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Two cats not getting along...

post #1 of 6
2/8/10 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
I recently took in a male kitten to join my 3 year old girl. It's been almost three weeks and she still attacks him every chance she gets. For that reason, they are kept separate and allowed supervised meetings 1-2 times per day but they are usually cut short due to the aggression. They are both fixed, I have tried Feliway. I confined the kitten to the room for a full week before even introducing him to my female. She HATES him.

I have changed their beds around to let him get used to each other's scent. Just now she cornered him and he peed out of fright. He runs to hide whenever he sees her.

Like I said it's been a few weeks and I wonder if this is going to work at all? I can't confine him to the room forever and there's no way they can live in separate parts of the house either. I'm torn. I want to keep him but this seems like major stress for both of them.

Do I keep trying or call it quits? TIA.
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post #2 of 6
2/8/10 at 4:31pm
Don't give up just yet. 3 weeks really isn't very long for a cat to adjust to a new addition.

Rubbing a towel on the kitten and putting the towel under the older cat's food dishes might help her associate the kitten's smell with good things.

keep the feliway going, and if your house is bigger than 500 sq feet get another one.

Make sure you have enough vertical space, so they can be in the same room together but she can be up high, say, while you are playing with the kitten on the floor.

Smell is every thing to a cat, you can try the vanilla trick: put a dot of cooking vanilla (not perfume) on the nose and root of tail of each cat so they smell the same.

I'm sure others will have other ideas and encouragement.

Please keep us updated!
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post #3 of 6
2/8/10 at 4:44pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks, I'll try the vanilla and towel trick. I tried feeding them on opposite sides of the door as per someone else's suggestion but no luck. My female wouldn't eat.

I'm worried because the aggression on her part seems to be getting worse and not any better at all. We also found a small bald patch on her stomch that wasn't there before so we hope she's not pulling out her own fur due to stress - is that even possible?
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post #4 of 6
2/8/10 at 8:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by enamored View Post
Thanks, I'll try the vanilla and towel trick. I tried feeding them on opposite sides of the door as per someone else's suggestion but no luck. My female wouldn't eat.

I'm worried because the aggression on her part seems to be getting worse and not any better at all. We also found a small bald patch on her stomch that wasn't there before so we hope she's not pulling out her own fur due to stress - is that even possible?
Yes, it is possible, and I am sorry to hear it. Some cats really are just meant to be the only cat in a household. It may be your girlie is one of those.

I recommend a check up for her in the near future, because the stress can make her sick, not only the pulling out of fur, but things like UTIs and crystals in the urine can result from stress.

I do hope things get better soon. You might try some Rescue Remedy.
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post #5 of 6
2/8/10 at 9:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by otto View Post
Yes, it is possible, and I am sorry to hear it. Some cats really are just meant to be the only cat in a household. It may be your girlie is one of those.

I recommend a check up for her in the near future, because the stress can make her sick, not only the pulling out of fur, but things like UTIs and crystals in the urine can result from stress.

I do hope things get better soon. You might try some Rescue Remedy.
Thanks! I will give them some more time before I make a decision, but I'm curious - what other sicknesses can the stress cause aside from UTIs and crystals? I didn't know this before so it's interesting to me.
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post #6 of 6
2/9/10 at 5:16am
Stress can cause illness in cats such as Urinary Tract Infection, (UTI), crystal formation in the urine, upper respiratory infection (URI), or an flare up of herpes if the cat is carrying the virus, or, worst case scenario: kidney failure.

At three years old though, I wouldn't think she would be likely to develop kidney failure from stress over a kitten, that usually happens only with older cats.

Adding another feliway or two may help, and giving her some Rescue Remedy will help reduce her feelings of stress as she adjusts to the new boy.
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