Problems with new kitten...

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Hey there everyone.. posted this in the wrong place originally so.. posting again here! xD

So.. I'm already the owner of a beautiful Russian Blue.. she's 4 months old now and we've been together since she was 6 weeks. Well, we haven't been together the last few weeks cause I had to go back to my home country to sort out my visa status but.. I just got back and aside her being a bit bigger, it's like nothing has changed.

Well.. in a few weeks I start school again and, my little Shinya is SUCH a lonely thing, I know she'll hate being alone when that time comes... Plus, I always knew that at some point I wanted to get a 2nd cat.
SO... yesterday I got one..an 11 week Abyssinian..completely INSANE..was all over me in the store and it was love at first site. If anything, I was worried about her tearing up my house and perhaps her being too wild for Shinya more than anything else..

Things were going great..she cried all the way home but, she was super happy when I took her out of the box ... but then suddenly her mood changed.. I've got this huge cage thing that I put her in and the second she went in there, she started spazzing out. I'm guessing it's the smell of my 1st cat that's making her so mad since she was fine with me before that. She's been here for about 14hrs now (10 of those I slept!)..I've basically been leaving her alone and of course keeping the 2 cats seperate (my plan was to introduce them to each other slowly anyway).. But any time I enter the room, her back arches and she starts hissing at me or growling at me.. she's COMPLETELY terrified and I have no idea what to do.. I mean, just getting in there to feed her is going to put so much stress on her.. and while I know she just needs to be left alone until she adapts.. this is really horrible cause I know she's suffering.. and right now doing stuff like changing her litter is going to be IMPOSSIBLE because she's just going to completely freak out and potentially start attacking..

This is really upsetting me because I hate seeing my new baby (currently nameless!) in so much pain and I feel like I can't do anything for her.... I'm not sure there really is anything I can do aside give her time but, that doesn't solve the problem of how to feed her/change her litter without it resulting in world war 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! T___T

Edit : Well.. the new Abyssinian just started crying out... so I closed my bedroom door where Shinya is and went out to see her.. The second I opened the door the hissing and growling started.. and then a few seconds later, Shinya's high pitched wailing started - "DON'T LOCK ME IN THERE I'M LONELY!!", she seemed to say. And I know that wasn't helping the Abyssinian baby at ALL.. But I went to make her some milk formula .. came back, tried to get close enough to the cage to give it to her but it just resulted in more hissing so I gave up and left her alone again...
But now I can hear her crying again.. it's totally mixed signals with her! Like, she's crying for someoneto be with her but the second I go in there, she's terrified and I'm putting way too much stress on her by being in the room... And I think opening the cage is likelyto result in a seriously crazy kitty!!!

Oddly, Shinya seems to be dealing with this all fine. I think she's realized there's a newcomer in the house and if anything, she seems to want to go and say hi! I think she's strutting around being happy that she's the one free while new kitty is in a cage.. xD

Gahhhh... this is really painful for me and, cause I'm a pretty anxious person, I can't help but feel like I've made a HUGE mistake here...T___T

stampit3d · Jul 28, 2007

Originally Posted by die_to_xxx

Hey there everyone.. posted this in the wrong place originally so.. posting again here! xD

So.. I'm already the owner of a beautiful Russian Blue.. she's 4 months old now and we've been together since she was 6 weeks. Well, we haven't been together the last few weeks cause I had to go back to my home country to sort out my visa status but.. I just got back and aside her being a bit bigger, it's like nothing has changed.

Well.. in a few weeks I start school again and, my little Shinya is SUCH a lonely thing, I know she'll hate being alone when that time comes... Plus, I always knew that at some point I wanted to get a 2nd cat.
SO... yesterday I got one..an 11 week Abyssinian..completely INSANE..was all over me in the store and it was love at first site. If anything, I was worried about her tearing up my house and perhaps her being too wild for Shinya more than anything else..

