First cat TOTALLY freaking out about new cat!!!!

You haven't even had her 24 hours and you want instant acceptance? Unless your cat is of a laid-back breed, it is going to take time for your cat to accept the new smells she now is encountering. Hissing and growling is completely normal for the resident cat. You have upset the balance and the routine and so of course the resident cat is going to be upset.

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_B...cing_Cats.html

It takes time for them to adjust to one another, I would however keep them seperate for the time being.
I would say that it is normal behavior for your cat to feel this way, from my experince they do adjust, I rescued a Mommy Cat and 5 kittens and put them in an upstairs bedroom with the door closed, then when I took mommy to the vet and had her spayed and taken care of I didn't put her back with the kittens, I waited a few more days and put baby gates up the doorway so my house cats and Basset Hound could see who was in that room, that was about 3 months ago I have found homes for 2 of the kittens and the other 3 who have also been taken care of at the vet and Mommy are in the house with my other 4 cats and everyone gets along just fine. Someone with more experince will more then likely be along to help you also, Good Luck I hope it works, Thanks for Taking that new baby in

Bless you for taking in this new kitty! Pepper is showing totally normal behavior to an unidentified intruder. I would lavish attention on Pepper at this unsettling time, and try to reassure her that she's Supreme Cat. You might try spritzing some Feliway for both cats, to see if it calms them down. Just don't worry - just think how toddlers act when mommy brings home a new baby - it's similar to that. You want to act calm & confident, so Pepper knows it's all okay. Hope Pepper calms down soon!

It took two weeks for Rosie to accept Sophie, and thats good!.

Pepper has a stranger in "her" house thats all, so she needs time to accept the new arrival.

Rosie hissed and growled at me at first, but i would go up to where ever she was every hour and just spend some "me and her" time talking to her and telling how much i love her, just showing her really that she was still wanted

Read the link that MA put up for you because it does help, but take it one day at a time and try and not show how stressed you are because cats can pick up on it easily.

You'll need patience, but it will pay off in the end

If you cat is that reactive, start using the vanilla extract now on both cats- under their chins and the base of their tails several times a day, and then dab some on you and bf so you all are scent neutral. Don't be afraid of your cat for hissing- he will feed on your fear and become overly aggressive to you. Don't meet his eyes for they consider that a challenge and if he engages you in a stare down- blink slowly several times and back away from him, acknowledging him as Alpha. Invest in a Feliway Comfort Zone Room Diffuser and plug that in as well, and get a bottle of Feliway spray and spray the doorway between where the cats are separated- and really, try to breathe, your resident cat is acting perfectly natural for the situation. Don't let him bully you both and just leave him alone for awhile.

Originally Posted by rosiemac

It took two weeks for Rosie to accept Sophie, and thats good!.

Pepper has a stranger in "her" house thats all, so she needs time to accept the new arrival.

Rosie hissed and growled at me at first, but i would go up to where ever she was every hour and just spend some "me and her" time talking to her and telling how much i love her, just showing her really that she was still wanted

Read the link that MA put up for you because it does help, but take it one day at a time and try and not show how stressed you are because cats can pick up on it easily.

You'll need patience, but it will pay off in the end

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Ditto, ditto, triple ditto on this.

I have been a new mom to Napoleon for over a month...having integrated him with Cassie the resident cat who had never been socialized with cats (except when she was real little). As my behaviorist told me, it's like adopting a child who speaks Mandarin and trying to integrate her with a kid who speaks nothing but English -- they have to find common ground.

They are having a power struggle, meaning Napoleon wants to see how much charge he can take, but Cassie is not only reluctant to give him his "territory," but she won't easily take to being the "alpha" cat either.

They need to work out their differences themselves. I know, it's tough because one day you have a sweet lovable kitty, to one that is on the defensive. This morning, Napoleon was in the other room, and Cassie came into bed and laid on me and started to purr. She hasn't done that in weeks, since she was introduced to him.

Just take it slow and definitely "do it by the book" -- read the links they have here. This board is also incredible supportive and wonderful. I've learned a lot.

