why is my cat hissing and growling at my new kitten?

Question

i have a 1 year old female indoor. just got a male kitten. she is hissing and growling at him. but the strange thing is she is also following him around everywhere watching him from a short distance. if she dosen't like him, why is she following him around? is this normal behavior and likely to go away? i got the kitten for her.

Answer 1

It is normal behaviour, your 1 year old looks at the kitten like an intruder. Keep an eye on them for the first little while. Ideally introducing cats should be a slow process. Over the course of a few days, but since it's already been done, just keep your eye on them. Over time the older one will eventually learn to get along.

DONT leave them unsupervised though. The older one could get aggresive and hurt the kitten.

Answer 2

Cats are very territorial. This kitten has invaded the older cat's domain.
By nature, cats are also curious. That's what it means when we say "curiosity killed the cat".
Even thought your cat doesn't like this new invasion and threat, it is still willing to follow it around and check it out.
Cats will do this no matter what the threat or the size of the threat is.
Hopefully, the older cat will come around. Females are a little more complex than males. If the female has never had a litter of her own, then there may be a problem. If the female has had a litter of her own, she may end up taking the little guy under her wing and protect him to no end. Who knows? You'll have to wait and see. Just be sure to give equal amounts of attention to both of the cats.

Answer 3

Cats need to be properly introduced to the new home, the new humans, and the existing cats if they are to get along well and not have problems. Here's how we introduce new comers to our gang: Cats need to be introduced very slowly. First of all, we do not allow a new cat to have any contact with our other cats until a vet has given the new cat a clean bill of health. This includes tests for such things as FIP and Feline Leukemia. Cats can be successfully introduced to each other regardless of their ages or sexes. We have successfully added adult cats to our family containing both young and old cats as well as introducing very young kittens to the other cats. It has to be done slowly. If you simply put them together, you will fail the vast majority of the time. The new cat has to be given time to get used to you and the new environment. The existing cat has to get used to the smell of the new cat. We introduce cats by keeping the new cat in the back room for up to a month. My office is there as is my wife's sewing table. There is a sofa and bookshelves. We spend a lot of time with the new cat to get them used to us, the new environment and the new smells. After they accept us with no problems, we put a screen door on the back room door frame and let everyone see each other for a week or so. It may take a lot less time than a month to get to this point but we just take it slow and easy. Once we judge it safe to do so, we let the new cats out into the house and chaperon the first encounters. We've only ever had one problem introducing cats like this and that problem was resolved in a couple of weeks. We've had 26 cats over the past 22 years and many of them were adults - 12 and older - when they joined our family. We've also introduced several kittens, ranging from ages of 7 weeks to 4 or 5 months, to the rest of the crew with no problems. You have to take it slow. If you can't put up a screen door, perhaps two baby gates, stacked one on top of the other, will close off the door but still allow the cats to see each other. If you can't use a screen door or baby gates, try letting the existing cat into the room with the new cat for a few minutes while you chaperon. If things get bad, take the cat out of the room. You just have to introduce cats slowly There are cats who could be thrown together and become pals but they are few and far between.

Answer 4

The older cat, especially, is charged up with emotional issues that have rearranged its personality big time, like jealousy for instance, when the kitten sucks up to you, and the Boss of the house sees that you pay more attention to the little guy. She is feeling rejection and left out. Her space has been invaded and she is feeling like an outcast. The kitten tries to dominate over the Boss to win the battle of who is Boss now? And take over its new territory and the older one feels threatened and confused of this invader, therefore, showing aggressive behaviour by hissing, growling, biting, fighting but will play if the older cat is in the mood. It can take months to overcome their issues. Perhaps they both will never adjust to one another completely. I agree, if its not too late, they should be separated for short periods of time each day. Giving you the opportunity to focus on each of them one on one with hugs and kisses and a pat on the head for being such a special companion. Im going thru this myself for 4 months. Takes time and patience and TLC. Good Luck!!

Answer 5

She's scared witless of him - LOL! I've the same problem. He's male and he'll be alpha soon as he grows bigger than her and she's dreading it, so she's watching his every move and trying to keep out of his way. Also include jealousy that she's no longer top cat. This behavior will soon get old as she realizes that him growing up will take awhile and she'll relax, though it may be quite a while. He, in the mean time, may become a snit and bug her to death so be prepared to hear her hissing and running away from him constantly with him following her as he grows- just to be mean. I ought to know, here comes my 8 yr old "princess" and her 4 yr old nemesis (I got him when he was 8 wks old) right now following her to my bed. They sleep together, but once in a while she'll bite his ear to tell him to "bugger off".

Answer 6

She hasn't quite decided yet what to make of her "present". Hissing and growling on her part if entirely normal. She will want him to know she is boss of your place and he needs to stay in line. Those behaviors are what mother cats do to correct their kittens. A male cat would do it too so it's not just "maternal" behavior on her part. That's the way cats communicate.

Answer 7

Cats are very territorial. Her hissing and growling is a way of showing the new cat that this is her territory and he is not welcome. I have to say you are lucky since she's not attacking him! I've introduced a dog and two cats to my now 5 year old cat and each time was the same. He nearly scratched the dog's eyes out!
You have to introduce them gradually. Ideally you should keep the new cat in a smaller area alone where they will not see eachother. Don't leave them alone and reprimand your cat if she attcks the little one. Once in a while you should take him to your other cat and pet both of them at the same time. The longest its taken me was two weeks to get them get used to eachother. But even if it does take longer for you don't worry she will get used to him eventually.
By the way my cat now loves the dog, sleeps and plays with her too!

Answer 8

Hi Susan...cats need time to adjust to one another. Your older kitty sees the kitten as an unwelcomed guest and is letting the kitten know this with hissing but also is curious about the kitten at the same time which is why she's following him. A gradual introduction is ideal in order to help them become comfortable with one another. Here's an article on how to introduce cats to one another gradually: http://www.fabcats.org/introducing.html

Answer 9

Its the matter of territory. The cat is following the other to watch and make sure the other cat doesnt touch anything that it doesnt want the cat to touch. The one cat will get over it in a month or so. Trust me I have 3 cats and they all did the same thing to the other.

Answer 10

she veiws your home her territory and the growling and hissing is her way of letting all know she is a tad bit jealous of the new kitten she is following the kitten around to check it out and watch what it does