Things were going great..she cried all the way home but, she was super happy when I took her out of the box ... but then suddenly her mood changed.. I've got this huge cage thing that I put her in and the second she went in there, she started spazzing out. I'm guessing it's the smell of my 1st cat that's making her so mad since she was fine with me before that. She's been here for about 14hrs now (10 of those I slept!)..I've basically been leaving her alone and of course keeping the 2 cats seperate (my plan was to introduce them to each other slowly anyway).. But any time I enter the room, her back arches and she starts hissing at me or growling at me.. she's COMPLETELY terrified and I have no idea what to do.. I mean, just getting in there to feed her is going to put so much stress on her.. and while I know she just needs to be left alone until she adapts.. this is really horrible cause I know she's suffering.. and right now doing stuff like changing her litter is going to be IMPOSSIBLE because she's just going to completely freak out and potentially start attacking..

This is really upsetting me because I hate seeing my new baby (currently nameless!) in so much pain and I feel like I can't do anything for her.... I'm not sure there really is anything I can do aside give her time but, that doesn't solve the problem of how to feed her/change her litter without it resulting in world war 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! T___T

Edit : Well.. the new Abyssinian just started crying out... so I closed my bedroom door where Shinya is and went out to see her.. The second I opened the door the hissing and growling started.. and then a few seconds later, Shinya's high pitched wailing started - "DON'T LOCK ME IN THERE I'M LONELY!!", she seemed to say. And I know that wasn't helping the Abyssinian baby at ALL.. But I went to make her some milk formula .. came back, tried to get close enough to the cage to give it to her but it just resulted in more hissing so I gave up and left her alone again...
But now I can hear her crying again.. it's totally mixed signals with her! Like, she's crying for someoneto be with her but the second I go in there, she's terrified and I'm putting way too much stress on her by being in the room... And I think opening the cage is likelyto result in a seriously crazy kitty!!!

Oddly, Shinya seems to be dealing with this all fine. I think she's realized there's a newcomer in the house and if anything, she seems to want to go and say hi! I think she's strutting around being happy that she's the one free while new kitty is in a cage.. xD

Gahhhh... this is really painful for me and, cause I'm a pretty anxious person, I can't help but feel like I've made a HUGE mistake here...T___T

First off...if I were you, I`d put your nameless newbie in a bedroom (or other room) so that you can keep her seperate from your resident cat......but DO let her out of the cage. She probably feels very scared because she is not only in unfamiliar surroundings, but she has no place to hide.
Put her food, water and own litter pan in there.Maybe leave a radio playing softly in the room and let her have some time.
Go in from time to time and lay on the floor....just "be there" and only talk softly, but don`t push her to come to you. Do your chores (sifting litter, changing food and water) but try not to over stimulate her.
When she starts responding to you then after a few days you could begin to swap blankeys with the cats so that they get used to each other and begin to smell like each other.
I`m not sure if it`s recommended or not...but we got a newbie about 6 weeks ago...and once they started snuggling on the blankeys that had been exchanged for a few days I even swapped a bit of kitty litter back and forth between thier litter boxes to see if they would use them. (My plan was to be able to use just one very large litter box for all three of our cats....and it worked!....but if you are going to use seperate boxes then you may not want to do that)
Hissing and growling is normal for awhile when they do meet....and it might take awhile....but in most cases they will adjust and become friends and even prefer each other to you a lot of the time.
Just don`t rush it with the into....you`ll kinda "know" when the time is right....and you can always seperate them even after they have met off and on so that they get a "break" from each other if needed.
I hope this helps and that all goes well for you and both furbabies.
Our newbie made the adjustment really well...better than the other 2 at first. He never hissed or growled even once...and was not one bit afraid of the other 2 bigger cats....i think they had a hard time trying to figure out why they were not able to intimidate him.....and there was no way I could tell them that the newbie`s only playmate ,before he got here, was a BIG black Lab!
Let us know how it`s going....others will be along soon with other ideas that you can try I`m sure.
Best wishes!! And CONGRATS on your new kitty!
Let us know what you name her!
Linda

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Well, nameless baby already has her own room... the main problem I think is that it's the room that used to be Shinya's and so I'm guessing smells the strongest of her..

