I've bought two kittens of differnet breeds. She is a birman cat and he's a Norwegian Forest Cat. They were isolated for the first week and now she is growling and hissing at him. He just wants to play. How much time will it take them to get used to each other? Can I hel them to start liking each other? Please help...
2006-08-23 22:54:18 · 18 answers · asked by LadyOfShadows 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
They will sort it out just leave them to it
2006-08-23 23:00:41 · answer #1 · answered by Barry G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Socialising Kittens
2016-10-18 05:57:04 · answer #2 · answered by wearing 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As they are kittens, it will probably work out fine if you just let them sort it out. Even if the Birman is growling and hissing, it is very unlikely she will harm him.
Birman cats are supposed to have a quiet, gentle charm and are very companionable, they enjoy the company of family members and mix well with other animals.
Norwegian Forest Cats have a robust and hardy disposition. They are affectionate, intelligent and extremey playful.
Maybe your Nor. For. is coming on too strong for your Bir. and she is scared of his athletic approach.
Were one or both isolated from litter mates before you bought them? Maybe the Birman has already become used to being isolated and needs gentle coaxing back into social habits..
But it won't take them long to become friends, especially if some irressistable game brings them together.
You also haven't said how long her hissing and growling has been going on for ... it is normal for kittens who are strangers to each other to do this for the first two or three days as they are simply setting down some rules. Often it is the older one who will do it, the younger one should back off and feel no offence. But it can take a little longer if you have an especially shy cat.
If this has been continuing for weeks, you might have to ask your vet. to check the Birman out in case she has some pain you haven't discovered and is feeling vulnerable
Don't worry about it too much - kittens need each other.
What you can do to help is interest them both in a lively game and manipulate it so that the Birman has her fair share of fun (she might be too shy to join in at first and just watch, but keep it going ... no kitten can resist the chance to have fun).
If your Norwegian Forest Kitten won't take "no" as an answer from your Birman, and comes on too strong, pick him up and distract him for a while so that she will never feel he is any threat to her.
Feed them apart, so that he has no chance to upset her further by stealing some of her food.
And forget about the growling and hissing; kittens get it all the time if they forget their place. Water off a duck's back.
They will be fine.
2006-08-26 05:57:32 · answer #3 · answered by kiteeze 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Three days is not a lot of time. One thing I would try and do is to find out if she has a vision problem. Does she follow your finger with her head as you move it in front of her? That she seemed to cower when someone walked by doesn't mean she saw that person clearly. As far as #4, some have a hair trigger response to any noise. For your second issue about her cowering, approach her down low, either by sitting or crawling, so you are less imposing. Compared to her, you are absolutely massive. And sitting down and simply talking often works well. Using a bit of a high pitched voice may help, as a mother cat's meow is not soft or low pitched. You reverse a lot of her fears through patience, love and understanding. Some of her progress will have to be at her pace.
2016-03-17 01:54:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, it takes a little while for them to get used to each other. Since they're young it shouldn't be that long. You could keep them apart for a while,if you want to, but be sure to let them have a whiff of each others scent. Then let them roam the house together.
It's been my experience that they do some hissing and spitting for a while then they become fast friends. It's really rare for a cat to maintain a grudge against another cat.
Are you going to have them spayed and neutered? That should help their sociability a lot.
2006-08-23 23:04:15 · answer #5 · answered by Ellen J 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Ellen J. A good idea is to keep them separated just for a little while but give them blankets or a cat bed or something to lie on and then swap them round so that when they eventually meet up they will have had a whiff of each others scent and they won't be so strange to each other,
2006-08-24 00:33:02 · answer #6 · answered by Sunshine Smile 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It will just take some time. I can't tell you how much time cause all cats are different. There will be hissing and a little fighting but eventually they will get along. There isn't much you can do but to make sure that you are reassuring both of them that things are ok.
2006-08-23 23:30:53 · answer #7 · answered by Turtle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
give them time, we have 3 cats. one is our old man (about 11) and the other 2 we got as kittens (one now 4 and one almost 2). the old man had issues both times, hissing and growling. we made it so that he had a refuge to go to to get away from the other two (on top of the entertainment center... one cat couldn't get up there because he was physically retarded, the other we would shoo away or squirt... gotta love water therapy). he now grooms the youngest (the middle we had to leave with family).
2006-08-23 23:02:37 · answer #8 · answered by Jenessa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I introduce a new cat in my household they spend the first few days/weeks until they are settled apart from the existing brood and then supervised contact is allowed with places for the new or nervous cats to escape to except I do lock the cat flap in case the new one tries to go out and I let them get on with it and only intervene if blood looks likely to be drawn. You could always try putting him in a big puppy pen and then she can come and see him and know that he cant get to her and do a gradual introduction that way.
2006-08-27 08:27:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just put them together and let them get on with it; they are both pleasant-natured and playful breeds, and after a few initial hissy-fits, they will be like brother and sister in a matter of days. Lots of catnip leaved scattered about are a big help, as are cheap table-tennis balls.
2006-08-24 10:51:58 · answer #10 · answered by k0005kat@btinternet.com 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just leave them be. Either they will become friends or just learn to tolerate each other. I have 6, four of which were adopted as adults. There's plenty of hissing around here, but they deal.
Good luck, and congratualtions on your new kids. =^..^=
2006-08-23 23:03:50 · answer #11 · answered by PariahMaterial 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