Rescued 8 Month Old Kitten/realized She's Deaf/resident Cat Torments

[PearlChieftain]

Just after loosing our old female tortoise in December we rescued an 7/8 month old kitten from a kind woman who took it in twice off the city streets. The first time she took it in - since she couldn't keep it- she took it to the local ASPCA and they spayed her / clipped her ears and released her as a feral within days. The kitten showed back up to the lady's home - very ill, infected spay site, very malnourished. She took it to the vet- heavy antibiotics, special food and then she came to us. She is healthy and at a good weight now but we wondered why she wasn't responding to any name and able to be snuck up on by our 10 year old resident female. We believe she is deaf. She resides only upstairs and spends most of her time watching for the old cat. She is loving to us, starting to spend more time in bed when we come up at night. But she must be lonely and afraid. The older cat is being a bully because she can. She is jealous. Any ideas on how to get peace back in the house and get the kitten to be more social? Luckily they both have claws and both are the same size so neither has been hurt but we don't want either of them to get hurt. Would it be best to find her a home as the only cat?

 

[calicosrspecial]

Hi,

Thank you so much for saving her life and giving her love and a great home.

We really want to go through the formal introduction process which I am happy to help you get through. The goal is to slowly get them to associate each other with positives so that when they meet they already "know" each other and instead of fearing them (fearing they will be hurt, or fearing they will not have access to food, etc) they will think "I know that cat, that cat is cool".

So I suggest we follow the formal intro process and here are some helpful links.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

A Simple Little Trick to Use During New Cat Introductions

Cat Care

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

So I would keep the new kitty in her own room or area totally separated from the resident cat. I would feed them on opposite sides of a closed door so that they can associate the other's scent with something positive.

During this time period I would work on building their confidence as a confident cat is less likely to attack or be attacked.

We build confidence through Play, Food, Height and Love. So I would step up play with each cat in their territories. Really good play sessions. And feed either treats or a meal after play. This replicates the "Hunt, Capture, Kill, Eat" instinct in the wild and builds confidence as they are following the instinct and surviving. Look into toys that don't require human interaction for them so they can be occupied when you are away. Also, make sure they have cat trees so they can go high in the world as height builds confidence. If the cat can look out of a window safely that is good as cats LOVE to look at wildlife.Also, warm and comfy bedding and scratching posts. And then let them know they are loved. Stay calm and confident around them. Talk calmly, confidently and lovingly to them. Give them treats. Let the new cat initiate contact. Always stay at her level or below. Never reach from above her or stand above her. Just let her know she is loved. This will help build her trust and "ownership".

Our goal in the intro process is to make that positive association first with food and scent. Also, make sure every encounter is as positive as possible. So if the resident cat is acting funny on the other side of the closed door try to distract her with something positive (food, play, loving talk). And we will move to the next step and on when appropriate.

The resident cat usually has the biggest adjustment as it is "their" territory being "invaded". And the resident cat doesn't know if this unknown cat will hurt them or cause them to lose access to food etc. So our goal is to slowly introduce them to show them that the new cat doesn't mean harm.

And when we build the confidence of both cats it will help them build respect and trust. A confident cat is less likely to attack or be attacked. An unconfident cat tends to act like prey which leads to more chasing and a decline in confidence etc.

Don't worry, we will get this to work out. It is a very common issue.

I am happy to help you through this so please feel free to ask anything anytime.

Thank you SO MUCH for saving her life and giving her a great home. I will be with you every step of the way.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And do remember that cats aren't lonely in quite the same way that humans are. Actually, your new little girl might be feeling releived not to be having to scrap for any little resource at this point! She will be fine, and C calicosrspecial has given you excellent advice on how to proceed! I'll just add this article, for good measure!

Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)