My wife and I have 3 cats and two weeks ago adopted a 7 month old kitten. The kitten likes people and doesn't seem to mind our dog but is scared to death of other cats. If she as much as sees a cat across the room she hisses and backs up, even if they aren't paying attention to her. She had been an outside cat pretty much left to her own accord by some negligent prior owners. She has been fixed and we got her all the necessary shots and a checkup. Two of our cats are old and no issue but one is about 5 years old and seems to want to attack this kitten every second of the day. The couple times we tried to introduce them in a controlled situation it went poorly. Currently the kitten is walled off via a baby gate in her section of the house. Oh, and the kitten won't play with anything, ever. I've tried about 20 different toys as well as catnip and she's not having it. The only thing she seems to like are certain cat treats. We have tried to create positive situations by using the treats to get her close to the baby gate, and the waiting cat on the other side but with minimal results. It's only been 2 weeks but any advice would be welcomed.
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Kitten scared of other cats. What to try?
- Thread starter dun14ham
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There are many articles on this site about proper cat introductions. It sounds like the big issue is your 5 year old so I would focus on the two of them. It can be a long, slow process but is absolutely necessary for a harmonious integration. Your five year old may just be asserting his or her dominance over the new kitten which is completely normal and needs to be sorted out. As long as the kitten can get away to a safe place and is not crying out in pain they may sort it out in no time. Is your five year old male or female? Spayed or neutered?
Funny, but I have noticed that many cats that have spent much of their time outdoors do not understand cat toys in the beginning. Keep trying to bring out her hunting instincts by slowly moving the toy behind objects and out from under them.
Cat towers are wonderful things for previously outdoor cats. If you could find one with a little cubby for her to sleep in and feel safe, all the better.
For the time being the most important thing is for the kitten to have her own safe place that she can retreat to if needed. Cat introductions are a dance. Just when you start moving forward you may have to move back a bit. Please read the articles available here. They are packed full of suggestions.
Funny, but I have noticed that many cats that have spent much of their time outdoors do not understand cat toys in the beginning. Keep trying to bring out her hunting instincts by slowly moving the toy behind objects and out from under them.
Cat towers are wonderful things for previously outdoor cats. If you could find one with a little cubby for her to sleep in and feel safe, all the better.
For the time being the most important thing is for the kitten to have her own safe place that she can retreat to if needed. Cat introductions are a dance. Just when you start moving forward you may have to move back a bit. Please read the articles available here. They are packed full of suggestions.
Two weeks is not long in a cat world, my cats took a year before they finally tolerated each other. I agree they need to be slowly introduced, you can get a lot of help by looking at past posts under the behavior forum. It's a slow process but worth it. Just go slow and just spend time with them both. All the luck!
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- #4
Thank you for the reply. My 5 year old is a large male who has been neutered. He is normally very friendly and this is the first time we've seen him so aggressive. The kitten does have a safe area in my office, where I spend a lot of time anyway and has been sleeping in our bedroom at night. We will keep at it and try and make some baby steps. I've always had cats and never had any serious trouble with them getting along and will keep reading more articles on this site.
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- #5
Update: Our kitten is still separated from the other animals but gets along OK with all but the 5 year old male. The male, who has always been very mild mannered, spends hours on end sitting at the door to the kitten's area looking for an opportunity to get at her. The two times he has gotten past us he rushes the kitten, jumps on her and goes berserk to put it mildly. Never seen anything like it. I have gotten clawed up pretty good trying to separate them. We have tried site swapping many times and lots of supervised introductions but "Sugarbear" seems to have the singular intent of attacking on site. It's only been a month. Any thoughts?
