot more due to not having already established territory
Thank you so much for your advice. A number of my friends were of the opinion (of which they had MANY without anything other than anecdotal experience under their belt) that I was overthinking everything but your videos gave me confidence that I was/am doing right by my babies. I now have two kittens (4.5 mo & 6.5 mo at time of introduction) that get along fabulously. Two IS better than one!!!!! Because I live in a smaller space & wanted to avoid a very drawn out intro process, I did my best to find a very well socialized older kitten that would know how to respond to my playful older kitten, who seems to just adore other cats (my neighbour's kitten & my other neighbour's cat (they met separately when we were walking them in the halls) and an older foster (that DID NOT like my kitten)). We got through all the steps quicker than I expected because my resident kitty was showing zero discomfort and my new kitten is chock full of seemingly unquenchable mojo. Resident kitten WAS bit overpowering at first (me & a friend worked together to distract with treats + play), but quickly learned that the younger kitten would just go limp & stop playing if she was too much.
My girls, Mochi and Sushi look just like May and August. They extremely affectionate with me, but not with each other. However, they get along really well. No fighting. If Mochi is in Sushi's favorite box, Sushi will patiently wait her turn - and vice versa. They have such a mutual respect that I honestly can't tell which one is dominant.
I appreciate this. Me and my 6 year old female cat recently moved in with my boyfriend and his 7 year old boy cat and my cat has been just so aggressive with him! It’s been 3 months of us following your steps but small improvements and I’ll TAKE IT!!
I adopted my cat 3 years ago and my boyfriend has had his cat since he was a kitten. My cat did wonderful around cats just no this one but I’m thinking it was maybe the change of environment for her at the same time as meeting a new cat and human to stay with. I also think she was abused my a man before I got her because she has an aversion to anything male
Breaking into a dance is my favorite way to avoid arguments between cats. Just grab a few toys and dance. It will confuse and entertain both cats, take them out of the argument, and eventually you get two cats that can agree “mom is weird”… “like, so how long have you dealt with this? I just came from the shelter and there’s not a lot of dancing humans there”
Looking forward to this. I brought in a 4/5 month old to give my 13 1/2 year old a friend, except she’s not friendly to him. He just finished healing from his neutering and received all his shots.
Your senior cat may not want to befriend the kitten and manage the territorial issues that cats go through. Let your senior cat set the pace and just guard their territories so the old cat can live in peace and if they become "friends" let that happen on their own terms in their own way. Don't force them upon each other.
I am still introducing my new kitten and 7 year old resident cat after 3 months. We have progressed to the point where they eat together (even from the same bowl) but resident cat still "hunts" little one so they only meet during dinner time and after it I supervise until I can see situation is about to turn worse. ^^; Have to admit, it is quite tough but I hope we get there in the end. I have restarted the whole process once (I was too quick 1st time).
All the cats look so wonderful. We have cats almost the same age and they get along and play great. they eat together and hardly any problems. And they are complete babies that love sitting on our shoulders we have been blessed with our cats.
I don't believe new multiple cat owners often understand there will still be occasional hissing. My three cats have been together for 5 years. I often find them cuddling with each other. Yet, there are times when I'll hear one hiss at another. Those three were also around when I fostered a ton of kittens. My orange tabby would be the first to accept each kitten. He would teach the tiny ones how to groom themselves. My tuxedo would eventually start playing with the kittens. My tortie...well she's a tortie. She would reach the point of not constantly hissing at the kittens. Yet, she would regularly bop them on the head if they got too close.
Thank you for all of your videos and advice. I always had multiple cats when growing up. I hadnt had any cats for the past decade due to living places where i couldnt have a pet. My roommate owns the house i currently live in. We have two small senior dogs. Last spring i was finally able to get him to agree to a kitten. Because of your videos and me showing him all the times you say to get a second cat, i was able to get him to finally agree to a second cat after 9 months. We adopted a 3 yr old from the local humane society and were very lucky that the intro period only lasted 5 days. A month later, they groom each other, play together, and are rarely apart. Thanks to your videos, our little family is complete and we have some very happy cats.
Ohhh is this tomorrow? We need this. My 13-year-old ginger boi and 3-year-old tuxedo lady need this. They've been separated in the 2 different wings of the house since June (due to a clumsy-ish introduction period back in May) :( They both have plenty of roaming/climbing space, large window views to the forest, sunlight, and attention, clean litters, vast indoor territories, but it'd be nice to leave all the sliding doors open and have them explore each others' wings together. I think I'm missing a critical ingredient. Unless...unless they just don't like each other. I mean...that's fair, who am I to enforce our two royalties in the midst of a feline cold war to be allies? But maybe there is hope...
Does it help to do the exchange program (swapping sites vs exploring each other’s space together)? We’re in the midst of intros & have been doing this for six weeks. Screen door divides them until hissing/howling stops, then very brief & graduated physical presence intros. with 100% “supervision”. Hope we both find our cats will come to happily cohabitate! Oh for some peaceful harmony! Best Wishes!
@@user-mp4zs2by9m We tried the exchange programme initially, our gingerman was enthused, but tuxielady had her defenses up (she was the sole feline resident, before gingerman moved in to her house, with all his furniture, which smelt like him). It's almost a Pepe le Piew situation from Looney Tunes, that ends up with a terrified tuxie turning into a ball of fury amongst an amused ginger. Anyways, the exchange didn't work for her, BUT they're doing much better sniffing and listening from across the sliding doors patiently, where tuxielady previously avoided those doors out of fear. I'm just too scared to re-introduce again because if we mess up, it might be a huge setback 😱 but I really hope your situation is easier than ours and they start getting along! It's so much better when cats eventually become companions in a household; there is less guilt leaving them alone, and they could keep one another company! (:
Another thing, at least with May and August, I feel like there's an element of expectation that shouldn't be there. Even the most successful introductions don't always end up with them being best friends. Nefertiti is 9 and Siam is going on 3 and we've had them both since they were kittens. The introduction process wasn't done (I won't get into the why's of it again). However, whenever Siam (who is a very talkative and hyper Asian breed mix) would get out of line, Nefertiti would let him know. We did get him fixed and that took about a year to bring his hormone levels down. I've submitted a pic to Jackson as an example, but I would say that a good majority of the time they are loving on each other or they are tolerant of each other. The few times that they're not only lasts until Siam gets the point (maybe a minute or two) and never escalates into anything. Point is that I'm not looking for them to be cuddle buddies. If there's peace 95% of the time, then I'm happy and okay with that. There are some other problems that no amount of reading Jackson's books, or watching his videos, will solve. But, I think it's human problems rather than cat specific problems.
A lot of people get a second cat specifically because they want their other cat has a friend. It’s well intentioned but sometimes creates unrealistic expectations.
My boyfriend and I just moved in to a new house. Each of us has two cats which never met before: 3 adults (8 and 5 years old) and 1 kitten (6 months). We followed so far the steps for the introduction: about 1 week in safe camp and site swapping; 1 week of scent and meal sharing behind closed doors; and now we are on week 3 trying the visual step. We go an acrylic wall and use a bed sheet to progressively allow them to see each other while they eat their food, play or have treats. The problem is that one of the adult cats is not happy at all and hisses / growls a lot which obviously has an impact on the other cats. It seems that we are stuck here and we are not really sure what to do since they seemed quite comfortable on the previous steps. It is also getting more and more difficult to keep them in base camp as they want to come out and enjoy the rest of the house. Any tips?
Ours was similar when we moved from no visual eating to first visual introductions! The very first visual we did both cats were a little fluffy, hissing, growling, but not charging eachother or swatting. Growling and hissing is not so much about aggression, it’s the cats way of saying they’re uncomfortable so don’t take this as too big of a “setback” behavior! Keep doing visuals at the same level and start with 2 a day, I did mine after feedings. We would set up a safe distance/ barrier for them to see eachother through then I had my sister with one cat and me with the other. ANY time they stopped growling/looked at us/took a few steps away and changed their attention we would give treats! This builds a better association with seeing eachother and rewards. Our first two meetings they hissed or growled but by the second day they see eachother now and are uncomfortable but not vocal or fluffy! We were even able to have one fully engaged in play and one getting treats with a door wide open. They still are uncomfortable but with each small exercise and meet they’ve moved away from the loud scary introductions 😂
@@Twilightluver97no luck here. We tried everything and even brought a cat behaviorist. We installed a climbing wall, we restarted the introduction again (kept them separated for 1 months), then slowly introducing them, swapping places, food with barrier, food without barrier, decrease distance. Now we are stuck again - they can stay close eating or having treats, but once the fun is over they just try to fight. They hate each other and I am desperate and don’t know what to do anymore. Living like this since 7 months has been a nightmare.
@@dsm_796 Has it gotten any better? Just started the intro process a week ago and I'm trying to learn what I can. Sorry to read that you've been having a hard time!
