wrote in message
...
Calvin wrote:
I can stop the stray's aggression by
yelling and clapping my hands, but I scare
the other cat too, so he runs away.

And this is where the problem lies. You are using negative reinforcement
which does NOT work. When you yell the stray associates that with the
presence of the other cat and becomes resentful thinking that the other
cat is to blame for the yelling and loud noise, and this only makes him
more intent on being aggressive to the other cat. It becomes a vicious
circle.

The way to handle this is to use distraction and praise. You want the
stray to associate only good things with the presence of the other cats.
It wouldn't hurt to
get a Feliway diffuser and some spray to help things along, either.

Megan


Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22



I agree! Positive reinforcement can bring great results. I adopted Duffy and
needed to introduce him to Holly, who had always shown such a dislike for
other cats that we called her the "black tornado." The two cats were
introduced in a very slow, gradual process. I made sure that Holly got lots
and lots of love and attention through all of this. After they were
introduced, I watched carefully for any signs of aggression. At any time
that the two seemed distressed, I would distract them and would give Holly
lavish amounts of praise. For some extra distraction, I kept toy mice and
interactive toys readily available (a favorite is a wand with strips of
rawhide to dangle in front of their noses - even my blind cat Duffy plays
with that). I never scolded the cats or yelled at them. This worked very
well. The two cats now get along very well and are usually in the same
general area. Holly will still come running any time she hears me talking to
Duffy, but she is not upset - she just wants to make sure that she gets her
full share of love and attention.

Please let me re-emphasize another point: take it very slow, and don't try
to rush things. Whenever you think it's time to move to the next stage in
bringing your cats together, you should probably stop and wait it out for
awhile. I "thought" I going slow when I tried to introduce Holly to my
sister's cats some time ago (we took about two weeks), but that was a
disaster and led to the "black tornado" references. This time, I took about
6 weeks before I left Holly and Duffy together at all times, and the
difference has been remarkable. Friends who knew how Holly had reacted in
the past really can hardly believe it.

If you don't have a Feliway diffuser, it would be money well spent to buy a
couple of them. Feliway is used for behavior modification and can be very
useful in reducing stress. I bought some from ValleyVet (www.valleyvet.com).
They have free shipping, which saves significantly on the cost. Do not get
the one that says "with D.A.P." because that formulation is for dogs.

To sum up: (1) Use positive reinforcement with lots of praise and attention;
(2) Take it slow and easy.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly (pictorial history -- Holly and Duffy):
Duffy, Part I: The Introduction -- http://tinyurl.com/8y54
Duffy, Part II: Life at Home -- http://tinyurl.com/8y56