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Sorry for the long post!
Does anyone have any advice for bringing home a new kitten to your already established resident cat (~1 year old)? Roxie (my resident cat) is a munchkin cat (although her legs are a bit longer) she is the friendliest cat in the world. I rescued her last November after she was found outside. She was sick with ear mites, tapeworm and giardia. Even taking trips to the vet she has never once hissed at me or any other animal or human. I have never had ANY problems of aggression with Roxie. In fact, when I brought her to the vet after rescueing her, the vet said that she must have been socialized very young because of how calm, cool and collected her demeanor is.
Two days ago, I brought home the new kitten Sully, thinking that in just passing with the cat carrier Roxie would be interested to smell the new arrival. Well I was most certainly wrong! Roxie has displayed extreme aggression towards Sully (8 weeks old) and appears to remain quite tense and aloof towards me. I made Sully a safe retreat in my bedroom with food, water, liter and plenty of toys. I brought Sully out to the living room for a mere 2 minutes of greeting from about 10 feet away. Roxie had defensive posturing and was hissing and growling, as soon as Sully took one step Roxie shrieked so loud (I’m talking about an unforgettable sound— a piercing, multisyllabic yowl that shocked me and the kitten). I’m afraid to even bring Sully out of my room again in fear that Roxie will lash out. Based on Roxie’s defensive posturing, I’m assuming that she feels wary and threatened by the newcomer? Even though Roxie is 3x Sully’s size.
I know introducing a new kitten to your cat will take a variable amount of time, but does anyone have any suggestions on ways to ease into this acclimation period? Has anyone used pheromone sprays or diffusers? I have tried taking a sock and rubbing it on Sully’s scent glands and laying it near Roxie but she just hisses and growls at me. I’m wondering if Feliway spray or diffuser will help, or if this issue of aggression lingers then if it would be advantageous to talk to the vet about it.
Sorry for the long post, ANY advice would be so much appreciated!
Does anyone have any advice for bringing home a new kitten to your already established resident cat (~1 year old)? Roxie (my resident cat) is a munchkin cat (although her legs are a bit longer) she is the friendliest cat in the world. I rescued her last November after she was found outside. She was sick with ear mites, tapeworm and giardia. Even taking trips to the vet she has never once hissed at me or any other animal or human. I have never had ANY problems of aggression with Roxie. In fact, when I brought her to the vet after rescueing her, the vet said that she must have been socialized very young because of how calm, cool and collected her demeanor is.
Two days ago, I brought home the new kitten Sully, thinking that in just passing with the cat carrier Roxie would be interested to smell the new arrival. Well I was most certainly wrong! Roxie has displayed extreme aggression towards Sully (8 weeks old) and appears to remain quite tense and aloof towards me. I made Sully a safe retreat in my bedroom with food, water, liter and plenty of toys. I brought Sully out to the living room for a mere 2 minutes of greeting from about 10 feet away. Roxie had defensive posturing and was hissing and growling, as soon as Sully took one step Roxie shrieked so loud (I’m talking about an unforgettable sound— a piercing, multisyllabic yowl that shocked me and the kitten). I’m afraid to even bring Sully out of my room again in fear that Roxie will lash out. Based on Roxie’s defensive posturing, I’m assuming that she feels wary and threatened by the newcomer? Even though Roxie is 3x Sully’s size.
I know introducing a new kitten to your cat will take a variable amount of time, but does anyone have any suggestions on ways to ease into this acclimation period? Has anyone used pheromone sprays or diffusers? I have tried taking a sock and rubbing it on Sully’s scent glands and laying it near Roxie but she just hisses and growls at me. I’m wondering if Feliway spray or diffuser will help, or if this issue of aggression lingers then if it would be advantageous to talk to the vet about it.
Sorry for the long post, ANY advice would be so much appreciated!