For anyone going through this- don't give up!! it took my two cats 6 months for us to finally be able to leave them alone together without fear of them injuring each other. they went from enemies to lovers! it can be done
Thank you so much for this. We’re now at 5 weeks and not making any further progress despite doing everything by the book. They can just about tolerate each other behind a mesh screen but if anyone gets too close they’re screaming and trying to attack each other. Maybe it’s worse because we’re trying to introduce the new cat to 2 residents. So stressful and exhausting but you’ve given me hope.
Thank you. We are struggling
It's helpful to read this because I'm almost two months in and I am nowhere near face to face intro. The new guy wants to destroy my old lady. :(
6 weeks here and I was looking for a comment like this, brings hope
Thank you. I'm on day 5. It is exhausting trying to be the peacemaker and entertainer. I feel like a single Mom between the both of them. No one has been injured, yet it's a lot of work to do it right. Hoping for better results soon! I was thinking of giving the 2nd new kitten up for adoption if it doesn't improve within the next 2 weeks.
"Jackson Galaxy says I can have 12 cats." So far thats my takeaway. Lol.
Lol!
🤣
I fostered a momma who birthed 5 kittens in a small bedroom. Kittens just got adopted over Thanksgiving. Talk about empty nest. I miss those little buggers. Now I have to intro momma with my 3 resident cats.
@@sandrao8146 how did the introduction go? I hope it went well and no girl fighting (cat fighting🤒) 😄😄
@@Jason.cbr1000rr Hi Jason. It's slow going cause my momma cat gets nervous but she wants to interact. One of my resident cats is a tortoise shell and gets very upset when they see each other. They have all seen eachother and smelled each others areas. It will work out eventually.
Thank you so much for featuring me in your video! It ended up working out. Ash & meagan are best friends now! 😻
I’m so glad! They really looked like they wanted to be friends but weren’t sure how to do it 😂😂😂 your fur babies are beautiful
Hooray! I have a girl who looks very similar to Ash! She was born feral outside but we trapped her and tamed her as an older kitten and now she’s soooo sweet:)
What do you think helped the most? My cats are in the exact same situation currently. Not sure how to fix it.
You are awesome, congratulations!!!
@@TheGeekyBanana q
I REALLY appreciate your videos and insights. I’m a 40 yo combat veteran who recently became a cat dad because the hurricane left some kittens homeless. I thought everything was going wrong until I found you! My new babies are doing wonderful and I’m currently working on a “catio” for Butters and Ricky!
I mentioned my veteran status because I wanted to outline my stress levels… your videos are great therapy for ptsd!
Thank your for your service, and glad you are here!
😂
Glad everyone is doing well! How’s the catio coming?
I hope you guys are doing well ☺️❤️
I want to offer hope for those struggling with this. I was here 5 months ago in absolute despair. My resident cat turned into a fighting monster when I brought a kitten home, & I seriously feared having to re-home my kitten.
I followed the advice here, really focusing on body language. It went from behind a closed door, to a gate, to very short supervised interaction w/o a gate, to being unsupervised. There was one room that my resident cat was extra possessive of, so I had to go even slower there. But after 5 months, they get along well! They play a lot, & I feel safe leaving them alone. It helped most to remember to take it at my cat’s speed, not my own, & to celebrate even tiny victories in the process.
We are one month in. My partner and I just moved in together therefore, so did our cats. Because I work from home I feel like I’m in the thick of it 24/7. All I want is a forum from people like you that just give reassurance and support ❤ thank you
I'm going into 5 months with 2 failed re-introductions and getting more desperate by the month...
Hope you don't mind me asking... if they hiss and do the stare down with the screen door barrier, do we take a step back to no visible contact? Or try again the next day with the screen door barrier? TIA
Yes, and people need to remember that it takes time. It's worth it! My first cat wasn't thrilled when I got my 2nd at first but they got along pretty quickly. It really only took maybe 2 weeks...? They are best friends now. It's been a year of them being together. I just got a new kitten yesterday and my first cat is PISSED. I knew better but introduced him wrong anyway. He was very wiley and came running out of my arms and ran around EVERYWHERE lol. Of course my oldest cat was like, "the nerve!" My 2nd one just really wants to play. The oldest cat was very mad at both me and the 2nd cat. He felt betrayed that the other resident cat wasn't as pissed off about the intruder. The kitten hasn't been to his first vet visit yet so I am keeping him isolated for now until that happens and then we will inch more towards a full introduction.
@@asherqueenI know it's been a while since you posted this issue. What I found was that mine were horrible with the screen, hissing and striking. So I just started feeding them farther away, opened the screen and sat between them but so they could see each other, then slowly got that closer together. But when the new cat is in her room with the screen closed, I still block the visualization with a big piece of cardboard.
Always good to hear that the cheapest litter boxes are the most cat friendly.
I bought 2 automatic litter boxes and kept one plain one. Three floors. The auto introduced me to crystal litter. OMG! It's wonderful! It lasts for at least a month, even with 2 cats, and there is NO smell in my house.
I gave a bag to my housekeeper too, she said her aunt's house stinks with her 3 cats. Crystals, no problem.
If I did it again I'd ONLY buy the crystal litter.
I usually just buy a plastic box in a color I like for ~5 bucks and that's perfectly fine for my cats. ~20 cm high, a good width and length and you're good to go. The cats prefer them to anything that is sold for cats (litter boxes with hoods, self cleaning bogus etc.) and cleaning them is way easier also as you don't need to open/deattach anything before scooping.
@@hansgruber9457 I put one open cheap litter box inside of a bigger open plastic bin. easier to catch litter when the cat leaves the box
i get those clear plastic storage bins with lids for a few bucks. toss the lid, cut a u shaped slot on one end. and they work perfectly. nothing fancy needed.
Yep. My cats use a $10 large 26" x 20" black all purpose utility tub from the hardware store. It's wide and rectangular so it's easy for them to move in. It's height is low enough to easily step in and tall enough to keep litter in. A similar sized tub on Chewy is $70. No thanks.
I just went through a month of introducing 2 rescue kittens to my 3 adult cats. It is going better than I thought it would. I think it actually helped that the 2 kittens were just interested in playing with each other. My adults would watch them play and now the one kitten, who has such a pleasant/friendly personality is introducing himself to play with the adults. I only have 1 adult cat who avoids them but I'm sure she'll come around eventually.
She’ll either come around and love them or just learn to accept the fact that they’re here to stay and then she’ll proceed to ignore that they exist. If that’s the case it’s way better than having them go at each other’s throats all the time. Good luck!🍀
I had one of my cats for 3 years then moved into an apartment and he was home by himself all day so I decided to adopt another. I know Oliver (a year old at the time) was ok with other cats as he lived with another cat previously but wasn't sure about the new addition (Fagin, at the time) who was a stray before he was taken to the local shelter -they estimated his age as 5 years. I introduced them slowly. Separate rooms until they were aware of each other's presence and scent. Oliver was very curious. I let the Fagin roam the apartment while Oliver was put in the spare room for about 20 mins a couple of times each day to get used to his scent. After 4 days, they met face to face and got along right away. Best buds.
How do you manage 5 cats? I have one and I feel like he is already very time consuming
@@Cookiekeks see if you could manage more and get a rescue cat; for the benefit of your first.
@@leelasaraswat4662 I don't think I can handle another one. It's really time consuming
It took my two cats...about 1.5 - 2 months to be able to sit in the same room together without fighting.
We followed all your steps, and didn't move on until we were confident both cats were ready.
And it worked out fantastically. Now our cats are best friends. A year later, you would think they're litter mates. They cuddle constantly and are very in tune with each other while playing--taking turns, listening to body language, etc. It really is the best case scenario. There was a point where we would have settled for them just not trying to kill each other on sight.
Moral of the story is: take your time. Really pay attention to the cats' challenge lines and don't push them. Be happy with very small amounts of progress each day/week.
I introduced our new kitten to our two resident cats (3yo and 5yo) about 4 months ago and followed all the steps. All 3 are able to be in the same room together without fighting and I even catch them grooming each other. However, the other cats will still hiss/growl and beat up the kitten when he tries to play. My resident cats are giving me mixed signals... I'm not sure if they like the kitten or hates him lol. Do you have any suggestions you can provide?
@@farzana3233 Well, I'm far from an expert, and I don't know the whole situation, but I will say a couple of things.
1.) Hissing and growling isn't always a bad thing. That's your cats having a dialogue. "Hey I want to play!" "*hiss* Nope. Not in the mood." "Oh okay nevermind then..." In time they should hopefully get more familiar with each others' body language, learn what each other are comfortable with, etc. Sometimes, growling is even part of the play. They like to pretend to hunt/fight each other.
2.) The only other thing I can think to impart is just always try to make sure that when your first two cats see this new kitten, it's always a positive experience. They always get a treat or something. Something my gf and I did with our two cats early on, was we would have them sit near each other, and as soon as we saw calm body language from both of them (muscles relax), we would click and treat. So they were literally getting a constant stream of treats just for sitting near each other and chilling. We would do this for 5-10 minutes, give them a "jackpot", and then send them back to their own rooms for the day. The idea was this gave them nothing but positive experience with each other, and they would be looking forward to seeing each other again because they know it's going to be a good time.
