How to stop cats from fighting

This is a long story but I will try and keep it as short as possible. Just about 10 years ago, I adopted a 2 year old (ish) cat who had been abandoned in the street. He's very sweet, very mellow and mushy. He's been a strictly indoor cat and by himself with us all these years. He is fixed but has his claws. He is my first cat ever, I was never a cat person but I fell in love with this guy.

Fast forward to now. My mother has Alzheimer's and had a fast decline so she can't live at home anymore. My dad had to sell the house and move into an apt. My mom had 3 cats and my dad took 2 of them (he's only allowed 2 in the apt) and I have taken in the 3rd cat. She is about the same age as my cat, 10. She is fixed and has her claws. The reason my dad didn't take her is because she is aggressive with the other cats and had to be kept separate from them.

So now I have these 2 and I am keeping them separated for now. I really want to get them together because I have a small house and a toddler and keeping them separated is a bit of a chore. I've been feeding them on opposite sides of the same closed door. I tried feeding them while they could see each other, while holding up a screen to keep them apart. But the new cat got out and attacked my old cat. We were able to break them up and no skin was broken or anything. But we were spooked and now they have been kept separate for the past week or so.

Any advice on how to go about this? They're both used to living by themselves and haven't really been properly socialized with other cats. I don't need them to be best friends just so long as they aren't fighting all the time. If you got this far, thank you!

How to stop cats from fighting

not sure, ask your vet for some advice. He might have some ideas to try

Re: How to stop cats from fighting

I know it's very stressful, but eventually they will tolerate each other. The newcomer is still adjusting. For example, say you have the new cat in the bedroom and the other cat run of that floor, try switching it every couple of hours, so they get used to each other's scent. Good Luck!

How to stop cats from fighting

Thank you! We're taking it slow and they're definitely not ready to be friends but I'm starting to feel slightly better about it. Fingers crossed