Hissing and growling while playing

9 years ago

I have had my cat Sophie for 3 and a half years. She was well trained as a kitten. She never claws anything, she never jumps on the counter and she listens pretty well if I say her name sternly if she gets into anything. I trained her with a spray bottle. I even taught her to fetch, and at one point in her life, she used the toilet.

I have introduced her to 4 cats during her lifetime. The first, we kept separate for 3 weeks. It took another 2 or 3 weeks for them to be "friends." It was a gradual thing. She never attacked him, and he wasn't a very playful cat. It went well.

The next, a former roommate temporarily took her friend's cat in for a while. We kept them separate for a while, then tried to introduce them. A few hours later we heard a noise that could only be described as the devil himself. We raced upstairs and Sophie was laid in a corner in a defensive position, glued to the floor. The other cat looked at us like it was doing nothing wrong, inches away from her. We kept them separate from then on.

At the the same location, the third roommate got a kitten. I was over the stress of the previous encounter and decided to just see what would happen. The kitten would try to play with Sophie as much as possible, but after a few moments she would hiss and snarl. The kitten in his ever loving spunk wouldn't give up. I eventually "caught" them nicely playing together.

Fast forward to now. A friend went to work out of country, so I agreed to take his cat. What could go wrong? A lot. At first he (Brodie) was shy and timid. Now, he tries to play with her. It only goes well for a short period of time. Sophie gets fed up, and hisses every few seconds. After her "episode," SHE will continue the play session. Sometimes the noises that come out of her are god awful. I don't think she associates the hissing with playing, due to her posture and mood when I go see what's going on. I've tried time outs, bringing the water bottle back out, and Feliway (the diffuser). None of that works. I'm at my wits end when it comes to these situations. Is there anything else I can try?

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Comments (4)

Debbie Downer
9 years ago
Are you doing the proper introductions ie keeping them completely separate so they can only hear/smell the other cat through the door at first, switching places periodically so they get used to ea other's smelll... then gradually building up tolerance to each other over time... after a certain age, cats dont readily open up to just any old cat or kitten but it can work if you take it slow - it can take weeks, months and by rushing it you may end up back at square one. If you are temporarily taking care of these cats Im not sure its worth stressing them all out - maybe just keep them separate for the duration?
briana
Original Author
9 years ago
They did great when I first introduced them. I have had Brodie for 6 months. He has just finally opened up his personality

Sophie is playing fetch with me as I type this
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annztoo
9 years ago
Unless you witness their combative encounters from the start, I wouldn't punish either cat......verbally or with the water bottle. Be sure to continue giving Sophie the attention she is used to and supply extra areas for the new cat to hang out (an extra tower, window seat, scratching post, etc.....and don't forget the catnip. Using the catnip helped keep my cats occupied and calm during introduction.

Also, keep in mind thatSophie is older now and some cats don't like giving up their territory......especially to an older cat. Playtime shouldn't include hissing & growling, so it's possible Brodie is trying to take a more dominant role during playtime.......or Sophie just doesn't like him. :)

If their interactions are ending up in fights then, as Current Resident mentioned, you may have to start over with introductions.
lucillle
9 years ago
Your friend would want his cat to have a comfortable and loving home. I'm sure he would agree that if things don't get better, finding his cat another home would be a blessing.