So I don't know if your cats are at the point where theyre all roaming freely or if they're still in separate rooms mostly, but either way, I would say have a clicker ready, and whenever your cats look at each other and seem calm/indifferent, click and treat.
@@Ocarinist_Drew Thank you so much for the tips! All my cats now roam freely because I'm confident they won't hurt the kitten. The kitten loves my male cat (3yo) and is persistent to play and cuddle with him. They will also usually groom each other. The kitten will pounce on him, the resident cat will be annoyed and growl, but the kitten doesn't back down and keep going for more. They do this for a few minutes, then my resident cat gets annoyed and leaves. Is this play or fight?
@@farzana3233 Yeah that sounds like your kitten having a lot of kitten energy and not being fully aware when your other cats want to stop. That's when your older cats will hiss or growl as a way of saying "Okay I'm done. You're annoying me now." That's something I expect will get better over time. The good thing is it sounds like your cats ar every good at communicating and not just going right to violance. Sounds like a healthy relationship to me.
@@farzana3233 At that point, you could step in and redirect your kitten to a toy or something.
“Two is better than one. Three is better than two”
This confirmation that I do need a third cat! I have two 4 year old cats and would love another in the near future 😻
Great idea! Adopt from a shelter!
Go for it!! 😻
I went from 2 to 3 to 4 its a slippery slope 🤣 but you don't regret a minute of it.
I too am thinking about a third
As someone who has always had multiple cats and currently has 6, I say the more the merrier.
When I first tried to introduce my cats the slow way, they were both very eager to meet (non-aggressively so) and my older cat Luna was over the MOON to have a kitten in her house. After 3 days of their nagging, I relented and went for a 5 minute meetup, and I was surprised it went so well, because I'd been prepared for a long-term battle lol. Sadly Luna passed away from cancer this year, so I've been thinking about getting another cat, and guessing it will probably not go as smoothly this time from all of these stories. But cats really arent solitary animals.
So sorry about your Luna's passing. You will know when it's time to bring another fur baby in. 🙏
So sorry for your loss ♥️ at least Luna enjoy her cat friend
So jealous! Exact opposite. My cat never aggressive to visitors or cats out doors is acting like a maniac and just horribly aggressive.
I went to stay with my parents for a while so we had to introduce the girl cats to my boy cat. My sister and I followed literally all the steps perfectly, when it came time for the the door to be cracked open at feeding time and my boy was doing great but the girls were not, my sister's cat pounced on him before we had it open 10 inches for 5 seconds we could not figure out what went wrong. My sister and I back tracked, but really couldn't think of what had happened they were eating on either side of the door with no fuss. The problem? My father was feeding the girls in secret because he didn't believe that what we were doing was going to work. Make sure if you are in a multi person house hold that everyone is playing by the rules
Even though I'm sure it wasn't what your dad was intending, he had created a self-fulfilling prophecy by sabotaging the process. I'm glad you guys were able to figure out what was going wrong and I hope that everyone was able to get along in the end.
It's always the humans that are the hardest to train 😂😂😂
0:48 Sparkle last introduction photo make me laugh 😂
Long story short (I'm Irish, this will not be short)...our neighbour got a 4 week old kitten, couldn't or didn't know how to look after him. My sister found him half dead in their garage, brought him around and reluctantly gave him back. We'd go outside to the bin at midnight and we'd find him outside hiding in the bush...we noticed he was semi feral. Contacted neighbour and they said they weren't there for a few days so they put out him out. We took him in unbeknownst to them. Here's were it gets good. We already have a 2 year old rescue female cat. Sad start for her too...thrown in a trash bin at 4 weeks and like him...didn't have siblings or mother for socialisation. First day he's there, she's following after him, hissing and attacking us if we pet her. Then our cat got fierce depressed. She worried me, so we knew he had to go, but he couldn't go back next door....they weren't there. So for the next few days the 2 cats were separated. He was in the sitting room with us during the day and in a bed room at night. After a few days they were reintroduced again. She still hissed at him if he came close, but she wasn't attacking us anymore. Rock on a week later and they're chasing each other around the house. They now sleep together and look for one another to play. Our neighbour has surrendered him to us as they realised they were unable to give him the care he needed. He's now a happy kitten. Vet reckons he's only 10 weeks old...so sad. He had blue eyes when he was given to the neighbours, so was extremely young.
Wow, that’s fast! Congratulations! Also, think your sense of humour added the perfect ambiance to hour home ~ “I’m Irish, this won’t be short.” 😂🤣😂
That's awesome. Good for you for taking in those 2 rescues and giving them a loving home.
I can't wait!
As an aside, I recently convinced a friend to get two kittens instead of one. I listed all the reasons why and included all the work he'd have to do to keep a single cat active and happy and even then it he or she wouldn't enjoy all the health benefits a companion can provide Result: he brought home two little ones and bought one of your books. _THANK YOU SO MUCH_ for your guidance!
or a dog as a friend.
@@HumanOptimization There's more to the story. In a different case that would be a possibility but my friend just lost one of his three elderly cats. No matter the type or amount of gentle guidance and insight I attempted to provide, he was determined to fill the emptiness with a fresh start. Imho, it's a _:::terrible:::_ idea to bring a kitten's crazy young energy into a home that's settled but grief, naivety and lets be real, selfishness, can make an otherwise intelligent, rational person blind as a bat.
I had to be content with the compromise he made. Could you imagine the chaos a kitten would create if she only had two old felines to spend time with? Can you imagine how miserable one or both of the elderly cat's last years would be? And poor kitten! She wouldn't understand why no one wanted to jump off the walls alongside her.
Hopefully, they'll all get along if/when they negotiate territory and energy boundaries. I'm also hoping he does a deep dive into JG's book and the numerous other resources I've found to be beneficial in my own household. He has a LOT of feline family work ahead of him! No dogs allowed. 😋
That kind of makes me feel sad that my kitty is alone
@@Cookiekeks How old is s/he?
@@Cookiekeks Your comment stood out so I'm returning to it for a sec. I'm a guardian to an only, too. I adopted her when she was three and now she's three and a half so it was recent. She grew up alone so I don't feel bad beyond the fact that she missed out during those essential bonding years. Starting fresh like my the friend I spoke about above, I would have done it differently. As it stands, I plan to expand my family in a couple years so (hopefully) she'll be able to spend the rest of her life in a happy brother/sister union. Meantime, we're building a very close, loving bond that is, I dare say, mutual and imho, providing a solid foundation is priority #1. Priority #2 or #3 is adding to a nourishing, healthy home. I betcha you're doing a great job. Your kitty doesn't know the difference right now but please consider a carefully chosen second and/or third animal so they can grow together the rest of their lives and if not, do the best you can to give him or her the best version of a feline life as possible. Everything we do for a fur baby counts. 💛🐱💛
Cats need more than a week to adjust . Imagine getting a new roommate that you didn’t know, didn’t vet, and all of a sudden he’s using your bathroom, sleeping in your bed and stealing time away from your boyfriend… Exactly… I always give new cats 2 weeks of smell adjustment.. that is, they are in a room by Themselves, but the other kitties can smell the new join. Then they get another week of visual.. if all goes well, we introduce the others one at a time with us managing mad minimizing the forced time together. I was able to introduce a kitty that the shelter said “can’t be with other cats”, but after 1 year, she now seeks out our other two kitties…
This is reassuring! I just took in a stray kitten less than a week ago and my first cat refuses to eat meals when he can see the kitten's room, although he will eat treats if I hand feed him and sit in between him and the door so he's focused on me and not the door. Swapping their toys/cat trees is going well, and he will play within sight of the kitten's room. I think I just need to give my first cat more time to get used to the idea that there is a new thing in the house.
@@nabihahossain7627 I use two baby gates to separate the kitties.. one on the bottom of a doorway and the other I turn upside down and place above it. So it’s like a tall baby gate door.. patience is key and don’t rush the relationship!!
I rescued a cat and after I brought her home my other male cat was SO MAD I couldn’t even look at him, he would hiss at me. I had to keep them separated for 3 months and thought it would never work out. Then I moved into a new apartment and after I did there were no more problems with them getting along. In fact, they’re now so bonded they’re like a married couple!!
One thing you can also do, to help the cats feel at ease, is to play a loop, of a cat purring. Cats purr, when they feel safe, and it’ll help them feel safe, around each other. I used that to tame my cat, who was a feral, when she was given to me. It took less than a day. I’m somewhat of a cat whisperer, myself, and I love using cat body language, with every cat I see, to let them know I love them 🥰🥰🥰
i'll try that!
Have you tried any of Jackson’s products. I just ordered the bully solution and I hope it helps. I have 3 females and the last one that was added is a real bully. I have tried everything but so far my other 2 cats are afraid of her.
