Question:
I have two cats who are both 10-1/2 years old. They are completely indoor cats.
Last January, I adopted a 9-month-old feral cat. Her name is Dolly. A vet checked her out and gave her shots. I have kept her separated from the others in another room for about five months. She is now in the main room of my home. She eats and drinks water from the same place as the other two. The first two (male and female) have been fixed and de-clawed.
When the male cat goes near Dolly, she hisses. And she has now started to "go" on the floor, near where she hides. I keep a clean litter box and always praise her when she uses it, but she's making more and more mistakes. Can you think of anything else I might do to stop her?
M.S., West Palm Beach, FL May 08, 2011
Answer:
Congratulations on your integrating a homeless third cat into your two-cat home. And hats off to all involved with taking in a rescued animal.
As you know, this can take much time and patience; the trick is to keep the new cat (veterinary-checked and with a clean bill of health) separate but close enough to the other cats so they can become scent-, sound- and sight-habituated toward one another.
Because your new cat is under some stress, and because cats often develop cystitis when they are stressed, I would have a veterinarian examine her to rule this possibility out. Otherwise, try the cat pheromone Feliway room diffuser and give them all a pinch of catnip as an evening cocktail.
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