My cat is scared to leave the room due to other cats fighting. Help!

The next step is to rotate rooms daily for at least 2-3 days. This allows the new cat explore the rest of the house while the resident cat spends some time in the new cat's room. This will give your resident cats a chance to smell the new cat and rub their own scent on objects. The cats should be fed in each area with wet food twice daily, and it is also good to play with the cats in each area at least twice daily. The practice of setting up a schedule of feeding treats of wet food, as well as a playtime routine, minimizes anxiety and makes the cats feel more secure. Keep the cats in separate areas for as long as it takes to allow them the chance to become desensitized to the smells and sounds of the cats in the other area. When they all seem particularly relaxed with this process, begin to expose them to the sight of each other. A good way to accomplish this visual introduction is to bring the new cat(s) in a carrier to meet your cats and sniff each other through the carrier wire door. Place the carrier on the floor and allow them to meet this way several times a day for about an hour. Continue these meetings for several days or until they remain calm in each other's presence. If and when the cats are able to stay calm in each other's presence during these meetings, it is time to let the new cat out into the rest of the house for a few minutes. The length of the visits can be increased gradually each day. Depending on the personalities of the cats involved, this process may take a few days or a few months. If it appears that any fighting maybe be close to occurring while you are supervising, put the newcomer back in his/her room and proceed more slowly. If those supervised play times go well, you can begin to allow them to cohabitate in your home. If any aggressive behavior occurs at any time, begin the introduction process again. It is very important to understand that this process can take as little as a few days, to sometimes much longer. It is all dependent on the cats involved. If things don’t go well right away... One of the most important steps to dealing aggressive behavior between cats is to recognize the different types of aggression and understand their underlying causes. A short list and description of some commonly seen aggressive behaviors include: chasing; ambushing; hissing; swatting; and/or biting. If you see these behaviors, seek help from your veterinarian. Most cats get along fine if the introductory process is done correctly. Please seek help from your veterinarian if you feel that things are not progressing well, or if you have other questions.

Unfortunately it's going to take time. That said, there are a few things you can make sure of to help reduce stress, especially in a four-cat household (which is a lot!). Making sure each cat has their own space where they can eat, drink, play, observe, etc without the other cats bothering them can help reduce territorial disputes over these items. Pheromone collars and plug-ins (Feliway) can also be placed on stressed out individuals, or in shared rooms (since everyone seems to be stressed) to help reduce inter-cat aggression. Making sure to have at least one litter box per cat will also help reduce stress and competition over them, and reduce the chances of accidents elsewhere. Otherwise, continued slow introduction of the cats is best. If anyone starts to get agitated or too excited, removing them to let everyone calm down and settle back in is best. Continued aggression and upset may also need a trainer or veterinary behaviorist's help. That said, if your home is very small, four cats may just be too much for everyone to get comfortable.

Yes, this would definitely be best. When introducing a new cat to the household, I always recommend setting the newcomer up in his/her own room - something like a spare bedroom or office works very well. Put her litter box, food and water bowls, toys and a cat tree or scratching post, etc. in her room so that she has everything she needs to be comfortable. The cats will sniff each other under the door and gradually get used to one another, but this can take a few weeks in some cases before they're ready for any face-to-face contact. Once they are no longer reacting to each other at all through the door, you can start leaving Jayne's door open a crack so that she can come out if she wants to - just make sure that she can always run back to her room if she gets anxious or worried. Over time, she will start spending more time out of her room as she gets more comfortable. Just let her go at her own pace, and don't rush the process :)

I'm sorry you are having such problems with your cat! Bringing a new cat home can be stressful for him, and that would be why he's reacting to poorly. To Ginger, there are now intruders in his home, but I can give you a method that may help improve things in your home. I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take Ginger, and put him in his own room with his own food, water, and litter box. Keep the door closed, and for a few days, feed them both treats on other side of door so they associate each other's smell with a good experience. Then let the other cat in Ginger's room while he is in a cat carrier. They can smell each other, but not be in contact. If either becomes upset or show signs of aggression, remove the second cat from the room, and try again later. Praise them when they interact appropriately. When they are interacting well with each other through the carrier, you can let Ginger out of his room, and see how he interacts with the other cat. Praise them when they interact appropriately, and separate them with any sign of aggression or upset. I would get a cat tree with lots of shelves to give the cats vertical space to get away from each other. I would keep Ginger in his room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other.

You could start by feeding them on each side of the door that separates them so they can smell each other and have it be a positive experience. Next, you can switch rooms - lock your cat in her room so your cat can investigate the smell of her cat and let her cat roam the house. Then you can try them together while you can supervise and see what happens. You could get some Feliway spray or a diffuser and use that to alleviate any stress/anxiety.

The best thing you can do is make sure that each cat has their own private space. You may keep each cat confined to their own room with food, water, and litter box for the first couple of weeks. Once they are used to the new home, you can let one cat out so that they can start to smell each other through the door. After a couple of weeks, you can do supervised time together. Pheromones may help with anxiety: https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=40373&cmpid=sc

This is a tough one in that Roger can come and go as he pleases. When he come back from being outside, he likely smells different that before, so that would be one reason why two of your cats are intimidated of him. It's like he's a new cat because he smells differently. I'm wondering if there is any way you can keep Roger indoors all the time with the rest of the cats. If you do that, I have a way to introduce him to the other cats so that they are comfortable with him. To do this, I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take Roger, and put him in his own room with his own food, water, and litter box. Keep the door closed, and for a few days, feed them all treats on other side of door so they associate each other's smell with a good experience. Then let the other cats into Roger's room while he is in a cat carrier. They can smell each other, but not be in contact. If anyone becomes upset or show signs of aggression, remove the other cats from the room, and try again later. Praise them when they interact appropriately. When they are interacting well with each other through the carrier, you can let Roger out of his room, and see how he interacts with the other cats. Praise them when they interact appropriately, and separate them with any sign of aggression or upset. I would get a cat tree with lots of shelves to give the cats vertical space to get away from each other. I would keep Roger in his room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other. Otherwise, you can get Feliway, which is a pheromone diffuser that helps cats with anxiety. You can also put Sentry calming collars on the two cats who get upset when Roger comes home. These pheromones as well will help with their anxiety. I would still have a cat tree to give your cats vertical space from Roger when he comes home.