Earlier this summer I got the opportunity to adopt a second Bengal, this time a Seal Mink Male, to go with my 2 year old Brown Bengal Attie. I got him at about 16 weeks old (the person who was committed to him dropped out at the last minute and so I was a replacement), and named him Dhualagiri or just Giri for short. He's super cool, REALLY talkative, VERY snuggly, and in true Bengal form wants to be a part of the action constantly.

I took the introductions very slow and kept him in my bedroom exclusively for a full week before letting him meet Attie. From their first meeting, Giri has been totally down with her, but she hasn't quite known what to do with him and I think is still having issues with it. Her initial reaction was lots of hissing/growling, and staying put in the corner. Gradually they started to become friendly, and after another week had gotten comfortable playing with each other and the hissing/growling was down to a minimum.

Now things seem to have settled into a bit more of a rhythm. Attie's behavior toward him is still very inconsistent. They have daily, friendly play sessions. They'll walk up to each other and nose-bump, but then Attie will immediately hiss at him and raise her paw. He'll turn around, and she'll start grooming his back, butt sniffing, etc, but HOLD THE PHONE if he turns back to look at her he gets another hiss and a growl.

Anyway, I think Attie is still pretty stressed about him as she's not nearly as talkative/cuddly/playful as she was before he came in. Some of that may just be that she's now around 2 1/2 years old and is calming down some, but I do think a decent part is due to the stress of the new guy.

Any tips from those of you with multi-cat households? I have 2 Feliway diffusers going, one on each floor of the house. I also have 2 litterboxes and they seem fine with sharing but both of them only seem to be using one of the boxes. The second one is getting no love.

Thanks!

EDIT: I should also add that it's summer in Chicago and has been very hot the past week or so. Attie has been growling/hissing at me too, which is very unusual.

What you are describing is about as good as one can expect a 2-year old bengal to be towards a newcomer. But if you kept Giri in your bedroom for a week, presumably, Attie was not let in there during that time? Depending on the sort of relationship you had with Attie, that could be a huge blow to her. The bedroom is usually a room of pretty huge importance to a cat, so losing "ownership" of that room to the newcomer may have been very difficult to swallow. The reason Attie is hissy at you has nothing to do with the weather... she is questioning her place in the household, and feeling a bit betrayed right now, especially when she sees you with Giri and/or smells his scent on you.

Make sure that you spend extra time with Attie (away from Giri). Also don't be afraid to separate the two when things are frosty between them. Also you can stack the deck by giving them treats when they are together, and make sure they are fed together (if they tolerate that), and if not in as close proximity as possible. The idea is that the more positive associations the cats have of each other, and the fewer negative associations, the better they will get along.

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The little monsters 3

I think the behavior you're experiencing with the two kitties is perfectly normal. A newcomer brings stress to the household, including the other pets. Time and patience are the key. The kitties will go at their own pace. Sometimes it happens immediately, sometimes it takes a lot longer.

I think heat can play a role when it comes to human and cat behavior! We are uncomfortable in the heat. I can imagine the cats can be uncomfortable as well.

Keep doing what you're doing and try to keep the cats as cool as possible. You only said the beginning of the summer -- which may mean June sometime! The hissing and growling usually only lasts for a few weeks and then suddenly, the kitties become best buddies and sleep cuddled up together. That's really when you know things are fine. Are they eating in the same area? Do you play with them both together? That can help keep their attention off each other.

Thanks guys! Today seems a bit better. I kept Giri out of my room last night so that Attie could have a little quality time, and she snuggled up on the bed. Definitely seemed in better spirits this morning, and she and Giri had a lengthy play session without any growling.

I do feed them in the same area, and always at the same time. Attie has her usual spot on the kitchen floor and Giri I've been feeding on the counter top just to keep some separation. Playtime is the hardest to deal with, and although I try to play with both of them simultaneously, Giri will go (hardcore) after whatever the primary toy is and Attie ends up just watching. I think the solution is just to keep one of them in a different room during one-on-one playtime.

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The little monsters 3

That's so funny because that is what happens at my house too. If a toy comes out Blondie stands back and watches Grace play. If Grace is outside I will play with Blondie and she keeps looking over her shoulder to see if Grace is around. The second Grace enters, Blondie stands down and stops playing so Grace can play.

I would love to see video of Brian's playtime with the kids.