Hi All, help is needed! As some of you know, we lost Oakley last March and it has taken a while, but we finally decided to get a new boy this week. He is a young retired stud called Charlie and he is so affectionate. He has always lived in the breeding cage though, so we are unsure how quickly to allow him the run of the house. More importantly though is the intro to our little moggy female, Jess. I let him meet her yesterday and it didn't go well. I realise that a stud is usually introduced to females on the stud's territory, but he was so submissive and frightened that we had to move her away again. She didn't threaten him at all and was very placid, but he just freaked. Today, i tried again and he got as low to the floor as possible and actually crawled backwards, growling constantly. My main worry is that this may be why he was retired early! Is this normal intro behaviour and if so, can anyone with experience please advise on next steps?

Jo and Charlie

im not sure about introductions...being i only have one cat....but is your stud fixed???? if not i would deff get him fixed...also with any introductions i hear patience and time is the key....dont rush anything...keep the stud in a safe room and swap scents and take things slow...you dont want to rush it and a fight break out it could make the introduction time longer.....be patient and eventually hopefully they will be friends.

Thanks for the words of support. Yes he has been neutered. There's no agression from him though, just the opposite; he is overly submissive and she is taking advantage. It's been almost a week now and i've just been allowing them sight of each other, keeping her upstairs and him downstairs, but whenever they are allowed in the same room, she goes for him. When we introduced our last boy, they just fought instantly, rested for a few minutes, fought again, then decided he was boss. They became the best of friends and were inseparable when he died last year. The dynamic this time is very different.

I would say continue to be patient! It might take longer being that he is not used to the territory just yet and is still scared because he has only known a cage for breeding his life! You are doing things right by keeping them apart and SLOWLY introducing them! Your female might be picking on him a bit to because he is nervous and scared making her more dominant! let him get comfortable with his enviroment before getting them together. It might take a little longer but I would say its better to take longer then to live with two cats that hate each other! How old is your boy and were you told why he was being retired?

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Hi All,
Thanks for the advice and apologies for the delay in responding. I just thought I'd let you know that Charlie has now settled in completely, (will post some pics next week when i get round to loading them). We kept them apart for a few more days, then, when we were in the house, we allowed them both to roam free. Jessie still tried to attack him and we often intervened so that he knew that he was safe with us. When we went to bed they were again kept apart. After 2 weeks of doing this, they just seemed to settle and began sniffing each other and even licking faces! Charlie is now 'very brave' and chases 'her' around the house at full pelt! They thunder up the stairs, but when she's had enough, she soon lets him know. He also chases the mop, the vacuum and basically anything that moves, plus he has a stash of contraband under the dining room table! Anything that glitters or is interesting is obviously his for the keeping!
I can't believe how happy and contented we are again now that we have Charlie. We didn't realise just how much we missed our old boy until Charlie was here. They are very different and I know that Oakley can never be replaced, but we already love Charlie so much.
Thank you for your help; i really appreciated it.
Jo

Thank you for the update!

I am so pleased that they are now (sort of) friends, it is nice to hear a happy ending.


Heather

You have no idea how much I needed to hear that update. I will be getting a retired stud this week so I am glad you are so happy with your new boy! It gives me hope I know things had to be stressful for you with the two of them not getting along but things worked out in the end. It sounds like you fur babies are at the beginning of a grea relationship! Congrats and PLEASE do post pics

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Hi there, I never did post any photos! Bkilgore, how is your boy? Did you get him?

Charlie settled in very well and stopped stealing anything glittery, although he still loves his stash of toys! Unfortunately though, he has suddenly decided that he is the boss, after all this time. He is making Jessie's life a misery! Hopefully it will settle when the hierarchy has been naturally established again.

I see you resurrected your old post! Glad things worked out in the end for your two kitties! First time introductions don't always go well, but with time and patine, things can improve immensely. Hopefully, you will post pictures of your babies.

Here is Charlie! Not a brilliant photo, but very typical pose!

Aww, Charlie is adorable.