Letting her out of the cage though could be disasterous! I mean, I tried but the second I got close to the cage door she started freaking out.. I cleared EVERYTHING out of that room that could be swallow-able by a kitty (I moved house only a few months ago so some rooms are still very bare as I've yet to buy all my furniture) so, aside the fact that I fear my really expensive new curtains might get torn to shreds (this new kitty is CRAZY when she's playing), I could just leave her to run around in there but... it'll be much more difficult to check on her that way - she'll PROBABLY attack me by the looks of things.... And I'd never be able to get her back in the cage without scaring her to death, and causing myself some serious pain!! Or she'd escape out into the hallway and I wouldn't be able to coax her back in so would have to pick her up, AGAIN resulting in potential bloodshed.. xD
But, I can't feed her/change her litter/etc with things like this either!!

I tried to just, be in the room with her before.. just lay in there reading... after about 2mins, the hissing started again!! T__T

She's crying out again now.. gah to my mixed signals kitty!!!!

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Oh and, this is the new baby...

Ahhh... thinking back to yesterday when she was playing with me before I bought her and stuff.. T____T

I THINK she's going to be Yuna but, not sure yet...

Right now I'm more concerned about making her calm down and stop wanting to kill me than coming up with a name!!!!

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Me again.. xD

Just an update to say that I managed to get the cage door open without loss of limbs..

There's basically not much in that room aside a small table, a cardboard box, a few empty toilet rolls (Shinya likes to play with them) and then of course the cage, litter tray, bowl of water, milk formula and some food (it's a bit early for breakfast (nearly 7am here) but. oh well!

I just sort of, tried to block my ears from the hissing and ignore the occasional lunge forward and opened up the cage, just opening it enough so she could see that she could get out, then I left the room immediately. NO IDEA if she's left the cage but, I'm really hoping she'll get better now.

I'm totally willing to take time introducing the 2 kitties to each other, which is what I'd planned to do anyway... but it's so sad seeing this completely adorable friendly baby (she LOVES people) THIS terrified. I mean, I've never had a cat hiss or growl at me before so, this is really hard on me.. and I know it's even harder on her! I really had no IDEA this was going to happen... And what's worse is, I'll admit to being a little scared being around her right now.. while I'm totally used to being bitten and scratched whilst playing (I mean, look at how red my chest is in the above photo after playing with the new Abyssinian!), this is TOTALLY different. I have no idea whether she'll actual try and attack me or just hiss and spit or run away (she couldn't run away in the cage, which might have been the problem)

Ahhhhhhh.. this is horrible.. I'm sure so many of you have had to experience things like this before and you all understand how horrid it is.. but my stomach just HURTS seeing a cat this unhappy... and being the freak that I am, I can't help but worry that she's going to hate Shinya and I forever.... T_T

catsarebetter · Jul 28, 2007

Nah, she won't hate you guys forever. Most of the cats I've had, well, I'd say half at least, have spent their first several days hiding and going nuts, hissing at the humans, hissing at the cats, etc. It just takes them a while to adjust. I'd use the bathroom(?) that you have her in, just so that she gets used to seeing you in the new situation. Try to play with her, that worked to help mine through it. Use a long handled teaser, though... so that you don't have to be close to her to do it. When you go into the bathroom, just ignore her, or talk softly to her, and eventually she'll realize that you're not there to hurt her.

