Resident cat giving mixed signals with new cat.

Hi everyone,

I made a huge mistake today.

Thus doesn’t make it okay.. but I think it actually worked out well..? I can’t tell.

LONG POST AHEAD, apologies, wanted to give as much info as possible.

CONTEXT:

I have one resident 2y FS cat (Scout) who has been solo since I adopted her at around 2mo old, barring my one dog, a 3Y MN Blue Heeler (Ranger). These two get along fine. Sometimes my dog gets a bit much for my cat, but she’s very tolerant and I’ve only heard her growl or hiss at him a handful of times in all the 2 years I’ve had them both. I have never been worried about this, as Ranger is very good at respecting Scout’s signals and always backs off if she gets annoyed with him. Usually, they play mutually, sometimes he starts it, or sometimes I’ll catch her sneaking up at batting him too.

About a month ago I took in a stray (6-7mo MI, Fletcher) who appeared very very healthy, only in need of some weight gain and a cozy safe place to sleep. He is not neutered (working on that) but he is extremely gentle and affectionate, relatively calm and well behaved, and suuuuuuper friendly. He is not afraid of Ranger (they actually love each other and will cuddle in my bed together when I allow Ranger into my room with him), and the few times I’ve attempted to socialize him and Scout he has been blissfully unaware of her dissatisfaction with his presence. SHE, on the other hand, would growl, hiss, and swat. They’ve only ever been exposed to each other through barriers via baby gate with each on either side while feeding (I stopped doing this recently as I was moving) or through the crack in my door. Besides this, I keep them COMPLETELY separated, always careful not to let them into the same room together, as Scout doesn’t seem fond of him and he isn’t neutered anyways. She is spayed but I figure he probably doesn’t have great manners and would be pushy with her since his hormones are running rampant. I haven’t bothered to further socialize them since I’m like 85% sure I will not be keeping Fletcher, and my plan has been to surrender him to my local shelter to find a new family once a spot opens.

TODAY:

Here’s where I (sorta?) fucked up.

Today on my way out from work, Scout must have slipped into my room, where Fletcher stays, without my noticing. I then closed the door like I always do to ensure they are securely separated. When I get home, I enter my room and to my absolute and utter shock, there are TWO cats in my room. Both Fletcher and Scout seem completely unharmed, both sitting at the door waiting for me to open it.

I am both appalled and overjoyed. I imagined that if these two had ever been left alone unsupervised together they’d tear each other apart. But here I had two perfectly intact and seemingly content cats. I checked them both thoroughly for any injury or sign that they had gotten into it while stuck in here together, but I found no such evidence, So, I decided to enter without re-separating them and sit and watch what they did.

Here’s what I’ve observed, with questions soon to follow:

Scout does still seem rather annoyed by Fletchers presence. If he approaches her or tries to interact, her pupils dilate, she moves away from him, and sometimes will start growling and/or swatting at him (sometimes claws out but not always) if he doesn’t get the memo. For the most part he does, though. He will leave her alone and find somewhere/something else to go/do.

What’s surprising me is that besides her not really wanting to be bothered by him, she seems to tolerate him being around. For the last maybe HOUR or so, I’ve been here on the bed with both of them maybe 2 feet away from each other, both loafing and slow blinking, almost completely relaxed. They’ve both periodically groomed themselves, closed their eyes and napped, no growling, no hissing, no tension. Just coexisting.

MY QUESTIONS:

Based on the above information, would they ever get along if I continued to give them supervised visit time together? Could Scout grow fond of Fletcher to a point where they could find companionship in each other, play together, sleep together, feel safe with each other? OR, is this enough proof that they’re fine to be alone together unsupervised NOW, and safe to assume they’d get along in time without me working at it? Does anyone have any ideas of how long either approach might take? And also, why is it that she’s fine with him being nearby but gets pissed if he tries to approach or interact with her? Is that already a good sign or does it not really mean anything?

This has all made me reconsider my original plan to rehome or surrender Fletcher when the time came. I know that some cats are more solitary and simply prefer to be without other cats, but I also know that as a general rule, cats do better in the long term having a buddy around. Scout does have my dog, but there’s a chance my sweet girl will benefit from having another CAT around, I would be happy to give her that. Fletcher has already been here this long and I’ve already been paying for his food and have already been considering paying for his neuter and vaccines myself prior to surrendering him(my local shelter is currently unable to do surgeries and is only accepting altered and fully vaccinated animals etc since their resident veterinarian moved away recently).

Overall I am ok with either outcome. I’ve fostered a LOT of animals, and though I have certainly fallen in love with Fletcher, my most ideal scenario is whichever one results in each animal benefitting the most. I am a busy person who is away a lot. Ranger and Scout have always seemed to keep each other company and are happy animals with a good quality of life, but I’m willing to consider the benefits of adding another friend to the group, as well as the potential consequences.

As I finish writing this, Fletcher is asleep on my chest and Scout is curled up by my legs, BOTH are purring. Neither one acknowledging the other, but both clearly feeling safe enough to sleep knowing each other are nearby.

TLDR: Accidentally left my resident cat alone with foster cat for several hours, expected to see pure carnage. Turns out both cats are fine and seem to be… okay..? with each other? Kinda? Would resident kitty grow to accept and even find companionship with new kitty, or should I follow through with original plan to surrender foster kitty when the time comes?

Thanks!!!