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Continued aggressive behavior of cat towards new kitty raising concern and guilt

14:23:34

Question
I've recently introduced my boyfriend and i's 5 month old kitty into a new living environment. We got him when he was 12 weeks old from a shelter. However he was not previously abused, but abandoned along with the others of his litter. For the first two months he displayed very timid, cautious behavior and took awhile to become affectionate with my boyfriend and myself. He's been living with me in a much larger, open home for about 6 weeks now, void of his sole parent, my boyfriend, and is now with just myself and my other cat, who is nearing one year of age and is female, opposite sex of him.  Ever since the transfer, he has come exceptionally attached to me constantly expressing affection and interest in me. Which, I cannot resist, and have a tendency to "baby" him extensively. First matter at hand, is that of the relationship between him and my female cat, babydoll. Until his arrival, she had been the primary focus, as well as very much "my baby". Instantly, babydoll was extremely aggressive and vocal towards Bentley, despite his innocent playful intentions with her.  I thought that maybe over time they would grow into playful pals but it has since not improved, only regressed. babydoll avoids my company and always out of ky sight, hiding, hardly ever to be seen. its to the point where as soon as she hears/sees bentley enter the room she gets alarmingly edgy and "warns" him from a distance, her hair stands up, and she growls alot and hisses just by having caught sight of hom..even if he's not even approaching her or me. When I try  to console her or stroke her she attacks me violently, which she has NEVER done or seen her act before. It seems to me more of a startled reaction having thought my touch was him creeping up on her. She has recently become an indoor/outdoor cat and she'll cry at the door to come in to eat and it's to the point where she'll be eager to come inside but midstride into the house she'll catch sight of him, even if its many feet away, and will refuse to come inside. I hope you can enlighten me on some ways to allow them to bond or how/if there's anything I can do to reduce/eliminate the obvious stress and anxiety she's having?

Answer
Stephanie,

Have you ever watched "My cat from Hell" on Animal Planet. The feline behaviorist is a fellow named Jackson Galaxy. On his program he recommends different types of therapies to overcome situations like yours.

I think you should go to:  http://jacksongalaxy.com/category/cat-behavior-and-care/

and see what advice he gives in situations like yours.  I would be happy to discuss and refine the advice to your particular situation. Your situation is not beyond hope and is remediable.

Come back to me after viewing some of the videos.

Best regards... Norm.