Cat mad at me for bringing home new kitten. Cat will not eat or drink as of this afternoon.?

Question

I brought home a new kitten (11 weeks old) about 2 weeks ago. My 2 sons are attached already. My 10 yr old female cat has hissed and growled since we walked in the door with her. We tried the slow approach and kept the kitten in a separate room, short outings in the house without the other car, exchanged towels with each scent etc....for about 10 days. The older cat was somewhat curious but saw the kitten as more of a pest I think. Now my sweet older cat is acting strange, growling and licking her lips. She usually drinks out of the sink and she will not go near it. Freaks when I put her up there. About the same with food. I gave her favorite and she still refuses. Her eyes look clear but she seems a lot lazier than usual starting this afternoon. I will be calling the vet in the am. But until then, any suggestions?

Answer 1

You must remember, your older cat has suddenly been placed in an unnatural situation: you brought an uninvited new cat into her life. She will NOT be happy. Your kitten is now a rival for territory, and if you do not introduce them correctly, you will have trouble. It's not unusual for an adult cat to seriously hurt or even KILL an intruder. She is depressed, hyperstimulated, and probably not in the greatest shape to be dealing with the stress. Your 10yr old is a senior now, and you must remember SHE was first and she is fragile, so if they do not get along and your older cat still will not eat or drink, you need to get rid of the kitten.
Explain to your sons that it's only fair, because it was your older cat's home first, and that she is the queen and she does not like this kitten. If you do get rid of the kitten, but still want another cat, make sure you get a male. Opposite sexes often don't clash for long, however female to female fights are usually deadly

Answer 2

What your older cat is doing is perfectly normal. We've got 7 cats and Sable, the oldest one, hissed and growled at even the kitten we brought her home with. As the other 5 were introduced at various times over the next 3 years, she, along with a few others, would sulk and pout and not eat or use the litter boxes for a while.

It's just their way of being territorial. It's something new and they don't like it. I think it's just nature....kids even do similar things when a parent brings home a new baby.

Answer 3

An older cat will hiss and growl when there is a new comer - the older the cat, the more growling. I would recommend keeping the cats separated for th time being and making sure there is enough food and water near where your older cat is hiding. I would also get all of her favorite foods regardless of how good or bad it is for her. Once she begins to realise that you haven't 'replaced' her, she will begin to change her attitude about the kitten. Kittens do have a way of ingratiating themselves to older cats. It takes time and patience.

Answer 4

Your little girl is being a brat cat. You have done things the right way, she is just holding it agaist you. The extra attention she is getting from you for her bad behavior isn't helping either, she's lapping it up.

Female cats don't take to kittens very well, but you getting worried is likely keeping her on edge too. Calm down, and let them get used to each other - your big girl will hiss, and swat and drool, and sulk about it, but you have to be tough and show her that the little one is here to stay.

Also, don't worry too much about the drinking thing - don't forget that cats are night people and she won't starve herself just cause you brought someone new in the house - but she will sulk to the point of being rediculous when you are awake. Especially is she thinks she's getting rewarded for it by extra attention.

Try calming down and letting them hash it out. The kitten will learn to leave the big cat alone, and the big cat will mellow as the kitten gets older and less active. If she really isn't eating, she may just be upset with all the added activity that the new one brings with her.

One sure fire way to ease your mind about the eating and drinking though - get some canned kitty chow - they can't resist it - it provides nourishment and moisture, and if you put water next to the food, she will probably go for it.

Hope I helped.

Answer 5

The older cat probably thinks you are giving the kitten too much attention, they do sulk like kids at times. My best suggestion is to pick up the older cat and try to pet it and love it and talk to it/etc. Make it feel like it's special and the most loved cat. You could try putting the kitten into a room by itself and not letting it have the run of the house. You will have to explain to your children that although little kittens are cute and cuddly, your old cat is very upset and needs extra attention from everyone. You might try picking it up and seeing if it will eat some tuna from a saucer while it's on your lap/etc. Usually a cat will come out of this type of behavior by itself, but an older cat might go without water or food and cause itself a problem with its kidney's/etc. I adopted a 6 yr old cat from our local humane society that was taken there when her blind owner was put into a nursing home and there was nobody in the family that could take it. I don't know how long it was at the humane society, but one of the workers there said it was grieving badly over the loss of its owner. I brought it home and it hid in my bedroom behind the bed for about 2 weeks. After about 3 days it would come out to eat while we were in the room, but would not come up onto the bed with us, and it absolutely hated our other cats. About a week later it finally started coming up onto the bed and letting us pet it/etc. About a month after I adopted it I noticed it was losing weight fast, so I took it to the vet and they told me it was in kidney failure. I spent over $400 trying to save it, along with tube feeding and medicating and giving it IV's for fluid here at home. It came out of kidney failure and started to clean itself again and even started playing and gaining weight. That lasted about 2 weeks and then it started losing weight again. I ended up having it euthanized so it wouldn't have to go through all that again because the vet told me that we were just postponing the inevitable, so watch it carefully. Good luck, SL

Answer 6

Just give your older cat time to adjust to the newcomer. Cats can be a little overly dramatic at times, so don't fuss too much about getting her to eat. Just feed her normal food at the normal times in the normal place. She'll start eating again soon enough. As for getting along with the new kitty, I have never had much luck getting a spayed adult female (especially one that never had kittens) to make pals with a female kitten. I don't know why that is.

Answer 7

It will take awhile trust me I just did it a couple of months ago the 10yr will get use to the kitten it just takes time....he will get to feeling left out so make sure you and everyone else in family gives equal attention. Make sure you feed them seperately or he might not eat for awhile. Maybe let your 10 yr sleep in room with you with the door shut. You could make him so depressed he could get really sick and 10yrs old that would not be good

Answer 8

Find a home for the kitten.

Wait until your older cat kicks the can before bringing home rivals.

Nobody, not even a cat, likes a newer, younger rival.Why make her old age miserable?

Answer 9

My sister has an 8 year old male cat and 2 weeks ago she brought home a 9 week old kitten.The senior killed the kitten.Do the baby a favor...give it away.

Answer 10

im good with this, somple, he thinks your giving him up for the other kitten and is showing his her depression, sort of like a strike.. buy him loys of toys and try to make him understand you love him, but also love the other cat too, and he has a responsibility..to look after him.