Can you please help!!!!

Hi I have 5 cats. We've had Garfield who is 7 years he is a orange and white Tabby, Sweetie a black and white Maine Coon who is 6, Sassy a grey and white Domestic who is 3, Zooey a grey and black Tabby who is 5 months, and Mittens a grey and white Domestic who is 4 months.
My problem is that we got the kittens 6 weeks ago and Sassy has never accepted them. She has them so scared that they refuse to come out from under the recliner until she is gone. When she isn't around they are out and playing and having lots of fun. The other cats have accepted them and have also played with them.
But when Sassy sees them, she attacks them and hurts them. She hisses and bites. She has caused them to have bites that needed vet attention. They show that they see her as the "boss", but she doesn't care. We have tried spraying her when she attacks the kittens or goes near them. But it only causes her to stay away for a little while. But as soon as we stop paying attention or are gone she is back at it again. Is there anything we can do .We really don't want to give them back to the shelter. Please help!
Thanks

I think that you will find other links here emphasising a long, slow, careful, and patient way of introducing new cats into an established household. Find and read those first. In the meantime I'd recommend separating your alpha cat from the kittens for the time being. It sounds like she is defending her territory with a vengence.

Also use of :

1. Feliway diffusers
2. Rescue Remedy

may be of some use.


Best of luck!

Hi, are all your cats spayed and neutered?

When you got the kittens 6 weeks ago, did you keep them in a separate room and slowly get everyone accustomed to the scents of the new cats?

There are several links from the "sticky" above that may help. http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22301

Maybe the first thing to try is to re-introduce everyone to the new kittens by following the techniques in the link.

My thought would be to separate the kittens from the old cats for safety (cat bites can easily get infected) and start over. See if that helps then post how it's going.

There are helpful people here with many ideas.

Yes all the cats are spayed and neutered. I will try the separation then re-introduction . I will also try the vanilla on the nose and top of tail and the towel method where I use the same towel on all the cats to get their scents on each other.
I will let everyone know.