Posted 10 July 2012 at 18:37 | Last updated 10 July 2012 at 18:41

My new cat is getting bullied by my other cat - help!

Asked by Sue P | 1 Answer

I have a 4 yr old female cat (Ebony) - I've had her for 3 years (she was a rescue). I recently adopted another rescue cat back in February - a female approx 2 yrs old. I did all the right things whilst integrating them, and all seemed to go well. I have Feliway Diffusers in the 2 main rooms they use (constantly plugged in), and their food bowls are separate, and they both have areas to hide in on the ground and up high, along with places to sleep of their own. Over the past month or so, Ebony has begun to "bully" Tink, and quite often chases her into a corner or around the room - Tink always gives in and rolls on her side submissively, whilst Ebony takes full advantage and gives her a swipe and hisses at her. So far I've never seen them have a full blown fight, and I sometimes wonder if this behaviour is only when I am around them - jealously maybe? But I always give them both lots of attention and am careful with feeding them (always feed Ebony first). I am getting slightly worried as to whether this behaviour will eventually calm down or if Ebony is determined to bully Tink until she leaves!! I've also noticed that Ebony's temperament has become extremely grumpy a lot of the time and towards as well. She quite often hisses at me for no reason. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Category: 
Behaviour

Expert answer

Julie B
Gold badge

Hi Sue

I'm really sorry to hear that Ebony and Tink aren't getting along. I'm afraid that cats don't 'need' to be social so it can be tricky managing a household where one cat doesn't want another one around.  The constant stress of having to live with a cat you don't want to be there does make cats generally grumpy...so although you say Ebony hisses at you for no reason its actually just a reduced tolerance to any social interaction caused by having another cat around.

I'm not sure how you initially introduced them or how your house is laid out.  But there are some things you can do to lower the stress and hopefully make things easier for both the cats and you.

Both cats will need immediate and constant access to resources (food, water, sleeping, resting, litter trays etc).  They must be able to access them out of sight of the other cat and without having to walk past the other cat. In reality this means an awful lot of food bowls, water bowls etc around the house.  It's difficult to say how many without seeing the layout of your house - but start with way too many and gradually reduce as you see your cats start to relax.

It would also be worth having Ebony checked by your vet to make sure there are no underlying veterinary conditions that could be causing her to be less tolerant than usual.

Hope you're able to restore peace and goodwill between your Ebony and Tink.

All the best

Julie

Author:
Sue P

Beginner badge
Owns:
  • 2 Cats
Slave and butler to my two cats Ebs and Tink - they are like a comedy double act, love 'em loads!!! :))

Related Questions...

  1. my cat keeps pooing on the floor
  2. Cat keeps crying
  3. My two male cats won't stop fighting - any advice?
  4. Cat finally came home, cat's brother hates him
  5. Why does our girl do crazy wees?
  6. Moving house with two unsettled cats
  7. Our 1 year old cat Kayla, has this thing about jumping up at doors, she can
  8. How to stop my kitten biting
  9. Why has my cat become so aggressive recently?
  10. Cat constantly weeing outside of litter tray after penile urestothemy