Oh man! Cat fight!

Here is the set up.

Pudders (male, neutered) has been our only cat since we got him at about 8 weeks at the end of October, 2005.

Last Monday, we added Gracie (female, non-spayed right now, nursing mother) and her 4 kittens (3 female, 1 male). Gracie and babies are in our guest bathroom, Pudders has free roam of the house. Gracie and babies have URIs, but have been on meds since Monday and the last sneeze I heard was Friday. (Did I mention that Gracie is almost positively Pudders litter mate?)

There has been a lot of interest on both sides of that bathroom door about what is on the other side. We had to put up a baby gate to keep the kittens corralled when we enter/leave the room. There have been "paws" exchanged under the door, there has been no hissing or growling since the first day.

Until today. We were not quick enough closing the door and Pudders decided he wanted to join the party in the bathroom and jumped right over the baby gate. And well, then the fight was on. It happened so fast I didn't see who was aggressive first, but once I was able to separate them, they were both shaky and scared but settled down with me fine. And now, about 1/2 hour later, they are both back to sniffing under the door.

I am scared to death that this is how it will always be between them. What do I do next? How do I fix this? Any help/suggestions?

Could just be that Gracie is protecting her kittens...

I agree.
Gracie...I have a Gracie also...was probably just trying to make sure that no harm came to her babies.
Pudders may have had nothing but good intentions, but Gracie more than likely wasn't going to take any chances.

Considering the fact that I've seen a normally mellow nursing mother cat take on a HUGE dog, I suspect that's all it is too. She's just being a good mom.

Give them treats on either side of the door where they can smell each other. See if you can play with an interactive toy with both of them. I don't think this is a sign of things to come. Are you keeping the babies, too? Pudders may seem a bit overwhelmed; Gracie was protecting her babies, I'm pretty sure of that.

Thank you for your replies. (Yes - Gracie just really seemed to fit her. Actually, I almost always call her Gracie-face! And Pudders "real" name is Tiger, but we never call him that!)

Anyway...Yes, they are back to touching paws and sniffing under the door. Even the kittens are participating! So, I think you all are right about the protective mother!

Should I keep Gracie and Pudders apart then until I have found homes for all the babies? Or is there a good way to introduce a nursing mother and babies to another cat?

I'd keep them separate till the babies are gone. Then wait another day so she doesn't think he took them. Loads of luck.