Trouble Introducing 2 Cats (Moved in With Girlfriend)

• Species: 2 cats, both domestic short-hair
• Age: ~4 years (Nugget) and ~8 years (Meeka)
• Sex/Neuter status: Male (Nugget) and Female (Meeka)
• Breed: 2 cats, both domestic short-hair
• Body weight: Unknown, both relatively normal / on the smaller side
• History: No major illnesses. Nugget has been in one home before this with no other animals, adopted from when he was a kitten. Meeka has lived with other cats before relatively easily, but has spent the last ~2 years or so living alone.
• Clinical signs: N/A
• Duration: Moved in together ~2 months ago
• Your general location: USA
• Links to test results, vet reports, X-rays etc. N/A but it's worth noting both have their full set of claws. We trim their nails regularly but still.

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My girlfriend and I moved in together and are trying to get our cats to live in peace together. They have seen each other a few times before moving in together (when we'd go on vacation, we'd bring Meeka to my house with Nugget, but keep them in separate rooms with a closed door since they didn't get along). We moved in together around 2 months ago to a new city/apartment, and have gone through the following:

• Keep cats separated, one in the bedroom with the door closed, and one in the rest of the house.
• We switch the cats every 1-2 days.
• Each cat has their own litter box that switches with them, but we keep the food/water in the same room. So if Meeka is in the bedroom then is switched to the rest of the house, the same food/water is left in the bedroom for Nugget to use.
• The problem at this point lies in Meeka's comfort with Nugget (or lack there-of). Any time she sees Nugget, she starts hissing angrily. If he gets too close, she will swat at him with her paw. He doesn't hiss at all, he quietly/cautiously/curiously approaches her every time we allow him to. He is comfortable with her, but we're scared that if we let them free-roam, they will get in a fight (AKA Meeka will attack Nugget if he gets too close) and one could get hurt.
• We have tried introducing them in a few ways... we've tried feeding treats to both cats on either side of the door so they eat near each other, we've tried keeping Nugget in a large cage in the same room as Meeka for a short while so Meeka can approach when she's comfortable, we often hold both cats in our arms and slowly walk towards each other until Meeka is too upset and we then separate them again, and recently we've been putting Nugget on a leash, leaving the leash loose so he can move where he wants, and letting him get up close to Meeka as he wants to, but this typically ends within 10-15 minutes after he gets too close and Meeka is hissing too much / swatting at him

Our end-goal is to at least have them able to live in harmony without the need for them to be in separate rooms. It doesn't seem like Meeka is getting any more "used to" Nugget, no matter how many times we try to introduce them in different ways.

Any help or tips is appreciated, thank you!

submitted by /u/ryansinterested
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