Cats Terrified of New Cat

Hi All, I’m in a bit of a dilemma right now. A little over a month ago a stray (possibly dumped) cat showed up to my door and after a couple weeks of nobody claiming him from my lost and found post I decided to keep him, and I’ve gotten his shots and neutered. I have introduced him to my other 2 super sweet cats since he’s healed from surgery and my other 2 cats are absolutely terrified of him and I’m not sure what to do. I’ve moved him to my spare room for now but I’m not sure how to make sure he gets along with my other 2 cats. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Please watch this video: How to Introduce Cats

Stack a couple baby gates so they can see each other but not touch each other through the doorway, and make sure that cats on both sides have plenty of space where they can’t be seen from the door. Socialization and being seen on THEIR terms is key. I had cats that never fought but would just carefully antagonize each other :wink: None of them did more than growl at, then ignore, the other cats when I moved them in with roommates’ cats or they met my sister’s cats. Many cats are really surprisingly social and will either tolerate or welcome a new cat. Right now? Yours still smells like a tomcat AND like vet. That’s a bad combo. Keep them separated until you see them sniffing noses, or hanging out on either side of the gate where they can see each other (stretched out and relaxing a couple feet apart). It’ll take awhile for his hormones to go down and his scent to change, and then they’ll start to interact. For now, though, they need to feel safe and secure with a barrier between.