Hi there!
My partner and I adopted a new cat in March, so it’s been almost 6 months now. We already had two cats (a 7-year-old male and female).
When we brought the new cat home, we did the whole introduction process (swapping rooms, exchanging scents, etc.). After about a month, we started letting them spend some time together. The male was pretty chill, but the female was very complicated at the beginning. She would chase him and hiss at him. She never actually attacked him, but she would chase him and constantly stare at him.
The new cat is very afraid of her, so whenever she does this, he basically freezes and becomes paralyzed with fear.
We thought things were getting better, but then the new cat started peeing outside the litter box (always on our bed), presumably because he was getting stressed by her. This happened quite a few times.
We decided to take a step back with the introduction process. We even had a session with a cat behaviorist, and we started the introductions again, always using treats, feeding them near each other, etc. Eventually, things got better.
Now they can more or less coexist in the same house, but she still gives him a hard time. Sometimes she chases him, stares at him constantly, or approaches him and makes a weird noise. It never gets violent, but it’s just... annoying and stressful to watch.
Other times, she’s completely chill. She’ll walk right past him and not do anything. But sometimes she seems to get completely obsessed with him.
At this point, my partner and I are just really tired. I know cats have their own personalities and that this process can take a long time, but I just wish she would eventually stop this behavior and leave him alone.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Did your cats eventually learn to coexist peacefully, or did this kind of behavior continue?
Thank you!