She also may not eat for a few days. If it makes you feel any better, the first night Bagheera was here, she left claws in my sister when we tried to move her... Pogue spent the first four days hiding, and didn't like cats or people. Joyeux spent the first four days doing maddy cat, with her back arched and hissing at everyone and being ballistic... they're all happy and friendly to us now. Of course, that doesn't necessarily hold true for any company that comes over, but that's something different to worry about later.

stampit3d · Jul 28, 2007

Well I must have either misread or misunderstood in your first writing....I thought you`d put your resident cat in a seperate room....sorry!
You may just want to take your new curtains down for awhile (to protect them...just in case) And maybe the next time you brave going into the room take an old blanket , tablecloth or even a sheet...and throw it over the table so that she will feel like she is hiding. Might be less scary for her if she can view her new world from where she feels she`s not so easily seen herself.
What kind of living arrangements did she have before you got her???
Sounds like a pretty scared baby.....but hissing and growling is normal behavior for her at the moment...she will calm down.
Keep us informed!
What does her new possible name mean???
Linda

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

I think I was SUPER lucky with my Shinya. She was scared of me for the first few days, would run away if I tried to go near her much so I basically would just sit in a room with her and let her run around like a crazy thing, playing with and exploring EVERYTHING. She was only 6 weeks old when I got her and was so hyperactive. She'd come near me but, just to pounce at my leg then run off... but she'd still ALWAYS play around me...then she started climbing on me, then the play biting.. and after I think it was 3 days, she crawled into my lap to go to sleep.... things just got better and better from there on and now we're best friends... I mean, it's totally obvious she adores me and I was SO lucky to find her...

However, she runs and hides from strangers... I've never heard her hiss or growl or anything.. she just, doesn't like new people. She needs time to adjust but usually always does (she's fine around the people who come round often).

ANYWAY.. my point is, I think my insane luck with Shinya made me completely oblivious to the fact that this angry scared insanity is the way kittens USUALLY behave in the start! Sounds like my new baby (Yuna or Luna? xD) is behaving like your Joyeaux did!
She's currently not in the bathroom but in what's going to be the music room but iscurrently just a spare room. I live in a 3 bedroomed place.. the 2 bedrooms not being bedrooms will be music rooms and stuff (I'm a musician) but right now one is a store room and the other has become the cat room. xD Shinya just follows me around so she doesn't need to go into the cat room anymore.
I couldn't keep the new kitty in the bathroom cause, I live in Japan and the toilet and bath area are 2 seperate rooms. So the toilet is a really really small room and it's not safe for a cat in the bath area...

What I don't know is, how long should I leave it before I venture into the room that has now become crazy Abyssinian world? xDDD

stampit3d · Jul 28, 2007

At the top of this page on TCS , just under the word "FORUMS" are the words "CAT BEHAVIOR"....click on there and look through the list of helps. You`ll find good info there.
Let us know if there is anything more we can do to help;
Linda

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Linda>

Thanks for your reply again!

No no, my resident cat Shinya is running around as always, demanding even more attention than usual because I left her alone for a few weeks and now she's incredibly clingy (I think she's worried I'm going to leave her again) Currently she's curled up into my stomach on the bed next to me..
I think she's started to sense that something is weird in the house.. but being the darling that she is, instead of getting worked up about it, she's trying to comfort me - she can always tell when I'm upset about something....

Anyway, next time I brave it into the crazy Abyssinian room (as I'm now calling it!), probably when it's time for her next feeding, I'll throw a blanket on the table and maybe attempt to take the curtains down. Perhaps I should wear a suit of armor? xDDDDD

I have a few long stick toys so, I'll try them out this evening, after she's had a day to be in there and adjust a bit...

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Me again! For some reason posting here soothes my nerves somewhat! xD

From what I can tell, new kitty is just NOT leaving the high ledge in the cage. She's sort of frozen there in fear I think. I went in to see if she'd touched her food (which is outside the cage) only to see that she was still standing on the high part of the cage, back arched.. The door of the cage is open, she CAN get out, she's just choosing not to.
I tried sitting in the corner of the room reading a book just to get her used to my presence but, she just starting hissing and growling and eventually spitting, so after a couple of minutes I just left the room. I'm guessing, until she can overcome her fear and actually explore the room, there's no way she's going to be able to deal with me...