Hey Jay, I can relate to the difficulty of having your bedroom door be the barrier. You're trying to open the door as little as possible, tripping over a gate while trying to keep the cats from jumping it, etc. Just going to get your phone or handbag or whatever becomes a stressful ordeal. The resident cat resents their favorite territory being taken away, and the new cat just wants out of there.
im having the same issue my resident cat just cries to get out everytime i put her up to let the other cat out
Yes it's a big challenge. Hard to decide what to do though. I think in this case Feisty needs more play, I think that's the most important part. I'm also not sure how bothered the other cat is by her hunting attempts. A few hisses now and then is not the end of the world. As long they are not really stressed out we shouldn't worry too much. I don't think Feisty is hunting the whole day.
Yeah! It took four months of Jackson Galaxy magic, but our old cat and new kitty finally decided they are best buds instead of mortal enemies. I’m sure it took as long as it did because we kept trying to rush things. (Seriously hated having a screen door in the middle of our house, but yeah, it was necessary.) The cats roam the house looking for each other, zoom together, eat together, and they just fell asleep together. (Okay, not quite together, but on the same bed.) They are so much fun.
when did you decide it was time to get rid of the screen door? I'm always unsure about when to move on to the next step
Cats have their own attitudes like us, some cats may never accept other cats but only tolerate them! I should know, I have six cats now! They don’t always like each other but they tolerate their presence I guess because of me. 🤔🤔🤔
Your a cat lover like me! Some people think lm crazy for having 4 cats and ld like to
have another. All 4 get along most times....
@@melissabrown9179 I know what you mean, I started with one back on October 2016 now I have six! Plus the feral cats I feed and take care of…..It’s amazing how that happened! All my cats I rescued and didn’t want to see them back on the streets so I just took them in, and two just walked in my door and decided to stay! Lol…
Yeah I find a lot of adult cats will peacefully coexist but never really bond with housemates
when seeing the video, i thought this was my story… two cats, sometimes they get on ignoring one another and then out of nowhere my bengal mix attacks my little fluffy one.
i took your advise and now after 2 hours of taking him for a walk, interactive playtime, him dragging his sniffing carpet through the house and licking food out of his kong for almost 20 min i have both cats for the first time in weeks sleeping in the same room next to one another. i am so happy i could cry. i have the feeling i finally found the missing piece. let’s hope it will continue like this! thank you so much jackson!
I had what I thought was a stray come up to me today and he was just the friendliest thing. Most of the cats in my neighborhood are feral, so it kinda surprised me. I ended up taking him to the shelter and both myself and the lady there were stoked when he had a chip! Turns out he had been adopted out of that shelter, so they had all his records. About 45 minutes later I get a call saying that the tearful reunion between family and pet would not be happening, and they didn't want him back.
... So now I've watched all your videos on cat introductions and have come to this one in order to learn how to introduce him to my cat the right way.
That was his second adoption out of the shelter and I refuse to let there be a 3rd (other than to me, for forever).
Thank you for being his safe place and loving him. So many stories at the rescues and shelters about people who don't want their adopted animal kids. Sometimes, though, the animals are better off... as long as they have a safe place to go while they're waiting for a new, permanent home, like a GOOD shelter, or a rescue. And sometimes the people who act like such flakes when they bring their animals in are the same who had been "passionately in love" with the animal not too long before. It makes you so annoyed, so...beyond just frustrated, because there is no thought process that these people had ever entertained about the implications of adopting what is, basically, a dependent child. It was like they were shrugging off last month's boring boyfriend and finding the next distraction in their lives...a new direction...aaargh. Very different from people who had genuinely traumatic situations (forced to move and can't take the animals, elderly person goes to nursing home or dies, sudden severe pet allergies popping up in the home from a family member, etc.). Among others, I've happily loved senior animals who lost their loving anchor and happily given them their retirement homes...it was a privilege.
My daughter had a stray come to eat at her house for a few months. Stray saw the two inside cats and felt safe. Daughter took Stray to the vet who found her chip and contacted the elderly owner. Cat had snuck out 8 months before.
Very simply, you are an Inspiration! Thank you for adopting and giving me the courage to try again.
@@lorileewhitbord8260 i wish i was. it turned out he had severe cat aggression, to the point he would ignore food and toys if he heard the other cat. it ended with me having a breakdown after her very nearly killed my other cat. at least i was able to give the shelter the information that the original owners who dumped him outside mid winter decided they didnt want to provide. i did my best, i have the physical and emotional scars to prove it, but i still feel wretched i couldnt do more.
Thank you ❤️
2:16 When you said body language, I immediately thought of Ursula, from The Little Mermaid
Ursula: Body language! HAH!
😹😹😹😹😹
Not sure who needs to hear this essay but listen to every tip from Jackson and keep going! (I needed to hear that before!) We are now on week 7.. yup.. and ours are still separate when we’re not around to supervise them but we’ve made such incredible progress. Day 1 my 4 year old cat attacked me non-stop at just the smell of the adopted kitten in the house in our spare room.. she hid, refused to eat, attacked everyone, it was scary and I thought we’d ruined her life and she’d hate us forever, it was awful honestly but keep on going, each step took 1-2 weeks for us but we knew our older cat needed us to go at her pace and eventually she was ready for the next step (new kitten unfazed by anything, he’s amazing) but honestly sometimes we thought we’d never move past a certain step as she was so freaked out by him but suddenly she’d just adjust each time and now we’re here- they play together, they sleep next to each other, eat together- everything. They still occasionally play and get too rough and my older cat will hiss and get annoyed and the kitten won’t get the hint 😅 (hence why we don’t leave them alone together just yet as I sometimes have to step in to de-escalate and remove him for a short period) I’ve also found alone time with our resident cat helped her feel loved and not excluded and gives her time to rest too as he’s full on and she’s still adjusting.. Don’t give up!!! Adopting him was the best choice we ever made and he’s worth every minute of this very long but rewarding process!
Thank youuu!!! It’s so reassuring to hear this! Me and my bf brought home two little girls (3 months old) two weeks ago and my resident cat Yuki (8 yo) took it PERSONALLY BAD, the babies are separeted in the spare bedroom while Yuki can roam freely in the house and big balcony, we swap toys and do site swapping, eating meals together near the door without vision contact as well but boy she’s mad! She’s hissing at us, growling no stop and youling when she get to smell the babies odour. I’m quite demotivated because she was a complete lap cat, always stuck to me and super loving and now she’s so stressed that I can barely pet her. It’s gonna take a long long loooong time for her to adjust. Meanwhile the girls couldn’t care less about her noisy complaint 24/7 and just wanna play. Please can you give us an update?
@@mellabi2886 don’t worry, this was exactly our situation! ❤️ Morris (kitten) is 1 y/o next month and I can honestly say they are really good together now! They don’t cuddle or groom each other yet but they play, sniff, share food and toys, sleep next to each other on the sofa and are completely relaxed around one another. Bonnie (my adult cat) has fully gone back to her old lap cat ways and loves us again and she actually is more gentle towards him and is the one that goes to groom him, he’s still very over excited and kitten-like and every time she does show him affection, he pounces on her to play (which she doesn’t always love..) we still have the odd situation where he plays too much/hard she lets out a little hiss but in the 8 months we’ve had him- neither of them have ever had scratch on them so, a win I think! He’s been neutered which helped but I think once he’s out the kitten phase they’ll get even closer. Have hope!! Just be super patient with your older cat as they’re the ones having to adapt, I think we were at over 2 months by the time we could leave ours alone together (which was horrible because everyone else seemed to be able to do it so much quicker but don’t let that dishearten you!) and not worry about them, just remember in the long run how much nicer this will be for all of them and you’ll get through it ❤️ let me know how you get on!!!
@@Morbon2222 omg I could cry! Cannot wait to see them play together and to have her back to normal. Thank you again, I’ll update every week so that anyone in my situation can see the progresses too. ❤️
Oh this is reassuring. It’s weeks three and my resident cat and new cat had a big fight. No blood drawn but a fight. I feel so hopeless because the resident cat is always hissing now. Them separately are so lovely and as soon as they come together it’s bad. I am starting this process all over again. I cried so much over this but I’m hoping with some patience it will work out.
@@Maya-ve1hl how its turn out right now?
Feisty is bored. Sparkle is older and more sedate. Doesn't have to do with introduction, has to do with *PLAY WITH YOUR CAT!* Love and Light to you Jackson, Thank you for all your videos!
Jackson's brilliance (and his team's) are in the details. I love how we're watching digital recordings on a streaming platform, but there's static, ffwd, rwd, sounds and visuals etc. As an 80's/90's kid I love this. Keep it up man!
Watching this for the millionth time because my resident cat is still so unhappy with my new kitten after a month and I’m at a loss 😭
I got my kitty, Juliet about 4 months ago, she was almost 6 months old. Romeo is about one year older. I have kept them apart for 2 months, but they wanted to play together behind the door as soon as I get them together one of them starts the chasing game, Juliet likes to tease Romeo and Romeo bites Juliet on her nick and vice versa. I have to separate them immediately. They are good together when I play with both of them or when I feed them. Most of the time I have to keep them separated. :(
I realised I’m rushing the introductions after watching this video. Going to slow down and start from the beginning. I also picked up that I need to wear out my aggressor. Thanks for these videos.
