Hi, I am new to the forum and am looking for a little help with my current situation. I apologize in advance for the long post, but I think I should provide a little background. I have a 14-year old cat (whom I've had since she was about 6 months old) who has primarily been the only household cat. She's OK with the dog (also 14), who came into her life when she was about 5 years old.
My husband and I recently rescued a pregnant cat who gave birth to a litter of 4 kittens in our garage. We found homes for 2 of the kittens and the mama, and decided to try and integrate the remaining 2 kittens into our house (they were 11 weeks at the time). We followed all of the advice we were given: the kittens have their own room, food, litterbox. We started letting them in a little at a time, supervising their interaction with my cat. She hissed and growled alot, but would eventually walk away. We would give her "treats" when they were out, praise good behavior, and rub their scent on her. She remained very affectionate towards me, even when they were around. So we started increasing the visits and supervising less for the next 2-3 weeks.
Unfortunately, instead of becoming more tolerant, my cat has become increasingly agressive and will now chase after them and strike out. Sometimes she does still ignore them and once they even batted around the same toy for a minute or two. But she still hisses, growls, chases and strikes (no blood drawn yet). The kittens seem to be a little afraid of her, but suprisingly unfazed. The orange male will submit, continue to purr, and then follow her around until she swats at him again! I adore my cat, but am also very attached to these kittens whose birth I witnessed. It is hard for me not to reprimand my cat when she strikes, but I don't want to praise her either. I know this integration is not easy, but I'm not quite sure what to do at this point. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Caresse
My husband and I recently rescued a pregnant cat who gave birth to a litter of 4 kittens in our garage. We found homes for 2 of the kittens and the mama, and decided to try and integrate the remaining 2 kittens into our house (they were 11 weeks at the time). We followed all of the advice we were given: the kittens have their own room, food, litterbox. We started letting them in a little at a time, supervising their interaction with my cat. She hissed and growled alot, but would eventually walk away. We would give her "treats" when they were out, praise good behavior, and rub their scent on her. She remained very affectionate towards me, even when they were around. So we started increasing the visits and supervising less for the next 2-3 weeks.
Unfortunately, instead of becoming more tolerant, my cat has become increasingly agressive and will now chase after them and strike out. Sometimes she does still ignore them and once they even batted around the same toy for a minute or two. But she still hisses, growls, chases and strikes (no blood drawn yet). The kittens seem to be a little afraid of her, but suprisingly unfazed. The orange male will submit, continue to purr, and then follow her around until she swats at him again! I adore my cat, but am also very attached to these kittens whose birth I witnessed. It is hard for me not to reprimand my cat when she strikes, but I don't want to praise her either. I know this integration is not easy, but I'm not quite sure what to do at this point. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Caresse