To CatsAreBetter, how did you manage to calm Joyeaux down?

catsarebetter · Jul 28, 2007

Well, Pogue was more of an issue with us than Joyeux was.. she was moreso angry at the cats. Pogue we put in a room, and every so often we'd go in to go to the bathroom, and sometimes we'd even pick him up, hissing and spitting and growling though he was. We'd just comfort him a few minutes, pet him and hold him close, but not for too long, and then put him down. Eventually he stopped hiding behind the toilet, and then he started trying to break out when we opened the door. He was such a tiny thing that we worried that the Bengals would be too rough with him (they're so rough and tumble, and I was actually worried that Joyeux might hurt him although, I turned out to be wrong and they're best friends now.

Personally, and I'm going to add a disclaimer here, because no one advocates for this ... they always suggest the slow introduction but that's never worked with my crew and if Shinya is pretty mild mannered..I'd say you're probably okay to try it... but personally, I've found that just simply releasing them into the household and putting them up when I'm not here to monitor things (until everyone calms down).. works best in my household. Just let the new baby go, stop by and talk and try to play a bit every so often, and just keep the water and food fresh and available. And a litter box nearby. I'd make a small area, like someone else suggested, where there's a "hiding" spot.

If you're having trouble or think you might have trouble finding and/or catching the new baby when it's time to go out.. I'd pick up and put Shinya in a separate room.. or you might just consider taking Shinya into the baby's room and letting them see each other.

I'd probably also toss some wet, particularly stinky, food in for the kitten. The smellier the better.. the more she smells it the more likely it is to trigger the "hmm, I really am starving" thoughts. Maybe if you toss the blanket over the cage instead of over the table it might work better (unless the cage is under the table?)...

It's just sort of trial and error, but have faith, it's really pretty normal for them to be afraid of everything when they first get there. If one thing doesn't work, try another, but I think in a few days you'll start to see a new kitty. Definitely try your best to get her to eat at least something, though, and if you're worried about getting bitten or scratched, wear jeans and a heavy sweatshirt.. and you could probably even toss on gloves, although personally I don't worry about it too much. You've got more to worry about, though, given that you use your hands for your profession. I would not, however, suggest trying to pet her with gloves on. Mine get really freaked out by gloves and petting.

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Heather>

Well, I'm totally not worried about getting scratched up!! I'm actually not a professional musician right now and while I'm about to return to university, it's not in music (I already have my music degree). And my main instrument these days is my voice (I'm in a band), so it really doesn't matter how scratched up my hands get! Plus, little Shinya loves to bite, so I've gotten really used to blood being drawn by hyper kitties - though angry kitties is a new one for me!!!!! x_x

Up to now, the new baby has REFUSED to leave her cage. Even after I opened the door. She started crying out, I'm guessing for food.. but there was already food in there.. so I realized that she was refusing to leave the cage. So I pushed the food closer to the cage... and still, sporadic crying... So I went and put the food IN the cage (but she'd still have to get down off her ledge) and managed to get in and out of the room without being hissed at (but her eyes showed her complete terror).
After reading your message, I thought about putting a blanket on the cage.. so I went in there with one and realized she was gone! I scanned the room to find her standing on top of the table, still staring at me with those eyes of fear and her arched back but.. she's actually left the cage now.. The food seemed untouched but, she ate the food I put out for her yesterday at some point over night so.. she WILL eat when she absolutely has to, thankfully.

I'm thinking I'll give her today to try and adjust to the room then see what happens. If I tried to pick her up, she'd definitely go insane... I'm not so worried about her scratching me or biting me, but moreso just making this a horrible experience for her...

Shinya actually DID get in there at one point, I was leaving the room and she squeezed in... and while shinya was fine, the new baby went a bit nuts.. Shinya isn't what I'd call a calm cat..she's a pretty crazy kitten and is not at all people friendly (unlike the new baby who's such a people person when she's not terrified) I think if anything, she'll just run away rather than actually engaging in conflict...
I was told though to keep them apart as much as possible anyway til next week - until the new kitten has her 2nd vaccination..

