new kitten and 2 yr old indoor cats NOT getting along

I absolutely LOVE my 2 year old, indoor cat, KC although he's afraid of almost everything and isn't very nice to strangers. He's always acted nice to me and I'm one of the only people who he'll let chase him when he gets into a tizzy.

Just today we adopted Sherman from the local humane society. We had been casually searching for a kitten thinking that it would turn KC into a more respectable kitty.

We were wrong.

KC positively hates Sherman and when the kitten tries to approach him, KC hiss and growls. We're keeping Sherman in my room for most of the time but when KC sneaks in all he does is growl and hiss. At the moment Sherman is in my mom's room with us and KC is off doing his own thing. I went in to check on him and he was in my room. As soon as I entered he hissed and slunk out.

I'm so worried that KC isn't going to ever be the same. I'm starting to think that it was a mistake getting the kitten. Does anyone have experience with this kind of thing? They're both males, which may have something to do with it. I hope that they'll grow to like eachother, but if it isn't in their nature to do so, could somebody please tell me?

That is completely normal.
Give them a little time.
They will have to get used to each other, but chances are within 2-3 days they will be checking each other out.
Give it time, and don't try to rush them.

The stickies above can help you. There are lots of tips on introducing a new member to the family.

Originally Posted by kc&sherman

Just today we adopted Sherman...

Click to expand...

Just today ? ?

You can't expect animals to get acquainted in one day. Or even a week. Took our older cat a couple months to come around that our new little (now big) Junebug wasn't a threat. Now they're best buddies. Give them some time.

You definitely want to have a good read of the stickies for introducing cats! Plus give them lots of time!

KC's domain has been invaded, so obviously he will feel threatened!

I introduced a kitten into my family (of two 2 year olds) in October and things are still slightly unsettled!

Just to let you know, cat's are solitary animals by nature and there is always the possibility that they will not become friends! In many cases, the cats will learn to tolerate eachother!

Please introduce them slowly and good luck with it! Let us know how things go!

Today is going a bit better. They sniffed each other's noses, but right after KC hissed in Sherman's face. He's such a nice little kitten - and since he came from the shelter he's dealt with other cats. You can tell he just wants to be friendly with KC, but luckily he's learned that KC's the boss. Every time KC's sitting in the hall and Sherman needs to get through, he slowly walks up until he's about a couple feet away then he runs as fast as he can past him.[[p''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' (Sherman just wrote that )

Sherman just ran by KC and bopped him in the nose!! It's obvious he just wants to play.

Good to hear there is some progress. It will be a give and take situation for a while. They'll need their space. Let them work out their differences together and try not to interfere unless it is absolutely necessary.

The friendlier cat will usually get the less friendly cat to come around.

Good. I hope that Sherman will be able to coax KC out of his rudeness. They're progressing very fast. They aren't best friends, but KC has stopped hissing and growling at him and has walked up and sniffed Shermie's nose.

I'm not sure if I said this yet, but Sherman shares a room with me. During the day when nobody is here, Sherman is in there with the door closed. He has his food, water, litter box, bed, and an assortment of toys in there to keep him happy. The same sort of thing happens at night - we keep him in there and he sleeps with me. Is this a good idea? We're just worried that KC might hurt him in some way.

Just yesterday we decided to not allow KC in there at all because he was eating the kitten food. KC put up a hunger strike for almost a whole day because his food was apparently too boring. He caved in however . Now he have this folded up table arranged in such a way so that Sherman can fit in but KC can't. This might be making KC mad - should we carry on with what we're doing? If no, what are some suggestions to keep him out of the food?

Thank you to everyone who's posted - it is very helpful.