I have a 19 year old cat who I have had since she was 8 weeks old. My mom made her an outside cat and she had to defend herself every day for food and shelter. Finally me and my husband got together and went and got an apartment. I took her with me because I was tired of how my mom was treating her and she wouldn't let her stay inside with me. Been living in this apartment for 3 years now and someone had a 4 week old kitten who got abandoned by her real mother. I took her in and fed her with a bottle, litter box trained her and now she is a pretty healthy rabl who is now 9 weeks old still working on her upper respiratory infection. We had kept them seperated the whole time until the past 2 weeks, I introduced them to their own living spaces and rubbed each others scent on them and even got them in the same room to smell each other. My cat just attacked my kitten a few minutes ago and i'm tired of trying to figure it out. I need help I want them to live in harmony as much as possible and I'm worried the next time my cat might do real damage. The kitten is ok nothing is wrong with her and she's safe in another room with me right now. Please help me is my cat too old to learn a new trick?
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Older Cat Not Getting Along With New Kitten
- Thread starter Obit
- Start Date
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- #3
I didn't get to see it, I have been leaving the door open to get them better acquainted cause it has been over a month and they didn't do anything with supervision. My apartment is very small so I wasn't worried about me getting there quickly in case anything did happen. All I heard was growling, hissing, and I heard my kitten cry. When I ran in the room my cat was huddled on her bed as usual almost in a ball and on the other side of my bed was my kitten also in a ball. I picked her up and her eye twitched a little maybe she got a bonk on the face. But I trimmed both their claws before this encounter so I wasn't too worried. Her eye is fine now and she's running around like nothing happened. The sounds sounded worse than the damage that's for sure.
At 19 probably the most you can expect from your older cat is enough tolerance of the kitten so she doesn’t hurt it. Right now with the kitten being so young I would not let them be together without you in the room and I would keep their introduction sessions short. I would expect there to be hissing and a slap or two on the kitten by the elder. If that is all that the older cat does then that is okay. The kitten will learn to keep a respectful distance and not pester and they can peacefully coexist without being friends.
One other suggestion is that you keep keep the kitten totally away from the older cat until it is completely over its upper respiratory infection, so you don’t risk the older cat getting it.
One other suggestion is that you keep keep the kitten totally away from the older cat until it is completely over its upper respiratory infection, so you don’t risk the older cat getting it.
Yeah, thats the way of it. It would be the rare 19 year old that wouldn't hiss or swat at a kitten at first. You can let them work it out once the illness is passed. Its ok if the older one pins the younger one for being a PITA, and even if the younger one squeals a bit. Totally normal, kitten won't actually be hurt. As Susan said, it could take a while and you might not get any further than toleration. If either of the two is going to be problematically stressed, it will be the 19 year old. You'll have to make sure she keeps eating and isn't constantly terrified, but that would be rare.
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- #6
Thank you I appreciate you both taking the time to read this. I just want what is best for my babies I had a feeling tolerance would be as for as they go and if that is the case than so be it. She has definitely not learned her lesson I'll tell you that. Thank you again I just want to keep them safe.