OMG.. I can hear noises! I left this.. uh, long piece of hard plastic stuff - the kind that gets wrapped around boxes for shipping? - in there..cause shinya loves playing with it.. And it definitely sounds like the new kitten is at least batting it around a bit... Which means she's definitely out of the cage and exploring.. I could be overreacting but, I think that's such a big step for her!!!!!!

DDDD

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Arrrrrghhhh... (I really must stop posting here.. you can just ignore me xD)

The new baby (I think she's going to be Luna) has taken to crying out every now and again but, it's not for food or anything so I'm guessing she's lonely and wants company. But at the same time, the second I open the door she starts hissing and gets really worked up. I'm really not sure whether to,

a) ignore her cries for attention and just give her a days or so to herself, only going in there when she needs feeding and such.

b) ignore her hissing and just try and be near her, being prepared for a few cut and bite marks here and there!

I'm just trying to tell myself that she's been in this house for under 24hrs.. and if I remember righly, the first 2 or 3 days with Shinya I was having doubts as to whether I'd made the right decision because I was under the impression that she didn't like me at all.. but slowly, from a few days in, things just started getting better...
So, that's probably going to happen again this time.... I just need to understand that this isn't something personal against me, she's just scared and hates EVERYONE right now.. and she'll calm down in a few days... THEN I have to deal with getting her and Shinya to play nice!!

Sorry I keep posting.. it really does soothe me.. xD

white cat lover · Jul 28, 2007

Because you added another kitty to your house, this will be different than with Shinya. This will take weeks, easily. Don't get upset/discouraged....kitties pick up on emotions.

I will admit to scanning posts....but here are a few questions:
Do you have access to Feliway?(a claming pheromone I swear by)

What I would do is simply sit in the room with the newbie & read, watch a quiet movie....something where you remain mostly still & calm. Let her move about....she needs to get used to your presence as well as to the new place.

Go slowly....don't move quickly in her presence & don't get in a hurry for her to adjust....these things take time & they will eventually get along!

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

Yeah, I think the problem really is Shinya, even though I've not even tried to introduce them to each other yet. The new baby was great with me in the petstore, cried all the way home but I kept my hands near the holes in the carry and she was licking me and being generally adorable, and when I took her out of the carry and gave her a hug when we got home, she was FINE.. I put her in the huge cat cage I have, went off to get her some food, and when I came back 5mins later that was IT. She'd suddenly transformed into psycho kitty!! So initially, I know I'm not the problem, but moreso the smell of the other cat has made her completely nuts. But now she's this worked up, she hates me being near her too!!

I've tried to sit calmly in the room with her but she either hisses and growls at me the second I open the door, or just stares at me back arched until I sit down and start reading and after a few seconds the hissing and growling starts.
I'm thinking maybe I need to lock up my resident cat in the bedroom for a few hours at some point and then open the door to the new kitty's room... then just go sit in the living room and watch tv or whatever... that way she can just wander out in her own time and come and talk to me when SHE'S ready... I think having to keep going into the room she's locked in probably feels to her like I'm invading her space or something.. Of course, Shinya (resident kitty) will HATE being locked up so I might have to invite one of my friends (one of the ones she feels safe with!) over so they can be with her while I try and let the newbie adjust...

Being in Japan, I'm guessing the availability of Feliway is slim to NONE but, I'll scan the net for info now!

die_to_xxx · Jul 28, 2007

http://www.shop-com.jp/0-v226042-~fe...k36-g1-s.shtml

This was about all I found... this is the stuff I'm guessing?

Compared to the US sites I've seen, it's REALLY expensive.. I'm guessing cause they simply don't make it here so it's always imported...

You really think it could help in this situation? I want things to be easier for her cause right now, she's just NOT happy.. T_T

catsarebetter · Jul 29, 2007

There is a cheaper version of Feliway spray called No Mark. I know they have it on the PetSmart website, and it's about $10 a bottle compared to the more expensive Feliway.. I don't recall how much the spray was but it does work pretty well around my house. Although, depending on how long it takes for shipping with this.. your problem might resolve itself long before you actually get the product.

