I think I need some help here.

[marinewife05]

We finally got our Whisper home last night. They let me have him early. He still has yet to be fixed. Anyway, they slept in their own large kennels last night, but ever since Kiki has been very aggressive toward me. She growls and hisses and bites. When I went to get Whisper I took things that smelled like Kiki hoping the her smell would camouflage his smell and she would react better.

Another thing I noticed is that I use Cat's Pride litter and this morning it was all clumped to Whisper's back feet. He's a baby still does that make a difference? Right now Kiki is out in the house and Whisper is in his kennel.

This isn't going how I had hoped. I was hoping Kiki's motherly instincts would kick in and she would protect him.

My house isn't really big enough to completely separate them all the time.

I know it is going to take some time, but at what point would it become a lost cause if they choose not to get along?

 

[iheartmycats]

Definitely don't give up yet! I'm sure lots of people are going to give you great advice and I can only tell you my experiences and what has worked for me. I have several cats of my own but I also foster kittens. The first time I brought home a pair of kittens to foster (5 wk old ferals lol), it wasn't really practical for me to set them up in a seperate room so I blocked off a corner of my living room where they could be contained. My cats definitely weren't thrilled. My female especially would hiss at them when she saw them for the first few days. I just continued to act totally normal--if you stress your cat will sense it and feel even more like something is wrong!

After they had tamed down (only took a few days since they were so young luckily) and I felt more comfortable I let the kittens out of their "corner" into the rest of the living room, supervised of course. My cats had other rooms and lots of high perches to retreat to if they felt like the kittens were getting too close. For a few days, whenever the kittens got too close to the cats, the cat would reach out and "pin" them to the ground with a paw (no claws)--you could say this is an adult cat's way of teaching a kitten manners lol.

I don't remember exactly how long it took, but I know it wasn't more than 2 weeks before the kittens were able to snuggle up to my adult cats who would then groom and cuddle them. I now bring home foster kittens on a regular basis and my cats are really so great about it--I

them for it. They don't necessarily "take" to every kitten immediately, theres still an occassional hiss and pinning to the ground, especially with particularly rambunctious kittens.

I have also had success using a large metal dog crate for new kittens and placing it in the living room. I drape a blanket over it leaving only one side exposed and make sure theres a covered sleeping spot for the kittens so they don't feel too overwhelmed by curious cats surrounding them. I leave them in the crate for several days or even longer if they are very young. This way the kittens get used to all the new smells/sights/sounds/etc. of their new environment but are protected. The cats become accustomed to the presence of the kittens in the room without feeling as threatened by them.

These are just some things that have worked for me and what my experiences have been. Cats are all so individual that I don't believe there is really one specific way that is going to be fool-proof for all cats. Since Kiki seems to be feeling pretty freaked out right now, my advice would be to take a deep breath and try to stay calm yourself for her sake. You already have a kennel set up for Whisper? I would keep him in there (with everything he needs of course), maybe in a room where you spend alot of time, maybe with a sheet draped over at least the top, back, and sides. Go about your normal routine with Kiki. Since she's acting defensive don't force attention on her but you might be able to entice her to come to you with treats or interact with you with a favorite toy which might help her relax.

Although there *are* those cats that absolutely will not accept another cat I think they are definitely the minority. Some cats might stay more aloof from other cats but I definitely think that with time and patience most can learn to at least live peacefully in the same house, and many will eventually become close friends and playmates.

How young is Whisper? I've never used Cat's Pride litter--is it clumping? I've definitely had problems with clumping litter getting stuck in small kittens back paws. Actually clumping litter isn't really recommended for young kittens, theoretically it could cause intestinal blockage if a kitten ingested too much by grooming itself or simply eating it out of curiousity. So maybe try switching to a non-clumping litter for Whisper until he's a bit older? Maybe WBCL? If it still sticks to his feet I'd just watch him closely and help him remove it. Baby kittens just aren't that good at staying clean and grooming themselves yet.

Good luck! I really believe you can do this!

 

[marinewife05]

Whisper was born on Oct 9 according to my paperwork so that makes him about 9 weeks? He's been in foster care with his sister for several weeks.

