We have recently taken in a second cat, our existing, female, cat is always spitting at her, any suggestions?

Question

Our existing cat is 15 years old, has always had a dog around her - children have also come along (4) over the last eight years and she has always adapted to changes well. Two months ago we returned home from holiday to find a 6-8 month old cat, hungry and scared living in our wood pile. Had no luck finding her owners and decided to allow her to stay. She is in good health, great fun with the children and no problem except that our cat will not accept her. We are trying to keep them separate to avoid fights and upsets, our original cat has already had a bite turn nasty and required a trip to the vet. We love them both now and do not wish either to go/be unhappy, does anyone have experience of getting cats to live peacefully together, are there tips and strategies we could employ? Thank you for your considerations

Answer 1

Time. Yes, she's older and probably cranky, but it usually takes cats a bit of time to get used to another cat.

I've taken in many cats over the course of time. There is always an adjustment period. That period depends on both cats. Your older cat may not take easily to the new one, but that doesn't mean that eventually, they will be able to co exist without incident.

Some are very easy going and adaptable. I've been bless with cats that take easily to a new addition, which is great for all. But there are some cases where it's not that easy.

If there's fighting going on with biting and scratching, you are doing the right thing by keeping them separate for the time being. Let them be out together when you're around so that you can referee, but if no one is going to be there, I would keep them separate. It might be good to put something that has the smell of the new cat (a blanket that he lays on) in with the older cat so that he can get the scent of the newbie.

Just be sure to show love and affection to both. Keep the bad fighting down to a minimum and don't repremand the old guy for "protecting his territory". Hissing and stuff will be normal though.

Good luck, I'm sure within time, everyone will get along.

Answer 2

give it time...your first cat is older so it will take a little longer for her to get used to the new cat. whatever you do, you need to have the 2 cats together so the first cat can get used to the kitten. start out with supervising them in a smaller area where the first cat can get away if needed for short period of time. Start with only a few minutes a day and work up to longer periods. Have you and one of your children help and each take a cat and hold them about 1-2feet apart-further if necessary. Work closer each time as you feel necessary. Don't rush it, it does take time. It may take several months for the first cat to become used to the kitten and the older cat may feel threatened that you brought a new animal to "her" home. Good luck and hope it all works out.

Answer 3

I think that you SHOULD encourage them to spend together, I assume you are giving them both equal attention. Although your cat has also accepted other shall we say "interuptions" in the family, maybe she is just getting too old, and is wanting a peaceful life in her old age. Have you ever experienced this with one of your children, when you bring a new born into the family when a child has been the only one for some time, they become jealous, because all of the focus is on the young baby, I have experienced this myself, along with family and friends. It has only been two months, which is relatively a short period of time, they will get on eventually.

Answer 4

IS your kitten trying to play with this older cat ? which cat seeks the other cat out the most. or are they just crossing paths and having hissing fits?

My younger cat is always trying to get the older cats to play and they have fights but when it gets to be too loud i put the younger one in time out(bathroom door closed) and give the other cats a its ok im here to keep the annoying one away petting. (a break)
heads up though do not feed them together in the same place and buy seperate litter boxes the older cat just might feel like this cat has invaded its territory once to often eventually they will have to duck it out to be in agreement.

Answer 5

That is normal behavior for cats.

We adopted my mother's cat, bringing him into a household with a fifteen year old female cat and another younger cat.

Tweet gets a little hissy at Caleb, but the hissy fits are subsiding after a little over a week.

Your non human family members will adapt and adjust to the newcomer. Be paitent.

Be sure and get the newcomer spayed ASAP.

Answer 6

Put the new cat in it's own room for awhile. Use child gates, 3, one stacked on top of the other to keep the cats seperate yet able to see and smell each other. After a couple weeks allow them to roam free and happy.

Answer 7

We've got a cat about 12 yrs old. A few years ago, a homeless cat just kind of "moved in." Since we couldn't get it to leave, and couldn't stand to see it hungry, started feeding it. For awhile, our cat did fight with it...not so much to injure it, but to maintain that he's "top cat" on this property. It finally eased off. They never became what you could call friends, but now they tolerate each other. They stay apart, and are fed in different places, but they both seem OK with that. You may just need to see how it goes, and I think they'll eventually adjust to each other.

Answer 8

Poor old cat - she was queen bee and now there is a new kid in town. It's important to really show her some love, and like the others have said, you need to keep them together and let them work it out themselves. Keep an eye on them though, you don't want anything to get out of hand.

They will either start to get on or learn to keep out of eachothers way.

Answer 9

Usuallly just time and patience resolves this issue. Your old cat is protecting its territory, and doesn't want to share its people. And at 15, change is like asking Nana to learn how to tap dance. She will learn at least how to co-exist with the new cat, and may even learn to cozy up to it. But don't force it, and always give each cat the opportunity to "escape" from the other if things get really tense and crazy.

Answer 10

your older cat is just establishing whose boss. at 15 she's not likely to change. i have an older cat too that was raised with dogs, and actually thinks she is 1. she'll go up to any dog and say howdy, but gets nasty with kittens/cats. keep them seperated as much as possible unless you can supervise. but make sure the older cat has her space. for example, if your bed is her fav place to sleep, don't let the kitten on it at all. and at 15 she deserves the respect and consideration due her for all her years of companionship.