My cat and her kittens won't accept the kitten I adopted

[shilpa]

Hello,

My cat and her kittens won't accept my little abandoned kitten that I had adopted. It's been 2 months and they still hiss at him and growl loudly whenever they see him. I have to keep them separated. The only kitten who had befriended my little one and played with lost his life in a tragic accident 2 days ago. Can anyone suggest what I should do to make them friendly with each other?

 

[cat nap]

Hello,
My cat and her kittens won't accept my little abandoned kitten that I had adopted. It's been 2 months and they still hiss at him and growl loudly whenever they see him. I have to keep them separated. The only kitten who had befriended my little one and played with lost his life in a tragic accident 2 days ago. Can anyone suggest what I should do to make them friendly with each other?

Hi @shilpa...Is there an age difference between your original kittens and the little one you adopted?

Does the little new one act all healthy and playful?

I would rub all the kittens with towels and transfer the 'kittens scent' onto the newcomer, and also transfer his scent onto them, so that they all smell alike.

I would also Play with all the kittens, individually and together, to get them more used to each other.

When they hiss and growl at him, is it done in kitten play? 

 

[shilpa]

Hello,

Thanks for the response. This kitten is about 1 month younger than the others and is significantly smaller about (1/3 the size) than those kittens since he is being hand reared. The other kittens were born to a feral that used to visit me. I tried the method you suggested to mingle them and the male kitten finally befriended him (I lost that lovely boy to the street dogs 2 days ago),however the female kittens are very hissy. They hiss whenever they see him, and the mom cat too. So I am scared to let them close to him.

Is there any other way I can try ? I really want them all to live together happily. My little one will also have a company if they stick together.

 

[cat nap]

If your little one is healthy, and strong, then the other kittens should eventually accept him.

Sometimes cats will not accept another cat, if they notice that he has an illness, is weaker, has ear mites, smells odd, etc.

If you can, getting him checked out by a Vet, before you introduce him to your other kittens, is recommended, so that the newcomer does not transfer anything to the resident cats.

Because you mentioned that the new guy is smaller, I would probably wait until he catches up a little in size, and strength, before he has unsupervised play with the other kittens.

Hissing is not that bad, but if they are trying to attack him, without it being in play, then you would have to separate.

Sometimes, some kittens just hiss, to show dominance, fear, or automatically do it while playing. It does not always mean they don't like each other.

What are the ages of all the cats, now? As in, is the little one still being hand fed? (under 5 weeks old?)

This article might help with other ideas of introducing cats, using 'scent swapping' and 'placing dishes of food' nearer and nearer to each other, to get the kittens more accepting.

 [article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

Use their play toys, as well, and the areas they sleep in, blankets, etc, to get the new one's scent everywhere.

Can you post a photo of the little ones, and the new one?

You might also be able to get one of the kittens to accept the new guy, if you do it individually, and choose the resident kitten that seems the most friendly, and more accepting.

Then trying it out with the other kitten.

If in groups, they might not accept him, but individually, they might want to play.

The female kittens might just be copying their mom, since they do learn by watching, and example.

 

[shilpa]

Thanks again. I think you are right. The kittens are copying their mom. I forgot to mention that my cat is a feral and has been living around me for 6 months. She gave birth to her kittens 3 months back and moved them to my house almost 2 months back. That's exactly 5 days after I had adopted this one. The male kitten had started playing with him , when he spent some time with me and the kitten alone. Also because he was curious and wanted to play with the toy I brought for the tiny one.

The tiny one is absolutely free of disease. He is 2 months old now. He is healthy and is very playful and very active. He is slightly smaller in size according to his age however is catching up quickly.

I will try to upload the pictures tomorrow. I need to take a rececnt picture of my tiny one.

So I think I will wait for him to catch up on size and then introduce them.

 

[di and bob]

They will eventually accept him, mama is protective right now and the kittens are learning from her reactions. Is there any way mama can be separated from them for  a while and see how just the kittens get along? A toy filled with cat nip would be fun for all and food or treats might bring them together too. Hissing and growling is very normal, as long as there is no outright attack, it should be OK. Some how you might keep them separated but still visible to each other, like the small guy in a large dog crate would be good, they would get used to his presence and smell. My cats observed each other through a patio and screen door for a year. Now they mingle without fights, just a hiss once in a while. The outside cats have a few ferals involved, but those usually run when the inside cats get out. Your little one would gain so much by having a family, I pray every thing goes all right for you. 

 

[cat nap]

Thanks again. I think you are right. The kittens are copying their mom. I forgot to mention that my cat is a feral and has been living around me for 6 months. She gave birth to her kittens 3 months back and moved them to my house almost 2 months back. That's exactly 5 days after I had adopted this one. The male kitten had started playing with him , when he spent some time with me and the kitten alone. Also because he was curious and wanted to play with the toy I brought for the tiny one.

The tiny one is absolutely free of disease. He is 2 months old now. He is healthy and is very playful and very active. He is slightly smaller in size according to his age however is catching up quickly.

I will try to upload the pictures tomorrow. I need to take a rececnt picture of my tiny one.

So I think I will wait for him to catch up on size and then introduce them.

Cats somehow know, who they can trust, and so your feral mom cat must have known you'd help her, take care of her kittens, so she moved them to your house.

I think the advice that @Di and Bob gave is extremely helpful, and if you managed to separate the mom cat, for awhile, or are able to get a 'large dog crate/cage'...then that may help in getting all the kittens more integrated.

As the other member, also mentioned, perhaps you can create an outdoor safe space for your cats, or have plenty of protected areas, up high, where other animals cannot get to the kittens, or cats.

Even outdoor sheds with cat doors, or some such protected area might help. 

Is it regular practice to spay and neuter cats in India? Do they have any TNR (trap, neuter, return) programs, there? Spaying and neutering, when the kittens are old enough, and especially the feral mom cat, would help everyone get along, better, too.