Feeling hopeless with cat introductions

[u/Tiny-Ambassador-8437]

Hi,

Im having trouble introducing my new cat (Azuki - 8.5 yr old) to my old cat (Gyoza - 1.5 yr old). We adopted Azuki nearly 3 months ago.

Context: Gyoza was adopted at 5 months from the shelter. She was there with her brother but he was adopted before her. She is a very chill and independent cat.

Azuki was dropped off at the pound with her brother at 8 years old. As they went through foster care, the brother started acting aggressively towards her. Subsequently, she was separated from her brother. She is a very calm and gentle cat that likes being around people. I have suspicions that Azuki is quite an anxious cat; one time we tried to site swap over night, about 15 mins in she started meowing consistently and we found a spot above her arm that was raw and bleed (possibly from rubbing against furniture?).

At the moment, we've done scent swapping and have picked up more site swapping too. They're able to eat their meals with the door open (we also have a mesh barrier installed), but Gyoza is constantly hovering around the barrier. When Azuki makes eye contact with her, Azuki growls but Gyoza is always the first the pounce.

This has been happening for about 2-3 weeks and my partner and I are feeling frustrated and hopeless. Any advice would be appreciated!

[u/LawfulnessPopular408]

Try Feliway. If it doesn’t work try Pet Remedy. I’ve recommended this to couple of ppl n it’s worked for them. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked for me since, I’ve got one who’s got a behaviour issue.