Resident cat won't leave room

I have a cat that I have had for 8 years and just recenlty we took in a younger cat. Since we got the younger cat the resident cat won't leave my mother's room(were the cat sleeps). Today she sniffed the new kitty's toy and ran off into the room and now refuses to leave. Is this normal?

Sadly it is normal. The resident cat owned the territory and now another cat is in that territory and perceived (rightly or wrongly) as a threat. I highly recommend going through the formal introduction process.

Here are some links:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

I am happy to help you through the process and answer any questions. It really does work, just take it slowly.

Thank you very much for your answer. It really makes us feel better knowing that this behaviour is normal.

You are very welcome.

Cats are territorial so anytime an unknown cat enters their territory they are going to be scared, skittish, suspicious. Normal. We just have to ease the transition and let the existing cat know that the new cat is not a threat to their safety, food source, etc. 

Please feel free to ask any questions as you go through the process. I highly recommend it as it does help make life easier allowing them to ease into getting to know each other and realizing the other cat is not a threat.

I will be here anytime you have questions. I am happy to help. Thank you for saving another life.

I do have a question/concern. We have let the kitties sniff each other for about a week and when we gave them a small visual of each other yesterday, things looked promising at first then the resident cat started hissing the second time that day, I fear that if they don't get along we might have to re-home the new kitty. Any advice?

I am not worried at all. What you experienced is normal. Cat introductions just take time. Sometimes they go quickly other times they take longer. And there are always ups and downs. But the fact that they can be together a little and all you have is a hiss is not a problem at all. We just have to take is slow and keep associating the new cat and the resident cat with good things (especially food). Get the resident cat to associate the new cats scent with good things and safety. So the more they interact (for now through scent later through visual) and there is no incident then it builds their sense of security and confidence. When a cat doesn't fear the other cat then they are less likely to hiss, swat, chase, attack etc. So we just need to slowly introduce them and let them know that the other cat doesn't want to hurt them. Really fast introductions usually take a month, normal is a few months and difficult introductions can take a year. If we do it right judging by what I have read so far I think we can get them to get along fairly soon. But I need to learn more. But so far it sounds to me like things are fine. Just try to take it slow as it will help in the long run. Keep feeding them near each other so they can associate the scents with the food (and not attacks etc). Then at some point we'll do some visual. Then some scent swapping. Then some site swapping. And when we do the face to face they should know each other pretty well and be like "I know that cat, that cat is cool". 

Hang in there and don't worry, everything you are experiencing is normal. It is very rare that they need to be re-homed when the introduction process is followed.

Please let me know how things are going and please feel free to ask anything. I am happy to help you through the process. I know it can be confusing but I am here for you.

Once again, thank you so much I am just worried that if things don't go well, the new kitty will have to be re-homed. But I will be sure to let you know if I have any questions or concerns.

You are very welcome. I totally understand. But it is very early in the process to worry about that. It is actually pretty rare to need to re-home and usually the sign is immediate. I had two cats that wanted to kill each other at the beginning, literally. They now sleep together. So I guess my point is with effort almost anything is possible. I wouldn't worry too much. We'll cross that bridge if or when we would need to. But I think things should be fine.

I am here for you so please do not hesitate to contact me.