Cats behaviour

Question
Hi my parents bought a male ragdoll cat who is 6 months old now and an indoor cat when I wasn't living at home. I have recently moved back home to my parents house bringing my cat with me which is female and she goes outside. She is about 2yrs old. We have been trying to get them to be friends but still after 1 month they still don't get on at all. My cat (female) always hisses at him and will not let him anywhere near her. At the begining the male ragdoll cat just wanted to play by rolling onto his back, but now he has started to run after her, attack her back and howls alot. And also now he is going to the toilet around the house i.e top floor where female cat spends most of her time there and also on my bed, not using his litter tray all the time which he never did before.

How can we make them be ok around each other and also stop him from messing around the house?

Answer

dog crate for introduc Claire,

You don't mention the important issue....are they both fixed? That makes a big difference on the behavior.

Some cat will not get along period. It is rare but it happens.
You've got to go through an introduction period slowly. It can take  a month or more for them to start getting along. You can not just put them together and expect them to get along. That very rarely ever happens.

I am attaching a couple of links on how to go about the introduction process: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro...

I use a big dog crate for a new (to the resident) cat. It has room for litterbox, food and water, small cat carrier without the door for a bed and to get up on, and they still have room. That way they can get used to another cat around, and other cat can sniff and check them out safely. You can gradually let the cat out for short periods of time as they start getting used to each other. I got mine at Petco. I am attaching a picture of it.

Once they can be together without fighting feed both cats yummy cat treats (like tuna or pieces of raw steak) TOGETHER. That is so the cats will associate each other with something pleasant.

Also getting a pet laser light (at PetSmart, etc.) is great for interaction between the two cats. They both can chase the 'little red bug' on the floor, ceilings, and walls, and they tend to forget about the other cat as they focus on the 'bug' which helps them get used to each other.

It just takes time and lots of patience. It should work out if you take it slow and don't force them together until they are ready. Spaying and neutering makes a lot of difference too.

Tabbi