Got new kitten for my cat and I'm in trouble!!!

OH HELP! I took ur advice and got a kitten (8 months old) to keep my recently adopted 8 year old cat. Now Sunni (8 year old) keeps growling and hissing while Spottie (kitten) is hiding under the couch and refuses to come out. I tried to coax her out to feed her but she refuses.
I am not sure this is a good idea after all! I just feel so bad seeing these 2 cats so upset.

Words of advice???????

Introductions can be a bit bumpy. When bringing a new kitty home, the best way to do it is to put the new one in a seperate room. Let them sniff and hiss under the door. Get them used to each others scents by taking a blanket they will lay on in and out. Take the kitten out and let the older one in the room to feel everything out. It is a little slow, but then the transition is easier. Once they get to know each other, they should love each other.

i recently adopted a kitten to keep my cat company too. they are not really getting along. the hissing has almost stopped, but they are still kicking eachother and biting eachother. they chase eachother around the house, swat at eachother, and any other mean thing you can think of. i think much of it is just playfullness, but they always get too rough to be together. i think it might just take quite awhile until they can at least tolerate one another.

Hi Pamela
I note that both your cats are recent adoptees, so they are both probably feeling a bit lost and unsure, rather than the older one just resenting the young one. Hopefully they'll settle down, in fact may do so better than if the older one had been "the only cat" for a long time.
What really prompted my response is that you said you were advised to get the kitten (who was not really a kitten anyway at 8 mo) to keep the older cat company. IMO this was bad advice because older cats are usually much happier on their own. It's only when still quite young (under 1 yo) that cats really appreciate a friend, though there are exceptions. This is not helping your problem, I know, but thought it was worth mentioning for the sake of others who might read it. Hopefully your situation will resolve. Good luck!

I have to disagree here. My first cat was 3 before I brought the 2nd one in. Things were awkward at first, but now they get along well. I think Squirt is much happier not being alone all the time.

Hi Deb

I don't think a 3 yo is the problem that an 8 yo (the age of Pamela's cat) might be. I remember introducing a kitten to my brood when the youngest was 3 and he really took the kitten under his wing. This particular cat died when he was 18 and the kitten-that-was (by then 15 herself) was devastated, almost as much as I was, they had remained close all their lives together. But then 12 months or so ago I had got down to just one cat and got two kittens from the refuge. My old cat was 11 and never accepted the kittens and still doesn't. It's not a problem for any of them, they just stay out of one another's way. The old lady would prefer to be the only cat, though.

Hi Mary:

I see your point. Think I forgot to add that my older guy is pretty ornery. He doesn't deal with any change well at all, and he survived the new addition. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of increasing the family.

I just don't want Pamela to think it's a hopeless case. Maybe all they need is some time.

Hello Deb & Mary & everyone else:

I wanted to thank u all for ur words of advice! Sunni (older cat) seems to be doing better. She still growls sometimes if Zebra (new cat-oringally called Spottie then Ghostie but FINALLY changed her name to Zebra FOR SURE) gets too close but other times I have caught Sunni and Zebra sitting pretty close and stare at each other. I think they just need to take time to get to know each other. I am toting a water gun around my apt so if i catch Sunni attacking Zebra (which has only happened 2-3 times to my knowledge and the attacks were short because Zebra was smart enough to run and hide!), I'd just squirt water at Sunni and it works really good.

Will keep u guys posted on my 2 beautiful babies!

Pamela

Deb & Mary and others:

I have been trying to help out this girl Michelle with her cat/kitten situation and I am not sure what to do next. We could really use ur advice/expertise on this.. Please reply ASAP.

Here's the background on Michelle's situation.

She has a cat -Sasha who gave birth to some kittens and after she gave birth, her behavior changed. She now would attack people without warning and she also have attacked her kittens .

Michelle mentioned that if anyone wants to pet or hold Sasha, they'd have to wear a thick sweatshirt to protect themselves from her claws & teeth.

When Michelle and her family tried to keep them separate in different rooms, Sasha will sit at the door and yowl until she's let in with the kittens. The kittens HIDES all the time now andd refuses to come downstairs. People have to go get them, grab them, hold on to them while petting then the kittens would dash back upstairs.

I suggested water gun to squirt at Sasha when she misbehaves, be firm with keeping them in separate rooms but no luck so far. I mentioned the possibility of having to find homes for the kittens. They are about 8 weeks old.

MIchelle and her family are having a real hard time with this. Any advice???????

Pamela:

I am glad that things are going better between Sunni and Zebra. It sounds alot like what Squirt and Joey were like at first. Joey spent a lot of time with his ears flat back, awiping at Squirt from under a chair or some other place that Squirt wouldn't fit. Pretty soon, they were grooming each other.

As to your friend, Michelle, I don't really have any suggestions. It almost sounds as though Sasha felt threatened while the kittens were very young. Hopefully, one of our other resident experts will step in and give you some advice.

The first step, if not done yet is Sasha needs to be spayed. The kittens are old enough to be weaned. The next thing is more handeling of the kittens. They need to be in just one room until they are used to being handled. Once mom has been spayed her hormone levels will drop and she shouldn't be so bad.

Sasha,

I really appreciate ur input on this and have shared this with Michelle. I also want to encourage u all to check this out at her msg which is "Mean Mommy!" under Behavior and give her more feedback on her mother cat vs the kittens..

Thanks again all for ur support and advice! This forum is GRRReat!
Pamela

Hi Pamela

Good that your two have settled down. Re Michelle's cat, isn't she the one who had a hysterectomy when the kittens were 4 weeks old because of a uterine infection? If so, she would have been very sore immediately after the op and the kittens were probably still trying to suckle, plus one can only imagine the awful upheaval her hormones have undergone as a result. I'd say the explanation lies there - massive confusion caused by the discomfort of trying to keep nursing the kittens initially, then falling hormones levels sending mixed messages about exactly what she's supposed to be doing with these kittens.

Hmm.. That's a good question. Why don't u ask Michelle that? Look for her msg under "Mean Mommy" then ask her that. I will copy and paste ur remarks there..
Thanks! I know MIchelle can really use all our advice..
Pamela