Conference misery::feline_v1

    The most important piece of advice I can offer is to stay calm about
    it when it happens.  You may luck out and they'll adapt quickly,
    or it may literally take a few months before things settle
    down.  Be prepared for the possibility of sitting bolt upright in
    bed at 4 a.m., hearing a banshee wail that would raise the dead.
    In general, stay out of things unless actual harm is being done.
    

    
    	Gee Karen with that description you'd think you'd gone
    	through it before!  ;)
    
    	JJ (who's been through it too!)
    
    

Karen is totally correct.  The less fuss you make, the less fuss they will
make.  I will add, get yourselves several squirt bottles/guns and lay them
at convenient spots around the house.  When the hassles get too strong
(if there are any), squirt both cats...both cats, regardless of who starts
it.  It won't take long for their furry little brains to figure out it
isn't worth it to haggle with one another and peace will reign.

however....play can look like fighting and is healthy for all cats - good
exercise.  Only intervene if you are SURE that hostility is the issue...
lots of hissing and screaming.

    I recently added a new cat who decided the minute he walked in the door
    that he was in charge.  He is 10 months old and often chases my other 3
    cats around the house and harrasses them.  If he wants to play, they
    want none of it.  Poor Kelsey goes into screaming hissy fits if Taja
    even looks at him the wrong way.
    
    We have several squirt guns and plant misters filled with water around
    the house and continually squirt Taja when he goes after the other
    cats.  He KNOWS what he is doing is not desired behavior (from a
    human's point of view anyway) and all we have to do is pick up a squirt
    gun or bottle and he immediately backs off.  Sometimes we feel like we
    spend all of our time at home squirting him.
    
    Just go into this with a positive attitude and use the water when
    necessary.  Most of the time, the cats will work out their problems on
    their own.  There hasn't been any bloodshed yet since Taja's arrival,
    only a lot of hissing and whining.
    
    Good luck in this merger!
    

    I'd just like to add that usually it only SOUNDS like they're 
    killing each other.  It can look it too, but unless you see
    blood, stay out of it.  They'll work it out much faster without
    human intervention. (Except for the squirt bottle which they may
    not notice is coming from you ;^)
    

    I agree with NDC.  I have Barkley and my sister lives upstairs
    and owns Oakley. (both are black sleek cats named after the two
    basketball stars)  Well these two guys have never gotten along...
    and anytime I'm in the yard...these two go at it terribly.  If I
    try to break it up...it's even worse.
    
    Well yesterday I looked out my window and both Barkley and Oakley
    were laying together side by side.  Both stretched out sunning it....
    with their total belly exposed....they stayed that way for over an hour.
    
    go figure....my advise...stay out of it!!
    
    Sandy

    
    Thanks to everyone for the advice!  Last night we brought Corsa,
    the tan/black tiger striped female home to my place, where Ripley
    and Hicks (female/male black littermates) live.
    
    Corsa immediately ran upstairs with Hicks following. Corsa hissed
    a lot, with Hicks very curiously going up to her trying to check her
    out. By the evening, the pattern was Corsa upstairs, Hicks periodically
    walking up to stare at her and then running back downstairs. Ripley,
    very intelligently has stay WAY back, letting her brother do all the
    "checking out".
    
    This morning all was calm, with just a little hissing. Overall, we
    are REALLY pleased that the cats seem to be settling all of this on
    their own!
    
    /ljj
    

    Things are usually helped along when some or all of the cats are
    already used to multi-cat households.  They just have to work out
    the heirarchy.
      Nancy