My new cat bit my other cat.

Question
I recently adopted my cat annabelle who is around 1 yr.  We have 4 other cats who are well established and range in age from 2 to 10 yrs. old.  The other day we noticed one of our cats, Charlie, who is the biggest and is declawed was wounded at the base of his tail by what I would consider a realitively sever bite.  It was absessed and painful and we ended up taking him to the emergency vet.  The culprit could only be our newest cat annabelle as everyone else gets along fine.  I don't want to have to return her to the pound but I'm afraid she will hurt our other cats and animals.  This was not a playful bite and she in general seems pretty listless.  She meows constantly by the doors and windows and although she is not constantly aggressive when the mood strikes her she attacks.  Is there any thing I can do?

Answer
Hi Sarah,

I'm sorry to hear about the problems you're experiencing and about Charlie's injury - I hope he is on the mend now.  It seems to me that Annabelle unfortunately doesn't feel safe in her new home yet and perhaps isn't used to living with so many other cats, and she is attacking because she is scared.

You don't say how long ago you adopted Annabelle or how you went about introducing her to your other cats.  The safest option when introducing a new cat to a multi-cat household is to initially keep the new cat inside a large cage in a room that the other cats do not use often, so that they can see each other and become used to each other's scent before you gradually introduce the new cat into the rest of the house.  If you have not already tried this, it may be worth trying this now, to make both Charlie and Annabelle feel safe from one another before you try introducing them again.

If you have not already got one, also try a Feliway diffuser.  This is a plug-in device available via your vet or from good online pet shops, which mimics the smell of a cat's natural pheromones but is scentless to humans.  Using one of these in the house makes all cats feel calmer and safer and can reduce stress when introducing new cats.

Ultimately, if Annabelle can't live peacefully with your other cats and continues to attack, you may have to contemplate rehoming her, perhaps somewhere without other cats - but hopefully the tips above will work and you will soon have all five cats living happily together!

Best of luck with this.
Take care
Annie