New Kittie in the House...Please help!!?

Question

I have a 9 yr old female indoor cat, and just recently i brought home a 5 week old female kittie, thinking that she could keep her company. The little one, which ive named Gracie, tries to get close to Shadow, the big one, but Shadow always hisses at her and tries to scratch her. What can I do to get them to get along. I did this because i believed Shadow was feeling lonely, since i work full time, and Im only there for 4-5 hrs in the evening and to sleep. Please help.

Answer 1

Over time, this could work out okay, but in the meantime, they each need their own space, with no access to each other when you are not home, which means separate rooms with separate litter boxes. Do not let the new one take over the favorite places of the old one. When they are apart, give each one something with the other one's smell, so they get more used to each other. Try keeping Gracie under a laundry basket in the same room with you and Shadow, while you pet Shadow and give her lots of attention. Bring her near the basket, holding her and petting her. If she gets too upset, back up and hold her while she observes Gracie from a distance. Day by day, things will get better. Cats hate anything new, but usually adapt pretty well to new realities over time. In the end, Shadow will enjoy playing with Gracie, but it may take several weeks for tolerance to develop and even longer for anything that resembles friendship. My older cat and younger cat, both females, started out hating each other but now enjoy cat games together that help keep the older cat in good shape. I did hear that if the new cat is a different sex than the older cat, it makes things a little easier, but my cats are evidence that things can work out.

Answer 2

It takes awhile for cats to adjust to new ones in the home. When I was in HS, I brought a kitten home senior year for my mom and for my other cat who was 9 at the time whose sister had died 5 years before and we thought it would be nice to give her a playmate. It took about a year for the two to get along, after that the older was always bathing the younger and vice-versa. There were times they still fought (ever see Garfield's reaction when Nermit enters the picture?), but they did love each other for 9 years until the older passed away.

I would also recommend not giving them both love at the same time initially. Cats are territorial and you have been number one for a long time with Shadow. Give Shadow lots of attention first, then Gracie to make sure Shadow doesn't feel as if she has been replaced. Also make sure to have separate food and drink bowls for each to keep Shadow from fighting. if you see Shadow be nice to Gracie, give her some praise.

I found the following article on the Internet that may be of help you: "Introducing Pets to a New Cat"
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_sheets/introducing_pets_to_a_new_cat.html

Good luck. I know it seems hard now, but it should get easier.

Answer 3

Give it time, Shadow just feels threatened. Let her know that she is still your favorite. Keep Gracie in another room when you can not supervise, but only separated by a door. That way she is safe and they can still get to know each other. When you take her out, hold Shadow, if she lets you, and gently correct her if she gets aggressive toward Gracie. After a week or two they will get along. Five weeks is a little young though, so keep baby safe until you know for sure.

Answer 4

make sure Shadow has a place to go to be alone when she wants to. But eventually she will get used to the kitten. I have 4 cats aged 10 then 2 that are a year and then 2 more that are 3 months old, they butt heads once in a awhile but have learned to all get along :)

Answer 5

Cats can take a long time to get used to each other. If Shadow has not been around cats for a while she probably feels the other cat is invading her territory. The truth is Shadow may not every like the new cat, but she will get used to her eventually. IN the mean time you may want to keep them in separate rooms while you are gone if you are worried that Shadow will hurt Grace. It always takes time for old pets to get used to new pets.

Answer 6

i have a 10 year old female cat and i just got a 9 week old kittie and my Snicker(the big one) always tries to scratch bella(the little one) at the begining, but they have been living together for about 2 weeks now, and snickers is doin alot better. U just need to give them time, ur older cat might get annoyed of it, but they will learn to live with each other

Answer 7

I had this same issue with my older cat. Over time, she will eventually come to tolerate the younger cat. While they may not be best of friends, the fighting should stop. Gracie will also eventually learn to stop messing with Shadow. Keep plenty of toys around for Gracie, to keep her busy. Good luck!

Answer 8

Give them time.....they will eventually learn to live together peacefully.

I have 2 cats and it took them several months to learn to get along. Don't scold Shadow, just let her know that you love her as much (if not more) than Gracie. She'll get the hint.

Answer 9

I saw this once on a pet show. Lock your new kitten in a room 24-7 just so the cats don't hurt each other. pet her with a towel and brush her with the same brush as you would the older cat. let the cats get a scent of each other. you might have to do this for a couple of weeks or longer. Let you older cat roam the house for a couple of hours then lock her in a room while you let your kitten roam the house to get her scent everywhere. eventually your cats will learn to get along. They are just not use to each other and the older cat feels like her/his territory needs protecting.

Answer 10

Your cat needs time to adjust to the new addition. She's been by herself for nine years. Cats are very territorial and you just brought a new cat into her territory. Give them some time to get used to each other. But keep in mind they may never be friends. Some cats just don't get along with other cats.