We live in a small apt now. We used to have 4 cats in a house, then 3 of them passed away. We had one cat in a small apt for a while until we got a cat for my son. They used to not get along for a really long time! (One was a kitten then a teenager for a while) I started introducing these concepts a few years later... They really enjoy kitty treats so I always try to get them to play then give them treats together. Our older cat has started playing PLAYING with our other cat. This cat rarely even played with other cats at all before and now she gets a wild hair and plays! I love to see it! These steps do work and the boil and simmer, play, eat, love method really does work and can fix cat relationships that are already bad!
You have no idea how much I've wanted more stuff on cat introductions! I binged the entire My Cat from Hell series to see if I could find an episode with cats in a similar situation. It's been a little over a year in my case, and the only issue now is that the "new" cat can only roam the living room when the other one is sleeping or going to sleep. If she's wide awake and sees her walk in, she'll chase into the hallway.
I am now restarting this process bc 2 resident cats are stressing the new one out. We have had the new one since May. My youngest cat stalks the new one daily. So I am restarting this whole process again and it will be slow. So now the new one is in the extra room and we will start this over again and I am fine with that.
It sucks bc an incident happened and now I have to start this process all over. My daughter had the new one and could not take it bc she would not do the work so I have her now.
thank you, Jay, for taking aunts cat - my hat goes off to you for not dumping at a kill shelter.
bless your home and your purrkids :)
Looking forward to this! Was able to rescue a little white feral cat last month (Vet estimates she is 3 years old). She’s such an angel (named her Precious), except when she howls at our 5 year old black cat (Oh❣️Oh) through the sunroom screen. Bought Feliway (phernome) from Vet last week, which has silenced the hisses. Next week we try physical presence introductions. Have watched (&, re-watched) Jackson’s videos, and welcome the chance to learn anything that will ease the stress for “the girls”. Hoping they are on their way to becoming buddies.
I think we rush the "becoming buddies." I think the first thing we have to do is to reassure the cats of their own space because that is what they need and try to capture and then defend from one another.
@@onwardsandupwards7397 Thanks, that’s a reassuring comment. Some seem so quick! I just won’t take the risk until all howls & hisses are gone. Gratefully, Vet is walking us through week by week according to our girl’s behaviour & comfort.
@@user-mp4zs2by9m That's wonderful. JG would be _sooo_ proud of you! Good luck to you and your sweethearts.
We’re now in our 4th month & still needing to do the “exchange program”. They are both so cuddly & sweet on their own but pretty scary when near each other. Continuing 2 Feliway and now Precious is on a low dose of fluoxetine (Prozac). That has calmed her a bit but still howls & hisses when she is anywhere near Oh Oh & the big stare down is scary. Never dreamed we’d be going through this still but of course love them both so much, will continue for as long as it takes.
@@user-mp4zs2by9m I think that you should allow each cat his/her own territory without access to the other cat. It took about a year for my cats to tolerate each other's presence but there is still territory that is precious that each cat wants left alone. I respect that boundary that my cats give me.
Omg this is exactly what I needed today . I decided to take care of my friends cat for 2 weeks . And my 9 month old is not ready to be friend with her at any cost . I am keeping them both in separate rooms for now and swapping places . But I really wish they could get along .
Thanks to Jackson 😍
Let them feel safe in their protected spaces. That's what your cats need. It is OUR need for the cats to be "friends."
If it’s just two weeks, why bother with an introduction? I would just keep them separate. They don’t need to be friends.
@@tardisdance1236 I thought the same . But I guess it would be nice if they got along . I don’t have to keep them both in separate rooms and both of them are curious to know what’s happening outside the door .
@@onwardsandupwards7397 yes makes sense . Also the other cat with leave in 2 weeks . So it’s better to give them some time .
Aysha, cats don't like to visit. I know it may be necessary sometimes, but I would keep them separate the whole time. I don't know if that's right or not. But cats don't like to visit. Just my humble opinion.
I've got 5 cats (all rescues) & their introductions were short but VERY successful! I do every once & awhile foster kittens but I keep them separate. I also have a German Shepherd (rescue) & he accepts them all! I soooooo LOVE my fur babies they're just purrrrrfect😸😻
I feel like the slow introduction is really good for people who aren’t super familiar with cats and reading their body language. Or for cats who have a hard time with other cats... but like, same, I separate them for like 2-3 days. My cats get a long really well.
@@SourEggz I agree but I know my cats & their temperaments so I know how they'll react.
@@kittypaws125 Exactly. Same here.
Ordered one of your coffee mugs for my partner as a stocking stuffer. He LOVES your show. We watched every season to educate ourselves after 2 strays adopted us. Anyway, I wish you had a “cat daddy” coffee mug! It’s so perfect!
Thanks for all your helpful content! You’re the best!!
I
Yes he is, I grew up with cats and I'm still learning something new Everytime I watch his videos 👏
@@theRealestBarbieD same, I've learned so much from his videos and genuinely have noticed an improved quality of life in my cat thanks to him. My cat is so much happier, it makes me so happy knowing how to connect with my little fur ball.
Amen! Same😻
It took me 5 weeks to let my 2 cats finally come face to face.
I was so nervous but it all happened by accident when my kitten jumped over the separator into my other big fat cat's area.
I was relieved to find them together without any harm😂😅.
You are so right about play. Play redirects in a non-threatening way helps a nervous cats to interact with it's humans in a fun way which is step to gainning trust. You just have to find something that interests the cat and bring them closer to you but still gives them space to move forward or back as they feel safe to.
August and May are absolute beauties. Tbh, they all are. Thanks for the video, Mr. Galaxy. ♥️
I come in here because I am on tearbreak trying to introduce two cats, we're so close to give up. And this ending, saying "YOU CAN DO IT" actually almost made me cry. TY I'm gonna lay a new gameplan and try again!
Hey how are your cats doing today? Are they used to each other’s presence ? I’m still in week 2 and my resident cat is screaming and hissing and following my new poor cat
@@bushraalshehri9846 It took us a month and a week, where they were in diffrent rooms. We switced rooms, baskets and us. The last 14 days we had the big one (the 'problem') in leash my BF would pet and feed him snacks. While I played with the little one in the opposite corner.
We would feed them on opposite sides of the door, and eventually open the door fully while they where eating. And closing when one was finishing.
Eventually the past few days we tired the door (i recommend a screendoor or hinge) the doors with a gap. So they always could seek the other. The kitten got out anyway tho, my old boy hissed and did a little jump forward, and the kitten rolled onto it's back.
It's been two weeks now, they still have times where we help regulate (the kitten wanna play ALL the time) but mostly he knows how to read the elder one now. And the elder one knows the little one is actually kinda fun.
But my advice. Don't rush! It took us over a month before letting them in same room to go together. But it was worth it!
Jackson, I find your advice very similar to my training as a foster mother. Children react the same way AND the same techniques you use with cats works for children. I see boil and simmer and body language to interpret what’s happening and provide ways for each to diffuse and move on. I’m not talking teenagers here ! I’m an emergency foster mother for birth to 7 year olds.
I am blessed that my introducing new cats has always been a positive experience.
Perfect timing! We adopted a couple of kittens (4 months and 6 months) last month. (Two kittens are easier than one - if they can play with each other, they're less needy and less destructive!) We've been keeping them separated from the rest of the animals in the house while dealing with some lingering health issues from when they were in the shelter, but we'll be ready to start moving into introductions soon. For the past month, they've been living in the master bedroom and bathroom. Our older cats, a pair of 13 year olds, have the run of the rest of the house, including a cat door onto the enclosed porch (where the dog can't go). This is a great reminder of the things to watch as we move into the next step of introducing "the babies" to the rest of the family.
I’m getting a second female kitty soon and I’ve been watching these videos like crazy to make sure my resident cat gets along with her. They both are very affectionate and playful and adapt very easily, but I’ve been told he has had issues with litter box guarding in the past. That being said, his old owner had 5+ male cats and only 4 litter boxes. I am scattering 4 litter boxes around my home hoping he won’t feel like he has to protect them when the little lady comes around. I’ll also be following these rules for introductions them as well!
I’ve always been more of a dog person, so I’m learning so much from your vids! Thanks so much for this free but super helpful information!
I’ve just done an introduction with our new 12 week kitten to our 4 year old resident cat and I can’t believe how well it’s gone they’re literally best friends in less that two weeks. Thank you Jackson I can’t believe how well your tips have paid off I thought it would take us months not weeks. 🥰
I work at a shelter and I tell new adopters all the time that it's the patience and TIME that makes it work out. I use my cats as an example. We were so cautious with them and spend 3 weeks before they were left alone in the house, after success at each steps before that. They still play rough for fun but they can also never even walk past each other without grooming each other. They fall asleep together all the time and get very sad when they're separated for meals [prescription diets 😭]. They're so happy together and it's all up to giving cats time to be confident together and to understand each other
Thank you Jackson! You help us to be much better hoomans to our fur babies!