At this point, I'd probably go in, and just maybe try to pick her up and see how it goes. You know, she's going to hiss and spit and probably arch her back and growl.. but usually, they'll fuss and then when you pick them up and snuggle them they relax after a moment or two and start purring. It may just be that you have to show her that there's no need to be scared of you. If she runs, don't chase her, but if you're able to reach down and pick her up without too much fuss.. I'd snuggle her a bit. You may want to ask what every one else's advice on that is... I'm sometimes not very traditional. I sort of plop mine into the middle of my floor and let them all meet one another immediately. That's what works best here... you sort of have to see how Shinya is doing.. if it's the kitten hissing and spitting and so forth, I'd say it's probably a safe thing to let her interact with Shinya. The kitten won't hurt her. Just keep an eye out and see how it goes between them. Watch Shinya, see how she reacts.. it's normal to see the older cat swat or tumble the kitten when the kitten "gets out of line" but you don't want to let it get to the serious aggression point. It sounds, though, like Shinya is just kind of like "oh cool, a kitten"

It won't hurt her to be in that room for a few days, and it does sound like she's adjusting.. it seems to be about the right time schedule. She's now figured out that the cage isn't going to harm her. Her curiousity has overridden her fear, and she's "broken" out of the cage, started eating, and is now starting to explore the room. I'd probably still try to pet her or snuggle her, but stop if she runs. It's one thing if she cowers but doesn't run...basically... you don't want to chase her. I don't *think* she'll bite you. She might, but I've found that most kittens that I've interacted with are usually all hiss and no actual bite, except maybe when you play.

die_to_xxx · Jul 29, 2007

Would you believe, it's SO much better already... She kept crying out so I'd go and check and discover that she had everything she could possibly need in there except company.. so every time she cried I just opened the door, sat down and talked to her quietly (outside the doorway, I never went into HER space).. when she started to get really intense, I'd stand up, close the door and leave her.

This had been going on most of the afternoon/evening.. and I was prepared for days of this.. but then an hour ago, I opened the door and she just wandered over to me and stood on my feet. Back still arched but.. I was like.. o____o WHAT?! xD So I got her to eat some food, played with her with a long stick type toy.. when she started to get grumpy again I left her.. 5mins later she started crying so I went back in and she actually started rubbing herself onto my feet and purring and things have been ok between me and her ever since. I mean, she's still TERRIFIED and flinches if I touch her sometimes but, she's definitely warmed up to me a LOT.

The problem for her is definitely Shinya. I had Shinya in the bedroom and let the new baby run around the corridor and she came across a few of Shinya's toys and started hissing and growling at them.. she's definitely NOT happy with the fact that there's another cat in the house. Shinya however (who is btw only 4 months old herself) seems really excited at the idea of a playmate. And being the good girl that she is, she's actually dealing with being locked in the bedroom for periods of time VERY well.. usually she'd whine the entire time but I think she realizes this is important to me so she's just sitting back and being calm.

Anyway, I've been able to pick up the new kitten and everything now so.. it looks like things will be fine with her soon enough. I just need to get her and Shinya adjusted to one another. And while I know most people would recommend doing it slowly, having to keep the new baby locked up in a room SUCKS.. she should be running around the room while I go about my daily business,that way she can just adjust on her own time. That's what I did with Shinya.. but it would be unfair on Shinya to lock her in a seperate room for extended periods of time and the last thing I want is for her to start getting negative feelings towards the kitten.

Wow I really need to get myself decided on this baby's name!

die_to_xxx · Jul 29, 2007

Not a great photo but, the first I've been able to take since she came home.. Got a few videos of her too...

She's SO beautiful, it's hard to beleive she can turn into such a snarling mass of terror! xDD

Problems with new kitten...

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