My new cat is about 1 year old and my old cat won't get along? He will get on the bed and she will attack him. What do I do?
2007-03-26 11:22:44 · 6 answers · asked by K 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
How long have you had your new cat. Your female just may be asserting her dominance - how rude of this upstart to move into her territory. Don't try to micromanage every thing. It may just be your female considers your bed to be a sacred place that only you and she can go.
On the other hand, you can get a water gun and shoot her with it every time she attacks the newby. But I'm not sure this will solve the problem.
2007-03-26 11:35:24 · answer #1 · answered by txkathidy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had that problem too. Almost a year ago I got a new kitten (9 months old) to join my existing kitty (almost 5 years). The new one thinks she is the dominating one and chases and swats my other one every chance she gets. Sometimes my 5 year old will poke her head out of the spare room, look around and if she sees the younger one around, retreat back into the spare room. The older one is very timid and only occasionally gets the courage to swipe back (but when she does, the results are impressive lol, ie the younger one steers clear of her for quite a while).
I've recently been trying Rescue Remedy (Bach Flower Essences) on them and the results, so far, are good. It seems to calm the new one down a bit so she's not trying to be so dominant and it also seems to give the older one a bit more courage to stand up to the newer one.
While the results are not perfect, they're enough to make the household much more peaceful. At least now, both of them can sleep with me on the bed (most nights) without the newer one attacking the older one all the time.
2007-03-26 20:16:17 · answer #2 · answered by Shaz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The same thing happened to me with my cats. What you do, and I asked the vet about this, is. You take 2 carriers. Put 1 cat in each carrier. Face the kennels so that the cats can't get away or strike a blow at each other. Let them hiss and spit until they lighten up and stop screaming. Then, they will have locked smells and stop hissing. Do this every day until they are very familiar. Then, you go to the next step. Next, go into a small space like a bathroom. Put 1 cat in the kennel and let the other stay out. I'd put the older cat in the cage because younger cats usually are more curious and innocent. Then, the cats will become even more friendly. Maybe switch them off. (younger cat in the cage.) Then, step 3, last thing. Let them both out in a bigger room. Maybe then, the cats will be nice. Good luck, and I hope this works out for you!
2007-03-26 12:41:12 · answer #3 · answered by live laugh love 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your older cat may feel like she is being replaced, or threatened by your new cat. I would suggest putting the new cat in a crate and letting the old cat inspect him there until she seems comfortable. If it appears to be too late for this, squirt water at the cat whenever it makes an aggressive move.
2007-03-26 11:38:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some cats will never be pals. I have this situation with my two inside cats. They have learned to civilly live together. I think it helped since my 5 month old puppy is also in there at night and it is the lesser of two evils.
2007-03-26 15:05:18 · answer #5 · answered by Lin s 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have 4 cats and it will take time for your older cat to warm up to the kitten. don't push the issue with them and make sure you give them both equal quality time. There is no fast or easy solution to this problem.
2007-03-26 11:28:29 · answer #6 · answered by Darlin1_66 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