It was fascinating watching cats negotiate with each other

[charlie and algernon]

I moved into a new house over the weekend where I'll be roommates with a girl who already has a cat in the house. We did kind of a hybrid of the isolation technique. When I first started bringing my stuff over, we put Holly (the current cat) in another room as I'd need to have the front door open. So we just kept Holly in that room when I brought my cat, Esther, over with the last of my stuff. This gave Esther a chance to roam freely and stretch her legs after the car ride over.

So a couple hours later, the roommate brings Holly out, the cats see each other, both growl, and holly darts under the bed in the roommate's room. A short while later, ESTHER goes under that bed too and ... nothing happens, thankfully. Apparently Esther even turned her back to Holly.

But that's not most fascinating part. So Saturday and all day Sunday pass and the cats basically keep to themselves, staying away from each other. Sunday night, Holly is in the kitchen and Esther is in my room. I'm in the living room, in the middle.
Esther walks out, both cats see each other and proceed to stare each other down, a few growls are emitted from both. But then I witness what amounts to a mutual, gradual standing down of the armed forces, lol!
First Esther sits down, then Holly, who was already sitting, puts her head down.
Then Esther looks away, then Holly looks away.
Then Esther goes back towards my room, then Holly walks into the living room and jumps onto a chair.
Then Esther returns and the staring starts up again.
Esther sits down again and tucks her paws underneath her. Holly relaxes again.
Esther puts her head down, Holly puts her head down.
Esther closes her eyes, Holly closes her eyes.

The standoff is over!! LOL!

I haven't been around much since the disarmament and certianly haven't seen the cats together, so I don't know if the Cold War is over. But I at least know that the Cold War won't turn hot. :woohoo:

[david13]

1. Charlie Or is it Alger. Uh, Youse Guys. It would be much easier

to understand this story with video. Or photos.
But in any case, cats being introduced is a comical sight sometimes, always?
I have been going thru' the same thing with a new cat and an old one. I have a few px up on my other threads.
So maybe you can get some photos?
They confront, and they have all these diversionary tactics, and time outs, like to lick theyselves.
It is comical and entertaining.
dc

[charlie and algernon]

2. I wish I had a video of the stand off and withdrawal

It's only one of us, so Charlie works, haha! I'll have to get pics of the two cats this evening when I get home. Hopefully I'll even be able to get a photo of the two of them together!

How are your cats getting along now?

[david13]

3. Ever so slightly better. The little one never had any problem with

it. She runs, plays, attacks and runs, goes after the tail, arches her back and faces off as the old one walks, and is generally a pain to him. She tries to lay on him while he sleeps.
He is just disgusted (so it seems) with her. He tries to pay no attention.
But continues to hiss when she lays on him. Or goes after the tail too much.
She is like dynamite. An extreme amount of energy in a very small package. But very friendly. Purrs instantly.
dc

[badgerpup]

4. How's your hearing?

LISTEN very carefully while the staring is going on. You may feel a pressure in your ears...
This is what humans will hear of a cat's low frequency communication.
They are probably talking to each other, just not on a bandwidth we can hear.
They figure out pretty quickly that we are half-deaf (in their POV) so the meows and purrs are used to communicate with the humans.

Usually they are saved for high-intensity situations with other cats.

[charlie and algernon]

5. I was watching a Top Chef re-run, so I couldn't have heard any cat convo

just heard the slight growling they would emit occasionally.

They were definitely communicating through their body movements, so it wouldn't surprise me if they were "speaking" in cat as well.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Wouldn't it be wonderful if humans were as smart as cats are?

I have had several instances of introducing new cat/s to my household..which usually included a dog or two.

It always seemed to work itself out over time...

I just made sure to always give the cats a place to go in order to get away from each other..and the dogs, if that is what they wanted.

I set up a gate at the door to the "cat's room" that was about 5 inches off the ground. The cats could run under it, but the dog/s were excluded. That has seemed to work every time.

[david13]

7. Well that gate idea might indicate a human smarter than the cat,

or at least the dog.
dc

[Warpy]

8. That's the best outcome you could hope for

because neither cat feels threatened enough to get violent over a limited and shared territory.

They'll continue to growl, hiss and posture for the duration, even if they become friendly enough to sleep together when it gets cold. They're just being cats. They like it.

[charlie and algernon]

9. still seems to be in a state of detente

Holly seems to be far more afraid of Esther than Esther is of Holly. But then Esther is twice as big. I still leave Esther locked in my room while we're both at work, leaving Holly to roam free. Holly seems to be afraid to move from where ever she is, while Esther is out. Esther seems willing to play with Holly, but gives Holly her space. Though if Holly darts under the roommate's bed, Esther will follow, only to leave a couple minutes later. :shrug:

Holly just needs to warm up to the idea that Esther is not the last cat that was there and won't attack her.