Dr. Liz,

This past November we lost our old boy cat to cancer. We have a 14 year old female calico that seemed to be depressed since he died. Three weeks ago we adopted a 2 year old male cat (orange-like Garfield) to keep her company. Needless to say, she does not like him. Every time he goes near her she hisses and grumbles. Is there something I can do to help them get along. He's not aggressive, but if she swats at him he'll swat back. Luckily, no blood loss.....yet. Thank you!

Christa Sangataldo

The task of initiating a new cat into your family is always a challenge. It is a difficult situation for both cats involved, as you said Calico is lamenting the loss for her companion. Cats are creatures of habit and can get very rattled when circumstances in their environment change. 

Cats are territorial creatures, for this reason it is important to take it slow when integrating a new cat into your family. I suggest that the best way to tackle this problem initially is to separate your cats. This way you can start the integration process fresh.

Allocate separate areas in your house so that both the cats have an area that is their own. This will help prevent the aggressive behavior. As you said, your cats are not aggressive this is just an act of claiming territory. 

Slow integration

• Smell is one of the most important scenes for an animal. For this reason you should get your cats used to each others scents first. Slowly introduce toys or blankets into the two different areas, each that has been exposed to the other cats scent. This is a way of getting your cats used to each others scents before you put them together. Thus making them feel more comfortable with each other.
• Allow your new cat to have increasing access to other areas of the house separate from your original cat. This will allow your new cat to become familiar with the environment without being threatened. Once you have done this, allow your original cat back into the areas that have been exposed to your new cat. Smelling the now, familiar scent of your new cat will help your old cat with the transition.
• Finally, gradually introduce supervised visits between the two cats. Allow the cats, once face to face to get a good scene of each other. It may take some time for them to be comfortable in the same room together, be patient. It is normal for cats to be wary of each other when they first meet. This process is one of trail and error.
• Keep feeding areas separate- this will ease tensions. Your cats will not feel like they need to compete for food. 

Remember this is a slow process, it sounds like you are on the right path. Keep at it, the more you expose your cats to each other the better they will become.

For more cat advice, and answers to other pet questions please stay tuned to Ask Dr Liz.

- Dr. Liz