new kitten in the house...how to get the resident cat to accept?

SnakesInTheTower

As some here may know, I got a cat at the local shelter a couple of years ago. Max (short for Maxine)...is a very good natured, loving cat...as much as a cat can be. Lately she has really been trying for my attention.... why?

You see, my fiancee's 9YO son lost his hamster...died a couple of months ago.... ever since he has been pestering her for a replacement pet. For awhile he had been going for a leopard gecko.... after showing my fiancee the care requirements (heat lamp on 12 hours a day...nasty little mealworms that are fed live...etc)....I was able to get past that idea.

..... but then my future mother-in-law, the crazy cat lady, got a whole new litter of kittens. Why she refuses to get these cats fixed is beyond me...she is, to put it kindly, cheap. Has money, refuses to part with it. She and the 9YO's grandpa watch him for us on Saturdays and after school some days.... and of course the kittens are a kid magnet. Now the 9YO wants one of the kittens.

So my fiancee starts working on me. My concern is the resident cat. I have had cats over the years, and even introduced them before...but that was always under my parents home... this is the first time I have dealt with it myself.

after much cajoling, they talk me into a trial run...a couple of hours a day in the evening to introduce the two cats. Unfortunately, our house is not very big, so there really isnt a good room to put the kitten into..that is usually the best...kitten behind closed doors, let them smell each other for awhile...

Well...the MIL throws down the gauntlet because grandpa hates the cats and wants them gone (litter smell, old wet food, etc)...so we had to decide by today if we were going to take the kitten. Of course, the kitten is cute...arent they all? Supposedly the cats are either going to a shelter or a farm...kittens to the shelter likely....adult cats to the country (I hate the dumping thing...ticks me off)

so resident cat max is alternately ignoring and hissing (and today growling) at the kitten (named Adventure by the 9YO). Information I have found says that it can take 3 weeks. sheesh...

Last night I had to lock the kitten into the bathroom (unfortunately it does not lock from the outside, so there is nothing keeping big cat from pushing open the door...)...poor kitten cried off and on....

the kitten is lying asleep behind me in the office chair...the big cat is on her perch next to the window, next to me, looking out the window....every time she turns around and sees the kitten...hiss..growl.... then quiet... then normal meow...then growl...she is grooming herself like crazy now.

The worse thing that the big cat has done is batted the kitten once...chased it away...and held its head down with her paw..... the kitten has taken the proper submissive postures....but then chases big cat...

so...bad idea...letting little kitten into the house? I told the family I will give kitten 3 weeks...and if Max doesnt accept the kitten by then (or her behavior gets worse in the interim) I told them the kitten has to go. I take cat ownership seriously. Max was here first. They are accepting that. Actually, after last night, my fiancee was ready for the kitten to go now...

Snakes (Rich )

troubled mind

Snakes , Snakes , Snakes.........shakes head with a smile .......Alll will be well in your kitty kingdom just give them time .

Show Max extra attention ,maybe some treats . It is a good idea to separate the two at night . Does the 9 yr old have his own room ? If yes let the kitten stay with him in there at night w/door closed . That way they start to bond and the other cat will learn to avoid that room for now .Also it give the kitten company so less crying at night .

In our experience it takes a week or so for things to even out .

Good luck hope all goes well .

I love kitties

Heaven

It should get better. I think it's good for a pet to have another pet to keep them company when their human companions are not home. You can use a cage instead of an actual room to put new kitten in so new kitten has its own refuge but still allows resident cat to see her and smell her. Let new kitten out gradually for longer and longer periods over the next couple of weeks. When new kitten is out and about, leave door to cage open so she can run in for safety if needed. At night or at times you are not home, put new kitten in the cage and close the door.

You can consult your vet as well if there are problems, but it sounds to me like everything is progressing as it normally would between 2 cats who don't really know each other.

