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I have two cats that have lived with me for 6 years, and a third that has been with me for 2 years, all were kittens when I got them, and they each adjusted to each other well enough. A couple of months ago, I took in 2 more adult cats, who are also 6 years old, and have lived together their whole lives.

The two new cats are ganging up to bully the youngest cat, threatening and chasing her away from the food and litter boxes. The young cat will then run away, and I have to call her for a couple days to get her to come back. When she comes back, I separate the new cats to keep them away from her, but she is scared and agitated for a day or two before calming down, and it seems like this situation is starting to drive her feral.

I am looking at ways I can keep them permanently separated, but I feel that this isn't an ideal solution.

What are some ways I can discourage the bullying, and help the younger cat feel more secure and that she belongs at home?

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  • What are the sexes of your cats? Male cats usually live solitary and are more likely to chase other cats away. Females can either socialize and live in groups or prefer a solitary life, depending on their personality.
    – Elmy ♦
    Jul 12 '19 at 6:27
  • They are all female, and all spayed. The young one is very solitary and only wants to interact with me.
    – bee.catt
    Jul 13 '19 at 2:50
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I am going through this with my newest cat, female, spayed, 7 months old. The other two are bonded sisters, spayed, going on two years old. What I have done is to have a separate room for the new cat, and this helps by eliminating the stress of just allowing them to mingle right away . After a week of slowly introducing their scents to each other, by letting them hiss and growl at each other at the crack under the door,I allowed them to see each other but not close enough for physical contact. After a week, I tried letting them mix. I have heard that it can take up to a year for cats to get along or at least declare truce. So having limited contact at first is best.This website helped a lot:https://pethelpful.com/cats/Best-Ways-to-Stop-a-Cat-From-Being-a-Bully

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  • Hi again, thank you for updating, but I don't know why you deleted your answer after improving, I clicked rollback to bring it back because it looks good.
    – lila ♦
    Apr 22 at 19:36
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One thing to try is to set up a private space for the cat being bullied. A box or something like that where none of the others is allowed.

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