my kitty passed and other is depressed. help!!!!!

[kittylover93]

I got a kitten about a year and a half ago. He was a stray tom cat. Very wild and playful. He was running wild all over our house so we decided to get another kitten that he could play with. We got an orange tabby. They bonded instantly and were best friends (the tabby and the tom cat are only 6 months apart in age). Recently the tom cat got hit by a car and passed away. After a week we decided to get a new kitten because we noticed that our tabby was very depressed. The tabby was not happy. He hisses at the kitten and wants nothing to do with him(the tabby is now a year old and the kitten is 6 weeks old). I've been keeping them in separate rooms and introducing them slowly but the tabby is still hissing and growling. I actually saw tears come out of my tabby's eyes the other day! He does nothing but mope around and cry loudly at the door. He is still very depressed after 3 weeks! Can someone please give me some tips on introducing the two(I don't want the kitten to get hurt because he is so small) and maybe some tips on how to cheer up my depressed tabby? Please! It is very heart breaking to watch him go through this.



P.S. both the kitten and tabby are males. The one that passed was also a male. The tabby used to be very loving and playful till his friend died. And of course the kitten is playful. My tabby used to be open to meeting new cats. I think my tabby thinks we replaced his best friend with a stranger.

 

[katluver4life]

Sorry for the loss of your kitty. How are you doing the introductions between the tabby and kitten? Are you following the tips found here in this article? http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

Your tabby just needs time. Hissing and growling is perfectly normal behavior at this stage. Do the introductions slowly. Use food as a motivator and scent swap. Feeding your tabby on a towel that has the kittens scent will help him associate the scent as a good thing. A few weeks is not a long time for a cat. It may take a bit longer.

Cats do grieve. This too will pass in time. Give your tabby lots of attention. Help him play a bit with the kitten or use toys the kitten plays with first, then play with the tabby with the same toy.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[kittylover93]

Thank you so much. The cats actually got close enough to sniff each other out today, but then the tabby hissed again. It's progress though. I will follow the tips you gave me. My tabby has cheered up a little also and he is starting to play a bit more, and I think he may of found a lady friend haha.

 

[kittylover93]

And I usually put the kitten in the carrier cage we have and let our tabby notice him on his own. But here lately I've been just letting them run free in the house together while I supervise. My tabby spends most of his day outside and we bring him in at night and the kitten isn't old enough to be outside by himself yet. At night we make sure the tabby can't get to the kitten.