i adopted an 8 month old cat in jan. she is about 11 months old now. and she was a bit of a scaredy cat, she finally came around and is really sweet. today i adopted a 9 week old kitten because it needed a home, my 11 month old cat is hissing and growling anytime she sees the kitten. i dont know what else to do? does anyone know how to make this work? give it time? or is there an alternative (and i will not place either of them back in the shelter so they can be euthanized i saved both from that, i will NOT subject them to being killed.)
Answers:
Keep them in separate parts of your home for a week or two. If you only have regular sized room seperate have one cat in that room part of the day and switch their places if possible. They need time to get used to one another especially their scents. Last kittens I had could not understand why the older cats didn't like them hissing and cuffing them :( I would coax the cats to the door seperating them with toys so they would smell one another %26 would put their food and water bowls there also. After a few weeks I opened the door and let them mix. The older cats still weren't happy but were content to hiss and stalk away in disgust without cuffing. Another trick that might help is to brush the cats one after another to mix scents.
You can say to your cat ->
Yum yum, look cat, one little juicy kitten. No big difference, taste like the mouse. Try it. Yum yum.
The cat will like it.
Ok ok, chill out, I was just having some fun. My real answer.
Don't keep them together so quick. Keep them seperately for maybe a month. One after the other, pat them and cuddle them. Then later they will be ok becuase both see that all are members of the family. Don't worry about that! :D
be patient they will get along keep litterboxes seperate and food dishes away from each other
Your answer is. TAKE YOUR TIME! Let them hiss and act pissy. It s okay! DO NOT SCOLD OR HIT EITHER CAT. A cat can hold a grudge and be in a bad mood for over two weeks.
Hitting or scolding them with just apply negative feelings to the situation. Let them be for a bit.
Keep things separate too. Each cat gets their own bowl of food, bowl of water and separate toys. They can share a plant of cat nip together. Just buy a small plant and let them have it. Most cat's have a catnip gene, so they will go for it quickly. Buy several plants and place the around the house. Cats will knock it over and make a mess, so be for warned.
A proper way to introduce a cats to one another is to Slowly introduce them. You take your new cat and put him or her into a room for several days. Allow your current cat to sniff them through a door. You can also take your new cat outside your front door and allow your current cat to sniff them through the screen door. When the sniffing has passed, take your new cat back to its room and have some quality time. Then have a play session with your current cat. Do this for several days and then allow them in the house together.
But, since your past that part. try this.
Take a damp cloth, (not wet but very dry damp) and rub one cats nose, ears or paws with it. Then rub the same cloth on you. This will transfer the scent onto you. Then do the same thing to the other cat and repeat the process. This will let the cats adjust to one another scent with out any contact with each other.
After you have done this for a day or two. Do the same process again, but this time apply the scented cloth to the other cat. Let them sniff the cloth first, then apply.
When my cat Abby came to leave with us, My other cat had been an only child. AND HE WAS NOT ABOUT TO SHARE MOMMY AT ALL! He would Hiss, bite me and spray everything he could find. MEN! After about a month he calmed down. He would lick her head and bite her toes when she was sleeping. He would also jump on her back and bite her neck. He was letting her know He was the boss and She better get used to it.
I would not him hurt her, but I allowed him to show her the order of things. They are cats and not human child, this is how it works for them.
After another month of this behavior, they became the best of friends. She would climb in His bed when he was sleeping. They would eat out of the same bowl and play all night long. They broke Many, Many, MANY things and had a great time doing it.
Have a friend bring the new cat in a carrier to your house. Set the carrier down and see what happens. If the cats try to attack each other through the carrier, the relationship is probably not going to work. If they seem to get along or are cautiously curious about each other, it will most likely work.
Keep your new cat confined to a single room for a few days. This allows the newcomer the opportunity to familiarize himself with the room, which will become his safe haven and personal territory. Provide a litterbox, food/water dishes, toys, bedding and a scratching/climbing post in his room. It is essential that your new cat feels secure in his new territory and has bonded with you before meeting your resident cat and adjusting to your entire house. Read more about your cats social structure and behavior.
Spend some time alone with your new cat so the two of you can bond. Begin teaching him the rules of your house by rewarding his good behavior. Praise him profusely for using his litter box and scratching his post.
When your new cat seems to be adjusting to you and his new room, you can start to familiarize the cats with each other. Start off by letting them get used to the smell of each other. Bring a piece of the resident cat's bedding into the new cat's room. Take some of the new cat's bedding and put it where your resident cat can smell it. Keep exchanging and rotating their beds or a towel that covers a favorite sleeping area. Let the cats sniff each other from under the door. Give both cats plenty of opportunity to adjust to each other's scent. If neither cat acts like it wants to break the door down and kill the other, then it is time to begin leaving the door open.
The new cat will eventually creep out and meet the resident cat. What usually happens is that they both freeze, arch their backs, hiss, spit and even growl at each other. Then they both flee to safety. Should they have any squabbles, the newcomer can retreat to his own room. The resident cat will be less likely to enter because the room bears the scent of the newcomer. The security and familiarity of the newcomer's own room will help rebuild his confidence to venture forth again.
Don't force your new cat and resident cat to meet. They will do so on their own when they are ready. Don't shower your new cat with attention in front of the resident cat until he is well accepted as part of the family. Don't be upset if the new cat remains in hiding for several days. This is the cat's normal way of dealing with stress and adapting to new situations.
Most of their first encounters may appear hostile to you, but it is best not to interfere. Let them work things out by themselves. They will understand and get to know each other much more quickly if you do not confuse the issues by taking sides or adding to the tension.
Absolutely give it more time. It is natural for your older cat to hiss and growl. After all a new kitten is coming into her territory and that scares her. The best thing to have done (and maybe you should still consider it) is to introduce them slowly. We recently adopted a kitten (we already have a one year old cat). We kept the kitten, Gypsy, locked in the bathroom the first two days. Jinx sat by the door and hissed and growled the entire time. But by letting her stay in the bathroom she got accustomed to us, and she and Jinx could smell each other under the bathroom door. After the two days we let her out into the rest of our apartment. Jinx still hissed and growled at her, which was fine since he was not hurting her. As long as no one is getting hurt let the two work out their own "pecking order." If one cat does get too aggressive lock the aggressor up for an hour in a room by itself. Once the hour is up reintroduce the two cats. Never leave the two alone until you are absolutely certain no one is going to get hurt. We kept Gypsy in the bathroom any time we were asleep or away from the house for the first week. Make sure to give your older cat lots of attention, even if she rebukes it at first. Jinx would not let my husband touch or pet him for two days!! But he came around. She and Jinx are great friends now. Give it time and things will work out!
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