Lucy and Lilly

Originally Posted by jdc

I few months ago my husband's niece, who works with a local cat rescue group helped me when we found a mother and litter of 4 newborn kittens in a small space under our building. We were in the middle of some construction work on the building and I was afraid the brood would be injured or worse. My niece and her friends were able to trap the mother (after 10 hours) and she fostered them in her basement until the kittens were ready for adoption. She called me and begged me to take on the the kittens. Even though I did not think it was such a good idea, I did not have the heart to say no to her. I have a 9 year old female named Lucy at home now. I adopted Lucy and her brother Ricky when they were 5 weeks old and they were both the most wonderful pets anyone could have. Last year Lucy was having a problem with her teeth, so I took them both to the vet to have their teeth cleaned. Unfortunately, Ricky's heart stopped during the procedure and he died. It took a long time for Lucy to adjust to life without Ricky, but now she thrives on getting all the attention. Lucy is a scaredy cat, who usually runs when we have company. She never hisses and has never showed any aggression. I picked up the kitten this weekend. A 9 year old female I named Lilly. Lilly has a wonderful personality - not to scared, not to aggressive - and immediately settled into her new surroundings. When I introduced Lucy to the new kitten while she was still in the carrier Lucy growled and hissed and and became all bushy (I expected this because she used to growl and hiss at Ricky for a few days when I took him to the vet). I kept the kitten in a separate room with her own litter box, food, water and toys. They next morning I brought the kitten downstairs and when I put her down, Lucy chased her into the dining room and pounced on her. I yelled at Lucy and she ran away. Thankfully, the kitten was not injured. I have kept the kitten separated in the master bedroom where there is plenty of room with the door closed. It's the only room in the house I can use for this purpose. However, the bedroom is where Lucy spends alot of her time. At first, Lucy would not even go near the bedroom door. I sat outside the door and called Lucy over. The kitten heard my voice and started to meow and Lucy immediately started hissing and growling and ran away. A couple of days have gone by and whenever I am in the bedroom with the kitten, Lucy is quietly camped out in front of the bedroom door. Of course, I have slowed down the introduction process, but now I am scared to death that Lucy might injure or even kill the kitten. I expected hissing, growling and maybe even a swat or two (Lucy is declawed), but I was not prepared for the aggression I saw Lucy exhibit. I don't want to put the kitten at risk again. My husband and I both work and are gone all day. Does anyone have any advice?

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