Thank you Jackson. I just started the introduction process and my resident cat is NOT HAPPY. New cat is having a blast and is ready to meet my resident but the feeling is reciprocated. Still lots of hissing and adapting to scents. I’m feeling pretty guilty though… hopefully my resident cat will be okay in a couple of days so we can move to step 2. Wish me luck!
I hope u got good news🥹 i got a new sherazi kitten and I’m stressed of the hessing and hate energy bcs the new kitten is playful and my resident kitten is lazy ragdoll 😂🥲 and they’re both clingy to me I’m in trouble lol
@@hamsahms598 I do have good news! Supervised visit went better than expected and they now drive me crazy together. At first, new kitten was scared because my resident cat wanted to play but she’s much bigger than new cat. It took them like a month for new cat to realize resident cat didn’t want to hurt her 😅. They play a lot now, sleep nearby, and even eat from the same bowl sometimes. They don’t love each other dearly yet I think, but I know they’ve become good friends. I do have to separate them from time to time when play becomes hissing or when resident cat gets too rough. Other than that, they worked things out. The whole process from getting the new cat and me feeling comfortable leaving them alone took about 4 weeks. Hope this help and don’t give up!
@@vanessariveroyoga thanks sweetie I’m so happy for you 😍❤️ and I’m keeping my hopes up they are in the phase where “running after each other in the house” is a habit 😂
I love this ! It's great I never had to introduce cats before because my cats in the past grew up together as a baby, but I realized that when I have to bring in a new cat in the house I had to do a proper introduction. Thanks to you and your amazing TH-cam channel
jacksonnnn ! You are a god send 😢 i was about to give up on an adoption after no progress for many days - today i tried the simmer and boil ( supervised play which exhausted them and then feed time together and it worked like magic !!!! ) Both babies hung out without a barrier without attacking each other - cant tell u how relieved i am - i was in tears for the whole week 😢😢😢
Sending prayers and love your way 🥺
It took us MONTHS of isolation and slow introduction to get my cats to tolerate new fur family members.
Oh, Thank You! We’re at six weeks & working the “exchange program” a few times a day, otherwise separated by screen door. Vet guiding us week by week wanting to ensure slow progress vs having to re-start. Longing for the day they will peacefully co-exist ~ hopefully be good companions & play buddies. I needed to hear it took someone else months! How are they doing now?
@@user-mp4zs2by9m Took about 2-3 months before we felt completely safe to leave the kitten out without us being around, after she was big enough that she did her thing. We supervised as much as we could, and we played with her and the others constantly. The distraction would help, followed by plenty of shared treats. For a little while, the introduction process actually caused tension between two others that used to be friendly but after some time everything has been worked out. It's been about a year and a half and I'd say the ones that wanted to make friends did, and those who don't just leave each other to be. We have 5 members in our furry family now.
@@schrodingerthecat Thanks so much for sharing. That sounds like a more realistic time line & a hopeful future! Yay!
Our cats have been living in separate rooms for almost 5 months and there is no light at the end of the tunnel…
@@poobahone me too 😢
this is a great reassurance. we adopted a cat a few days ago, and we have two very impatient kids ( and one impatient husband😂) who are starting to question my ( i.e. your) strategy... phew. patience, patience, patience! and some "work"on our side as well.
we turned around our painfully shy and traumatized cat with your help and i am positive, it will work out this time as well ❤
thank you!
Can't wait! My boy is getting a friend soon
I have been an emotional wreck introducing two strays to my three cats, thank you so much for saying this can be done! I needed that encouragement! Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I have a big house and I love cats but I want to do it properly! ❤ Thank you!!!
We've had intros take as little as a few days and as long as a year.
We go by the body language and vocalizations of the cats and/or kittens.
Current intro is a calico girl cat who was 4 in August to our 2 boys who were 7 at the beginning of June. They are also twice her size.
We adopted her as her previous people could not keep her due to chronic illness. Going on 10 months and the situation is mostly peaceful.
I came looking for kitten 101, and didn't expect some good humour, thanks Galaxy.
An important point that wasn't mentioned is that you should never have just one litterbox for two cats - you should have two at least and a lot of cat experts think you also need an extra one on top of that.
Makes me glad that my two cats were still kittens when I introduced them. Wicket is only a year older than Puck. They bonded very quickly over play and learning how to be cats, and now Puck is Wicket's "Emotional Support Sibling". He helps her burn off the excess energy before she gets too overstimulated, and helps her manage her anxiety issues. She has become a much calmer cat since we got him.
This video was extremely helpful!! My story looks similar to fam #3. I went into this vid blind And I left with a lot of really great knowledge. I’m glad I clicked. 😸
I love the way you teach. Just adopted a 1 year old and introduced him into our household with an existing 18 month old and I am learning that I am on the right track and I need to be patient with their introductions.
“With one bedroom you can have 12 cats!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I agree!! I noticed that these cats seem very relaxed and comfortable around each other and just need time
Love your love for cats completely ❤️. I have a Bombay cat , five years old, and he is such a chill cat..i never thought i would be a cat person, but here i am.. he's my wing man for sure. I haven't had a pet in 35 years a parrot for 3 years and later a cockatiel..keep up the great work greatly appreciate your channel.
Is your Bombay talkative? I have one and he runs his jibs constantly. lol
When I introduced my youngest cat to the first one what did not help me were my family members not listening to me, trying to let them "fight it out" and thus making me angry and anxious with everything. It ended up taking almost a year to see the cats unbothered with eachother!
Thanks Jackson for letting us read the signs ourselves first before presenting the answers. Great way of teaching.
I followed all your advice and my 9.5 year old male cat has accepted the 12 week old male kitten! After 1 week of not seeing each other and switching some toys around and then letting them explore each others places, food either side of the door, they met. My older cat was not impressed at first, but there has been NO fighting and the kitten now follows the older cat around and copies him (going into open cupboards etc) and they nap right next to each other, no cuddling or grooming yet, but I hope that does happen eventually :)
You are a life saver and great soul, Mr Galaxy!
Thank you for the amazing content and work
Jackson, I lived in a huge house 🏠 with my Mom, Grandma, Sister, brother-in-law and nephew. Together, we had 5 cats- two males, Moonshine and Edward (Edward belonged to my brother-in-law) and three females - Charlotte (my sister’s cat), Chiara (my cat) and Stella (my Mom’s cat).
Believe it or not, they got along awesome and were a cute little pack. We slowly introduced the cats together when a new one was added. Moonshine was top cat and the others respected that, no fights. My cat wants to be top cat, but she knew her place in the herd. We were very lucky.
Also, sometimes we have them all tuna in the kitchen together- they associate good things together
You truly are the cat daddy. You rule Jackson.
I took it slow for 2-3 months for intros. Worked great. I think whoever had our older boys as babies before they were adoptable age really socialized them well too, which helps. They didn't really care that there were interlopers. lol
Thanks Jackson for your help with understanding cats. I only have one but I have learned from you to provide good playtime for my high energy boy. I've been getting toys as I can afford them and have learned what he likes most. He loves hunting. He is an indoor cat. Thank you! ♥️
We tried doing the step by step. Then our senior cat decided it was cruel keeping the new kitten alone and decided to break him out XD So to save our door, we did. He went to our bed and slept and everything was fine XD
Same . My welder cat just jumped the baby gate when we were introducing them visually . By the end of the day of the visual part she jumped to meet the new kitten 🤷♀️ And the new kitten was climbing up the gate to go to my cat anyway 😂
They are playing a bit rough and the kitten hissed sometimes rarely when my welder cat was to REALLY play and chases him too abruptly, but my elder girl she also grooms the new kitten and they use each other’s litter boxes and eat from each other bowls , the sleep in the same room/ both in the sofa with us watching telly . Not all the time , they are still adjusting , but we can see it going better and better 🤷♀️
After they actually met they still spent the first two nights apart when we couldn’t supervise , and also when we couldn’t be home for a bit they stayed separated . But now they are spending the night just fine .
So I planned a two weeks introduction but need up being a one week one, I mean I don’t think I have to reintroduce them now even if they play. Bit rough ? They do take turns anyway and if it’s too much they would just let the other I’m at know !
@@jflifeon6932 aww thats too cute! Yeah it's fine even if they are roughhousing a bit, my senior and now youngster does so too, it's just how they like to play, wrestlers XD If our senior forgets hes not a teeny kitty and is too much we just go "ahem" and hes like "oh right".The youngster takes pauses during play to ensure its still play (which is good as our third cat is teeeeeny)
@@crazymissdaisy yeah we go like “ no or ehm “ too! The only thing is that at night I can’t really see what they are doing so I hope they regulate them self as the 11 weeks old is a tu y one ! An my 1y and half one she is not that big , he probably Gonna grow bigger ! But she is still bigger than him !😂
What do you do if you have to leave them alone ? Do you keep them separate or just leave them be ?
