About 3 years ago my parents took in a second cat. I was on here often at that time trying to help her introduce the new cat to her other kitty. The two of them would not get along. We tried everything, they could not even be in the same room together, so at first my mother tried feeding them both on either side of a closed door. They would try to get at each other under the door. She tried that plug-in stuff that's supposed to calm the kitties down. That did not work. She even put the more aggressive cat (the newer one) on a kind of "kitty prozac" but even that did not stop the fighting. The fighting gets so bad my mom is afraid one of them will be hurt, so letting them fight is out is not an option. She tried to find a new home for the newer cat at first, but could not find a suitable one. Well, in the 3 years she has had them she has been effectively keeping them separate. They have a fairly big house and one cat lives upstairs while the other one lives downstairs. My mother switches their places once or twice a day so that each kitty can have some time on the back porch, which they both enjoy. Switching them is a whole process in itself because if one cat realizes the other is about she will go after her. During the day both of my parents work, and so they keep the door between the upper and lower levels closed pereventing the cats from reaching eachother. They even devised a wooden blocker that goes under the door so they cannot reach their paws under to get at each other. Both of my parents really love both of these cats. And both cats are very sweet when the other is not around. I guess all I am wondering is could there be a better way for the household to be run rather than constantly keeping the cats separate and switching them around? The cats do seem happy, but this whole switching and separating nonsense seems so ridiculous. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks so much!
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Two cats will not get along!!
Replies (5)
Hi There,
I think in this case it may be best to keep the same routine. It has been working for a few years now and the cats are used to it. They are happy and it sounds like they are doing well.
Usually, cats who don't like each other will learn to tolerate each other. However, occasionally cats will not even do that. In my household I let the cats work out things on their own, but I have never had cats that outright hated each other. I do have 2 that will sometimes hiss and growl at each other, and there is some chasing and smacking, but nothing really serious. Most of the time they live together peacefully.
Regards,
PHKitkat
I have 2 cats that don't get along with the others at all. They are brothers and they love each other and people but they don't like other cats. They have their own bedroom, complete with TV and cable, cat toys, scratching posts, food and water and even a bed to sleep on. They are happiest in there. And the others are happiest with them being in there. I make sure they get plenty of attention and play time. And they are happy well adjusted boys.
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Tessa 
Onyx, Foudini, Charlee, Spottie, ShyRaven, Buddy, Tuxie, Widdle Attila Sipowitz, Lizzie, Minnie, ET, Mylo, Penny (We be house cats at last), and Salem, Wicca and Marmalade (We iz also house cats, we guess)and the 5 porch kits also Riley da goggie and Buddha da baby hamster too
Tabitha and Samantha..always in our hearts
Thanks! I think my parents will be just dealing with it they way things are. They don't seem to mind keeping the cats separate, and these cats certainly DO NOT lack attention, as both of my parents love and pamper them. Like I said they are both sweet cats on their own, but will just not tolerate each other! Thanks again for your responses!
Sometimes you'll get a couple of cats whose personality just do not click. I've had the same situation here for almost 9 years now, ever since I got Simba who was 1 year old at the time.
My original cat is Samantha, who is 9 years old. When she was about 6 or 7 months old, a friend gave Simba to me. He was a little over a year old then. A beautiful Himalayan mix, and quite the lover boy to everybody, he and Samantha never did really get along. She was pregnant (I wasn't too smart when I got Samantha, who was my first cat), and he was neutered. Over time, he and one of Samantha's daughters, Katrina, became the best of friends. But Samantha and Simba would constantly fight. And the older they got, the worse the fights got. I've come home from work with fur all over the front room. Many times, I've had to take one or the other to the vet for an injury from a cat fight. I have salve for Samantha's eyes that I still have to use when I forget to separate them when I leave for work. So this has been going on for almost 9 years and it doesn't seem to get better as they age. Actually it's a lot worse now. In addition to not getting along with Samantha, he also picks on KatyKatt. She stands her ground. When I'm home, I'll hear either Samantha or KatyKatt call me "MEOW". When I turn around to look, he's sitting right beside them with his nose almost touching theirs and with a threatening paw up. Katy and Samantha both stand their ground. And now that they are both full grown, both Samantha and KatyKatt are larger than Simba, but he still challenges them.
And he grooms Katrina, Samantha's other kitten, who is full grown now. She's actually the smallest cat too. She weighs about 11 lbs, Simba is around 12, Samantha is 18 and KatyKatt is 18 1/2 lbs.
I think that the way that your parents are dealing with their two cats is the perfect solution. There is no way that a person can force them to get along so you have to make adjustments so that they can live together in the same house in harmony.
I separate the two pairs of cats as much as possible when I leave the house. It works out great for us. My only problem is, my daughter's family moved back in with me about a year ago and they don't pay much attention to where the cats are when they leave the house.
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Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!
Thanks for your story. It helps to know my parent's aren't the only ones dealing with 2 cats they love who will just not get along with each other. Many of our friends think they're crazy for keeping both cats, but as an animal lover myself, i know they could never part with either one of them! The cats are very happy the way things are, so I guess that's the important part.
Thanks again!
