Getting cats to be friends?
 

My grandpa passed recently, and we took in his cat...

Now we have two old lady cats and they don't get along... Any tips to get them to put up with each other?

We basically have an upstairs cat and downstairs cat...

My whole life of owning many many cats, If they aren't friends, the just won't be friends.

My big male cat Lou was about 1.5 years when I got my little lady Amanda as a kitten. Amanda still hates Lou's guts and this is about 3 years later. Then my gf moved in and brought her cat Everett who'd about the same age as Lou, and he hates Lou and Amanda. Amanda hates Everett and Lou wants to be friends with Everett. So Everett lives in the bedroom and outside (very different from my cats).

You just can't change that shit (in my personal experience)

Use a neutral area that is free of either cat's scent/toys/bed and introduce them slowly. Let them sniff each other and get used to one another. If they start to quarrel, remove them to their own areas and try again the next day.

Some cats get along really well right from the start, some you have to work with and then there are some where they just don't get along period. If the latter is the case with your cats, then you'll have to have an upstairs and a downstairs cat.

Hah that sounds like a good way to get scratched & bit...

I guess its worth a shot though... Having to separate the two halves of the house is frustrating... We tried distracting them with treats aswell

Gotta figure out the couch scratching, too...

I know some animals are best if not introduced directly, rather you need to separate them with something like a child gate or screen door that lets them see and smell each other without the ability to actually contact each other if they don't both want to. You have to keep in mind that your grandpas cat has gone through a big change and he's having to adapt to a new house as well as your cat so it might take a while for it to come around.

That said some animals just don't get along. My inlaws had three cats, the oldest two got along fine until the youngest one came in. She's a complete asshole to other cats and they basically had what you have, one upstairs cat, one downstairs cat, and one that roamed between both. Now they're down to just the asshole cat that I fucking hate, partly because of what a fucking twat she is and partly because her shitty behaviour indirectly lead to the death of the middle cat that had an awesome personality and we all loved. Sorry for the tangent but I never thought I could hate an animal until I met this shithead.

you can get something like this and put it on your couch. It works for my mom's cat who was a feral rescue.

As for being scratched and bit, if the cat isn't socialized properly or was left to do whatever it wanted with your Grandpa, it can be really hard to turn that around. Especially if it's an elder cat. Patience is the key.

This sounds like a cat sitcom....

I read that the tape helps... I'll have to give it a try. I don't understand it. We have scratching posts, but the couches are where they go.

But yeah, I'm hoping they at least get to a point where they'll at least put up with each other...

Ball of yarn and a free house. Seriously the ultimate bonding tool for cats.

Just be prepared to do a lot of cleanup.

Hah. You're an optimist. That would be scary to try...

tie cat nip to other cats collar /??

all my neighbors have cats.. one is 14 yr old. so calm. always comes to me.. i cant help but feel sad for her. cause he stays out most of the time..

The thing with scratching, is that cats really want/need to 'dig' into something and push against it. Often scratching posts aren't sturdy enough, and the cat will move onto something more suitable.

I had an old subwoofer box that I had in my storage locker, that on a hunch, I pulled out and brought up to see if she'd go for it. I didn't have the box set down for more than 30sec before the little asshole was beating the shit out of it lol. But it sure beats the couch/chairs. Make sure you keep those nails trimmed too!!! (unless it's an outside cat)

As for them getting along, you have to keep them separated for a while. Do some poking around on google, there is lots on introducing cats slowly. Just remember, they're not dogs, it's takes a LOT more time and paitence to get them to live together peacefully.

Good luck! :)

It's one of those things that only time will tell, you have to let them work it out on their own which sometimes takes a bit but they will get enough sooner or later.

I've done it twice (Misha-Pixie, Pixie-Lenny; both were older cat-new kitten scenarios), worked both times. One of my friends suggested it to me, so I'm guessing she had prior success with it as well.

Both times we did it, we waited until the kitten was big enough that the older cat wasn't going to be able to kill the kitten. Probably around 6 months?