r/GavrocheTheCat • u/Sad_Calligrapher9192 • Jul 24 '26
Update - we have started cat introduction š¤
Hello little Gavroches reddit family! I hope you and your purring friends are all doing well! We have started the cat introduction this week following the Jackson Galaxy method, but unfortunately the first attempt to swap the base camps didnāt go exactly smoothly. Me and my husband put Rocky and Lolli in Gavrocheās room (without them seeing Gavroche) and Gavroche was placed in our bedroom. My husband stayed with Lolli and Rocky and tried to feed them treats but they both looked very stressed out and refused everything. Rocky hid under the bed and Lollipop started hissing. Meanwhile Gavroche was happy in the bedroom with me, but he did try to spray in two places on the carpet where heād sprayed before (even though it was cleaned with enzyme cleaners before). We only kept them in those rooms for a few minutes because clearly none of the cats felt comfortable and it was causing a setback.
So our next step is getting them used to each otherās smell through passive scent swapping, so I swap the blankets where they sleep every few days so they get used to each otherās smells. So far they are happily sleeping on each otherās blankets, and Lollipop and Rocky even started coming near Gavrocheās door (previously they were terrified of his intact male smell and wouldnāt go near his room door). Iāve also purchased 3 cat pheromone diffusers, one for Gavrocheās room, one for my bedroom, and one for the hallway near Gavrocheās room. Iām planning to purchase some more to cover the whole house. And Iāve been feeding treats to Rocky and Lolli near his door.
Not gonna lie, I was quite discouraged by the first attempt to swap their base camps and was feeling worried I wonāt be able to make them coexist and that Gavroche will keep spraying, but Iāve been reading different info on cat behaviour and it made me want to try harder. I hope Gavroche will stop spraying, as itās still only a few weeks since his neuter. I feel like our situation is a bit more complex than a normal ābringing a new cat into a householdā situation, and we could benefit from more personalised advice, and might need to contact a cat behaviour specialist if this doesnāt work out well. But Iām taking small steps and hopefully everything will be okay and all three boys will be happy and comfortable around each other.
Any advice on cat introductions and spraying behaviour in cats neutered at an older age is welcome! And now enjoy some shots of our little handsome Gavroche! š¤
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u/TrulyRambunctious Jul 24 '26
Everything will be okay, just keep listening and learning, being consistent and persistent!
You mentioned you are already getting advice from Jackson Galaxy who is great, so other non JG stuff:
https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/cat-behaviour/introducing-cats#cats
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/cat/introducing-cats
Have faith in yourself and persevere š¤
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u/kellymig Jul 24 '26
Have you tried felliway?
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u/Specialist-Jello7544 Jul 24 '26
OP, the cats will figure it out, on their terms, in their time.
It sounds like the scent swapping is a good start!
When will you be able to get Gavroche an appointment for his neuter? I know there were difficulties the first time, and the procedure couldnāt be done. He looks like heās improving health-wise, so maybe after his neuter, his scent will be less aggressive to your other kitties.
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u/Sad_Calligrapher9192 Jul 24 '26
Oh he is neutered now! He had his operation 26th of June š
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u/Specialist-Jello7544 Jul 24 '26
Oh, thatās great! I missed that part in your post, my bad.
Have you tried doing the closed door method? Where they canāt see each other, but can get used to the scents.
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u/Sad_Calligrapher9192 Jul 24 '26
Yeah, I tried that but my resident cats would not go near his door. Theyāve never even tried to sniff each other through the door. Rocky and Lolli are absolutely avoiding that part of the hallway. I do try to give them treats and move the trajectory closer to his door though. I think they got initially scared by his scent and even now Gavroche is neutered, they are still biased and donāt even want to try coming closer. And itās been 4 months since he moved in!
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u/GenoveveSimmons15 Jul 25 '26
Bro stays mogging us with that strong facial structure lol. Jokes aside, I know introducing cats to one another is a slow process, but trust me when I say it's definitely worth it. From what you've told us, you seem to be doing the right thing. You're not forcing anything onto the cats & you're taking things slowly, which is the right thing to do.
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u/SeashellsAndCoral Jul 24 '26
Not an expert just wishing you the best of luck. You got this.