Cat Behavior - Feline Friendship

Article from Vero Beach Magazine - 
By Amy Robinson

INTRODUCING A NEW CAT TO AN ESTABLISHED CAT’S HOME CAN BE A TRIAL,
BUT PATIENCE AND A LITTLE SCIENCE CAN SMOOTH RUMPLED FUR

Bronski is a charismatic cat. His brawny good looks and deep green eyes attract admirers entering his human’s home. But lately, things are different.

“He just seemed a little off,” Juliette, Bronski’s owner, told her veterinarian. The cat had a thorough checkup and was declared healthy, so Juliette knew this was a behavioral change.

“I thought he was bored, so I did something that maybe I shouldn’t have,” she says. “I got another cat.” The new arrival, a seal point–colored female Siamese, was smaller and a bit younger, so it was not an unreasonable assumption that Bronski would have at least a mild interest in the newcomer. “He became growly and tense and would glare at me in the weirdest way,” Juliette recalls. Bronski further demonstrated his displeasure by using his owner’s favorite upholstered chair as a scratching post and flinging litter about in the laundry room. The formerly serene, regal boy was having hissy fit.

Introducing two cats requires some forethought. Take some steps before the new cat comes home. Observe where your established cat spends most of his time and think of that area as his territory. Next, set up a spot for the new cat behind a closed door, such as a spare bedroom.

Much of cat communication takes place in their scent detection and scent deposits, so use a soft dish towel or microfiber cloth to gently pet your cat, then lightly rub that towel on furniture legs, carpet, and a scratching post within his territory area. If possible, the new cat should come home with a towel or bed she has used. Rub that item on furniture legs and corners where walls meet in the new cat’s area. Now you are ready to bring her into the house, but hustle her straight to her designated area and close the door.

The temptation for pet owners is to let the cats see each other within a day or so, but behavior experts will beg you to wait. If the fur flies, the relationship between the two cats is in peril.

“In my experience,” says Dr. Valarie Tynes, a veterinary behaviorist with the Texas SPCA, “one of the most damaging things that pet owners may do is to punish the cats for hissing, stalking, or fighting with each other. Yelling, squirting water, and throwing things will not help cats repair their relationships and in fact will probably increase their feelings of fear, anxiety, or distrust.”

In shelters, cats are in proximity to one another, and new cats regularly arrive, which can induce stress. “This is why, when housing cats in shelters and veterinary clinics, it is recommended that their bedding not be removed every single time their housing is cleaned, unless the bedding becomes soiled,” Tynes explains. “Having a sense of familiarity with their environment appears to be important to their sense of well-being.”

Using scent to alter a cat’s mood is the most natural way to facilitate a smooth introduction. This approach can help with cats already at odds, like Bronski and his new female housemate. Cats have their own silent messaging app: semiochemicals. These chemical cues are given off by one individual and picked up by another individual. The word is from the Greek word “semeion” meaning “sign” or “mark.”

John McGlone, who has a PhD in animal science, is a professor at Texas Tech University’s Laboratory of Animal Behavior, Physiology and Welfare. He has published research on a type of semiochemical that can calm stressed pets. “The cat is among the species with the highest number of functional olfactory receptors,” he says. “Cats have excellent sight and hearing as well, but it is the olfactory system that regulates their life. Just a few relevant molecules can have powerful effects on behavior and physiology.”

It is a specific set of molecules that McGlone and inventor Larry Nouvel have identified to bring on these calming effects. Research headed by McGlone has found that 2-methyl-2-butenal (2M2B), secreted by mother rabbits to attract their kits to nurse, can significantly reduce stress and aggression in dogs and cats. Unlike a pheromone, which works within a species, 2M2B is an interomone that affects multiple species.

Nouvel formulated the Harmony Pet line of sprays, diffusers, and collars containing a synthetic version of 2M2B. “The 2M2B interomone is smelled by the animal, which activates sensory cells in the olfactory system and the brain,” Nouvel explains. “These sensory cells send projections to the amygdala and hypothalamus and the brain stem that control fear, body temperature, and basic stress-related physiological responses. 2M2B blocks the stress-induced elevation in heart rate and changes the behavior towards a more relaxed state.”

For two species that are ruled by their noses like dogs and cats, this type of scent introduction can mitigate thunderstorm fear, the stress of going to the veterinarian, or a negative reaction to the introduction of a new pet. Try to put your own goals aside and work on your pets’ timetable. Patience, and lots of it, will be necessary. You may picture yourself on the sofa with a purring cat on either side and a contented dog lying at your feet, but be prepared to accept that they may only tolerate each other like an older sibling with an annoying little brother, but underneath, there is affection.