he has never seen another cat and is afraid of everything. my husband found a baby cat about 1 month old at his shop which they were going to kill. we decided to save him and brought him home. ever since then my cat has been growling and hissing at him. even once i walked by him and he snapped at me. he has never done anything like this b.4. we have them seperated right now b/c the cat is on medicine but we do take the baby into the other room so the older cat can see and smell him. the past 2 days he has only hissed 2 times compared to the whole time they are together and is growling alot less. what is the best way that we can itroduce them without my cat attacking the baby? and not have them spraying the house to mark their territory. any tips are welcomed i want them to have a good time together
2006-07-28 04:37:21 · 30 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
and when i do bring them together we put the baby on one side and pet the big cat and i give him treats in between his growling to show him he is not being replaced
2006-07-28 05:08:28 · update #1
Sounds like you are doing a good job. You should however make sure the kitten has no worms, or de-worm both of them as a precaution and get them both fixed or there will be more kittens to save.
2006-08-03 17:02:20 · answer #1 · answered by iceni 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The best way to introduce them is to hold the baby cat and try to ease them into getting to know one another...your 3 yr old is acting this way right now because another animal is on his "turf"...the hissing and growling is what cats do when they are threatened or even scared. They will eventually get to be friends...it will just take a lot of time and effort on your part but if you have patience it will work (you can also try having you hold one cat-your husband hold the other and bringing them face to face to smell each other-as long as the 3 yr old can bite or scratch it will be okay)
If none of this works after a few weeks...it may never work though (cats are very territorial)
2006-08-03 13:41:06 · answer #2 · answered by vdubbchick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Totally know what you are going through. You just need to be patient. Remember that it's like bringing any new baby home. It takes time for all to adjust. Don't act crazy when your older cat growls. It is just trying to establish dominance over the new person in the house. The more time spent together the better if the kitten doesn't have anything catching. And it not being exactly healthy might have set your first cat uneasy. They know when things are sickly and will try to avoid it in their own species. Try to tell older kitty he is important. Reward can be helpful. But I've always just talked to mine. I wouldn't let them do anything I wouldn't let my kids do if I had kids. He just wants reassurance that he's still number one. Lots of loves with just him should do the trick. From one cat rescuer to another.
2006-08-04 16:44:39 · answer #3 · answered by tao_wiccan_1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, make sure they are both sterilized. The kitten can be spayed/neutered once it reaches 8 weeks of age.
You're actually doing what you're suppose to do when introducing a new cat into the house. Keep them in a separate room and let the cats get to know one another under the door. Your cat will get use to it. In fact, since it's a kitten your cat will welcome it much more than if you brought an adult cat home.
2006-07-28 05:09:48 · answer #4 · answered by KL 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same problem a few months ago. I rescued a stray male kitten and decided to keep him. After cleaning him up, I introduced him to my 8-year old super-spoiled male cat, Kaffe. Of course Kaffe hissed and growled and sulked. He even growled at me. So I placed the kitten in Kaffe's kennel in my bedroom at night (after he has gone potty of course). This allowed Kaffe to sniff at and "examine" the kitten without hurting the little thing and allowed the kitten to get used to Kaffe without feeling unduly threatened. This way, Kaffe also figured out that he still has the "run of the house" because the new kitten was contained. After about a week, I left the kennel door open to allow the kitten to move out if he wants to during the night with Kaffe around. Oh, yes - Kaffe sleeps most of the day and is awake most of the night. At first Kaffe just ignored the kitten as long as the kitten stays away from him. If the kitten attempts to play with Kaffe, Kaffe just bats at him. But I made sure that Kaffe knows that he still has the same amount of food to eat; same favorite spots; and my attention whenever he demands it. So to him, nothing has really changed except a new addition: a NEW TOY FOR HIM in the guise of a kitten! Ha ha! Now, 6 months later, they are friends - they play together; sleep together and groom one another. Kaffe even 'protects' Cato. But Kaffe is still the dominant cat and the kitten (Cato) has accepted his place as the submissive one. I hope this helps you.
2006-08-04 10:13:30 · answer #5 · answered by Phoebhart 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fix both of the cats; they will work things out. When you pet him and give him treats DON"T DO IT IF HE GROWLS. You are reinforcing the growling behavior towards the baby. After the baby gets a little older, put the cats into a room together overnight; they will work it out.
2006-08-04 08:49:13 · answer #6 · answered by Caffeinated 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you are doing the best that can be done. Keep the baby with you and the grumpy cat can join if he wants to be nice. A hissing cat needs no encouragement. If the hisser threatens claws and needs discouragement, keep a squirt bottle around
2006-08-04 17:28:01 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok...lets start here. get your pets fixed that will stop the spraying, 2nd don't confine them let them roam the house independently, there is a pack order that they have to get settled the older cat is teaching the baby "hey I'm the pack leader I'm alpha kitty" don't favor or ignor one cat, Give them lots of praise and loves and they should calm down with in a week
2006-08-04 20:04:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it takes cats FOREVER to adjust to each other, esp when they've never been around another animal. right now you're doin the best thing you can for gettin the older cat used to the baby. but as for sprayin the only way you can really stop that is to neuter or spay the cats. and i know that might not sound fair to them, but it does help keep them from sprayin and also keeps the number of homeless kittens down for ppl to rescue
2006-07-28 04:44:55 · answer #9 · answered by Red 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have a cat just like this and when i got a kitten he did the same thing im afraid it mite never stop it never did for me my cat just took my bedroom over and he wont come out into the rest of the house my cat is verry spoiled and wants all of my attention best thing to do is share your afections whith bouth cats at the same time so the older cat can see hes not eing left out good luck
2006-07-28 05:09:34 · answer #10 · answered by letta g 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