New kitten, need advice about resident cat

Hi,

I've been lurking here for about a week or so.

A little background before my question.....I've had my resident cat, Prego, for almost 2 years now. He is the sweetest cat anyone could ask for. He loves people and always wants to be around us, often on our laps, and he always sleeps with us. He does have petting and brushing related overstimulation aggression.

A week ago, I adopted a 12-week old kitten, Polly. They seem to be getting along ok. For a couple days, they were playing together, batting around the same fur mouse and playing chase games. Now, Prego seems to enjoy chasing her and pinning her to the ground. He's not hurting her, though, and she's not afraid of him.

Prego's personality seems to have changed since we got Polly. He doesn't sleep with us anymore, and he hasn't been on our laps since we got her. I have been trying to give him extra attention. I've been approaching him and petting him; he normally comes to me to get petted. Please tell me this is just a phase he's going through until he adjusts to Polly. My husband is worried that his sweet, people-loving personality has been changed for good. :-(

Thanks for any help,
Rachel, Prego, and Polly

It sounds as if things are going perfectly! One week is hardly any time at all when it comes to bringing a new cat into your home. So, just give them more time to get used to the big change. Once Prego has completely adjusted to having the new little critter in the house, things will settle down and return to normal (though it may never be exactly the way it was before the little one joined the family).

Originally Posted by lotsocats

It sounds as if things are going perfectly! One week is hardly any time at all when it comes to bringing a new cat into your home. So, just give them more time to get used to the big change. Once Prego has completely adjusted to having the new little critter in the house, things will settle down and return to normal (though it may never be exactly the way it was before the little one joined the family).

Click to expand...

OK this makes me feel better. It just worries me; I don't want Prego to change. I want him to be the same sweet loving boy he's always been. I sure hope he's back to normal soon.

Well, sometimes cats' behavior does change permanently when a new cat is introduced simply because of the change in the social structure of the group. One cat that was previously alone may defer to the new cat and this be seen as a change in behavior by the human caretakers. I notice this even when I put my two boys in a room behind closed doors -- my girl cat's personality suddenly emerges when she's the sole focus of my attention.

But, it's way too early to come to a conclusion. It could take months before you know how this all shakes out. In the meantime, continue giving each cat plenty of attention and affection. I'd probably give the resident cat a little extra to let him know he hasn't been bumped out of your affection by the newcomer.

It's good that they're getting along so well this soon.

Originally Posted by coaster

Well, sometimes cats' behavior does change permanently when a new cat is introduced simply because of the change in the social structure of the group. One cat that was previously alone may defer to the new cat and this be seen as a change in behavior by the human caretakers. I notice this even when I put my two boys in a room behind closed doors -- my girl cat's personality suddenly emerges when she's the sole focus of my attention.

But, it's way too early to come to a conclusion. It could take months before you know how this all shakes out. In the meantime, continue giving each cat plenty of attention and affection. I'd probably give the resident cat a little extra to let him know he hasn't been bumped out of your affection by the newcomer.

It's good that they're getting along so well this soon.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Prego is going to be the dominant cat of the house. He weighs 14 lbs, and the kitten only weighs 2 1/2. She is following him around and copying some of the things he does. He taught her how to greet us at the door when we get home from work. He also taught her how to use his scratching rug (Prego has a scratching rug in addition to his post). Well, maybe he didn't teach her, but I think she learned by watching him They are so cute together. I have one of those fountain water bowls, and they drink out of it side by side

Here's an update on Prego and Polly.

It seems Prego might be backsliding a bit. He likes to pounce on Polly, pin her down and sort of play bite her. He's not hurting her, but when he gets a littel rough, she will verbalize and hiss at him until he stops. Sometimes, she asks for it though. Like this morning, Polly went up to Prego and wrapped her front paws around on of his front legs. Of course, he did not like that and pounced on her.

Is this normal behavior? If it is normal, should I let Prego continue doing it, or should I stop him? I have been letting him do it and hoping he'll stop when he's used to her. She is a lot to get used to :-) I'm still not used to her.

Hi rbrtnfld,

All of this sounds like typical play-fight behavior. We had our first cat for just one week before we added a second. They grew up together, mostly tackling each other and fighting the entire time. They would only cuddle when they thought we weren't looking! After introducing our third and fourth though, the female has essentially turned against the male and won't let him even approach her. Each of them get along just fine with the new cats, and that includes the male tackling and smacking at the new girls, but the relationship between our first two has changed, apparently for good. For what it's worth, I expect your two will continue to be fine together.

Originally Posted by DaddyCat

Hi rbrtnfld,

All of this sounds like typical play-fight behavior. We had our first cat for just one week before we added a second. They grew up together, mostly tackling each other and fighting the entire time. They would only cuddle when they thought we weren't looking! After introducing our third and fourth though, the female has essentially turned against the male and won't let him even approach her. Each of them get along just fine with the new cats, and that includes the male tackling and smacking at the new girls, but the relationship between our first two has changed, apparently for good. For what it's worth, I expect your two will continue to be fine together.

Click to expand...

I'm just worried because Prego is 14 pounds, while Polly is only 2 1/2. I've been looking over Polly carefully, though, and I don't see any signs of injury.

I figured Prego just wants Polly to know that he is "top cat."

It's normal for the older, grown-up, cat to teach the kitten good manors. As long as they are not hurting each other enough to cause scratches that bleed just let them handle it on their own.

I didn't understand that when we got our second cat and interfered and my oldest cat still doesnt stand her ground when she should against our third cat.

Here's another update on Prego and Polly.

Prego seems to be coming around. He's acting like his old self again :-) He sat on my husband's lap and he has been sleeping with us at night like he used to. Only problem now is when Polly starts getting playful around 5am, Prego and Polly start playfighting right around my feet and legs :-)

I'm just glad Prego seems to be back to normal.