6 Year Old Female Bully, But I Want A New Kitten!

[Bandit89]

I have a 6 year old female, i got her at a shelter and i think she was the runt of the litter, she is very small but she can be very, very aggressive when she wants to be. She has always loved to bite my hands, the only time she doesn't is when she has been sleeping and i wake her, she is then very docile and loves to lick my nose. But when she has been awake for a while, she can only tolerate me petting her for a little while before she becomes very active and loves to bite.

I honestly feel she has Attention Deficit Disorder (for cats), her tail is usually whipping around when she's around me, she just is very hyper. She absolutely LOVES to lick my nose, she goes out of her way to try and reach my face with hers so she can try to lick it, and she has never bit my face, but when it comes to my hands, it's full on bite bite bite.

About a year ago two strays in my backyard (brothers), started showing up, and since she has always been allowed to go out back to eat grass (ALWAYS supervised, and not allowed out for very long), she started interacting with them. She will touch noses with them (they are very friendly and are never aggressive), however she loves to charge at them, posturing and even running them off (i don't think intentionally, she just does not know how to interact with other cats at all). She has no claws so she can't attack them, even though they are bigger than her.

Okay so i think i have given most of the information needed? To the meat of my post, i am wanting to get a new kitten, probably a maine coon or norwegian forest cat, i have dreamed about getting one of those two breeds and i fully intend to. But having said all i have about my current cat, will she turn a new kitten into a monster? Will the kitten just adapt and still have the capability of being a loving cat and not take on the actions of my current one?

I know i will have to keep them seperated through a gate of some sort for many weeks so that they can get the scent of each other, i just worry that if i get a new kitten that my current cat will charge her, bully her, swat at her and make the kitten think that's how to act. I know this is a long post but i would appreciate any tips on what i should do, if i go through with purchasing the kitten. Thank you very much in advance!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. My family only ever had one cat at a time, and now I just have my Ruby girl, so I have no experience with multi-cat homes. But lots of people have more than one cat, and in most cases they live together peacefully.

Until other members reply, here are some TCS articles which may be helpful.

Your Second Cat: How To Choose The Best Friend For Kitty
Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
The Multi-cat Household

The Maine Coon Cat
Norwegian Forest Cat

How To Choose A Cat Breeder
Adopting Mouse - The Experience Of Buying From An Ethical Breeder

 

[di and bob]

She will be fine, she is acting like most older females do, the diva and matriarch of the home. She bites because she was most likely taken from her family when she was too young, before she learned limits and how to play nice, before twelve weeks of age. They learn how to play and interact with others between 6 and 12 weeks old. She most likely has a low stimulation threshold, normal in MANY females, that means she accepts so much stimulation like petting or playing before she overloads and gets aggressive. You should find her limit by learning the signs of impending attack by observing her actions and seeing how much she can tolerate. Give her one stroke and quit for a while, then two and quit, etc. Look for a swishing tail, fur rising on her back, a puffed tail, dilated pupils, and increased agitation. Then comes the attack. If she attacks for no reason and before any stimulation, she just never learned limits. Do not ever use your hands for playing rough, they think your hands are fair game then. Yell NO very loudly and leave the room. If that doesn't work after a while, take her by the skin of the neck and hold her still while saying NO very loudly and firmly. Growling and hissing helps too (but only when you are alone ) That is what a mama cat does to youngsters that are not playing nicely.
It sounds like you are getting very well prepared for a new kitten, keep them separated for a while and maybe even 'kennel' the kitten to let them inspect each other closer. Expect your female to hiss and swat, that is what females do, they are the manners enforcers.Your new kitten may even squeal and retreat for a while. But s long as they come back to play, everything is all right. Hissing and swatting are normal, deep scratches and bites that draw blood are not. Your older one is going to be annoyed by the kittens antics for a while, so you might consider TWO boys to be buddies and to play with each other and let her be the matriarch over them all. Eventually she will accept the new one, and will have something to keep her busy and active. Keep us posted!

 

[ArtNJ]

It seems to go better when the resident cat is active and willing to put the kitten "in its place" a bit. Kittens love to play and will tolerate the older cat overdoing it. Sure they may squeal and protest at times, but they will be right back looking for more. I don't see any reason not to get an active kitten. There is definitely no guaranty it will go great, be easy or that they will be friends, but I don't see any reason to think its doomed either. That said, probably best to do a full introduction process; if nothing else, giving the kitten a few days to settle in and gain confidence should help.