SnakesInTheTower

my thinking too.... I think the two will be fine... we left for a 4 day vacation a few weeks ago and Max was by herself, except for daily visits from my fiancee's parents...when we got home Max went crazy.... and she has been extra affectionate since...

..now a month later this interloper appears on her scene....

....right now the kitten is kept in the bathroom if we leave. I went and dropped the 9YO off at school and left the kitten out in the house.... only gone about 15 min.... both cats were fine...except for the hissing and growling...lol

..on another note...the 9YO is actually afraid of animals....cats and esp dogs. took him awhile to warm up to Max... I am having to teach him how to properly handle and pick up a kitten so as not to hurt it....

..ironically, the 9YO actually wants to clean the litter box...gross stuff and all....but other things he is finding out that a new kitten (like any baby) is a lot of work...and not just a stuffed toy to play with...and like any kid...not so much into hard work.

...we thought about keeping the kitten in his room at night...he wants that......I need to get him to declutter it before that can happen. Lots of things that the kitten can get into... but we will see...

on another cat front... my cat Max actually bangs her body against our bedroom door if it is shut...we only have a sliding latch right now to keep it locked when we need to...the cat banged it so hard the other night she blasted the screws out of the frame and came right on in as if no big deal...not the first time...and she wakes us up because she wants to look outside through the blinds... Max is a big kitty.

...the cats waking her up is really causing a problem with my dear fiancee....having trouble sleeping as it is... dont know if we can actually lock the door anyway....the 9YO comes in occasionally at night (as opposed to 3 times a night at first) because of growing pains....

ahhh... maybe I should video the two cats...post it online...lol....

Snakes (Rich )

...I am off to meet my fiancee at her job for coffee...and then I have yard work to do before the rain...

aSphereisnotaCircle

keep the kitties in seperate rooms for a while, one with a door between them so that they can become aware of the other one on the other side.

Eventually they will start playing with each other under the door, let them do this for a while and then one day, open the door and leave them alone to discover each other.

This may take a day or two or a couple of weeks.

It's worked well for me.

Incidentally you do not have to keep them in the rooms, you can allow one kitty out for awhile and then the other kitty, just always keep a door between them, until they start getting along.

SnakesInTheTower

I left the two cats alone for a couple of hours while I ran errands, free to interact or not. No blood, no tufts of fur.....lol

When I came home, the kitten was behind the rocker where he likes to hide out...the resident cat Max was lying on the bed in our bedroom. Little cat followed me, and Max could hear it..her ears twitched...I took the kitten out before the hissing started. I figure kitten is banned from our bedroom.... giving Max a safe haven away from the honery little cat.

Snakes (Rich )

Heaven

Can you post some pics, Snakes?

shamus100

Show your cat that you love it more.

Now I want you to go lick the cat clean. He/she will love it... go now. Lick the cat clean. Then lick the kittens clean. That's how cats show love.

You will get furballs, so afterwards get some medication for that.

nugget

If you cannot separate the cats and do a gradual intro then when the new cat is in the room with the existing cat always make a fuss of the old cat and make a big deal of them whilst ignoring the new cat. Put food for the old cat down first and feed the new one second. Cats have a pecking order and a new pet upsets the order of things for a while. They will adjust but if you don't help them establish order it can lead to stress amongst the cats and spraying in doors.

Good luck with that. We're introducing a new rabbit to the existing pets who are both a bit blood thirsty so know the problem well. Turns out the rabbit can stand up for itself pretty much.

nelly136

you forget the first rule of thumb with cats, they dont have owners they have slaves, cat no1 is just miffed cos the slave ratio per cat went down.

leave em to sort it out amongst themselves,big cat can escape to all the high places the little cat cant follow....yet. they will find their own comfort level with each other. sooner or later you will probably find them curled up together.

venetian blind warning just in case you have any....kittens and ventian blinds and the long loops can be a bad mix,

new kitten in the house...how to get the resident cat to accept?

Share this