Cat doesn't get along with kittens, don't know what to do

[candyapplegray]

Hello. First time cat owner in need of advice here.

I have a 7 month old spayed female cat and about a month ago I found and brought home 2 orphaned kittens, both were month old. Can't figure out how to make them get along - the kittens are calm and curious around my older cat, but she acts very frightened/defensive. She refuses to get out of house (kittens live in a garden shed now), spends hours watching them from window and acts very nervous.

What should I do?

[bobbys girl]

Hello and welcome to CC.

I'm not expert in cat introductions - they were always a bit hap-hazzard in our family. But if my maths is correct, your new kitties are only 2 months old - and living in a shed? In November? Can you not bring them into the house, into a separate room to your other cat? (this from a woman who lives in a very small, 2 bed bungalow, with husband, mother and 5 cats ) Just a thought.

[lilynmitz]

I agree, these kittens should not be in the shed, and the less time you spend with them at this stage in their lives, the more difficult it will be to socialise them in the future. If you do not have room in your house and your other young cat cannot adjust to them, then you really need to put them up for rehoming or get them to someone with experience of young kittens. Your older cat may simply be one of the many who just don't get on with other cats, and would far rather be on her own. This is certainly the message that's she's trying to give you right now.

If you do decide to persevere with this, the advice in the following links may help you.

http://www.catchat.org/hierarchies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.catchat.org/bonding.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.catchat.org/cat_aggression.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;