@@jflifeon6932 Well we had Laban for 2 years now, so they are best buddies but in the beginning, we separated like the first 2 weeks when alone and then let them handle, and no issues happened so far. Also once the kitten gets around the 8-9 month mark they tend to calm down in terms of playtime and isnt as intense and unrelenting XD
Love your videos! I have 14 feral born or rescues, all altered. The newest is a 25lb Maine coon that I'm pretty sure was raised by I'll mannered dogs. He's perfect inside, ,looks away and lays down when another cat growls at him, like a dog would. Outside, he's like a wild dog chasing any and all cats he sees and also chases cars. He's been fun getting to know.
He sounds so fun! 💜💜
@@TheGeekyBanana Oh, he is. He will lick the skin off your arms or legs. He even chases is own tail.
@@jeanneamos9365 I love cats that don’t “cat” right 😂😂😂 our dog thinks he’s a cat and it’s hilarious 😂
And here I am smugly watching this, petting my gorgeous cat who has been best friends with the new kitten since day 1. Because he is a perfect boy xD.
You just described how I learned to raise children, human's that is, so much alike it's unreal sometimes.
This video has been really helpful!
I have 3 cats who have been together for a couple years now, and every so often, usually at night, they will fight. I don't play with them often (I forget), and one of them is very bad at "talking cat", so I imagine that that also plays into it. It's a good reminder for me to try and get it out of their system before bedtime.
I guess I really can only blame myself since they bring me their toys when they want to play... 😅
Oh, the timing and the reassurance. Thank you, Jackson! We surprise rescued (and by rescued I mean, "from the jaws of death, the vet didn't think he'd live through the night") an age-unknown kitten a month and a half ago. He's regained his health and healed up from his two surgeries just fine, but my gosh is he a high-strung, anxious lil teenager. I don't blame him, honestly.
Because he's an escape artist, he's "met" the other two cats, both of whom are seniors, a few times. It didn't go well any of those times and we've been doing the best we can following the steps, but every time we think we've made progress, it turns out to be too soon to let the cats see each other, they get in fights (and by fights I mean basically what was happening with Feisty and Sparkle), and makes everyone feel like we're back at square one. It's super demoralizing, but honestly... if the answer is that we DO go back to square one every time the cats get into a chase, then it really hasn't been a month and half that we've been working on introducing everyone. It's only been since the last hiss. And that makes me feel a little better about how "slow" things seem to be going.
i'm thinking of getting my cat a buddy either in the next few weeks or after christmas (you know, shelters filling up with gifted animals) so this should be interesting :D
@ J H. So thoughtful to be mindful of the precious little “gifted” ones that end up back in shelters. These Angels deserve better & sounds like one will come to know that with you. So great!
We can only HOPE that these soon to be Christmas present kittys that don't work out get taken back to the shelter and not tossed on the street.
People: don't gift precious furbabies with out much beforehand thought and planning. Those sweet furbabies deserve a safe & happy life 😻
@@sherriross4785 yessss ♥️ i've actually already suggested jackson make a video about this, maybe it's coming some day :)
Any time around Christmas is a good time, the main idea is lightening the load for shelters. Just like if you want a kitten, maybe wait for kitten season
If you're looking for screen-door solutions, we were able to cobble together a really robust one with wire-mesh compost grids and zipties. You can also use clothespins to clip a blanket or cardboard to it for keeping other kitties out of view.
I had a very unique experience with introducing my two cats. I got them only a few months apart. Corona, named after the virus because I adopted her during the lockdown in May of 2020 and Rogan, named after Joe Rogan. Corona was 5 weeks when I got her. She was born on the streets. Rogan, I got when he was already a year old from a small, mom and pop pet food store. Corona was about 6 months old when I adopted Rogan. I introduced them as per Jackson Galaxy’s guidance. I kept Rogan in one bedroom and Corona in another for a couple days. I let them both out to the main part of the house one at a time and independently. Corona would just sit by the door Rogan was behind and growl. Then, walk around the whole house growling and hissing without even seeing him. Rogan was reaching under the door meowing trying to interact. He never growls or hisses. I named him after Joe Rogan for a reason. He’s a big softie. Lol. Just by happenstance, Corona went into her first heat and everything changed. Rogan was neutered when I got him so I didn’t worry about her getting pregnant at all and, on top of that, they are both inside cats only. It was hilarious watching her entire attitude change toward him. She went from running and hiding, hissing and growling to meowing, rolling on her back and following Rogan all around the house. He would just play with her and groom her. I let them bond during her first heat and all was content permanently after that. I got her spayed the very next month and they’re friends still today. If it wasn’t for her heat, I do believe it would have taken much, much, much longer. Although, I did get her by the time she was 5 weeks, she still acts feral at times. She is a huge scaredy-cat. Rogan, he’s still just so easygoing and chill. Nothing scares him. He is such an emotionally balanced cat. He’s great with my autistic son. He will play fetch like a dog. My friends do call him cat-dog because he doesn’t act much like a cat. Lol. I’d love to know more about what his first year of life was like before I got him. If it’s true about the theory that what cats experience in the first 9 weeks of their lives shape who they are and will become, I gather his life was pretty good. So blessed to have found him.
Please make sure to get her spayed It will prolong her life and make a happier cat
@@jenni0278 She is spayed. She was spayed after her first heat.
This is good to know! I had my boy for almost four years now. He was a lonely cat, me and my hubby could tell. So we got a new cat. Day two she accidentally ran out of the room and he attacked her. It was horrifying. I thought they would never get along after that. It’s been about three weeks now and I haven’t had them see each other… until she got into heat. (We took her from someone who hadn’t got her spayed. She’s getting spayed this March). Now he’s so enticed with her, and she’s not as scared. We haven’t had them interact with the doors open. But with the crack of the door, he sniffs her and doesn’t growl or hiss. And she just sits back and watches him desperately trying to get close to her. I never thought this would happen! And he’s also neutered. Reading your comment just gave me some hope. I really thought he’d never be able to get along with her as he seems excessively dominant. Hopefully this progress will continue even after she gets spayed.
@@RedPhilosophy let them interact close up while she’s in heat. After she’s not, they should be best buds. After I got my female spayed, she and my other cat are best friends. She wouldn’t even give him a chance before. Lol. She was all growls and hisses. Now, it’s all love and kisses.
One thing I found that helped was having a gate between the two cats, and playing with them at the same time. Used a string, & eventually had them each playing with one side of it.
It turned from "new animal DANGER!!!" into "oh! new playmate!!". Once they both figured that out, it went really smooth. And keeping the gate between them made each feel safe that they wouldn't be suddenly attacked.
How exactly did you do that? Where was the gate?
@@sbkmarkel It was a makeshift gate I made myself & put in the doorway of the room I kept the new kitten in. We had leftover wire fencing from the backyard & I wrapped that around some 2x4s, making sure no sharp wire points were left. Took maybe an hour to make, but already had everything on hand.
The room was really large & the boys would take turns staying the night with him, but we would put our older cat in another room occasionally to let the kitten explore the rest of the house.
Oh! And we never left them alone when using the gate, just to make sure nothing happened like a claw getting caught
With respect to Mr. Galaxy and his belief that all cats are community animals, he has NEVER met my current cat. There isn't even a stray passing by on the street she won't chase away! Thank you for the videos.
God Bless Jackson Galaxy..and all his beautiful cats!
Will there also be a video about how to introduce a cat and a dog (in the scenario when a dog enters a home where the cat already lives) Does it already exist? Been looking for it, but couldn't find it!
it took my older guy multiple weeks before i could see he was ready to be in the same room as our new kitten and even then it was a game of me distracting the kitten with a flirt pole and my older guy watching carefully for about a month lol :) they are finally starting sniff, play, and make loving eyes at one another during hang outs... im so happy for them, my older kitty has been in such a good mood and i couldnt have done it without your intro technique!!!
It’s very reassuring that I’ve been doing something right. My two cats introduction was defiantly screwed up and there’s not a way to have one locked back up in a room now since the newer one has already explored most of the house. They’re getting to the point of toleration and I have been intersecting stare downs and redirecting the resident cat when she starts to get too close to the new one. For more context the newer cat is my cat, he’s a big guy who’s easily anxious but has been around other cats and gotten along with all others before. The resident cat is my partners. I moved in with him and his cat who has been the only cat in this house since her sister died when they were kittens. She’s been a little territorial, but her body language is more curious and excited to play and meet the new cat. The problem is that my cat has never been the newcomer before and is on edge a lot more due to not having already established territory
Thank you so much for your advice. A number of my friends were of the opinion (of which they had MANY without anything other than anecdotal experience under their belt) that I was overthinking everything but your videos gave me confidence that I was/am doing right by my babies. I now have two kittens (4.5 mo & 6.5 mo at time of introduction) that get along fabulously. Two IS better than one!!!!!
Because I live in a smaller space & wanted to avoid a very drawn out intro process, I did my best to find a very well socialized older kitten that would know how to respond to my playful older kitten, who seems to just adore other cats (my neighbour's kitten & my other neighbour's cat (they met separately when we were walking them in the halls) and an older foster (that DID NOT like my kitten)).
