My Cat isn't accepting new kitten.

[Luna Suki]

Hello eveyone I'm new to this page but looking for some advice.

I have a 2 year old Cat called Luna. I decided to adopt a 12 week old Kitten Suki 6 weeks ago. I took everyone's advice when it came to introducing them that I should just leave them too it and not to seperate them as it can make things worse.

So 6 weeks on and Luna isn't accepting Suki, she's still growling at her and trying to claw her (never actully gets her and Suki doesn't seem sacred of her). Luna behaviour has changed too, she rarely wants strokes from me. she spends most of the time outside and only comes in for food. I've started to lock Suki in another room while Luna is in the house so she can spend sometime inside without the kitty bothering her. I'm hoping when Suki is spayed (in a couple of weeks time) and she can go outside things will improve.

Any advice on how to help them get along would be great!

[Lilith]

Hi and welcome

Oh dear. I confess I've usually done the same as you, and it's usually worked ok, but in your case you may need to start from, well, scratch ...

https://www.catchat.org/index.php/new-cat-introductions

In this current heatwave this is going to be a right pain, but far better than allowing your older girl to become alienated and (worst case scenario) wander off and move in with someone else. Frankly I'd keep her in, and make a huge fuss of her - favourite food, let her sleep on the bed, tell her how much you love her, cuddle her - and of course you'll have to fuss kitten on the sly, out of sight and earshot of older cat.

At the same time I wouldn't worry too much about signs of aggression - older cat will be training kitten to be subservient; verbals and gestures aren't too dangerous; if she really didn't want the newcomer about she'd scrag it!

It will be worth it - you'll get there. Please let us know how you get on, all the best

[Luna Suki]

Thank you for your advice

I break up from work on friday so I will have plenty of time at home to try and work on them (I'm hoping they will be bffs by the end of the summer). I'm trying to keep her in as much as possible but she's out as soon as she see's the opportunity.

I don't think there is too much aggression as the kitten isn't scared of her and keeps coming back and she never actully gets her when she paws at her.

I was wondering if one of thoes feliway plugins would help?

[Lilith]

I don't know. I've heard of people swearing by them; I tried one once for a kitten who was being a total pain ... that's 7 years ago and she's still a total pain lol. So I reckon they're like a lot of alternative stuff, they either work or they don't.

Fusses to Luna and Suki and good luck the lot of you

[Ruth B]

Feliway Plugins can help, but they certainly aren't the miracle cure some make them out to be. One of the problems is when to stop using them. You have to replace the refill section every 30 days which does get expensive, and then if peace does reign you don't know whether it's the Feliway or whether the cats have just decided to tolerate each other, so you keep buying the refills because you don't want to risk going back to how it was.

We had one for a while after I got my two youngsters, one was very nervous, the other was over boisterous and antagnonising my old cat. Things did seem to improve after we got it and we kept it refilled for about 18 months, then I got made redundant. After a bit of deliberation we decided to let the one that was in run out and see how it went, we couldn't afford to pay out for things that weren't needed. When it ended it made no difference, over the months the youngsters had matured and things had settled down.

Companies rely on people buying things like that out of habit and because they worry about what might happen, not because they really need it anymore.

[Luna Suki]

So today Luna (older Cat) actully attacked Luna (kitten.) Scratched her on the nose, Poor kitten has been so quiet today. I don't know what to do. I feel I should rehome her for the best but I don't want to.

[Lilith]

Ah the bad girl! But, please don't worry too much. A bop on the nose from an older cat to a younger cat means very little to them. That's what cats do. My youngest cat has pestered the eldest sometimes and for months went round with a permanent scar on her nose - and she'd deserved it!

Luna is probably teaching Suki to respect her elder; I'd wait and see how they go on; they're quite likely to settle down.

All the very best - please keep updating