My husband and I have a four year old female cat who has been our spoiled princess for a while now- almost three weeks ago we got two male kittens- we introduced them slowly- we kept the kittens in their own room for a while first letting them and our other cat smell eachother under the door and through a pet carrier- we slowly let the kittens come into the rest of the apartment- they still stay in their own room at night and when we are not home- we even got Feliway spray and plug-ins but our cat is still scared of the kittens- she either runs away or hisses at them if they get too close to her- at night time our cat has started to meow at the front door (she is not an outdoor cat and never leaves our apartment)- our kittens try to play with our cat sometimes but she is too afraid- we don't know what else to do- we want to keep our kittens but we don't want our cat to be miserable- will she ever get along with them? What else should we do? (we also give our cat extra attention)
2006-08-17 03:30:57 · 11 answers · asked by Wanda 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
My older cat is already fixed
2006-08-17 03:43:27 · update #1
I'm so glad you got two kittens. That is the best way to go with an older gal cat.
Like all the posters say, it will take patience and her nose will be out of joint for a while. Can she have a special place in your bedroom at night where the kittens are exluded? Most owners like to have a cat on their bed at night and if you don't that's fine. It would just help the older cat feel special and have relief from the kittens' relentless energy.
Feliway is not the universal problem solver in this situation. The phernomes it exudes mean nothing now. Bach flower essences can be effective though. They are for emotional healing. Walnut is the one for accepting and adapting happily to change.
People use them and you can get some at a health foods store. If you live in a small community a store may not have a full line. Most stores carry Rescue Remedy which is excellent to have on hand in case of any emergency with animals (or people). That's for shock, injury, pain and fears. Anyway the store might order the Walnut for you. You can do a search for "Bach flower essences" and find an online source.
"...the commonest use for Walnut is when a change in the
cat's universe has had an unsettling effect." ..."the arrival of a new cat rival in the household ..."
A little bottle costs around $18. You shake the bottle very well and apply three or four drops to the fur on the top of the head. Do this three or four times a day for a week to ten days. The essences are not powerful, like drugs. They can do absolutely NO harm. The effects are subtle. The cat is making an adjustment and that would happen without the Walnut and the essence will make the adjustment easier for HER. This is inexpensive and helpful. A lot less expensive than Feliway and the right choice for your cat now.
2006-08-17 04:12:16 · answer #1 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have seven cats and have had cats all of my life so I have faced this situation a lot. Since your cat is used to being by herself, it may take a long while for her to get used to the other kittens. Even though you show your cat extra attention, it does not erase the fact that there are two new cats in the picture. Your cat will get used to the kittens, but it will take a while (I know from experience)
My oldest cat was not pleased when I brought home a new kitten that I rescued from a busy freeway. I would give my oldest extra attention too but she was clearly mad at me. She wouldn't even purr when I rubbed her. The new kitty would try and try to make friends with my oldest, but she just wasn't having it. This went on for months. My oldest is still not too fond of this particular cat, but at least they get along and tolerate each other. My oldest is still very spoiled. As long as she feels like the Alpha cat, she is happy.
As the kittens get older, your cat will adjust. Right now, your cat just wants to know that her place in the household is secure and that because there are two new cats in the picture, this won't mean that you will love her any less or get rid of her. She is just figuring the situation out.
This situation takes patience and it takes time, but eventually all cats will find a happy medium and learn to live together.
Hope this long answer helps ;)
2006-08-17 03:46:41 · answer #2 · answered by Mia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have 4 cats, so i know what your ggoing through. when ever I would introduce the new kitten to my cats they would growl and walk away. So I would take the kitten in my room and play with it. Then the other cats would peek around the corner to look, and I would run a toy on the floor so they would chase it, but when they saw the kitten they would freeze but eventually start playing again. After doing this along time, they realized they could play together. Now they get along. I have 11 dogs and 4 cats, after they all realized they were going to live together they started getting along. It just takes time for any animal to get used to other one in the house.
2006-08-17 03:47:05 · answer #3 · answered by :) 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your baby feels like she being replaced. She is also acting like a spoiled brat when you try to pacify her by relocating the kittens to another room/area. I don't think she is afraid, she just doesn't want anything to do with the kittens and she thinks that she will win. So far, it sounds like she is!
Animals are like kids, they have to work out their own problems. She will claim her territory (ie. It might be a room or just the master bed) if you let them all be alone and make sure that they can not be somewhere dangerous. It may take a few days, but it will work. Just stay out of it. There will probably be a lot of hissing and snarling, but I guarantee, no blood will be shed, or at least not much..
2006-08-17 03:44:12 · answer #4 · answered by Molli H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are your younger cats fixed? That could be why your older cat feels threatened.
Give her time, sometimes it can take up to 6 months for things to settle. ALWAYS put her first, pat her first, feed her first, acknowledge her, before the kittens, she needs to know she's still the princess. Give her a bit more attention, the kittens, being young will adapt to her routine, so whatever she is used to, keep doing it.
Try to engage them in games together (with you) try to make it one of her favourites. Feather wands are good toy for this purpose.
2006-08-17 04:56:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Things should settle down with time. It took my dominate female several MONTHS to get used to the new babies we introduced. After time, they now play together. They still don't snuggle like I've seen other cats do, but they are at least friends now.
Good luck...
2006-08-17 03:55:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
(Some answers are so long, aren't they?) These kittens will age, and not be babies anymore. Most cats do not want anything to do with babies except their own. Wait -- they'll grow up, and things will be fine.
2006-08-17 03:54:32 · answer #7 · answered by twowords 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes cats just dont like each other, kind of like people, lol.
Just give it time, the cats will be fine, eventually they'll learn to cope.
2006-08-17 06:14:23 · answer #8 · answered by crazyy4youu 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
be gentile with cat and introduce the kittens to her put their scent on a towel so she has it in cat bed and put the scent of the kittens on you she feels you are replacing her for the kittens and I KNOW YOU AREN'T PLAY WITH your cat AND KITTENS TOGETHER
thank you
2006-08-17 05:39:00 · answer #9 · answered by cooks delight 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are not so good mothers in every species! Sorry to hear that, go to the vet, take care of the babies yourself, maybe she'll view them later as friends... and get her fixed!
2006-08-17 03:37:46 · answer #10 · answered by dollface 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