We got through all the steps quicker than I expected because my resident kitty was showing zero discomfort and my new kitten is chock full of seemingly unquenchable mojo. Resident kitten WAS bit overpowering at first (me & a friend worked together to distract with treats + play), but quickly learned that the younger kitten would just go limp & stop playing if she was too much.
My girls, Mochi and Sushi look just like May and August. They extremely affectionate with me, but not with each other. However, they get along really well. No fighting. If Mochi is in Sushi's favorite box, Sushi will patiently wait her turn - and vice versa. They have such a mutual respect that I honestly can't tell which one is dominant.
I appreciate this. Me and my 6 year old female cat recently moved in with my boyfriend and his 7 year old boy cat and my cat has been just so aggressive with him! It’s been 3 months of us following your steps but small improvements and I’ll TAKE IT!!
I adopted my cat 3 years ago and my boyfriend has had his cat since he was a kitten. My cat did wonderful around cats just no this one but I’m thinking it was maybe the change of environment for her at the same time as meeting a new cat and human to stay with. I also think she was abused my a man before I got her because she has an aversion to anything male
Breaking into a dance is my favorite way to avoid arguments between cats. Just grab a few toys and dance. It will confuse and entertain both cats, take them out of the argument, and eventually you get two cats that can agree “mom is weird”… “like, so how long have you dealt with this? I just came from the shelter and there’s not a lot of dancing humans there”
Looking forward to this. I brought in a 4/5 month old to give my 13 1/2 year old a friend, except she’s not friendly to him. He just finished healing from his neutering and received all his shots.
Your senior cat may not want to befriend the kitten and manage the territorial issues that cats go through. Let your senior cat set the pace and just guard their territories so the old cat can live in peace and if they become "friends" let that happen on their own terms in their own way. Don't force them upon each other.
@@onwardsandupwards7397 Great advice. She’s my baby, so I’m taking it very slow. They are both really sweet cats. Thanks!
I am still introducing my new kitten and 7 year old resident cat after 3 months. We have progressed to the point where they eat together (even from the same bowl) but resident cat still "hunts" little one so they only meet during dinner time and after it I supervise until I can see situation is about to turn worse. ^^; Have to admit, it is quite tough but I hope we get there in the end. I have restarted the whole process once (I was too quick 1st time).
All the cats look so wonderful. We have cats almost the same age and they get along and play great. they eat together and hardly any problems. And they are complete babies that love sitting on our shoulders we have been blessed with our cats.
I don't believe new multiple cat owners often understand there will still be occasional hissing. My three cats have been together for 5 years. I often find them cuddling with each other. Yet, there are times when I'll hear one hiss at another. Those three were also around when I fostered a ton of kittens. My orange tabby would be the first to accept each kitten. He would teach the tiny ones how to groom themselves. My tuxedo would eventually start playing with the kittens. My tortie...well she's a tortie. She would reach the point of not constantly hissing at the kittens. Yet, she would regularly bop them on the head if they got too close.
Thank you for all of your videos and advice. I always had multiple cats when growing up. I hadnt had any cats for the past decade due to living places where i couldnt have a pet. My roommate owns the house i currently live in. We have two small senior dogs. Last spring i was finally able to get him to agree to a kitten. Because of your videos and me showing him all the times you say to get a second cat, i was able to get him to finally agree to a second cat after 9 months. We adopted a 3 yr old from the local humane society and were very lucky that the intro period only lasted 5 days. A month later, they groom each other, play together, and are rarely apart. Thanks to your videos, our little family is complete and we have some very happy cats.
Ohhh is this tomorrow? We need this. My 13-year-old ginger boi and 3-year-old tuxedo lady need this. They've been separated in the 2 different wings of the house since June (due to a clumsy-ish introduction period back in May) :( They both have plenty of roaming/climbing space, large window views to the forest, sunlight, and attention, clean litters, vast indoor territories, but it'd be nice to leave all the sliding doors open and have them explore each others' wings together. I think I'm missing a critical ingredient. Unless...unless they just don't like each other. I mean...that's fair, who am I to enforce our two royalties in the midst of a feline cold war to be allies? But maybe there is hope...
I hope this video of Jackson’s is just the ticket to help your two kitties get along eventually!
Does it help to do the exchange program (swapping sites vs exploring each other’s space together)? We’re in the midst of intros & have been doing this for six weeks. Screen door divides them until hissing/howling stops, then very brief & graduated physical presence intros. with 100% “supervision”. Hope we both find our cats will come to happily cohabitate! Oh for some peaceful harmony! Best Wishes!
@@user-mp4zs2by9m We tried the exchange programme initially, our gingerman was enthused, but tuxielady had her defenses up (she was the sole feline resident, before gingerman moved in to her house, with all his furniture, which smelt like him). It's almost a Pepe le Piew situation from Looney Tunes, that ends up with a terrified tuxie turning into a ball of fury amongst an amused ginger. Anyways, the exchange didn't work for her, BUT they're doing much better sniffing and listening from across the sliding doors patiently, where tuxielady previously avoided those doors out of fear. I'm just too scared to re-introduce again because if we mess up, it might be a huge setback 😱 but I really hope your situation is easier than ours and they start getting along! It's so much better when cats eventually become companions in a household; there is less guilt leaving them alone, and they could keep one another company! (:
@@susangrande8142 oh thank you! 😺 If not, I will deeply consider getting them an application into the Galaxy therapy programme.
Preparing to get a little brother for my kitty, getting education. Blessed I have two rooms to do introduction.
Another thing, at least with May and August, I feel like there's an element of expectation that shouldn't be there. Even the most successful introductions don't always end up with them being best friends. Nefertiti is 9 and Siam is going on 3 and we've had them both since they were kittens. The introduction process wasn't done (I won't get into the why's of it again). However, whenever Siam (who is a very talkative and hyper Asian breed mix) would get out of line, Nefertiti would let him know. We did get him fixed and that took about a year to bring his hormone levels down. I've submitted a pic to Jackson as an example, but I would say that a good majority of the time they are loving on each other or they are tolerant of each other. The few times that they're not only lasts until Siam gets the point (maybe a minute or two) and never escalates into anything. Point is that I'm not looking for them to be cuddle buddies. If there's peace 95% of the time, then I'm happy and okay with that. There are some other problems that no amount of reading Jackson's books, or watching his videos, will solve. But, I think it's human problems rather than cat specific problems.
A lot of people get a second cat specifically because they want their other cat has a friend. It’s well intentioned but sometimes creates unrealistic expectations.
My two male cats are so pushy and I very grateful, they accepted they little sister (6 weeks female cat) instantanly, and she is a little beast
My boyfriend and I just moved in to a new house. Each of us has two cats which never met before: 3 adults (8 and 5 years old) and 1 kitten (6 months). We followed so far the steps for the introduction: about 1 week in safe camp and site swapping; 1 week of scent and meal sharing behind closed doors; and now we are on week 3 trying the visual step. We go an acrylic wall and use a bed sheet to progressively allow them to see each other while they eat their food, play or have treats. The problem is that one of the adult cats is not happy at all and hisses / growls a lot which obviously has an impact on the other cats. It seems that we are stuck here and we are not really sure what to do since they seemed quite comfortable on the previous steps. It is also getting more and more difficult to keep them in base camp as they want to come out and enjoy the rest of the house. Any tips?
Ours was similar when we moved from no visual eating to first visual introductions! The very first visual we did both cats were a little fluffy, hissing, growling, but not charging eachother or swatting. Growling and hissing is not so much about aggression, it’s the cats way of saying they’re uncomfortable so don’t take this as too big of a “setback” behavior! Keep doing visuals at the same level and start with 2 a day, I did mine after feedings. We would set up a safe distance/ barrier for them to see eachother through then I had my sister with one cat and me with the other. ANY time they stopped growling/looked at us/took a few steps away and changed their attention we would give treats! This builds a better association with seeing eachother and rewards. Our first two meetings they hissed or growled but by the second day they see eachother now and are uncomfortable but not vocal or fluffy! We were even able to have one fully engaged in play and one getting treats with a door wide open. They still are uncomfortable but with each small exercise and meet they’ve moved away from the loud scary introductions 😂
@@Twilightluver97no luck here. We tried everything and even brought a cat behaviorist. We installed a climbing wall, we restarted the introduction again (kept them separated for 1 months), then slowly introducing them, swapping places, food with barrier, food without barrier, decrease distance. Now we are stuck again - they can stay close eating or having treats, but once the fun is over they just try to fight. They hate each other and I am desperate and don’t know what to do anymore. Living like this since 7 months has been a nightmare.
@@dsm_796 Has it gotten any better? Just started the intro process a week ago and I'm trying to learn what I can. Sorry to read that you've been having a hard time!
@@natalieetc No, they still hate each other. We keep them separated at all times. 😕
Just got a third cat thanks to your motto. 😅 Two cats are great three cats are best! Three’s company too! 🎉❤😊