And make sure you take the kitten to the vet before they come anywhere in contact with each other. In fact, I would do this today. As I recall, this kitten was a stray found outside, so I would get it tested for everything, given the once over and vaccinated right away.

Good luck! You have gotten great advice so far.

Originally Posted by hissy

If you cat is that reactive, start using the vanilla extract now on both cats- under their chins and the base of their tails several times a day, and then dab some on you and bf so you all are scent neutral. Don't be afraid of your cat for hissing- he will feed on your fear and become overly aggressive to you. Don't meet his eyes for they consider that a challenge and if he engages you in a stare down- blink slowly several times and back away from him, acknowledging him as Alpha. Invest in a Feliway Comfort Zone Room Diffuser and plug that in as well, and get a bottle of Feliway spray and spray the doorway between where the cats are separated- and really, try to breathe, your resident cat is acting perfectly natural for the situation. Don't let him bully you both and just leave him alone for awhile.

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Hey Hissy, I have a question -- I have been using Feliway and on the advice of a friend/pet "expert" I have been trained to administer holistic remedies (non-alcoholic based).

What does the vanilla scent do that nothing else does? I just have a hard time seeing that it will calm them, being that the "fear" is already there associated with the other being. k-w-i-m? Thanks, I'm not trying to be a smart a$$, I just want to know if it truly works (then I'll go by some LOL)

Originally Posted by blue_monday_88

What does the vanilla scent do that nothing else does?

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It makes them smell the same. I put it on Rosie and Sophie, a little dab under their chins

Originally Posted by rosiemac

It makes them smell the same. I put it on Rosie and Sophie, a little dab under their chins

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That does more to soothe them around each other? Any particular brand you recommend? Thanks RosieMac!

I just bought a bottle from the supermarket where the cake mixes and food colourings are kept

They smelled lovely!

Originally Posted by rosiemac

I just bought a bottle from the supermarket where the cake mixes and food colourings are kept

They smelled lovely!

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OOOH I have some at home that I can use already!!!!! And did it work well, I mean, did you notice a distinct difference between them?

Oh one more thing to anyone who may still be around...is this a "permanent" thing or do they eventually warm up to each other's normal scent and take it from there???

Originally Posted by hissy

You haven't even had her 24 hours and you want instant acceptance? Unless your cat is of a laid-back breed, it is going to take time for your cat to accept the new smells she now is encountering. Hissing and growling is completely normal for the resident cat. You have upset the balance and the routine and so of course the resident cat is going to be upset.

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_B...cing_Cats.html

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Exactly. My cats are both very laid back breed (they are Persians) and they were hissing and growling at each other at first. But it only took them a couple of days to get used to each other, I didn't even have to separate them. But that's most likely cause they are Persians and there is no more laid back breed than that. Now they adore each other.

Originally Posted by blue_monday_88

Oh one more thing to anyone who may still be around...is this a "permanent" thing or do they eventually warm up to each other's normal scent and take it from there???

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They will worm up to each other and you won't have to vanilla them anymore.

I just want to start off by saying a great big "THANKS" to everyone. You've all be a big help and have helped me feel better and calm down. I know I'm acting neurotic but I'm scared I'm going to do something that will upset either cat more than they are. Hissy, thanks soooo much for the vanilla extract idea. When I get home from the vet with the kitten I'm going to try that, hopefully it works. I am so glad that Pepper isn't the only cat to flip out that bad with another cat around. I'm hoping that after two weeks or so they'll be able to tolerate each other and go from there. I'm not really concerned about the kitten getting use to Pepper she's just so laid back and friendly. Again you guys have been great, I'm so glad you're here for us at this time.

Well I must go. Off to the vet for the new kitten, I hope all checks out well. If it's not too much to ask, could I please get some good vibes and thoughts going our way? Thanks all again so, so, so much!

Don't be upset though if it takes longer than a couple of weeks for Pepper to accept the new kitten.

Remember one day at a time