Too Many Cats?

From MD via AOL

"We're a household of five cats (three males and two females, all spayed and neutered) and two people where everyone gets along fine. We recently adopted a sixth feline, Hilda (also spayed), and have been very surprised to discover that she's not being welcomed at all by the other five.

"When we do our nightly 'Meet and Greet' with Hilda, three of the other cats come into the room, stare at her, then proceed to pounce. Inevitably, she ends up cowering in a corner until I remove the other three cats. I know it's a territorial issue, but we've never had such a hard time introducing a new cat into our home prior to this.

"If you have any advice or ideas, please pass them on. We're at our wit's end right about now."

While I'm loathe to bring it up given that you've just adopted another feline, it could be that you've simply reached critical mass when it comes to the feline population of your household. There are a great many factors that can contribute to a cat's being comfortable in its environs, but chief among them is having their own space.

Have you put Hilda into her own room, with the door shut? While this is often the best way to introduce a new cat to a household of existing cats, it could be that the room that's now Hilda's was previously one that your other felines had staked out as their own. Naturally, there'll be some resentment at her taking over "their" territory.

It could also simply be that they had all managed to come up with a daily routine that allowed each of them their own adequate space, and "room to wander," as well as sufficient access to each of you. If they'd reached a sort of equilibrium, then even one new cat could really upset the sort of delicate dynamic that had been achieved.

Of course, litterbox issues should never be ignored in these situations, either. How many litterboxes do you have for your six felines? Standard wisdom would be seven -- one for each cat, plus one more. Yet I suspect that you may be "making do" with only two or three. While five cats may have found a way to share just a few litterboxes, adding a sixth may well (again) truly upset the delicate equilibrium that had been achieved. A similar situation may need to be considered for areas where their food is involved.

The temperaments of your various cats may also come into play. It's impossible for me to give more information without actually visiting your household and getting to know your resident felines, but overly aggressive cats will often prey on more timid ones. It could by that your original five felines were all "tough cats" who held their own against each other, while poor Hilda is simply a more gentle soul who's destined to get preyed upon by more aggressive "bullies."

I'd recommend evaluating the amount of space your household has to see if it truly can support six felines. After that, look at your litterbox and feeding situation. It's always possible that, given enough time and attention, the problem with Hilda may sort itself out. However, it's also possible that she may just not be the right fit with your current brood, and you may need to find a good, quieter home for her.

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Cat fancier Rob "Power of the Meow" Stanson has been an observer and studied cats for over twenty years. Visit him at "The Cat's Meow" where you can view the archives or ask him your own question which he will answer in a future column!