Am desparate for help with my cats!

I now have 6 cats in my household. For 10 years I had 4 cats, 3 males and 1 female. They had always gotten along..no fighting to speak of. About a year and 1/2 ago I adopted a 10 year old tabby named Bubba that was taken to a shelter when his owner was put in a nursing home. Had some problems for a few months of him peeing on the carpet. Took up the carpet and that ended that! Well, last August my bf was outside and he saw a cat walking up the drive. Long story short, I took the 1 year old to a shelter since I didn't think I could bring another one in and 6 weeks later I went and adopted her and named her Sweetie. She is a youngster and is very active. All of the other cats are 11 to 15 years old. About 5 months ago Bubba was bit on the tummy by Sweetie. All was okay but then about 5 weeks ago Sweetie was bitten on the backside by Bubba, at least I believe it was him. Took her to the ER vet and kept her in my guest room for 3 weeks to isolate her. The 4th week I started bringing her out at night for a few hours to mingle with the others. Last week I started leaving her out over night with everyone. Well, I was at the ER vet again last night. She was bitten again on the base of her tail. She is now in the guest room again for her safety and my peace of mind. I really need some help and advice on what to do to keep the peace! Am sorry this is so long but wanted to get some background info here for anybody that can assist me. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

is she spayed? I have to wonder if she's in heat and it's causing some confusion with the fellas. Under her circumstances, if you haven't had it done, she could possibly not be spayed.
If she is - and you are certain - try some Feliway diffusers in the house. I know they are pricey but no more pricey than runs to an ER vet.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Yes, she was spayed at the shelter. And I have been using Feliway for the last 2 months also. Doesn't really seem to be helping. Forgot to also say that my other female Princess hisses at her a lot. Also my cats are all fixed, have their claws and are indoor only. I'm sure that another problem is my house is 1000 sq ft and am hoping to enclose my lanai soon to give us a little more room. Hoping that will help. Thanks for your imput Mary, hope this helps.

 

Welcome wizzie. Sounds like maybe your kitties are having a hard time accepting your new kitty. I've heard they especially have a hard time when it's another adult cat.

Sorry I can't be of any help. I hope it all works out for you. If worse comes to works maybe you'll have to find another home for Sweetie.

 

I have a very similar problem. I have 3 mature cats ages 6 through 14 and my Hubby blessed me with a Chritmas kitten. He is the most active and obnoxious kitten I have ever been around. He came to the shelter as a stray as well.

I believe a lot of mature cats are set in their ways, just like some people, and rather spend their time snoozing and going at their own pace. Youngsters with high energy levels are not easily tolerated. My new kitten, Smudge, acts like he's always hopped up on caffine all the time. He really pesters the others all the time. Once in a while they will haul off and really let him have it.

In your case it might not be your other cats accepting the new cat, but having your other cats tolerate the new and younger cat's excessive energy. Try playing and rough housing with the young cat one on one to tire her out. She might just need some more physical stimuation that she's seeking from the other cats. Then play with them as a group once the youngster is a bit more spent.

Sometimes it takes awhile for cats to accept a new member. And for whatever reason when you have 2 or more cats already, they have a harder time accepting a new cat than if you had just one to begin with.