I will try a non clumping litter to see if that helps.

Right now I have him in my bathroom with all of his supplies. I was hoping Kiki might go to the door and sniff him out, but she just goes under the bed which is nearby and growls.

I can't put his kennel in the living room because that's where Thor's kennel is and it takes up the entire living room.

He's a Great Dane of course.
The good thing is that Whisper doesn't appear to be hissing or growling at Thor the way Kiki does so maybe there's hope for kitty/dog friendship.

 

[GoldyCat]

You might try giving Whisper a thorough bath, not just wiping down with baby wipes. When I brought Merlin home he got a bath with the same shampoo I use on the girls. I don't know if it really made a difference, but they were accepting him pretty well by the second day. Of course, he thinks everybody is his best friend, so even when they hiss at him he keep going back for more.

I've always had good luck letting the kitties work things out among themselves. I do know that some cats take much longer to acclimate to newcomers, and some cats will never become friends, but it's much too early to start worrying about that. Five them at least a week or two to figure things out for themselves. Just make sure someone is supervising any interaction for a the time being.

 

[3catsn1dog]

I think you've gotten a lot of good advice so far and I second the relaxing thing. Try to stay as relaxed and destressed as possible. Out of my 4 pets I have one cat who hates everyone else. Fatman does not go out of his way to be nice or friendly to anyone but bf. Herc gigi and franklin all play together chase each other and do normal cat dog stuff and yet even with fatman being ornery we still have a happy "normal" household. Everyone knows their boundaries and do ok and when we added new members we just threw them all together and let them work it out themselves only jumping in when we felt it was needed. Good luck!!!

 

[shanynne]

Giving Whisper a bath is a good idea especially if he really needs it. The key is to make him smell the same as your current babies. A drop of vanilla on the chin, base of the tail, where you would scratch him, and on the back of the neck is good idea, but do it to all the cats. That way they all smell the same. Make sure to use sparingly!

If you don't have vanilla you can use your cologne or perfume instead. Just make sure you give them a very very *light* spray from at 12 inches away from their bodies. Again, not to make their fur wet with the perfume, because of the alcohol in it, but rather just to confuse their sense of smell of each other.

The only other thing I can think of right now is make certain to give Kiki extra love and attention. She needs your reassurance that you still love her. Her reaction towards you is perfectly natural. She is probably thinking "What is cat mommy thinking bringing in someone new? What ?? I'm not good enough anymore?? Doesn't she still love and need me?? How dare she! Why, she belongs to me!!!


Hope this helps!

 

[darlili]

I agree with everything above, especially telling Kiki she's your #1, you love her, and the kitten is her kitten. Always feed and play with Kiki first - no matter how adorable the kitten is. She's got to be wondering about her place in the scheme of things - and why mommy brought this little bundle of fur inside!

Try and stay as relaxed as you can - Kiki is picking up the nervousness, and again is wondering what happened to her mommy, and why is she different. I know it's easier said than done, and I was a wreck when I brought my boy home, but hang in there for a bit.

 

[marinewife05]

I understand the scent thing, but why does Kiki growl even if she hears the kitten cry four rooms away? She'll growl hiss and bite at whoever is closest to her.

 

[akashastrega]

I have a few cats, and one of them wants to be an only child, so I did the opposite of what I was told when I introduced a new kitty--I caged the "only child" and let the new baby explore and scent. I used a large cage (we have a pit/boxer), and in it I put a small litter box, his food and his water. I'd let him out a couple times a day and if he'd growl at the new kitty, he got caged. After a couple days I guess he decided that playing nice is better than being caged, and I haven't had any issues since.

This is my experience though, and it may or may not work for you.

Also I use Feline Pine litter, a big bag is about $8 at WalMart, and will easily last a month. Cleanup is easy and none of my cats have ever had any adverse reactions to it...it keeps the litter box area smelling nice too.

I wish you much luck.

 

[nekomania]

You've been given lots of good advice so far. ^^ I just want to add that you shouldn't ever view it as a lost cause I think.

Some cats never learn to like each other, but they are pretty good at splitting up the territory without human intervention. Instead of learning to like each other they will learn to avoid each other.