My cats fight after a temporary cat left. How can I make them friends?

Oh no, that's not good! I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take the cat who is aggressive, and put her in her own room with her 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 the aggressive cat's room while the aggressive cat 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 the aggressive cat out of her room, and see how she 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 the cat in her 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.

Oh no, that's not good! I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take the cat who is aggressive, and put her in her own room with her 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 the aggressive cat's room while the aggressive cat 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 the aggressive cat out of her room, and see how she 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 the cat in her room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other. I hope this helps!

If Gizzy is going out into the garden, then she could come back in smelling differently and that's causing Fergie to be upset. I can give you a method to help them get along again. I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take Fergie, and put her in her own room with her 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 Gizzy in Fergie's room while she 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 Gizzy 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 Fergie out of her room, and see how she interacts with Gizzy. 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 Fergie in her room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other.

Great question! I can give you a method to help them get along. I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take the cat who is aggressive (Sami), and put her in her own room with her 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 Beau in the aggressive cat's room while Sami 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 Beau 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 Sami out of her room, and see how she interacts with Beau. 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 Sami in her room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other. I hope this helps!

This is so hard for you! I would separate the cats, and slowly reintroduce them to each other. Take the cat who is aggressive, and put Zeke 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 Zeke'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 Zeke 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 Zeke in his room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other. I hope this helps.

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.