I have a male MC about 2 years old and am trying to introduce a new cat to my household. My MC has been here alone all this time is not having a good time at it. Im isolating the new cat and gradually trying to introduce them but I want to know if Coons are easily adaptable to new animals. Mind you the new cat is a 10 month old Ragamuffin that was given to us after the owner developed an allergy to him. He is very timid and has already been declawed where as my MC has his claws. My Coon has never shown any signs of aggression before and doesn't scratch a thing in the house. Any advice or info in this area would be greatly appreciated. I want to keep this new cat but dont want him to get hurt. The Coon has been very aggressive towards him. HELP!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, January 26, 2000

Answers

Maine Coons are generally easy-going cats, but just about any cat is going to defend its territory against an interloper. In my experience as a cat-person, as well as what I've observed from others' experience, the adjustment always requires a lot of time and patience.

First of all, make sure both cats are neutered. Intact males simply _will not_ get along with each other. You should also be aware that it is common for declawed cats to be extremely timid; they have, after all, been stripped of one of their primary defence systems. The declawing operation itself is also extremely painful. For both these reasons a declawed cat will often have a great deal of trouble adjusting to life with another cat.

It's good that you've isolated the new cat. Keep doing that. It's also incredibly important to spend a lot of time with the resident cat. Cats aren't too different from kids; agression toward strange people and animals is usually related to feelings of insecurity. Just like when there's a new baby in the house, the older sibling needs to know that he's still loved and wanted. As such, it's usually a good idea to keep the newcomer in a spare bedroom or something so that the resident cat still has most of the run of the house. If the cats are fighting, continue to keep the newcomer isolated -- let them poke a paw under the door and hiss and growl at each other for awhile. When this has died down a bit, slowly introduce the new cat into the rest of the household in small increments (15 mins-half an hour at a time).

Like I said at the beginning, the most important part of this process is going to be patience. Understand that this is a stressful situation for both cats, and be as loving toward both of them as you possibly can.

Best of luck.

-- Anonymous, January 27, 2000

My Maine Coon loves other cats. He's the only Maine Coon I've ever had, but I've found in general that female cats seem to dislike other cats more, especially other females. I would doubt that your new cat would actually get hurt (though keeping an eye on them for a while is a good idea). In my experience, cats make a lot of noise, but rarely actually use claws or teeth. Your Maine Coon probably just wants to make sure that they stay top cat. I would agree with giving him lots of attention. My Maine Coon is very needy and does get jealous very easily. Though, instead of being aggressive, he just buts his Maine Coon head right in.

Good luck!

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2000