I adopted Molly, 6 year old spayed female sphynx from a no-kill shelter near me about a month ago. Her person went into a nursing home & I don't know anything else about her. I've only had domestic short/long hair cats until now. I thought she'd be a good addition to our family of two dogs and a cat. When I brought Molly home, I kept her in my bedroom for about a week, so all the pets could smell each other. I slowly started introducing Molly to the other pets. She gets along fine with our dogs, but she stares at our other cat until it hisses, then Molly charges at her and starts swatting with her claws. Our other cat (Tiger) is also a spayed 6 year old female, but she's declawed. I don't know how to stop Molly from charging at Tiger. I've tried distracting both with treats when they're in the same room before the fighting starts & that hasn't worked. HELP! I hate the thought of having to send Molly back to the shelter.
Adopted a Sphynx
- Thread starter Diann K
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Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you.
Thank you for taking Molly in.
I'm sure it's a drastic change for her.
Here's a link, that, might help you
Introducing a new adult sphynx cat or sphynx kitten into the home
Thank you for taking Molly in.
I'm sure it's a drastic change for her.
Here's a link, that, might help you
Introducing a new adult sphynx cat or sphynx kitten into the home
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@Diann K , I have 4 adoptees all with different personalities -
My one boy was what I called "Toby terror "
I took a step back amd went waaaay slow with introductions I even Harnessed his butt during interactions
I rotated free roaming and cross scenting towels , exchanging blankies and beds in each other "safe room" areas
I even put up a baby gate zip tied in the full open position and held it in place at the of the "safe room" with my foot and had him on a harness ..
I did a lot of separate and rotate free roaming - I out a cross scented towels by eachs food dish
I won't lie , it took several weeks- and within a couple of moths they were sleeping together grooming each other
With distractions , treats , etc it finally paid off -
I hung in there..
and you wouldn't believe it now how bonded they are
Kitties are territorial and she has been thru a lot losing her owner, being ar shelter and now in a new environment - she could be lashing out from stress
Some folks found Feliaway diffusers helpful
Lots of love time and patience and hopefully you will see improvement -
My mom went thru the same things when she had an adoptee female brought home to a female resident cat -
She was ready to give up - she told me the cat was going back-
we hung in there and they also bonded over time
We find some kitties hit it off right away - others take more time to sort it out
All paws crossed for positive updates.. Baby steps
Bless you for opening your heart and home
Keep us updated , head smooches to Tiger and Molly
You could also do a warm blanket on your lap with separate time for each
Free roaming to build comfort
My one boy was what I called "Toby terror "
I took a step back amd went waaaay slow with introductions I even Harnessed his butt during interactions
I rotated free roaming and cross scenting towels , exchanging blankies and beds in each other "safe room" areas
I even put up a baby gate zip tied in the full open position and held it in place at the of the "safe room" with my foot and had him on a harness ..
I did a lot of separate and rotate free roaming - I out a cross scented towels by eachs food dish
I won't lie , it took several weeks- and within a couple of moths they were sleeping together grooming each other
With distractions , treats , etc it finally paid off -
I hung in there..
and you wouldn't believe it now how bonded they are
Kitties are territorial and she has been thru a lot losing her owner, being ar shelter and now in a new environment - she could be lashing out from stress
Some folks found Feliaway diffusers helpful
Lots of love time and patience and hopefully you will see improvement -
My mom went thru the same things when she had an adoptee female brought home to a female resident cat -
She was ready to give up - she told me the cat was going back-
we hung in there and they also bonded over time
We find some kitties hit it off right away - others take more time to sort it out
All paws crossed for positive updates.. Baby steps
Bless you for opening your heart and home
Keep us updated , head smooches to Tiger and Molly
You could also do a warm blanket on your lap with separate time for each
Free roaming to build comfort
Last edited:
Thank you for your response. Persistence is key... I did buy 3 Feliway diffusers that haven't really helped much that I can tell. I need to do more switching towels and blankets... I'm also going to try the harness idea. Thanks!!!
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@Diann K , I trained Toby like a dog! Lol
I didn't know much about his background when I adopted him -
Was told he got picked on by the girls -- not - he was the instigator
He would actually Huff!
I harnessed him and added saying "Toby Loooooove"
Now his new nickname
He hated the diffusers - he would sniff the diffusers and growl and switch his tail! So never used them again
It was just over stimulating for him amd he did better without them
I didn't know much about his background when I adopted him -
Was told he got picked on by the girls -- not - he was the instigator
He would actually Huff!
I harnessed him and added saying "Toby Loooooove"
Now his new nickname
He hated the diffusers - he would sniff the diffusers and growl and switch his tail! So never used them again
It was just over stimulating for him amd he did better without them