I have a male and a female cat, both fixed. The female is pretty skittish and often hides under the bed in our new apartment. It’s been a little over a week, and she started exploring the apartment. I’ve been swapping them in and out of the bedroom. Today, I decided to let them be in the same room for the first time after feeding them on either side of the door. They were chilling for about an hour with no long stare downs, just glances and slow blinks. The female was on top of a cat tree, and the male was on the floor. Then they started meowing at each other, and he climbed onto the middle part of the cat tree while she was at the top. She sniffed him, but then suddenly hissed and swatted at him. He ran away, and now she’s back in the bedroom. Is this normal for their first meeting?
Yup, that’s pretty normal. She’s just establishing her boundaries, letting him know she’s not prey or a pushover. He showed he wasn’t there to bully her. Keep an eye on them and try playing together with a chase toy. If either gets hissy, stop and let them settle. Comfort the one who was hissed at first, then the hissy one.
That makes sense. I was using a chaser toy with the male, but he got bored and wanted to investigate her. I hope the swats will make him more cautious next time.
Yep, my older cat did the same to my younger one when we first got her. Now they’re great friends.
Yeah, it’s totally normal. It takes time for them to get used to each other.