We have a 6 month old female kitten, who is usually very friendly, and we just adopted a sweet 2 year old female cat from the Human Society. The new cat is fine with the kitten, but the kitten is hissing and not willing to get close to the new cat. The kitten has been around a older adult male cat since she was 2months at my boyfriends parents house and she loves him! What can I do to ease her into loving this new cat too, or at least be able to be around her without them tearing eachother apart!! HELP PLEASE!!!
2007-09-20 13:00:44 · 11 answers · asked by kinkykitty4l 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Try this link...it gives you a lot of good info. on introducing cats! Good luck!
2007-09-20 13:05:29 · answer #1 · answered by Jennifer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It takes anywhere from two to four weeks for cats to adjust to each other. Your kitten has been an "only cat," so she is now trying to secure her position as the alpha cat in the household.
Do not force them to be by each other as this will only make matters worse. The kitten needs to approach the new cat on her own terms for this to be successful. There are a couple things you can do to assure her of her place in the home. When feeding or giving treats, give them to your kitten first and the new cat second. Also, you can put the older cat into another room and give your kitten some one-on-one play time. When you see the hostility lessening, leave the older cat in the room when you play with the kitten, and see if they begin to play with you at the same time without problem.
After four weeks, if there is still a problem between the two, it is possible they may never get along together. I have seen this once, between two of my cats; and it took three years before my female would walk past the male in question and not slap him. LOL This is the only time I've ever seen that; and I currently own five cats, and have sent three to the Bridge over the years (so eight total), plus many of my friends have cats.
2007-09-20 13:23:05 · answer #2 · answered by purrfectpals5 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You stated that the kitten has been around an older cat, but not on her territory. That is the situation. Cats often hate changes, and until now, she was queen of the house, the alpha cat. No one to share with and queen of her domain. Now, you have brought into her territory a rival, someone who changes the alpha situation.
You can expect growling and hissing, and even a raised paw. But time heals all, and things will sort themselves out. They will establish ground rules. If there were blood to be drawn, it would happen quickly. And cats have a great ability to know what claws can do, and generally bluff. Until the alpha situation is settled, there may be some 'hard feelings', but this will pass. And the alpha situation may change regularly, but with little apparent hostility.
Just give both of them love so they know both are wanted. You have confused your young kitten so she needs assurances that things are all right. Your kitten will soon realize the older cat is not going away, and also is not a threat. It seems like the older cat has already accepted the new situation, so things should work themselves out fairly rapidly.
I hope with the new cat you have gotten at least one more litter box.
2007-09-20 13:25:45 · answer #3 · answered by cat lover 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can relate to this. I had a 1 year old tomcat and took in a small kitten. At first he was scared of her and didn't want to have anything to do with me. I kept her in a separate room for three days, then introduced the tomcat to the kitten a few minutes at a time every three or so hours. More then five minutes is too long I guess. After one or two days, I let them spend more time together: I would let the kitten out in the whole flat and keep the tomcat locked away. Then I would release him. The next weekend I let them both run free, keeping a close eye on the kitten. The tomcat would still attack her, but she could claw her way out, after at most a week they became best friends and the tomcat would protect and care for the little kitten. It helps if you show your tomcat a lot of love when you are in the presence of both cats, but love your kitten when they are not together. That way the tomcat should not be overly jealous and the kitten will feel loved.
2016-05-19 21:21:18 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats usually are very protective, independent and territorial like dogs. My cat is the same way she doesn't like anyone that she doesn't know. She only likes two of my friends so far. When my sister first got a puppy my cat hated him. What I did was I slowy bond-ed them. I would put the together in a small room like a bathroom together and i would be with them. the puppy never bothered the cat he was fine from the first day we brought him home. my cat meg never liked him. I would alos make them sit right smack next to each other, the puppt didn't mind but the cat hated it. After a while my cat is now able to let the puppy walk past her or sit on the same couch as her but at a different end. You just have to get your kitten to bond with the new cat, but slowly, if you rush them then they might fight for a longer time. Also remember to give the cats space, separate them in different parts of the house so that they can cool down from being scared of each other or from fighting. Also if the new cat or the present cat hides in one place for a long time just let them stay there. Cat tend to find a place that they feel safest. We moved into our new house three months ago and my cat still only feels safest in my room. If your cats ever stays in one room or place then let them do that they will fond a new place after a while. My cat just started going into the other room. Give your cats some space so that they don't feel like they have to best friends.
2007-09-20 14:32:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they were going to tear each other apart, it'd have happened that first day.
Give them time, they're going to work it out themselves, and so long as you have two separate food bowls (put them at opposite ends of the kitchen or at least so the cats have their backs to each other to reduce stress) and an open area around the litter box, it'll be ok.
Hissing is normal. So is slapping at each other a bit. If it was really nasty you'd see yowling, body posturing between both pushing a point, and fur on the floor. She's only 6 months old, she'll get used to a new cat. Give both a lot of attention, say the name of the other cat when you pet one of them, so they both know they're included, and don't push them at each other.
2007-09-20 13:16:09 · answer #6 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cats HATE change...and because cats hate change, you need to introduce them to all changes in their life very slowly...here is a link to two short yet informative online videos which instruct you on how to properly introduce a new pet to an old pet:
http://petvideo.com/index.cgi?category=2...
you may also find interest in this article, which discusses how to keep your multiple cat household harmonious:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/articl...
generally the best way to introduce two pets is to keep them separated at first: you will want to provide them with separate litter boxes, beds, food bowls, water bowls, and toys as all cats can become territorial when a new pet is introduced to their home:
what you want to prevent are territorial issues, such as litter box avoidance, spraying, attention seeking behaviors, fighting, hissing, and basic aggression.
I've found that the best way to introduce two pets is to first keep the new pet confined to one room with it's potty, food, and other belongings.
Allow the cats to paw at each other from under the door.
After a few days you may open the door a crack and allow them to observe each other through the doorway.
After about a week you can open the door all the way while you are home and allow them both to roam freely.
However you should continue to confine the new cat to the one room separate from the other kitten while you are not home (or not able to supervise, like when you're asleep) until you are sure without a doubt that a fight will not erupt.
Cats have an adjustment period range of 5 minutes to 5 months; this means that your cats can get fully adjusted to each other within 5 minutes or it may take as long as 5 months. Be patient.
Truthfully, they may never get along; however, with a little effort on your part, they will at least learn to tolerate each other as most cats do.
Hopefully, as they mature they may develop a stronger bond.
Remember to be gentle and take things slow as cats can easily become stressed out or upset by change, especially when that change effects their household.
Good Luck, hope this helps!
[and congrats on your new cats]
2007-09-20 13:47:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had this problem too. It took my cats 6 months to get along. Make sure they both have their own area, litter and food. Eventually they will get along. Try giving them cat nip or a treat when they are together. They might think it's fun to hang out then.
2007-09-20 13:17:32 · answer #8 · answered by fairmesm 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its very normal for cats to hiss at other cats or growl at them if they are not used to being around them, Just leave them alone and they should be fine in a couple of wks when they realize neither one is leaving.
don't worry
hope this helps
2007-09-20 13:06:05 · answer #9 · answered by debbiedeb 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is normal. The kitten is just trying to show the other cat that this is her home. They will probably become friends.
2007-09-20 13:11:32 · answer #10 · answered by SFECU12 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