Need help with new feral kitten and my older cat

arial
Good Morning.
I have some questions if someone can help. I rescued 9 kittens from a dump in a conservation area (I think they had never been around people as they were born there) and took them to a cat shelter. Unfortunately 5 of the kittens died, which broke my heart. Could anyone tell me why? The cats in this shelter are not in cages and allowed to run free in the shelter.
I took one of the kittens home and have neutered and declawed him. He is a beautiful little tabby and is very friendly and not aggressive with my older cat. He seems to trust me, but is still very afraid of other people. He does, however, take my older tabby's chair from her, although is not aggressive about it. My older cat is very afraid of everything including this new kitten I think. She growls and hisses, but does not attack the kitten. Is there any way I can get them to get along? The kitten would love to be friends with my older cat and follows her around, but the older cat wants nothing to do with her. I do try to give extra attention to my older cat to make up for this new intrusion. They have been together for about 2 months now. My older cat has a licking problem, which she has always had. When I first got my older cat 7 years ago, she used to eat my furniture, but has calme down considerably and only chews on Afgans now and licks me all the time.
Thank you for any advise you can give. Mollie
Mollie.http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/new...newthread&f=5#
wave2

Why don't you ask the shelter why the other cats died (or were put to sleep?)? Your cats will take a week or two to start getting along, though may not become 'friends', and may act out for dominance, but just let them work it out... they usually do. Don't get excited (adding to their own stress) if they fight unless one is obviously much stronger and hurting the other, in which case a time out in another room would be in order - for the smaller one to feel safe and not to challenge the other one's position.

Originally Posted by Larke

Why don't you ask the shelter why the other cats died (or were put to sleep?)? Your cats will take a week or two to start getting along, though may not become 'friends', and may act out for dominance, but just let them work it out... they usually do. Don't get excited (adding to their own stress) if they fight unless one is obviously much stronger and hurting the other, in which case a time out in another room would be in order - for the smaller one to feel safe and not to challenge the other one's position.

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Thank you for replying to my message. I am new here and am just learning to navigate around the site. The kittens were not put to sleep. I know, because I volunteer there. All the cats and kittens at this shelter are allowed to run free, they are not in cages and the owner does not put down any cats, she does not believe in it. She told me she did not know why they died, but they were not vaccinated when they came in and I am wondering if they got sick because of that. Being wild kittens, they were not used to being in a shelter and I am also wondering if stress had something to do with it. I don't know. I feel guilty because I wanted to help these feral kittens by bringing them in to the shelter, and feel responsible for them dying. The one kitten I did bring home is just beautiful. I call him President George W. Bush, "Georgie" for short. I think my older cat, Mollie, is just afraid of him. She won't hurt him. I guess I will just have to give them time to work things out between each other.
Mollie

Thank you for replying to my message. I am new here and am just learning to navigate around the site. The kittens were not put to sleep. I know, because I volunteer there. All the cats and kittens at this shelter are allowed to run free, they are not in cages and the owner does not put down any cats, she does not believe in it. She told me she did not know why they died, but they were not vaccinated when they came in and I am wondering if they got sick because of that. Being wild kittens, they were not used to being in a shelter and I am also wondering if stress had something to do with it. I don't know. I feel guilty because I wanted to help these feral kittens by bringing them in to the shelter, and feel responsible for them dying. The one kitten I did bring home is just beautiful. I call him President George W. Bush, "Georgie" for short. I think my older cat, Mollie, is just afraid of him. She won't hurt him. I guess I will just have to give them http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/new...te=1&p=949489#
waveytime to work things out between each other.
Mollie

Nothing to add here but I just wanted to say- Mollie is my "real" name.
Mollie, Zakk, Rocky and Suzies mom, and Jelly's foster mom.

Were the kittens tested for FeLV or FIV?